Publications by authors named "Constantinescu S"

Orthopedic screws are subjected to high mechanical stress, corrosive environment, and microbial colonization, which may cumulatively lead to implant failure and periprosthetic joint infections. To overcome these issues, this study has focused on modifying the surface chemistry and topography of screws utilized in knee intervention toward enhancing their mechanical and biological behaviors. Specifically, this study has explored the optimization of composite coatings made of polycaprolactone (PCL), graphene oxide (GO), and Meropenem (MRP) via the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique.

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The consequences of unintended pregnancy in liver transplant (LT) recipients, a growing part of the high-risk obstetric population, remain unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted a retrospective registry cohort study to describe the risk factors, obstetric and neonatal morbidity, and graft outcomes associated with unintended pregnancy after LT. This study utilized the Transplant Pregnancy Registry International (TPRI) and included 565 pregnancies of LT recipients between 1967 and 2019 from 289 hospitals, primarily in North America.

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  • Pituitary adenomas (PA), or Pit-NETS, are rare in children and especially unusual in those under 10, with the majority of research conducted on adult cases.
  • This review addresses the unique clinical considerations, diagnosis, and treatment of PA in young patients, highlighting the importance of involving specialized teams that include both pediatric and adult medical experts.
  • Pediatric PAs tend to be larger, more aggressive, and often lead to hormonal imbalances that can affect growth and puberty, with the most common type being prolactinomas; genetic testing is recommended for young patients due to potential hereditary mutations linked to these tumors.
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  • Oxazolidinones, like linezolid and tedizolid, can cause adverse reactions, particularly thrombocytopenia, due to their impact on mitochondrial function, though the exact mechanism is still unclear.
  • * In experiments with human CD34+ cells, oxazolidinones significantly reduced burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colony formation and disrupted the differentiation of megakaryocytes, affecting their typical maturation and structure.
  • * The toxicity observed was more severe with tedizolid compared to linezolid, suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in thrombocytopenia, which complicates potential pharmacological solutions for this side effect.
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Purpose: In men with prolactinoma treated with dopamine agonists (DA), the extent, timeline, and predictive factors of gonadotropic axis recovery are still unclear.

Methods: We analyzed data of 97 men with a prolactinoma treated with DA (77/97 macroprolactinomas). We excluded patients with primary hypogonadism, surgery < 12 months after DA initiation, and patients with tumors < 5 mm or prolactin < 45 µg/l at diagnosis.

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Deficits in episodic memory have been reported in various psychiatric conditions, including Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Many widely used episodic memory tests do not have the ability to distinguish between impaired memory of separate components of a real-life event (e.g.

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Background: Current guidelines recommend different postpartum approaches for patients started on levothyroxine (LT4) during pregnancy.

Objective: We studied the postpartum management of these patients and determined factors associated with long-term hypothyroidism.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary center between 2014 and 2020, with LT4 initiation according to 2014 ETA recommendations.

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Background: Healthcare providers who care for adolescent and young adult transplant recipients should be aware of contraception counseling and potential for pregnancy in this at-risk cohort.

Methods: This paper will review contraceptive options in general for transplant recipients. There will also be a review of common immunosuppressive medications and their risk profile regarding pregnancy after transplantation.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Polycythemia vera (PV) is caused by mutations in the JAK2 gene, often leading to elevated red blood cell counts; however, a 38-year-old woman presented with a novel mutation in the JAK2 pseudokinase domain instead of the common ones.
  • - Genetic testing revealed this mutation was inherited, as her mother and son also displayed similar symptoms of erythrocytosis, and their blood showed abnormal growth patterns typical of PV.
  • - Treatment with Ropeginterferon-alfa-2b (Ropeg-IFN-α) successfully induced remission and reduced JAK2 activity, highlighting a unique interaction between this therapy and JAK2 signaling that differs from typical treatments for PV.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the examination of choice for diagnosing and monitoring pituitary adenoma (also known as pituitary neuroendocrine tumor or PitNET), whether treated or not. However, repeating the examination too often (and sometimes unnecessarily) is costly, and worrying data on tissue accumulation (brain, bone, etc.) of gadolinium atoms dissociated from their carrier molecule (chelator) have led European authorities to ban contrast agents based on linear chelators of gadolinium, which are particularly susceptible to rapid dissociation, in favor of chemically more stable macrocyclic chelators.

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To modulate the bioactivity and boost the therapeutic outcome of implantable metallic devices, biodegradable coatings based on polylactide (PLA) and graphene oxide nanosheets (nGOs) loaded with Zinforo™ (Zin) have been proposed in this study as innovative alternatives for the local management of biofilm-associated periprosthetic infections. Using a modified Hummers protocol, high-purity and ultra-thin nGOs have been obtained, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations. The matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique has been successfully employed to obtain the PLA-nGO-Zin coatings.

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At the European Society of Radiology (ESR), we strive to provide evidence for radiological practices that improve patient outcomes and have a societal impact. Successful translation of radiological research into clinical practice requires multiple factors including tailored methodology, a multidisciplinary approach aiming beyond technical validation, and a focus on unmet clinical needs. Low levels of evidence are a threat to radiology, resulting in low visibility and credibility.

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Exploring silver-based and carbon-based nanomaterials' excellent intrinsic antipathogenic effects represents an attractive alternative for fabricating anti-infective formulations. Using chemical synthesis protocols, stearate-conjugated silver (Ag@C) nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanosheets (nGOs) were herein obtained and investigated in terms of composition and microstructure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations revealed the formation of nanomaterials with desirable physical properties, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the high purity of synthesized nanomaterials.

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Background: Tacrolimus extended-release tablets have been Food and Drug Administration-approved for use in the kidney transplant population. Dosing requi rements often vary for tacrolimus based on several factors including variation in metabolism based on expression. Patients who express often require higher dosing of immediate-release tacrolimus, but this has not been established for tacrolimus extended-release tablets in the setting.

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Chromothripsis, the process of catastrophic shattering and haphazard repair of chromosomes, is a common event in cancer. Whether chromothripsis might constitute an actionable molecular event amenable to therapeutic targeting remains an open question. We describe recurrent chromothripsis of chromosome 21 in a subset of patients in blast phase of a myeloproliferative neoplasm (BP-MPN), which alongside other structural variants leads to amplification of a region of chromosome 21 in ∼25% of patients ('chr21amp').

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Background: Thyroperoxidase (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin (TgAb) antibodies are highly prevalent in Graves' disease (GD), but their significance is controversial.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed TPOAb and TgAb levels and evolution in 136 patients with newly diagnosed GD between 2000 and 2022, treated with anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) in a block-and-replace (B+R) regimen for at least 12 months and followed up for at least 1 year after ATD discontinuation or until disease relapse.

Results: At diagnosis, 98 out of 136 (72%) patients were TPOAb positive and 73 out of 136 (54%) patients were TgAb positive.

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Objectives: The incidental diagnosis of nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenomas (NFPMAs) is becoming more prevalent with the spread of modern brain imaging techniques. We sought to uncover new data about their natural history and surgical outcome.

Design: This is a retrospective single-center observational study.

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Somatic frameshift mutations in exon 9 of calreticulin () gene are recognized as disease drivers in primary myelofibrosis (PMF), one of the three classical Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Type 1/type 1-like mutations particularly confer a favorable prognostic and survival advantage in PMF patients. We report an unusual case of PMF incidentally diagnosed in a 68-year-old woman known with hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis who developed a progressive painful splenomegaly, without anomalies in blood cell counts.

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Article Synopsis
  • Primary myelofibrosis (PMF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are myeloproliferative neoplasms driven by JAK2 signaling, with PMF being the most aggressive and currently lacking curative treatments except for stem cell transplantation.
  • JAK inhibitors like ruxolitinib are the primary treatment for high-risk MF, primarily reducing inflammation and symptoms but not significantly changing disease progression.
  • New strategies are being explored, including targeting genetics and developing novel therapies such as a less toxic form of interferon-α, aiming to modify disease progression and reduce toxicity, with promising combinations of drugs in development for better outcomes.
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The thrombopoietin receptor (TpoR) plays a central role in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Mutations in JAK2, calreticulin, or TpoR itself drive the constitutive activation of TpoR and uncontrolled proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors. The JAK2 V617F mutation is responsible for most MPNs, and all driver mutants induce pathologic TpoR activation.

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