Publications by authors named "Cristina- Sorina Catana"

The HLA profile is essential in cell and tissue transplantation, particularly in patients with autoimmune conditions and infections. Due to the extreme polymorphism in certain HLA loci, it also serves as a key tool for population genetic analysis. This study aimed to identify the allele and haplotype distributions of HLA class I (A, B, and C) and class II (DRB1) genotypes in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donors.

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  • The study investigates the potential role of specific variants of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in determining risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed using international databases to assess how these genetic factors contribute to cognitive decline and their potential as early biomarkers for AD.
  • Results indicated that certain HLA variants are linked to increased risk for cognitive decline while others provide protection, with let-7 and miR-15/16 identified as promising miRNA biomarkers for early detection of AD.
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  • The study investigated the link between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 2392 patients awaiting kidney transplants, highlighting genetic and environmental influences.
  • Results showed that certain HLA alleles, such as HLA-A*11 and HLA-B*41, were positively associated with an increased risk of ESRD, while others like HLA-DRB1*07 provided a protective effect.
  • The findings suggest that understanding HLA polymorphisms could help identify patients at higher risk for ESRD and improve outcomes post-transplant by enhancing graft survival.
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Background And Aims: Current nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) guidelines do not provide any recommendations regarding the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), a simple obesity metric calculated by dividing waist circumference by height. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to evaluate WHtR in NAFLD.

Methods: We performed a systematic electronic search on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, identifying observational studies assessing WHtR in NAFLD.

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Gastric cancer is the fifth type of neoplasia most frequently diagnosed and the fourth cause of death among other cancers. Prevalence is around two times higher for males than females. Chitotriosidase and neopterin are two molecular biomarkers with potential diagnostic and prognostic use in malignant pathology.

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Gallstones are a common surgical pathology. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy represents the elective treatment. Complicated cases can increase the rate of conversion, the duration, and the difficulty of the intervention, along with the hospitalization period.

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Macrophage activation and cytokine release play a pivotal role in inflammation-mediated metabolic disturbances in obesity. The proinflammatory macrophage secretes human chitotriosidase (CHIT1). The expression of the CHIT1 in visceral adipose tissue is associated with cytokine production.

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Childhood obesity progresses to metabolic disturbances via low-grade inflammation. Identifying novel molecules that reflect the activity of the immune responses is critical in understanding its underlying pathogenesis. Our exploratory study aimed to evaluate the change of chitotriosidase (CHIT1) plasma activity according to Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age z score in pediatric patients.

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Recent knowledge concerning the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury provides new insight into their possible roles as specific biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have fewer than 200 nucleotides, while long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) have more than 200 nucleotides. The three types of ncRNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs) act as signaling molecules strongly involved in cardiovascular disorders (CVD).

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The chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) are accompanied by inflammatory manifestations. Our study aimed to evaluate a possible association between the inflammatory status (reflected by serum chitotriosidase and neopterin) and the timely evolution and occurrence of chronic microvascular complications in patients with type 1 DM. This observational, cross-sectional study included 82 type 1 DM patients from the Centre for Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

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This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on how lncRNAs are influencing aging and cancer metabolism. Recent research has shown that senescent cells re-enter cell-cycle depending on intrinsic or extrinsic factors, thus restoring tissue homeostasis in response to age-related diseases (ARDs). Furthermore, maintaining proteostasis or cellular protein homeostasis requires a correct quality control (QC) of protein synthesis, folding, conformational stability, and degradation.

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  • - The study investigates the potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) by analyzing their expression in various body fluids, comparing levels in AD patients to control subjects.
  • - Two meta-analyses were conducted due to varying reporting styles in existing research, with one focusing on ten studies calculating effect sizes, and the second using a different set of eight studies analyzing fold changes in miRNA expression.
  • - While the findings suggest that certain miRNA families could play a significant role in AD diagnosis, challenges such as varied expression levels, small sample sizes, and differing detection methods hinder clear interpretations, highlighting the need for future research to identify effective miRNA combinations.
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: To evaluate if smoking, quantified by the serum cotinine levels, is related to the evolution of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).: A pilot study was conducted on CLI patients who addressed at the Second Surgery Clinic of the Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania between November 2015 and December 2016. The sample of patients was split into two groups using the threshold of 15 ng/mL for the serum level of cotinine (low cotinine level - LCL vs.

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  • Recent focus has shifted to how polyphenols, an epigenetic-modulating diet, influence age-related progression and longevity at a molecular level.
  • Natural compounds can enhance cellular longevity by modifying histones and increasing autophagy, which lowers acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA) levels.
  • Additionally, caloric restriction (CR) plays a crucial role in combatting cancer-related inflammation as it increases SIRT1 protein levels, promoting autophagy and potentially aiding in cancer prevention.
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Background: Chitotriosidase is an enzyme secreted by activated macrophages. This study aims to investigate the usefulness of circulating chitotriosidase activity as a marker of inflammatory status in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).

Materials And Methods: An observational gender-matched case-control study was conducted on patients hospitalized with the primary diagnosis of CLI, as well as a control group.

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In a continuous and mutual exchange of information, cancer cells are invariably exposed to microenvironment transformation. This continuous alteration of the genetic, molecular and cellular peritumoral stroma background has become as critical as the management of primary tumor progression events in cancer cells. The communication between stroma and tumor cells within the extracellular matrix is one of the triggers in colon and liver carcinogenesis.

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Human aging is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation known as "inflammaging." Persistent low-level inflammation also plays a key role in all stages of breast cancer since "inflammaging" is the potential link between cancer and aging through NF-kB pathways highly influenced by specific miRs. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level.

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic disorders of modern society, requiring management strategies aimed at prolonging an active life and establishing the exact etiology and pathogenesis. These idiopathic diseases have environmental, genetic, immunologic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress components. On the one hand, recent advances have shown that abnormal immune reactions against the microorganisms of the intestinal flora are responsible for the inflammation in genetically susceptible individuals.

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  • Chronic inflammation and cytokines play crucial roles in the development of atherosclerosis, with a focus on IL-17's controversial involvement in cardiovascular diseases.
  • A case-control study was conducted with participants over 65 years old, revealing significantly higher IL-17 levels in patients with cardiovascular disorders compared to healthy individuals.
  • The study also found a significant correlation between IL-17 levels and total cholesterol/triglycerides in patients, but not in controls, highlighting IL-17's potential importance in understanding atherogenesis and its implications for future research.
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