Validation of a Set of Clinical Criteria for the Diagnosis of Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive impairment of neuronal transmission due to focal demyelination. The most common form is RRMS (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis), which, under the influence of certain factors, can progress to SPMS (secondary progressive multiple sclerosis). Our study aimed to validate the criteria proposed by a working group of the Romanian Society of Neurology versus the criteria proposed by a group of experts from Spain, Karolinska, and Croatia concerning the progression from RRMS to SPMS.

The Faces of "Too Late"-A Surprisingly Progressive Cohort of "Stable" Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

: Although available therapies have changed the natural evolution of multiple sclerosis (MS), in time some patients assume a progressive course and no longer respond to treatment. There is no definitive clinical or laboratory parameter to certify MS progression from relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) in early phases of transition. Our study aims to evaluate the value of clinical parameters and serum neurofilament light chain levels (sNfLs) as early warning signs of conversion to SPMS.

Correction: Zamfir et al. Trends in Coronary Artery Anomalies Detection by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA): A Real-Life Comparative Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2024, , 1091.

In the original publication [...

Trends in Coronary Artery Anomalies Detection by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA): A Real-Life Comparative Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: In the wake of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, affecting healthcare systems globally, urgent research is needed to understand its potential repercussions on the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disorders. This emphasises the importance of detecting coronary artery anomalies (CAAs), rare conditions that can range from benign to potentially life-threatening manifestations. We aimed to retrospectively assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection of various coronary anomalies using Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) within a regional tertiary cardiology unit in north-eastern Romania, focusing on perceived occurrence in the population under study, types, and related demographic and clinical factors.

Influence of Education, Cognition, and Physical Disability on Quality of Life of Romanian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis-A Cohort Study.

: objective measures of disability and neurological impairmentare used to search for disease activity and monitor disease evolution in multiple sclerosis (MS). These are sometimes in disagreement with subjective quality-of-life measures. We aimed to establish the relations between the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life instrument (MSQOL-54) and objective measures of neurological impairment.

Stress and Burnout among Medical Specialists in Romania: A Comparative Study of Clinical and Surgical Physicians.

This study, which focuses on 227 participants (196 females and 31 males) comprising 187 clinical specialists and 40 surgical physicians, examines the prevalence of burnout in medical specialists. We investigate the effects of the emotional exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (D), and personal accomplishment (PA) dimensions on professional satisfaction and plans to change careers using the modified licensed Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS (MP)). High emotional exhaustion is reported by 52.

From Pleasure to Pathology: Understanding the Neural Basis of Food Addiction in the Context of Obesity.

As rates of severe obesity continue to rise globally, intense efforts are required both from the scientific community, physicians and health policy makers to better understand the mechanisms, prevent and treat obesity in order to stop the upcoming pandemic. Obesity is known to significantly reduce life expectancy and overall quality of life, thus becoming a leading cause of preventable deaths. This article focuses on the relationship between obesity and food addiction, the main neural mechanisms, brain regions, genes, hormones and neurotransmitters involved and on the similarities between food addiction and substance abuse.

The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Quality of Life in Patients with Obesity.

Unlabelled: Obesity has become a widespread health problem influencing people's health, general well-being, and healthcare costs. It also represents an important risk factor for multiple comorbidities and malignancies.

Objectives: the primary objective of this study was to provide notable insights to healthcare professionals regarding the management of patients with obesity, to highlight the effectiveness of bariatric surgical methods in losing excess weight, and to establish the relationship between weight loss and changes in quality of life (QoL).

Twelve-Month Outcomes in Patients with Obesity Following Bariatric Surgery-A Single Centre Experience.

Background: As obesity rates continue to rise worldwide, many surgeons consider bariatric procedures as a possible cure for the upcoming obesity pandemic. Excess weight represents a risk factor for multiple metabolic disorders, especially for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There is a strong correlation between the two pathologies.

The Risk of Emerging of Dengue Fever in Romania, in the Context of Global Warming.

(1) Background: Few studies to date have assessed the influences induced by climate change on the spatial distribution and population abundance of using the latest climate scenarios. In this study, we updated the current distribution of mosquitoes and evaluated the changes in their distribution under future climate conditions, as well as the risk of dengue virus emergence in Romania. (2) Methods: Under the two scenarios: High scenario (HS) when no drastic measures to reduce the effects of global warming will be taken, or they are not effective and low scenario (LS) when very stringent greenhouse control measures will be implemented.

Brown Adipose Tissue Biodistribution and Correlations Particularities in Parathyroid Pathology Personalized Diagnosis.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) participates in the regulation of whole-body metabolism by producing a variety of adipokines. This study investigates into the BAT pattern and the clinical aspects of overweight and obese (OOB) vs. non-obese (NO) hyperparathyroidism (HPT) patients with the aim of assessing the impact of BAT and obesity on HPT.

Improved Personalised Neuroendocrine Tumours' Diagnosis Predictive Power by New Receptor Somatostatin Image Processing Quantification.

Although neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are intensively studied, their diagnosis and consequently personalised therapy management is still puzzling due to their tumoral heterogeneity. In their theragnosis algorithm, receptor somatostatin scintigraphy takes the central place, the diagnosis receptor somatostatin analogue (RSA) choice depending on laboratory experience and accessibility. However, in all cases, the results depend decisively on correct radiotracer tumoral uptake quantification, where unfortunately there are still unrevealed clues and lack of standardization.

Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy as Noninvasive Methods for Microstructural Alterations in Psoriatic Nails.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with immune system dysfunction that can affect nails, with a negative impact on patient life quality. Usually, nail psoriasis is associated with skin psoriasis and is therefore relatively simple to diagnose. However, up to 10% of nail psoriasis occurs isolated and may be difficult to diagnose by means of current methods (nail biopsy, dermoscopy, video dermoscopy, capillaroscopy, ultrasound of the nails, etc.

Flare-up of Rosacea due to Face Mask in Healthcare Workers During COVID-19.

COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) pandemic is associated with aggravation of facial dermatoses caused by professional prophylactic measures, mostly face masks, especially reported in healthcare workers, such as irritant and contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, acne. We present a case of flare-up of rosacea in a nurse working in an Intensive Care Unit for COVID-19 patients, using FFP1 type mask at work and textile or paper mask outside the hospital.

Mutations of filament-aggregating protein gene in Romanian children diagnosed with atopic dermatitis.

Association of atopic dermatitis (AD) and several mutations of various genes of the immune system, in particular filament-aggregating protein gene (FLG) has been investigated in many studies. The association between defective FLG and AD in the Romanian population has not been assessed or published. The present study focused on the genetic background of AD, aiming to assess the prevalence of FLG mutations in Romanian patients with AD.

Malignant Degeneration of Scars.

"Marjolin's ulcer" is known as malignant degeneration of ancient burn scars, but both words can induce misdiagnosis. Malignant degeneration of scarring tissue can occur and can vary in its clinical, histological manifestations and its pre-existing skin lesions. We present several cases to substantiate our observations.

Variable anti-HBs antibody titers in vaccinated birth cohorts - A cross-sectional population-based study.

Background: After the introduction of hepatitis B (HB) vaccination in 1995 in newborns, two catch-up campaigns targeted unvaccinated 9 year old in 2000-2003 (born 1991-1994) and the 18 year old in 2004-2008 (born 1986-1990), resulting in several birth-cohorts. Our objective was to assess the anti-HBs titers in each birth-cohort.

Methods: We included all outpatients (78.

Burns in the Emergency Department: A One-Year Single Center Analysis on 355 Cases.

Burns are common reasons for emergency department presentations. While extensive or special burns require treatment in a specialized center, the majority are amenable to ambulatory treatment or hospitalization in a surgical ward. Romania has a national data collecting mechanism regarding all hospitalized patients, but there are no available statistics concerning non-hospitalized burn cases.

The utility of Leventhal's model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of familial cancer - a literature review.

Introduction: We aim to highlight the utility of this model in the analysis of the psycho-behavioral implications of family cancer, presenting the scientific literature that used Leventhal's model as the theoretical framework of approach.

Material And Methods: A systematic search was performed in six databases (EBSCO, ScienceDirect, PubMed Central, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) with empirical studies published between 2006 and 2015 in English with regard to the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSMR) and familial/hereditary cancer. The key words used were: illness representations, common sense model, self regulatory model, familial/hereditary/genetic cancer, genetic cancer counseling.

A seroprevalence study for hepatitis B virus markers of infection in pregnant women in Romania: results and opportunities for prevention.

Background And Aims: The Action Plan for viral hepatites in the WHO European Region aims to eliminate them as a public health threat by the end of 2030. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) perinatal transmission is a problem of major concern. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of HBV markers in pregnant women in Romania, as scientific evidence for recommending public health interventions.

Association of sense of coherence and supernatural beliefs with death anxiety and death depression among Romanian cancer patients.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association of supernatural beliefs and sense of coherence with death anxiety and death depression in a Romanian sample of cancer patients. We found support for the terror management theory worldview defence hypothesis postulating the presence of a curvilinear relation between death anxiety and supernatural beliefs among cancer patients. Results conformed to an inverted U-shape quadratic regression, indicating that cancer patients who scored moderately on supernatural beliefs were afraid of death the most, while death anxiety was lowest for the extreme atheists and extreme believers in supernatural entities.

Belimumab and antipneumococcal vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), flares can be caused by infections. In particular, Streptococcus pneumoniae infection can be severe or even potentially lethal in absence of previous immunization or in case of 'aggressive' systemic antibiotic therapy. Immunization efficacy, however, can be reduced in such patients with the use of the various immunosuppressive therapeutic regimens.

Patients' perceptions of healthcare professionalism-a Romanian experience.

Background: The main objective of this cross sectional study was to assess the psychometric properties of a new research instrument. The secondary aim was to analyze patients' levels of dissatisfaction with the professionalism of medical staff.

Methods: A social survey questionnaire was created and administered online.

Cognitive-Behavioral Coping, Illness Perception, and Family Adaptability in Oncological Patients with a Family History of Cancer.

. The study investigated the differences between patients with and without a family history of cancer regarding coping strategies, illness perception, and family adaptability to the disease. .