Genetic landscape of Romanian PPGLs.

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumours that originate from chromaffin cells and occur in the adrenal medulla and in the sympathetic or parasympathetic ganglia. Nearly 70% of PPGLs result from germline or somatic mutations in a single driver gene. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic background and clinical characteristics related to genetic profile of patients with PPGLs from Romania.

Flecainide to Prevent Atrial Arrhythmia After Patent Foramen Ovale Closure: AFLOAT Study, A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The real incidence of atrial arrhythmia (AA) after patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure and whether this complication can be prevented remain unknown. We assessed whether flecainide is effective to prevent AA during the first 3 months after PFO closure, and whether 6 months of treatment with flecainide is more effective than 3 months to prevent AA after PFO closure.

Methods: AFLOAT (Assessment of Flecainide to Lower the Patent Foramen Ovale Closure Risk of Atrial Fibrillation or Tachycardia Trial) is a prospective, multicentre, randomized, open-label, superiority trial with a blind evaluation of all the end points (PROBE [Prospective Randomized Open, Blinded End Point] design).

The Complex Immunological Alterations in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Hemodialysis.

It is widely known that diabetes mellitus negatively impacts both the innate immunity (the inflammatory response) and the acquired immunity (the humoral and cellular immune responses). Many patients with diabetes go on to develop chronic kidney disease, which will necessitate hemodialysis. In turn, long-term chronic hemodialysis generates an additional chronic inflammatory response and impairs acquired immunity.

Management of thyroiditis in the context of Covid-19: cause-effect and beyond.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in late 2019, and by 2020, everyone was affected. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) belongs to the beta-coronavirus genre and uses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to penetrate cells. Thyroid cells are rich in such receptors.

Interleukin-6 as a Director of Immunological Events and Tissue Regenerative Capacity in Hemodialyzed Diabetes Patients.

Hemodialyzed patients have innate immunity activation and adaptive immunity senescence. Diabetes mellitus is a frequent cause for chronic kidney disease and systemic inflammation. We studied the immunological pattern (innate and acquired immunity) and the tissular regeneration capacity in two groups of hemodialyzed patients: one comprised of diabetics and the other of non-diabetics.

Contrast-enhanced guided endoscopic ultrasound procedures.

Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS) can overcome the limitations of endoscopic ultrasound-guided acquisition by identifying microvessels inside inhomogeneous tumours and improving the characterization of these tumours. Despite the initial enthusiasm that oriented needle sampling under CH-EUS guidance could provide better diagnostic yield in pancreatic solid lesions, further studies did not confirm the supplementary values in cases of tissue acquisition guided by CH-EUS. This review details the knowledge based on the available data on contrast-guided procedures.

Bilateral pheochromocytomas: clinical presentation and morbidity rate related to surgery technique and genetic status.

Background: Pheochromocytomas (PHEOs) are rare catecholamine-secreting adrenal tumors. Approximately 60-90% of bilateral PHEOs are hereditary. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients with bilateral PHEOs and the morbidity rate (malignancy, tumor recurrence and adrenal insufficiency (AI) rate) related to surgery technique and genetic status of the patients.

In situ detection and viability assessment of target microorganisms.

Rapid detection and viability assessment of pathogenic microorganisms, without the need for pre-enrichment steps, is critical in clinical microbiology, food safety, environmental quality assessment, and biosecurity. We demonstrate a powerful analytical concept and the related platform that enable in situ rapid detection, separation, sensitive quantification, and viability assessment of targeted microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) from minimally processed samples. This is based on a novel integration of magneto-affine selection and electrical impedance assay.

Radiotherapy in aggressive or dopamine agonists resistant prolactinomas; is it still worthwhile?

Radiotherapy, conventional or radiosurgery, has been used to control prolactin secretion and tumour growth in prolactinomas both as part of multimodal therapy or rarely as primary treatment. However, considering the radiotherapy side effects, notably hypopituitarism, as opposed to the high efficacy and low toxicity of dopamine agonists (DA) treatment and neurosurgery, radiotherapy is recommended mostly for patients with aggressive or high-risk prolactinomas or in those resistant or intolerant to medical therapy, usually after surgical failure. We provide an overview of the published literature on the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy (conventional fractionated or radiosurgery), in aggressive, high-risk, or DA resistant prolactinomas.

Direct, Rapid Detection of Pathogens from Urine Samples.

The problem of rapidly detecting pathogens directly from clinical samples poses significant analytical challenges. Addressing this issue in relation to urinary tract infections, we propose an effective protocol and related immunomagnetic test kits enabling versatile screening for the presence of pathogenic bacteria in unprocessed urine samples. To achieve this, the components of a typical immunomagnetic separation protocol were optimized towards the sensitive assessment of the aggregates formed out of immunomagnetically tagged target pathogens collected from clinical samples.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Biopsy versus Fine-Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Focal Liver Lesions: Prospective Head-to-Head Comparison.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) or fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) from focal liver lesions are indicated in selected cases, but there has been no previous comparison of needle types of the same size. The aim of our study was to compare the histologic diagnostic accuracy and adequacy of cores obtained with EUS-FNB needles in contrast to those obtained with FNA needles in focal liver lesions. This prospective one-center study included patients with left lobe hepatic focal lesions with contraindications for percutaneous liver biopsy or need for EUS for concomitant lesions.

Clinical Utility of the Contrast-Enhanced Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cyst.

Endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cytology from an intracystic fluid is useful in the differentiation of pancreatic cysts, with low sensitivity, which increases when the solid component is targeted. The clinical utility of contrast-enhanced guided EUS-FNA (CH-EUS-FNA) in the solid component is not known. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of CH-EUS-FNA in enhanced mural nodules and discrimination between different cysts using contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS).

Posttraumatic Injury Polymorphism - The Experience of an Emergency Surgical Department During 5 Years.

Traumatic injuries are a major public health problem, being one of the main causes of death, the subsequent decline in the quality of life of the patients involved, as well as the costs of hospitalization in the health system. Material and Method: We conducted a 5-year retrospective study on 798 hospitalized patients with traumatic injuries, by collecting a series of general, clinical, imaging and biological parameters. The results showed a higher proportion of male patients, the main lesion mechanism being represented by road accidents, followed by falls from another level.

Direct Comparison of Elastography Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine-Needle Aspiration and B-Mode Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine-Needle Aspiration in Diagnosing Solid Pancreatic Lesions.

Elastography endoscopic ultrasound (E-EUS) has been proved to be a valuable supplement to endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in differentiating solid pancreatic lesions, but the improvement of EUS-FNA guided during E-EUS has not been proven. Our study aimed to evaluate whether E-EUS fine-needle aspiration (E-EUS-FNA) was superior to B-mode EUS-FNA for the diagnosis of solid pancreatic masses and whether the diagnostic rate was affected by specific factors. Our prospective study was conducted between 2019-2020 by recruiting patients with solid pancreatic masses.

Real Time SPR Assessment of the Structural Changes of Adaptive Dynamic Constitutional Frameworks as a New Route for Sensing.

Cross linked gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (DCFs) are functional materials of potential relevance for biosensing applications, given their adaptivity and high responsivity against various external stimuli (such as pH, temperature) or specific interactions with biomolecules (enzymes or DNA) via internal constitutional dynamics. However, characterization and assessment of their dynamic conformational changes in response to external stimuli has never been reported. This study proves the capability of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) assays to analyse the adaptive structural modulation of a functional matrix encompassing 3D gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (Au-DCFs) when exposed to pH variations, as external stimuli.

CHALLENGES OF AN OVARIAN NEUROENDOCRINE METASTASIS OF ADVANCED SMALL-CELL LUNG CARCINOMA - LITERATURE REVIEW AND CASE REPORT.

Metastatic tumors account for 5-10% of all ovarian malignancies. They are usually bilateral tumors with a multinodular surface and extensive extra ovarian spread. Lung cancer is a rare source (0.

Status, relative deprivation, and moral devaluation of immigrants.

Immigration has been a prominent political issue for decades, but particularly so with rising national populism. To understand current anti-immigration opinion, we turn to the concept of relative deprivation, which, we argue, is fundamentally about entitlement and is at the heart of popular backlash against immigration. Examining the United Kingdom context, we predicted that immigration attitudes would be contingent on immigrant group status, with immigrants from low-status or poorer countries (Poland, India) more likely to be perceived as encroaching on the majority group's entitlements than those from high-status or richer countries (Germany, Australia).

Hyperthyroidism in Pregnancy: The Delicate Balance between Too Much or Too Little Antithyroid Drug.

Unlabelled: Overt hyperthyroidism (HT) during pregnancy is associated with a risk of maternal-fetal complications. Antithyroid drugs (ATD) have a potential risk for teratogenic effects and fetal-neonatal hypothyroidism. This study evaluated ATD treatment and thyroid function control during pregnancy, and pregnancy outcome in women with HT.

Advanced Optogenetic-Based Biosensing and Related Biomaterials.

The ability to stimulate mammalian cells with light, brought along by optogenetic control, has significantly broadened our understanding of electrically excitable tissues. Backed by advanced (bio)materials, it has recently paved the way towards novel biosensing concepts supporting bio-analytics applications transversal to the main biomedical stream. The advancements concerning enabling biomaterials and related novel biosensing concepts involving optogenetics are reviewed with particular focus on the use of engineered cells for cell-based sensing platforms and the available toolbox (from mere actuators and reporters to novel multifunctional opto-chemogenetic tools) for optogenetic-enabled real-time cellular diagnostics and biosensor development.

Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome as a consequence of nasal use of Betamethasone spray during pregnancy.

Introduction: Glucocorticoids (GC) are largely used for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Until recently "local" administration (inhalation, topical, intra-articular, ocular and nasal) was considered devoid of important systemic side effects, but there is no administration form, dosing or treatment duration for which the risk of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (CS) and consequent adrenal insufficiency (AI) can be excluded with certainty.

Patients And Methods: We present the case of a pregnant woman who developed overt CS with secondary AI in the second trimester of pregnancy.

A short review on cell-based biosensing: challenges and breakthroughs in biomedical analysis.

Current cell-based biosensors have progressed substantially from mere alternatives to molecular bioreceptors into enabling tools for interfacing molecular machineries and gene circuits with microelectronics and for developing groundbreaking sensing and theragnostic platforms. The recent literature concerning whole-cell biosensors is reviewed with an emphasis on mammalian cells, and the challenges and breakthroughs brought along in biomedical analyses through novel biosensing concepts and the synthetic biology toolbox. These recent innovations allow development of cell-based biosensing platforms having tailored performances and capable to reach the levels of sensitivity, dynamic range, and stability suitable for high analytic/medical relevance.

Updates in the outcomes of radiation therapy for Cushing's disease.

External radiation therapy (RT) directed to the pituitary gland is generally recommended in patients with Cushing's disease (CD) as adjuvant to transsphenoidal surgery, among other second-line therapies offered to patients with residual or recurrent hypercortisolism (i.e., medical treatment, repeat surgery or bilateral adrenalectomy).