Cognitive Impairments Related to COMT and Neuregulin 1 Phenotypes as Transdiagnostic Markers in Schizophrenia Spectrum Patients.

Research on the interaction between antipsychotic treatment and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) is extensive, yet the role of genetic polymorphisms in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and neuregulin 1 (NRG1) remains underexplored. : This study evaluates the impact of COMT (rs4680) and NRG1 (rs3924999 and rs35753505) polymorphisms on cognitive functions in SSD patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted with fifty-four patients, assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the CNS Vital Signs battery.

Oral Anticoagulants Preference in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis or Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation.

(1) Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the preferences of oral anticoagulants (OA) in patients diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower limbs or non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) requiring anticoagulation for medium/long term. (2) Materials and methods: the study included consecutive patients admitted with a diagnosis of either acute DVT of lower limbs (without signs of pulmonary embolism) or non-valvular AF who required oral anticoagulation, in a time frame of 18 months from January 2017 until June 2018. The following data were recorded: demographic variables, comorbidities (ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, heart failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity), type and dose of OA (acenocoumarol, dabigatran, apixaban, rivaroxaban), complications due to the use of OA.

and Polymorphisms Amplify the Risk of Carotid Plaque Formation.

Introduction: Atherosclerosis represents the process by which fibrous plaques are formed in the arterial wall, increasing its rigidity with a subsequent decrease in blood flow which can lead to several cardiovascular events. Seeing as vitamin K antagonists are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, we decided to investigate whether polymorphisms in genes that influence vitamin K metabolism might have an impact in modulating the risk of plaque formation.

Patients And Methods: In the current study we included adult patients admitted in the Clinical Municipal Hospital of Cluj-Napoca without any carotid or femoral plaques clinically visible at the initial investigation, and a five year follow-up was subsequently performed.

Chemotherapy-related infectious complications in patients with Hematologic malignancies.

Background: The objective of the present study was to determine the association between chemotherapy and infectious complications in patients diagnosed with Hematologic malignancies (HMs).

Materials And Methods: The study included 463 patients diagnosed with HMs multiple myeloma (MM), Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), non-HL (NHL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia, between January 2014 and June 2015. The patients were followed for 1 year after inclusion, to record the infectious complications.

Hyaluronic acid as a biomarker of fibrosis in chronic liver diseases of different etiologies.

Chronic liver diseases represent a significant public health problem worldwide. The degree of liver fibrosis secondary to these diseases is important, because it is the main predictor of their evolution and prognosis. Hyaluronic acid is studied as a non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis in chronic liver diseases, in an attempt to avoid the complications of liver puncture biopsy, considered the gold standard in the evaluation of fibrosis.

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis.

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA), ASAT to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), ASAT/ALAT ratio, Fibrosis 4 score (FIB4) and FibroScan were studied as non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis (F) in chronic viral hepatitis B (CHB) and C (CHC), in an attempt to avoid the complications of liver puncture biopsy, considered the gold standard in the evaluation of F. The aim of our research was to study whether HA, APRI, ASAT/ALAT ratio, FIB4 and FibroScan are useful non-invasive markers in predicting severe F in Romanian patients.

Patients And Methods: This was a prospective multicenter transversal and observational study, which included 76 patients with CHB/CHC.

Serum hyaluronic acid in chronic viral hepatitis B and C: a biomarker for assessing liver fibrosis in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Purpose: Serum hyaluronic acid (sHA) is studied as a noninvasive marker of liver fibrosis (F) in chronic B and C viral hepatitis in general population but less in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: We evaluated sHA as a noninvasive biomarker of F in a multicenter prospective, transversal, and observational study which included 52 end-stage renal disease patients with chronic B (14) and C (38) viral hepatitis (age 55.57 ± 14.