Advancements in Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Sarcopenia: An Updated Overview.

Since sarcopenia is a progressive condition that leads to decreased muscle mass and function, especially in elderly people, it is a public health problem that requires attention from researchers. This review aims to highlight drug delivery systems that have a high and efficient therapeutic potential for sarcopenia. Current as well as future research needs to consider the barriers encountered in the realization of delivery systems, such as the route of administration, the interaction of the systems with the aggressive environment of the human body, the efficient delivery and loading of the systems with therapeutic agents, and the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents into the muscle tissue without creating undesirable adverse effects.

Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Emergency Surgery for Complex Colorectal Cancer: Protocol and Piloting of the Surgical Utilization and Recovery Patterns for Advanced Stage Colorectal Cancer Study.

Globally, cancer is the leading cause of mortality, with colorectal neoplasia ranking third in terms of incidence and mortality worldwide. Patients face disease- and treatment-specific impacts, which can significantly influence their quality of life (QoL). Aim: This study aimed to propose a protocol to measure in-hospital and long-term QoL in patients with complicated colorectal cancer (CRC).

Emerging Therapeutic Strategies in Sarcopenia: An Updated Review on Pathogenesis and Treatment Advances.

Sarcopenia is a prevalent degenerative skeletal muscle condition in the elderly population, posing a tremendous burden on diseased individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. Conventionally, sarcopenia is currently managed through nutritional interventions, physical therapy, and lifestyle modification, with no pharmaceutical agents being approved for specific use in this disease. As the pathogenesis of sarcopenia is still poorly understood and there is no treatment recognized as universally effective, recent research efforts have been directed at better comprehending this illness and diversifying treatment strategies.

Chitosan and Cyclodextrins-Versatile Materials Used to Create Drug Delivery Systems for Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Gastrointestinal cancers are characterized by a frequent incidence, a high number of associated deaths, and a tremendous burden on the medical system and patients worldwide. As conventional chemotherapeutic drugs face numerous limitations, researchers started to investigate better alternatives for extending drug efficacy and limiting adverse effects. A remarkably increasing interest has been addressed to chitosan and cyclodextrins, two highly versatile natural carbohydrate materials endowed with unique physicochemical properties.

A Review of Abdominal Meshes for Hernia Repair-Current Status and Emerging Solutions.

Abdominal hernias are common issues in the clinical setting, burdening millions of patients worldwide. Associated with pain, decreased quality of life, and severe potential complications, abdominal wall hernias should be treated as soon as possible. Whether an open repair or laparoscopic surgical approach is tackled, mesh reinforcement is generally required to ensure a durable hernia repair.

Novel Material Optimization Strategies for Developing Upgraded Abdominal Meshes.

Over 20 million hernias are operated on globally per year, with most interventions requiring mesh reinforcement. A wide range of such medical devices are currently available on the market, most fabricated from synthetic polymers. Yet, searching for an ideal mesh is an ongoing process, with continuous efforts directed toward developing upgraded implants by modifying existing products or creating innovative systems from scratch.

The Management of Pancreatic Trauma - A Continuous Challenge.

The aim of this analysis was to assess the factors that influence the severity of pancreatic trauma cases, also underlining the importance of early and accurate diagnosis and proper management of each case. This study is a retrospective analysis of patients that were presented to the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania, in several periods of time: 1985-1990 (50 patients); 1990-1999 (102 patients); 2000-2005 (56 patients); 2012-2019 (48 patients). The mean age was around 40 years old, with predominance of male incidence in all the groups and traffic accidents (blunt trauma) as the main cause of injury.

Intraomental Splenic Implant - An Attempt of Reassessment.

The permanent risk of splenectomized patients to infectious complications, the most severe being overwhelming post splenectomy infection (OPSI), determined the search for solutions in order to diminish these evolutionary possibilities. Therefore, intraomental developsplenic autotransplantation seems to be a viable option which, according to some authors, would have beneficial effects by restoring (at least partially) the functions of the spleen. The article presents the current experience related to this procedure (principles of surgical technique, implant location, complications, post-procedural evaluation) in an attempt to bring it back to the attention of trauma / general surgery surgeons.

Retroperitoneal Haematoma - Still a Medical Challenge for Abdominal Trauma.

The study is presenting a personal experience of a Trauma Centre Level I and is try to conclude on optimal medical attitude for patients with retroperitoneal hematoma, still a controversial topic for traumatologists. Material and Method: A retrospective analysis of 22 cases of post-traumatic retroperitoneal hematoma admitted on Bucharest Emergency Hospital between September 2018 August 2021 (including time of Covid-19 pandemic), is presented The patients (males predominance, mean age 43, mean ISS of 23), benefited of nonoperative management on admission for 10 cases (45%) with a failure rate of 4/10 due to recurrent bleeding from spleen injuries and continuous bleeding from mesenteric vessels lesions. CT scan (73% - 16 cases) within 1 hour from the admission and emergency surgery were necessary for 12 cases (55%).

Interventional Radiology in Splenic Trauma: If Not Now, Then When?

The treatment of blunt splenic injuries showed major evolutionary changes, from fundamental/ basic splenectomy to nonoperative and endovascular treatment, "catheter surgery". Currently, in Trauma Centers, splenic angioembolization is considered the first-line intervention in trauma. This article presents the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital experience in the use of splenic angioembolization, a therapeutic solution in accordance with contemporary practice and literature.

Polytrauma: The European Paradigm.

This review of the literature aims to describe the main advantages and disadvantages of the trauma systems in Europe. Moreover, the purpose of this article is to present the last concepts regarding the management of the polytrauma patients and the newest sets of measures to prevent car crashes in European Union. The articles published regarding the management of the polytrauma patient and trauma systems were identified using PubMed search.

Emergency Surgery for Small Bowel Hemangioma. A review of the literature.

Hemangiomas of the small intestine are tumors rarely found in practice. Patients usually present in emergency settings with anemia, gastrointestinal bleeding or abdominal pain. The purpose of this review of the literature is to evaluate the diagnostic modalities, therapeutic options and their results in cases of intestinal hemangiomas.

The Management of the Open Abdomen - A Literature Review.

An essential component of the concept of "Damage control surgery", laparostomy is the procedure by which the abdomen is deliberately abandoned open, the visceroperitoneal contents being temporarily protected by multiple technical means. Actual classification: Grade 1, without viscero-parietal adhesions or fixity of the abdominal wall (lateralization), divided into: 1A clean, 1B contaminated and 1C enteral fistula -cutaneous skin is considered clean); Grade 2, which develops fixation is subdivided into: 2A clean, 2B contaminated and 2C enteral fistula; Grade 3, "frozen abdomen", is divided into: 3A clean and 3B contaminated; Grade 4, defined as enteroatmospheric fistula, is a permanent fistula associated with the presence of granulation tissue and a frozen abdomen. Indications of the open abdomen are: damage control surgery, abdominal compartment syndrome, peritonitis, severe acute pancreatitis, vascular emergencies.

How and why do we screen for colorectal cancer?

After almost 50 years of data analysis, screening for colorectal cancer has proven to be an effective tool in reducing colorectal cancer mortality. However, implementing the optimal strategy represents a challenge for many healthcare facilities around the world. There is much discussion regarding how screening should be done, the optimal tools that should be used, and the proper timing for screening procedures.

The Bucharest ESTES consensus statement on peritonitis.

Introduction: Peritonitis is still an important health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with peritonitis may be an important factor to reduce the risks for patients and improve efficiency, outcome, and the cost of care.

Methods: Expert panel discussion on Peritonitis was held in Bucharest on May 2017, during the 17th ECTES Congress, involving surgeons, infectious disease specialists, radiologists and intensivists with the goal of defining recommendations for the optimal management of peritonitis.

Histopathological elements analyzed in dynamics in mechanical bowel obstructions - experimental study on laboratory animals.

Bowel obstruction is a syndrome that produces important alterations to the digestive tract, both macroscopically and microscopically. We conducted an experimental study using rats, Wistar strain, as subjects, dividing them into three groups. The group A consisted of six rats and served as control group, in the first day of the experiment a surgical procedure being performed to resect a small bowel and a colic segment to be analyzed microscopically afterwards.

The Role of Laparoscopy in Abdominal Trauma: A 10-Year Review.

Laparoscopy is accepted in penetrating abdominal trauma (PAT), but its role in blunt trauma (BAT) remains a controversial one. Our study assessed the utility of diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) and therapeutic laparoscopy (TL) in abdominal trauma between December 2006 and January 2016. We analysed the indication for laparoscopy, type of lesions, TL, conversion rate, complications and length of hospital stay.

Peppermint Essential Oil-Doped Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles with Antimicrobial Properties.

This study aimed at developing an antimicrobial material based on hydroxyapatite (HAp) and peppermint essential oil (P-EO) in order to stimulate the antimicrobial activity of hydroxyapatite. The molecular spectral features and morphology of the P-EO, HAp and hydroxyapatite coated with peppermint essential oil (HAp-P) were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The coating of the HAp with the P-EO did not affect the ellipsoidal shape of the nanoparticles.

Adsorption of Pb (II) Ions onto Hydroxyapatite Nanopowders in Aqueous Solutions.

Contamination of water with heavy metals such as lead is a major worldwide problem because they affect the physiological functions of living organisms, cause cancer, and damage the immune system. Hydroxyapatite, (Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH) is considered one of the most effective materials for removing heavy metals from contaminated water. The hydroxyapatite nanopowders (N-HAp) obtained by a co-precipitation method were used in this research to determine the effectiveness in removing lead ions from contaminated solutions.

Sarcopenia is a Predictive Factor for Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality in Patients Having Radical Gastrectomy for Cancer.

Patients with gastric cancer are frequently malnourished with 30% to 38% of them losing more than 10% of their weight in preceding six months. Sarcopenia represents a decrease in the skeletal muscle mass and function and is usually associated with the aging process. The prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with gastric cancer is reported to be as high as 57.

A Rare Case of Intestinal Obstruction in an Elderly Woman.

Among intestinal obstruction, intussusception is one of the rare mechanical causes in the adult period. When it is met it present with abdominal pain, vomiting and other symptoms compatible with intestinal obstruction varying on the segments being involved. Compared to pediatric invagination which it is mostly idiopathic the adult form has an organic etiology causing a blurred symptomatology and needing advanced imaging diagnosis like computerized tomography.