Publications by authors named "Mircea Murariu"

Congenital anomalies affecting the kidneys present significant challenges in pediatric nephrology, needing precise methods for assessing renal function and guiding therapeutic intervention. Bedside Schwartz formula with the cystatin-C-based Full Age Spectrum formula and Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) U 25 formula used in estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and also to assess if the eGFR in association with kidney length percentiles can be a monitoring parameter for the progression of chronic kidney disease in children with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). A total of 64 pediatric patients (median age at diagnostic was 12 months with an interquartile range of 2 to 60) were diagnosed with congenital anomalies in the kidney and urinary tract between June 2018 and May 2023 at "Louis Turcanu" Emergency Hospital for Children in Timisoara, Romania.

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Speckle tracking-echocardiography (STE) is a novel non-invasive imaging tool capable of quantifying myocardial deformation, and thus holds promise in detecting early subclinical myocardial injury. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of STE with traditional biomarkers in predicting anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in the context of varying dosages and treatment protocols in pediatric hemato-oncology patients. We conducted a retrospective study involving pediatric hemato-oncology patients undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pediatric patients receiving anthracycline therapy for cancer are at risk for heart damage, with the study investigating how cancer type and treatment impact cardiac function.
  • Advanced echocardiographic techniques like STE, GLS, and MPI may reveal early signs of heart issues that traditional methods miss.
  • Results showed significant differences in heart function measurements between patients and controls, indicating poorer cardiac health in patients, with the combination of GLS, SMOD, and MPI being particularly effective in predicting cardiotoxicity risk.
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Article Synopsis
  • While COVID-19 affects multiple organs, there's limited research on the postmortem findings of those who died from the virus, especially in older individuals.
  • A systematic review of existing literature up to December 2022 analyzed autopsy results from 478 patients over 70, revealing average patient age at 75.6, with common conditions like COPD affecting 16.7%.
  • Key autopsy findings included significantly heavy lungs with prevalent diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary edema, and thrombosis, alongside various degrees of pneumonia, highlighting the need for further studies across different age groups.
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Introduction: Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) is a rare cause of infantile heart failure and systemic hypertension with a poor prognosis, characterized by extensive calcification and proliferation of the intimal layer of large and medium sized arteries.

Case Report: We present the first case report of successful surgical treatment of severe aortic arch obstruction by calcified plaques mimicking severe coarctation of the aorta and the outcome (of bisphosphonate therapy) in a newborn with GACI. Furthermore, we report the identification of a variant in ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily C, Member 6 (ABCC6) gene, possibly associated with severe early-onset manifestations of GACI.

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