Polyphenolic Screening and the Antioxidant Activity of Grape Pomace Extracts of Romanian White and Red Grape Varieties.

Due to its valuable organic compounds, grape pomace represents a valuable resource in the creation of value-added food products. In this study, we investigated grape pomace hydroalcoholic extracts obtained by ultrasonication from two white and two red Romanian grape varieties. The phytochemical parameters, i.

Phytochemical Statistical Mapping of Red Grape Varieties Cultivated in Romanian Organic and Conventional Vineyards.

Red grapes are rich in phytochemicals such as phenolics and flavonoids, which are strongly correlated with their antioxidant activity. Thus, grapes as-harvested and grape extracts, especially those obtained from their seeds and pulp, have been reported to have health benefits, and accordingly, grapes and their derivatives are considered potential functional food ingredients. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and the antioxidant activity of skin, pulp, and seeds of four grape varieties grown both in conventional and organic vineyards were examined in this study.

Preparation and Characterization of Microalgae Styrene-Butadiene Composites Using and Biomass.

The food industry is a high consumer of polymer packing materials, sealing materials, and engineering components used in production equipment. Biobased polymer composites used in the food industry are obtained by incorporating different biogenic materials into the structure of a base polymer matrix. Renewable resources such as microalgae, bacteria, and plants may be used as biogenic materials for this purpose.

Geochemical Responses to Natural and Anthropogenic Settings in Salt Lakes Sediments from North-Eastern Romanian Plain.

Chemical analysis was performed on sediment core samples collected from three salt lakes, Amara Lake, Caineni Lake, and Movila Miresii Lake, located in the northeast of the Romanian Plain. The concentration of 10 main elements, 6 heavy metals (HMs), 8 rare earth elements (REEs), and 10 trace elements (TEs)-determined using neutron activation analysis (NAA)-showed variability dependent on the depth sections, lake genesis and geochemical characteristics (oxbow, fluvial harbor/liman and loess saucer type). The assessment of pollution indices (contamination factor, pollution load index, geoaccumulation index, and enrichment factor) highlighted low and moderate degrees of contamination for most of the investigated elements.

Management of Nail Disease in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis: An Updated Literature Review Informing the 2021 GRAPPA Treatment Recommendations.

Objective: Nail psoriasis is common, impairs fine motor finger functioning, affects cosmesis, and is associated with a lower quality of life. This review updates the previous Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) treatment recommendations for nail psoriasis.

Methods: This systematic literature review of the PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases examined the updated evidence since the last GRAPPA nail psoriasis treatment recommendations published in 2014.

The Impact of Smoking on Psoriasis Patients with Biological Therapies in a Bucharest Hospital.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease with extracutaneous manifestations, that affects about 1-3% of the world's population. The disease is not life-threatening, but the disability which comes with it is comparable to the disability caused by other serious chronic diseases, such as oncologic or cardiovascular disease. Several risk factors, such as infections, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and genetic predisposition have been involved in inducing psoriasis.

Vibrational Spectroscopy Combined with Chemometrics as Tool for Discriminating Organic vs. Conventional Culture Systems for Red Grape Extracts.

Food plants provide a regulated source of delivery of functional compounds, plant secondary metabolites production being also tissue specific. In grape berries, the phenolic compounds, flavonoids and non-flavonoids, are distributed in the different parts of the fruit. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of FTIR and Raman screening spectroscopic techniques combined with multivariate statistical tools to find patterns in red grape berry parts (skin, seeds and pulp) according to grape variety and vineyard type (organic and conventional).

Psoriasis beyond the skin: Ophthalmological changes (Review).

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that may be associated with abnormal T-lymphocyte function. Ocular manifestations associated with psoriasis, particularly artropathic or pustular psoriasis, usually affect men, often during exacerbations of the disease. It has been reported that eye damage tends to occur later compared with cutaneous or joint manifestations, blindness being the most disabling complication.

Phytochemical Profiles, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Grape ( L.) Seeds and Skin from Organic and Conventional Vineyards.

The therapeutic benefits of extracts obtained from different red grape fractions were thoroughly studied, however, data regarding the comparison of phytochemical extracts prepared from the same varieties coming from organic conventional management systems are rather lacking. The present study aimed at comparing some of the phytochemical characteristics and antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic (50% ) extracts obtained from four varieties of red grapes cultivated respectively in organic and conventional vineyards. Total flavonoid content, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity were determined by molecular absorption spectroscopy.

Measurement of skin viscoelasticity: A non-invasive approach in allergic contact dermatitis.

Non-invasive bioengineering technologies are constantly being developed, as they can provide useful insights and contribute to the improvement of medical care and scientific education. The purpose of this study was to assess skin viscoelasticity using the suction chamber method in patients with allergic contact dermatitis vs. healthy subjects, before and after applying a moisturizer safety testing cream.

Psoriatic arthritis: A permanent new challenge for dermatologists (Review).

Considering that most of the patients (>2/3) are diagnosed with psoriasis in the cutaneous form long before the joint damage occurs and, in these conditions, a significant proportion of them is found in the dermatologist's initial records, a question must be asked: when is it necessary to send these patients to a rheumatology consultation? The recognition of psoriatic arthritis in patients with vulgar psoriasis and the dermatologist's ability to differentiate it from other arthritis, offers the opportunity to improve patient prognosis by prompt intervention and close collaboration with the rheumatologist. Diagnosis of early psoriatic arthropathy should be considered when a patient with psoriasis or family history of psoriasis has peripheral inflammatory arthritis (oligoarthritis or distal interphalangeal joints damage), enthesitis, dactylitis, spinal pain of inflammatory type. Given that patients with psoriasis are included in the dermatologists' medical records, it is very important to recognize psoriatic arthritis in patients with cutaneous psoriasis, to differentiate it from other possible arthritis, thus having the possibility to improve patient prognosis by prompt intervention and through collaboration with the rheumatologist.

Significance and impact of dietary factors on systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, although its mechanisms involve genetic, epigenetic and environmental risk factors. Considering that SLE pathogenesis is yet to be explored, recent studies aimed to investigate the impact of diet, in terms of triggering or altering the course of the disease. To study the impact of diet on SLE pathogenesis, we conducted a search on Pubmed using the keywords 'diet and autoimmune diseases', 'diet and lupus', 'caloric restriction and lupus', 'polyunsaturated fatty acids and lupus', 'vitamin D and lupus', 'vitamin C and lupus' 'vitamin E and lupus' 'vitamin A and lupus' 'vitamin B and lupus', 'polyphenols and lupus', 'isoflavones and lupus', 'minerals and lupus', 'aminoacids and lupus', 'curcumin and lupus' and found 10,215 papers, from which we selected 47 relevant articles.

S2k guideline for treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus - guided by the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) in cooperation with the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV).

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a rare inflammatory autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. To date, no therapeutic agents have been licensed specifically for patients with this disease entity, and topical and systemic drugs are mostly used 'off-label'. The aim of the present guideline was to achieve a broad consensus on treatment strategies for patients with CLE by a European subcommittee, guided by the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and supported by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV).

Paradoxical reactions induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists: A literature review based on 46 cases.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) agents have acquired a prominent place in the treatment options for inflammatory disorders. Among the side effects of these agents are the so-called paradoxical reactions which have increasingly been reported in recent years. A review of literature was carried out using Medline (PubMed) database from January 2010 to December 2014 to collect all published articles on cases of anti-TNFα-induced psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Biosimilars: An Update on Clinical Trials (Review of Published and Ongoing Studies).

Biosimilars represent a new trend in the treatment of many immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Regulatory requirements for approval of biosimilars are different from those of originators and rely mostly on the evidence generated from bioequivalence studies and in particular from RCTs. Our goal in this review was to search for relevant studies from randomized controlled trials on the biosimilars adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab and ustekinumab compared with their reference medication (publication in Medline) and ongoing studies in clinical trial registries.

IL-17 in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Background: Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a heterogeneous disease with broad clinical spectrum from cutaneous to visceral and systemic inflammation. IL-17 isoforms (IL-17A and IL-17F) are proinflammatory cytokines with unclear implications in lupus erythematosus pathogenesis. In this study we focused upon IL-17 in normal and modified lupus skin with a correlative study between local and serological expression.

Immunohistochemical aspects of apoptosis in subcutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Unlabelled: Lupus erythematosus (LE) has a broad clinical spectrum from exclusively skin damage (chronic discoid lupus-DLE or subacute lupus erythematosus-SCLE) to systemic, multiorgan disease (involving skin, joints, kidney, central nervous system). LE is characterized by an autoimmune component. SCLE is characterized by erythemato-squamous lesions mainly in photoexposed areas.

Anti C1q antibodies in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Unlabelled: Autoantibodies against C1q are strongly linked to immune-complex disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although anti-C1q antibodies have received much interest in the recent years, their biological functions remain unclear. Anti-C1q antibodies are strongly associated with lupus nephritis.

[Effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in the maintenance of sinus rythm after conversion of arterial fibrillation].

Unlabelled: This study aimed to prove that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) could improve sinus rhythm maintenance after electrical or chemical conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: A prospective study of 36 patients with lone AF which undertook chemical or electrical conversion was conducted. Group 1 included 20 patients treated exclusively with a class I C antiarrhythmic (Propafenone, 450 mg daily) and group 2 included 16 patients treated with antiarrhythmic plus ACEI pre- and after cardioversion.

Does treatment with ACE inhibitors prevent the long term recurrences of lone atrial fibrillation after cardioversion?

Unlabelled: This study aimed to prove that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) could improve sinus rhythm maintenance after conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: A study of 36 patients with lone AF who undertook electrical conversion was conducted. Group 1 included 20 patients treated exclusively with a class I C antiarrhythmic (Propafenona, 450 mg daily) and group 2 included 16 patients treated with antiarrhythmic plus ACEI after cardioversion.

[Effectiveness of prostaglandin treatment in idiopathic pulmonary hypertension].

Unlabelled: Calcium channel blockers are the only vasodilators that proved their efficiency in idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPH). However, not every patient is responsive to this therapy. Only in isolated cases of IPH was proved the good effect of prostaglandins in lowering the pulmonary pressure by inhibiting the proliferation of smooth muscle cells.