Publications by authors named "Sandu A"

Introduction: Greater late-life brain volumes are associated with resilience against dementia. We examined relationships between birth weight, lifelong socio-economic status, and health with late-life brain volumes. We hypothesised that early life factors directly affect late-life brain volumes.

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  • Hydatid disease is prevalent in areas with common animal breeding, often affecting the liver and requiring surgical intervention due to complications.
  • A study of 149 patients over seven years compared three surgical approaches: open surgery, standard laparoscopy, and laparoscopy with specialized instruments, revealing that the laparoscopic method with specialized tools was quicker and had fewer conversion rates to open surgery.
  • Intraoperative complications varied among the approaches, with the lowest occurrence in the specialized instruments group, highlighting the effectiveness of minimally invasive techniques for treating hydatid cysts.
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  • Hepatic hydatid cysts are a widespread zoonotic disease, primarily affecting the liver, and pose challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
  • A study of 76 patients found a complication rate of 23.7%, with open surgery having the highest rate at 61.1%, predominantly due to biliary duct ruptures.
  • Complications significantly increased hospitalization time, suggesting the need for tailored surgical approaches to enhance patient outcomes.
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  • Hydatid disease is a zoonotic infection primarily caused by a tapeworm, affecting mainly the liver and lungs, but rarely the pancreas, which complicates diagnosis and treatment.
  • Recent research highlights that pancreatic hydatid cysts are more common in females, with abdominal pain being the main symptom; the cysts are most often found in the pancreatic tail.
  • The study emphasizes the need for skilled surgical intervention due to the complexity of pancreatic surgeries, noting that radical surgery is preferred, yet less invasive procedures may lead to higher complication rates; a thorough literature review identified 33 relevant studies from the last decade.
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Background: Posterior fossa arterio-venous malformations (pfAVMs) are challenging lesions due to the anatomical particularities of the posterior fossa, and the high incidence of hemorrhagic presentation. The two most important goals when treating AVMs are preserving neurological function and preventing rupture, or a second hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and imaging features of pfAVMs to identify the factors that influence the prognosis of these patients.

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  • This study investigates the management of hepatic hydatid cysts by comparing conventional laparoscopic techniques to specialized instrumentation tailored for this disease.
  • A retrospective analysis of 41 patients highlighted a higher prevalence of hydatid disease in males and rural areas, with 58.54% of surgeries using specialized tools resulting in lower conversion rates to open surgery (2.44% vs. 12.2%).
  • Results showed that standard laparoscopic methods resulted in longer surgical times, more postoperative complications (12.2% vs. 7.32%), and extended hospital stays compared to specialized techniques.
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  • * The study analyzes various properties of the mine tailings, including particle size, chemical composition, and their reactivity in alkaline conditions, which are crucial for the geopolymerization process.
  • * Results indicate that heavy metals in the tailings remain mostly inert during geopolymer creation, suggesting that the geopolymers produced will have a minimal negative impact on the environment.
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Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023-27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes.

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Gene expression varies across the brain. This spatial patterning denotes specialised support for particular brain functions. However, the way that a given gene's expression fluctuates across the brain may be governed by general rules.

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  • Hydatid cyst disease is primarily a parasitic infection affecting organs like the liver and lungs, with surgical treatment options including both open surgery and laparoscopy, often depending on the location of the cysts.
  • The majority of cases, especially with mesenteric locations, tend to favor open surgery, which is preferred in over 85% of the instances due to complications associated with cyst coexistence.
  • A rare case demonstrated successful laparoscopic treatment of multiple hydatid cysts, leading to a smooth recovery, highlighting the potential benefits of minimally invasive approaches in select situations.
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Despite the large number of studies on rodent ectoparasites-most of them vectors of epidemiologically important pathogens-infestation patterns remain poorly understood in various ecological contexts, such as the highly patchy agricultural landscapes. We aimed to relate the infestation of rodents to temporal, habitat, and host variables. We assessed the difference in parasite prevalence and mean abundance depending on host sex, age, and body weight, season, and land use intensity.

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Background: Multiple brain imaging studies of negative emotional bias in major depressive disorder (MDD) have used images of fearful facial expressions and focused on the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. The results have, however, been inconsistent, potentially due to small sample sizes (typically N<50). It remains unclear if any alterations are a characteristic of current depression or of past experience of depression, and whether there are MDD-related changes in effective connectivity between the two brain regions.

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Inguinal hernia containing the vermiform appendix is a rare entity. It is more common in children than in adults. It can be discovered incidentally during the surgical intervention performed for the cure of the inguinal hernia or when the appendix shows inflammatory changes, a situation that can lead to diagnostic confusion with a number of other diseases.

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Biomaterials are currently a unique class of materials that are essential to improving the standard of human life and extending it. In the assent of the appearance of biomaterials that contain non-toxic elements, in this study, we examine a system of Ti25Mo7Zr15TaSi ( = 0, 0.5, 0.

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This research aims to study the effects of the sintering mechanism on the crystallization kinetics when the geopolymer is sintered at different temperatures: 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C for a 3 h soaking time with a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The geopolymer is made up of kaolin and sodium silicate as the precursor and an alkali activator, respectively. Characterization of the nepheline produced was carried out using XRF to observe the chemical composition of the geopolymer ceramics.

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Aim: To report a series of patients diagnosed with gangliogliomas (GG) in unusual locations; and to review the clinical and imaging features as well as surgical treatment and outcomes.

Material And Methods: A series of consecutive patients who underwent surgery for GGs at unusual locations, such as intraventricular region and posterior fossa, from 2010 to 2022 were included in the study.

Results: Nine patients with GGs located in unusual areas, one in the intraventricular region and 8 in the posterior fossa, were included.

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The paper aimed to prepare quaternary chitosan-based nanofibers as bioabsorbable wound dressings. To this aim, fully biodegradable chitosan/N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) nanofibers were designed and prepared via electrospinning, using poly(ethylene glycol) as sacrificial additive. The new biomaterials were structurally and morphologically characterized by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and their properties required for wound dressings application were investigated and discussed in detail.

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The paper reports new chitosan-based nanofibers, designed to address the healing of burn wounds. To this aim, mesoporous chitosan fiber mats were prepared by electrospinning using poly(ethylene oxide) as sacrificial additive, followed by loading with norfloxacin and coating with an antifungal agent via dynamic imine bonds. Dynamic vapor sorption experiment proved intra-fiber mesopores around 2.

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In the pursuit of achieving zero emissions, exploring the concept of recycling metal waste from industries and workshops (i.e., waste-free) is essential.

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Microbial infections are a serious healthcare related problem, causing several complications and even death. That is why, the development of new drug delivery systems with prolonged effect represents an interesting research topic. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of new hydrogels based on chitosan and three halogenated monoaldehydes.

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The growth and formation of primary intermetallics formed in Sn-3.5Ag soldered on copper organic solderability preservative (Cu-OSP) and electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) surface finish after multiple reflows were systematically investigated. Real-time synchrotron imaging was used to investigate the microstructure, focusing on the in situ growth behavior of primary intermetallics during the solid-liquid-solid interactions.

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This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of isolation of from different pathological samples processed in the Microbiology Laboratory of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș", Romania, between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, aiming to establish the ratio of methicillin-resistant to methicillin-susceptible strains and the antibiotic resistance pattern of isolated microorganisms.

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Globally, there is an increasing need for ceramic materials that have a variety of applications in the environment, for precision tools, and for the biomedical, electronics, and environmental industries. However, in order to obtain remarkable mechanical qualities, ceramics have to be manufactured at a high temperature of up to 1600 °C over a long heating period. Furthermore, the conventional approach presents issues with agglomeration, irregular grain growth, and furnace pollution.

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Hybrid fillers can be produced via various methods, such as physical mixing and chemical modification. However, there is a limited number of studies on the effect of hybridisation on the mechanical performance of hybrid filler-reinforced polymer composites, especially in the context of wear performance. This study investigated the wear resistance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/alumina hybrid-filled phenolic composite, where two hybrid methods were used to produce the CNTs/alumina hybrid filler.

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