Difficulties in choosing the right intraocular lens in a previously vitrectomized patient - the role of the tear film.

We present the difficulties in choosing the right IOL, when facing a great variability of the keratometric measurements, in the case of a patient operated for epiretinal membrane and lamellar macular hole, who developed complicated cataract in the operated eye. Upon commencing the biometric measurements, inconsistency in keratometric values led to further investigations. Repeated placido disc topography initially showed corneal ectasia, which posed a problem on selecting the right type of intra-ocular lens.

Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Liver Transplant Recipients: Does It Make Any Difference?

The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was diagnosed in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, this novel infectious disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has grown into a pandemic with over 330 million infected individuals worldwide, many of them with innate or acquired immunosuppression. Liver transplantation (LT) is offered as a curative therapy for end-stage liver disease as well as for acute liver failure cases.

Pediatric esophageal stenoses: Challenges and new surgical device promoting tension-free esophageal anastomosis.

Esophageal stenoses of childhood have a broad spectrum of underlying causes. Their treatment is usually minimally invasive by endoscopic means, but sometimes surgery is necessary in refractory cases. Techniques employed in the surgical treatment of esophageal strictures include resection of the stenotic esophageal segment or esophageal substitution procedures.

Predictors of Late Mortality in Patients With Surgically Resected Cardiac Myxomas: A Single-Center Experience.

Background and objective Myxomas are the most common cardiac tumors. This study aimed to analyze the possible risk factors associated with late mortality in this group of patients and assess long-term survival. Methods A retrospective study was conducted among patients who underwent myxomas resection between January 2008 and July 2019 in our service.

Lens-induced uveitis in a patient with hypermature cataract.

Our paper aims to report an unusual case of phacogenic uveitis with secondary glaucoma occurring after spontaneous rupture of the lens capsule in a patient with hypermature age-related cataract, to describe its particularities and to review the classification of the lens-induced uveitis. We described the case of an 83-year-old male with a history of hypermature cataract, who presented to our clinic for right eye pain. Examination revealed circumciliary congestion, diffuse corneal edema, lens debris floating in the anterior chamber, pseudohypopyon and the opacification of the whole lens.

Dysregulation of miRNAs Targeting the IGF-1R Pathway in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most prevalent neoplastic lethal pancreatic disease, has a poor prognosis and an increasing incidence. The insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling pathway is considered to be a contributing factor to the progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance of PDAC. Currently available treatment options for PDAC are limited, but microRNAs (miRNAs) may represent a new therapeutic strategy for targeting genes involved in the IGF-1R signaling pathway.

Lipoblastoma: Diagnosis and surgical considerations.

Lipoblastoma (LB) and lipoblastomatosis (LBS) are uncommon benign mesenchymal tumors of embryonal fat, occurring almost exclusively in infancy and early childhood. These fast-growing tumors have an excellent prognosis if properly treated. Eight consecutive children having pathologically demonstrated LB treated by the same surgical team were retrospectively reviewed.

Diabetes Mellitus as a Prognostic Factor for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Background/aim: Currently, the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on rectal cancer patients is complex and just partly elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus on rectal cancer patients focusing on tumor differentiation grade, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) response, disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survival.

Patients And Methods: Our study's population consisted of a group of 53 patients diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer, who underwent NACRT, followed by radical oncological surgery.

The importance of adrenal venous sampling in ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome: A case report and literature review.

Independent Cushing's adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome can have several causes, including adrenal carcinoma or simple adrenal hyperplasia. Although the distinction between malignant and benign can be effectively made through imaging investigations, in the situation where there are bilateral formations, their hormonal activity is impossible to appreciate via non-invasive techniques. The present study includes the presentation of a clinical case on the basis of which a literature review was made.

Dynamics of serum α-fetoprotein in viral hepatitis C without hepatocellular carcinoma.

Viral hepatitis C represents a significant liver pathology worldwide, with a detrimental impact on national health systems. The present study aimed to correlate the levels of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) with prognostic tools such as Fibroscan, the presence of mixed cryoglobulinemia, and various demographic and standard biochemical markers, in patients with chronic hepatitis C, unrelated to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A clinical study was designed considering three study groups: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) group including 35 patients with chronic hepatitis C and detectible viral load; sustained viral response (SVR) group including 20 HCV patients without detectable virus load 12 weeks after therapy cessation; a control group represented by 37 healthy volunteers.

Incidence of thyroid carcinomas in an extended retrospective study of 526 autopsies.

Thyroid cancer accounts for 1% of all malignancies, and is becoming increasingly common worldwide. The literature reports a prevalence of ~50% of thyroid nodules detected during autopsies in subjects with unknown thyroid pathology. An extended retrospective study of 526 autopsy cases was performed to identify the prevalence of thyroid carcinoma, among various types of thyroid nodules identified incidentally.

PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway involvement in renal cell carcinoma pathogenesis (Review).

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for over 90% of all renal malignancies, and mainly affects the male population. Obesity and smoking are involved in the pathogenesis of several systemic cancers including RCC. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, migration, survival, angiogenesis, and metabolism.

Impact of adipose tissue in chronic kidney disease development (Review).

Obesity is a worldwide pandemic health issue. Obesity is associated with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and kidney diseases. This systemic disease can affect the kidneys by two mechanisms: Indirectly through diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension and directly through adipokines secreted by adipose tissue.

Hypocalcemia: A possible risk factor for anastomotic leak in digestive surgery.

Anastomotic leaks (ALs) remain the most severe complication in digestive surgery, as well as the most consumptive in terms of human and financial resources. There is an abundance of international research which has focused on identifying and correcting risk factors, and on individualized surgical management as well. The most frequent risk factors are male sex, obesity, diabetes, advanced malignant disease, ASA score, perioperative blood loss or perioperative transfusion, long operation time, emergency operation and altered nutritional status.

Management of acute intradialytic cardiovascular complications: Updated overview (Review).

An increasing number of patients require renal replacement therapy through dialysis and renal transplantation. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects a large percentage of the world's population and has evolved into a major public health concern. Diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney failure are all major risk factors for CKD.

Heterogeneity of antigenic constellation in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the primary liver malignancies responsible for over a million deaths per year worldwide (approximately 10% of all deaths in the adult age range). The diagnosis of HCC can be difficult and often requires the use of more than one microscopic technique. A retrospective study was performed on a study batch of 42 cases that died of HCC due to metastasis or other secondary complications.

Kidney aging process and the management of the elderly patient with renal impairment (Review).

As life expectancy increases, a rise in the number of chronically ill patients is observed due to the aging population. Among the various diseases, chronic kidney disease is at present one of the main causes of morbidity and, due to its typical complications, it is also one of the most important causes of mortality in the general population. For these reasons, the understanding of the kidney aging process, its consequences and its adequate management are essential.

Association between Liver Cirrhosis and Diabetes Mellitus: A Review on Hepatic Outcomes.

Background: Liver cirrhosis (LC) is largely associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). More than 80% of patients with LC manifest glucose intolerance and about 30% have type 2 DM. A particular and yet unrecognized entity is hepatogenous diabetes (HD), defined as impaired glucose regulation caused by altered liver function following LC.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health-Related Quality of Life, Anxiety, and Training Among Young Gastroenterologists in Romania.

The novel COVID-19 infection has spread all over the world and is still generating a lot of issues at different levels. There is a lack of control in disease early diagnosis and rapid evolution, which impacts both the medical and the economic system. Young gastroenterologists should adapt to overcome current difficulties and continue their life and general training.

Toric intraocular lens implantation - atypical cases.

To describe the results of toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in three atypical cases (four eyes) with cataract and corneal astigmatism: one with bilateral keratoconus, one with pellucid marginal degeneration and one with buphthalmos due to congenital glaucoma. Three patients (four eyes) with corneal astigmatism (one with bilateral keratoconus, one with pellucid marginal degeneration and one with buphthalmos due to congenital glaucoma) underwent cataract surgery by standard phacoemulsification and the implantation of toric IOLs in the capsular bag. The presence of corneal astigmatism was identified by automated keratometry and confirmed by Scheimpflug-based corneal tomography.

Corneal topography in preoperative evaluation for laser keratorefractive surgery - a review.

Corneal topography is a mandatory investigation in the preoperative evaluation of the patient candidate for laser keratorefractive surgery, in order to assess the corneal shape, to determine the radii of curvature and the corneal thickness. Abnormal corneal topography is the most important identifiable risk factor for corneal ectasia. This paper reviews the principles of successive generations of topographers and illustrates several normal and abnormal corneal topographies.

Dyselectrolytemia-management and implications in hemodialysis (Review).

Hemodialysis is a method for the renal replacement therapy followed by series of acute and chronic complications. Dyselectrolytemia appears in patients undergoing dialysis through mechanisms related to the chronic kidney disease and/or to the dialysis therapy and for this group of patients it is associated with an increase of morbidity and mortality. The dialysate has a standard composition, which can be modified according to the patient's characteristics.

Caudal Duplication Syndrome Systematic Review-A Need for Better Multidisciplinary Surgical Approach and Follow-Up.

Caudal duplication syndrome is a rare association of anatomical anomalies describing duplication of the hindgut, spine, and uro-genital structures, leading to varied clinical presentations. The current literature focuses on case reports which describe the embryological etiology and anatomical spectrum of the condition giving little attention to the surgical preparation, the need for a well-structured follow-up program, or the transition into adult healthcare of these complex patients. No reviews have been published regarding this complex pathology.