Modeling Neurodegeneration in Patients with Visual Pathway Tumors by Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography.

Objective: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive, high-resolution imaging technique that was suggested to be a powerful biomarker of neurodegeneration. The objective of our study is to assess the pattern of retinal OCT changes in patients with visual pathway tumors.

Methods: A prospective clinical study was conducted and patients with single cerebral tumors with potential of compression on the visual pathway were included.

The effect of intravenous administration of liposomal curcumin in addition to sumatriptan treatment in an experimental migraine model in rats.

Background: Curcumin has antioxidative properties that could be useful in various diseases due to its ability to act on multiple targets of various cellular pathways. We aimed to assess the efficacy of liposomal curcumin compared with curcumin solution, when in addition to sumatriptan (ST) treatment, in an experimental migraine model induced with nitroglycerin (NTG) in rats.

Methods: Seven groups of 9 rats each were investigated: control group without migraine (1 mL saline solution intraperitoneal injection [ip]), control group with induced migraine, NTG+ST group (ST), NTG+ST+curcumin1 (CC1) group - 1 mg/100 g body weight (bw), NTG+ST+CC2 - 2 mg/100 g bw, NTG+ST+liposomal curcumin1 (lCC1) group - 1 mg/100 g bw, and NTG+ST+lCC2 (lCC2) group - 2 mg/100 g bw.

Adiponectin is related to markers of endothelial dysfunction and neoangiogenesis in diabetic patients.

Purpose: Adiponectin an adipokine, produced by mature adipocyte, has an important effect on several aspects of endothelial function, including leukocyte adhesion (mediated by adhesion molecules like intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) endothelial cell selective adhesion molecule ESAM). Recently, it has been linked to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-modulated angiogenesis. ESAM might also be involved in modulating VEGF-dependent actions.

Mandibular aneurysmal bone cyst in an elderly patient: Case report.

Objective: The article aims to highlight the challenge of establishing the presumptive aetiological diagnosis when unilocular or multilocular radiolucencies are identified in an elderly patient's jawbones.

Materials And Methods: A mandibular cyst-like lesion was identified in a 73-year-old patient. The therapeutic decision was cyst enucleation and grafting of the bone defect.

Intracardiac echocardiography to guide catheter ablation of an accessory pathway in Ebstein's anomaly. A case report.

We present the case of a 17-year-old girl with Ebstein anomaly and repeated episodes of reentrant tachycardia due to a right posterior accessory pathway. Catheter ablation was performed using intracardiac echocardiography. A ViewFlex Xtra probe was inserted and showed an anormal tricuspid valve with elongated anterior leaflet and low insertion of the septal leaflet towards the apex.

The impact of multiple primary neoplasms in daily practicea systematic review of the literature.

Multiple primary neoplasms (MPN) represent particular entities with growing impact in our daily practice due to their increasing incidence and implications in the treatment and outcome of oncological patients. MPN have a specific deffinition and can be classified as synchronous or metachronous depending on the time of diagnosis of the first and latter malignancies. We review in this article the possible risk factors involved in the etiology of MPN, the most frequent cancer associations, the incidence of synchronous and metachronous tumors, the stage at diagnosis, the treatment administered to the patients with MPN and the survival of patients with MPN.

Case report: bilateral optic nerve head drusen and glaucoma.

Optic nerve head drusen is an incidental finding in current ophthalmological practice. Although patients rarely display symptoms, structural, and functional defects, there are exceptional cases when clinical appearance can make it difficult to diagnose underlying or coexisting conditions, such as glaucoma. The following case report demonstrates how overlapping optic nerve pathologies can interfere in clinical judgement and therapeutic decision making in a young male patient, with relevant family history for both glaucoma and bilateral optic nerve head drusen.

Stem cells treatment in the ocular surface regeneration.

The article presents the modern treatment with stem cells in the reconstruction of ocular surface. The turnover of the stem cells, the location in the limbus areas, the importance of limbal stem cells presence, the clinical appearance of stem cell deficiency, investigations method for this illness and the management of stem cell deficiency (artificial lacrimal tear drops, mini scleral contact lenses and the surgical treatment with allografts and autografts of stem cells) were taken into account.

Where are Romanian biomedical journals now and what does the future hold for them? A scientometric analysis.

Background And Aim: There is a competition between scientific journals in order to achieve leadership in their scientific field. There are several Romanian biomedical journals which are published in English and a smaller number in Romanian. We need a periodical analysis of their visibility and ranking according to scientometric measures.

Relationship between etanercept and thyroid function in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

Background And Aim: Psoriasis vulgaris, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, requires a long term medication, in order to avoid relapsing episodes. TNF-alpha, one of the targeted molecule in psoriasis therapy, seems to be also involved in thyroid disorders etiopathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anti TNF-alpha therapy and thyroid parameters: serum level of triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and antithyroidperoxidase antibody (AbTPO) in psoriasis treated population.

Psychological stress and breast cancer incidence: a systematic review.

Objective: Breast cancer is the world's leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Stress is an imminent risk factor with a documented negative impact on neuro-endocrine and immune system. Numerous epidemiological studies have investigated the link between stress and cancer, reporting contradictory results from no association to a close causal link.

Thyroid disorders in obese patients. Does insulin resistance make a difference?

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between insulin resistance and thyroid pathology in obese patients, and compare the results between insulin-resistant and noninsulin-resistant patients.

Subjects And Methods: Obese/nondiabetic patients, aged 18-70 years, attending the outpatient endocrinology service for 2 years were consecutively included. We evaluated the patients' fasting plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), antithyroperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab), antithyroglobulin antibodies (Tg-Ab), and thyroid ultrasound.

EFFECT OF EXPERIMENTAL DYSGLYCEMIA ON UNDER-CARBOXYLATED OSTEOCALCIN PRODUCTION IN HUMAN PRIMARY OSTEOBLAST-LIKE CELL CULTURES.

Context: The undercarboxylated form of osteocalcin (ucOC) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are bone-derived molecules involved in the endocrine crosstalk governing the bone, the adipose tissue and the pancreas. In addition, glucocorticoids are major determinants of both insulin resistance and osteoporosis.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the response of ucOC and OPG to dysglycemia and/or dexamethasone (DXM) in primary human osteoblastic cell (HOC) cultures.

Mediastinal masses-transthoracic ultrasonography aspects.

Mediastinal masses are usually assessed by computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Transthoracic ultrasonography (TUS) can also provide useful information concerning prevascular and posterior mediastinal masses abutting the thoracic wall, but is underused for mediastinal pathology. Moreover, it provides a valuable and safe method for guiding interventional procedures in those areas, even in cases when other approaches are difficult or impossible.

Preemptive Analgesic and Antioxidative Effect of Curcumin for Experimental Migraine.

Objective: Our study aimed to investigate the analgesic and antioxidative stress effects of Curcumin (CC) in experimental migraine induced by Nitroglycerin (NTG) on rats, compared with Indomethacin (ID) and Propranolol (PP) treatments.

Material And Methods: Five groups of 10 rats treated i.p.

Romanian National Guidelines on Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound in clinical practice.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows a real-time assessment of the vascular pattern of different types of lesions, as it has no renal or liver toxicity, it lacks radiation exposure and it is also cheaper than other imaging methods, having a diagnostic capability that matches contrast-enhanced CT or MRI. In Romania CEUS is used more and more, especially by clinicians, and since some centres have extensive experience in this domain, we felt the need to disseminate our expertise in order to implement this method in as many centres as possible. These Guidelines present the clinical applications of CEUS in the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney, testis, bowel, intra-cavitary and endoscopic ultrasound, as well as other applications.

THE VOLUME OF SOLITARY PARATHYROID ADENOMA IS RELATED TO PREOPERATIVE PTH AND 25OH-D3, BUT NOT TO CALCIUM LEVELS.

Purpose: To correlate the volume of parathyroid adenomas with the hormonal and metabolic profile at patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPTH).

Patients And Methods: Cross-sectional multicentric study, enrolling 52 patients with pHPTH from two medical institutions. Serum calcium and PTH were evaluated in all patients before surgery, whereas 25OHD3 was measured only in the 33 patients recruited form one medical unit.

The role of MRI in the early evaluation of lung microwave ablation.

Purpose: To retrospectively investigate the role of a contrast enhanced MRI (ceMRI) performed 24 h after a microwave ablation (MWA) of the lung, in predicting local tumour progression (LTP) and detecting complications compared to an unenhanced CT.

Material And Methods: Forty-nine patients who underwent MWA of 77 lung metastases between 2008 and 2015 were included. All patients received an unenhanced chest CT and a ceMRI (including T2 and ceT1) 24 h after MWA.

Adrenal glands transabdominal ultrasonography - pictorial essay.

Adrenal gland ultrasonography is one of the corner stones of the abdominal ultrasonography examination for many medical specialties. The adrenal areas can be easily overlooked though adrenal gland pathology is diverse. We present the normal aspects and various transabdominal ultrasonography findings of the adrenal glands, both common and rare.

Ultrasound-guided bone lesions biopsies - a systematic review.

Aims: Ultrasound (US) is a highly valuable imagistic tool used to guide numerous interventional procedures. The US guided bone lesions biopsy has not yet received a consensus or a guideline. We aimed to evaluate the evidence to support the US role in guiding bone lesions biopsies.

The bicentennial of the stethoscope: a reappraisal.

Background And Aim: Two hundred years ago Laennec, a young French physician discovered the stethoscope, in order to improve the lung auscultation. The stethoscope became the emblematic appendix of the physicians. Nurses use it also to monitor patients and medical students are proud to use it.

The influence of seasonality and weather changes on premature birth incidence.

Background: Although the effects of meteorological factors on the general population health are widely documented, little is known about their influence on human pregnancy and birth. The present study aims at analyzing the influence of the atmospheric conditions on premature births.

Method: One hundred and eight nine cases of premature births were included in the study, with a gestational age between 24 to 37 weeks of amenorrhea.

(+) or (-)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate as chiral derivatizing agent: A review.

Over the last 30years, (±)-1-(9-fluorenyl)ethyl chloroformate ((±)-FLEC) was used as a chiral derivatizing agent in various analytical applications involving a wide range of endogenous, pharmaceutical and environmentally relevant molecules. This comprehensive review aims to present all the significant aspects related to the state of the art in FLEC labeling and subsequent chiral separation of the resulting diastereomers using LC, SFC and CE techniques.