Effectiveness of 8-week Treatment with Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in Treatment-naïve or -experienced HCV Patients: Results from an Observational Retrospective Study in Real-life Settings (ODYSSEY).

Background And Aims: Pan-genotypic ribavirin-free oral direct-acting antivirals, including the glecaprevir/pibrentasvir combination, are recommended for the treatment of most patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In Romania, the HCV-infected patient population receiving glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is not well characterized and data on treatment effectiveness is lacking. The ODYSSEY study aimed to provide insights into the characteristics and treatment outcomes of HCV-infected Romanian patients receiving 8-week therapy with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir.

Basal Cell Carcinoma Cleft: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle.

Background: This study aims to explore the tumor-stroma separation or the cleft characterizing basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Methodology: In this retrospective cohort investigation, we enrolled 244 patients who received a confirmed diagnosis of BCC through histopathological examination in the period of 2019-2020 at the Pathology Laboratory of the "Sfântul Apostol Andrei" Emergency Clinical Hospital located in Galați, Romania. The identification of patients was accomplished by utilizing electronic health records, and relevant clinical, demographic, and histopathological data were retrieved from the physical database of the Pathology Laboratory.

Insights into Intrinsic Atopic Dermatitis: immunogenicity, Dysbiosis, and Imaging (Reflectance Confocal Microscopy, Optical Coherence Tomography).

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a frequent inflammatory condition that usually begins during early childhood, but it increasingly starts to debut, even in the elderly. Based on immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and clinical features, two subsets of this disease have been recognized: intrinsic and extrinsic. When speaking about AD, most specialists think about filaggrin (FLG) mutations resulting in epidermal barrier defects, which is the case in most atopic patients, but some have a normal barrier, as seen by imaging, and still have specific clinical lesions along with metal allergies.

Challenges in Optimizing Nanoplatforms Used for Local and Systemic Delivery in the Oral Cavity.

In this study, we focused on innovative approaches to improve drug administration in oral pathology, especially by transmucosal and transdermal pathways. These improvements refer to the type of microneedles used (proposing needles in the saw), to the use of certain enhancers such as essential oils (which, besides the amplifier action, also have intrinsic actions on oral health), to associations of active substances with synergistic action, as well as the use of copolymeric membranes, cemented directly on the tooth. We also propose a review of the principles of release at the level of the oral mucosa and of the main release systems used in oral pathology.

Natural Sources of Therapeutic Agents Used in Skin Conditions.

Skin conditions are numerous and often have a major impact on patients' quality of life, and effective and safe treatment is very important. The conventional drugs used for skin diseases are usually corticosteroids and antimicrobial products that can induce various side effects, especially with long-term use, which is why researchers are studying alternatives, especially biologically active natural products. Three products caught our attention: bee venom (BV), due to reported experimental results showing anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antimycotic, and anticancer effects, (FC) due to its demonstrated antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory action, and finally essential oil (GEO), with proven antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects.

The Association of Telangiectasias with Other Peripheral Vascular Lesions of Systemic Sclerosis.

Purpose: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a relatively rare collagenosis manifested as microvasculopathy, excessive cutaneous and visceral fibrosis in a background of autoimmune alteration. Autoimmune vasculopathy in SSc occurs early and begins with endothelial cell activation followed by blood vessel intimal proliferation in a context of defective angiogenesis. The alteration of peripheral micro and macrocirculation in SSc is evident through vascular lesions, such as Raynaud's phenomenon, telangiectasias, acrocyanosis, digital ulcers, gangrene, peripheral pulse deficiency.

Strategies for Improving Transdermal Administration: New Approaches to Controlled Drug Release.

In this work, we aim to address several strategies to improve transdermal drug delivery, such as iontophoresis, sonophoresis, electroporation and micron. We also propose a review of some transdermal patches and their applications in medicine. TDDs (transdermal patches with delayed active substances) are multilayered pharmaceutical preparations that may contain one or more active substances, of which, systemic absorption is achieved through intact skin.

Multimodal Considerations Concerning Basal Cell Carcinoma Clefting - Profile of Structural and Aggressive Traits - Perspectives.

Although basal cell carcinoma is a well-known tumor with confirmed clinical and histopathology traits, prognosis factors and treatment options, new facets of this tumor emerge as innovative approach methods develop. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) allow a basal cell carcinoma's in vivo analysis of its depth of invasion, tumor margins prior to surgical approach and the tumor's response to a non-invasive treatment, evaluating simultaneously the tumor's vasculature. By RCM and OCT analysis, basal cell carcinoma has registered a groundbreaking discovery regarding a small (but with predictive factor potential) trait - the cleft, developing in between the tumor islands/nodules/chords and the surrounding tumor stroma; it was considered to date as a consequence of the tissue's histopathology processing.

New Antifibroblastic Medication in Dermatology: Could Nintedanib Treat Scarring?

There are a wide variety of disfiguring dermatological conditions whose pathologic substrate is represented by the unwanted deposition of collagen from dermal fibroblasts. Pirfenidone has demonstrated efficiency in the treatment of disordered collagen production when applied topically. Due to a similar mechanism of action, we also hypothesize that a similar medication, nintedanib, might have similar applications.

Interrelationship and Sequencing of Interleukins4, 13, 31, and 33 - An Integrated Systematic Review: Dermatological and Multidisciplinary Perspectives.

The interrelations and sequencing of interleukins are complex (inter)actions where each interleukin can stimulate the secretion of its preceding interleukin. In this paper, we attempt to summarize the currently known roles of IL-4, IL-13, IL-31, and IL-33 from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In order to conduct a comprehensive review of the current literature, a search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, Medscape, UpToDate, and Key Elsevier for keywords.

CREST Syndrome in Systemic Sclerosis Patients - Is Dystrophic Calcinosis a Key Element to a Positive Diagnosis?

Introduction: CREST syndrome is a clinical entity associated with systemic sclerosis, which meets at least three of the five clinical features: calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia. Three of these clinical features (Raynaud's phenomenon, sclerodactyly and esophageal dysmotility) are often present in classical subsets of SSc: limited and diffuse, and their presence in association does not define CREST syndrome. Calcinosis seems to be less common in SSc and its association with other clinical features is characteristic of CREST syndrome.

Hearing Loss Secondary to Systemic Sclerosis Vasculopathy: Case Study with a Short Review.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a collagenosis with a substrate of chronic inflammation, which is determined by autoimmunity. The pathogenesis of this disease involves microvasculopathy (small vessel pathology) followed by excessive cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Although acoustic and vestibular impairment is not classified as being a secondary pathology of SSc, several studies have identified cases of SSc that associate hearing loss and especially vertigo and tinnitus.

The Influence of Living in Rural Areas on the Evolution and Management of Pediatric Ovarian Cystic Lesions: A Retrospective Study on a Cohort from South Eastern Romania.

Background: The incidence of ovarian cystic lesions (OCLs) in pediatric patients has been increasing in recent years. An early diagnosis is mandatory for a favourable prognosis but it depends on the primary medical care services and on the socioeconomic status of the patient. The present study aims at assessing the prevalence and the age-specific frequencies of pediatric OCLs, as well as identifying disparities between subjects in the urban and the rural areas, in order to explore the extent to which OCLs occurrence, diagnosis, evolution and treatment differ in the case of patients living in rural areas.

Paraclinical Aspects in Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune substrate that affects the skin and a large number of internal organs. The chronic inflammatory process is sustained by a wide range of cytokines and chemokines, which are discharged by inflammatory cells, with fibrosis and nail bed vascular changes (disorganized vasculature architecture with microhemorrhages, megacapillaries and areas without capillaries). Confocal microscopy contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in chronic inflammation and mainly targets the field of research.

Once-Daily Abrocitinib for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Adults and Adolescents Aged 12 Years and Over: A Short Review of Current Clinical Perspectives.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with high prevalence and a complex pathophysiology. This relapsing and remitting skin disorder has many negative consequences on the patient's quality of life and that of his family. Until now, moderate-to-severe AD treatment was a symptomatic one, using skin emollients, topical corticosteroids, phototherapy, antihistamines and systemic drugs - immune suppressants and other systemic treatments (dupilumab).

Therapeutic challenges of psoriasis in the HIV-infected patient: A case report.

Psoriasis can be paradoxically associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, having a prevalence similar to the general population but with a more severe evolution. In the genetically predisposed patients with the CW0602 haplotype, HIV infection can be a triggering factor and a first sign of infection, and lesions can spontaneously remit with immune reconstruction after antiretroviral therapy. Our patient is a 34 year-old male with recent HIV infection, in spite of being for over 10 years the partner of an HIV-positive patient with whom the patient has two HIV-positive children.

Orthopaedic manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1: A case report.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or von Recklinghausen disease is one of the most common autosomal dominant genetic diseases. It is characterized by 'café-au-lait' spots and multiple tumors starting from the central and peripheric nervous system. The diagnosis is determined on two out of seven criteria: i) A total of 6 or more light brown spots larger than 5 mm in diameter (pre-puberty) or 15 mm in diameter (post-puberty); ii) a total of 2 or more neurofibromas or one plexiform neurofibroma; iii) axillary or inguinal freckling; iv) optic glioma; v) a total of 2 or more Lisch nodules; vi) bone abnormalities: tibia pseudarthrosis or dysplasia of the sphenoid wing; and vii) a relative of first degree having an NF1 diagnosis.

Therapy Delayed is Therapy Denied: A Case Report of Melanoma Misdiagnosed as Diabetic Foot Ulcer.

Malignant melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer, and prompt diagnosis is a key factor in providing adequate, life-saving therapy. A 75-year-old man, with long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with a 2- to 3-year history of right heel ulcer. He had received various therapies for a diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcer, to no avail.

Basal cell carcinoma: Comprehensive clinical and histopathological aspects, novel imaging tools and therapeutic approaches (Review).

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, involving the skin. It is also part of keratinocyte carcinomas, alongside its squamous counterpart. It has low mortality and extremely low metastatic rates (although when present, it indicates a poor patient prognosis); it also has a high morbidity rate through local destruction and recurrence, particularly when perineural invasion is observed, clinically or histopathologically.

Nevi, biologics for psoriasis and the risk for skin cancer: A real concern? (Case presentation and short review).

Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory cutaneous disease that affects approximately 2% of the world's population. Systemic treatments and biologic treatment therapies are a powerful option for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. Some studies from the literature indicate an overall small, but increased, risk of neoplasia in patients with psoriasis treated with phototherapy or systemic medication.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents in neurofibromatosis type 1 (Review).

Gadolinium (symbol Gd) is the chemical element with atomic number 64 and is aductile rare-earth metal, and +3 is its most frequent oxidation state. Gadolinium has an ionic radius of 0.99 Å and is nearly identical to the one of Ca.

Effectiveness of 8- and 12-Week Treatment with Ombitasvir/ Paritaprevir/Ritonavir and Dasabuvir in Treatment-Naïve HCV Patients in a Real-Life Setting in Romania: the AMETHYST Study.

Background And Aims: The 12-week regimen of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir (OPrD) has shown high efficacy and tolerability in clinical trials for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). The shorter 8-week regimen has been recently incorporated into clinical guidelines and on-label indications, but real-world evidence on its use is limited. Given this knowledge gap, the AMETHYST study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the 8- and 12-week regimens of OPrD in treatment-naive patients with HCV with mild to moderate liver fibrosis in Romanian clinical practice.