Assessment of Frailty Scores Among Geriatric Patients Hospitalized in the North-Western Region of Romania: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The global demographic trend of population aging is evident across all regions, with a notable increase in the proportion of elderly individuals. Romania exemplifies this phenomenon, as 17% of its population is currently aged 65 years or older-a figure projected to rise to 25% by 2050. This demographic shift underscores the pressing need for comprehensive measures to address the health and social requirements of this growing population segment.

The Importance of Genetic Screening on the Syndromes of Colorectal Cancer and Gastric Cancer: A 2024 Update.

Gastrointestinal cancers (GIC), encompassing colonic, rectal, and gastric malignancies, rank among the most prevalent cancer types globally, contributing significantly to cancer-related mortality. In the scientific literature, various syndromes associated with colorectal and gastric cancers have been elucidated, highlighting the intricate interplay between genetic factors and disease manifestation. The primary objective of this study was to conduct a genetic exploration aimed at elucidating these associations and identifying shared genetic determinants across these cancer types.

Vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, and Antioxidant Strategies to Improve Oocyte Quality in Women with Gynecological Cancers: A Comprehensive Review.

Background: Gynecological cancers, including ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers, significantly affect both survival and reproductive health in women. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can impair ovarian function, reducing oocyte quality and fertility potential.

Objective: This review aims to evaluate how vitamins and antioxidants can enhance fertility and fertility preservation outcomes for women diagnosed with gynecological cancers, particularly in the context of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

What Is the Attitude of Romanian Smallholders Towards a Ground Mole Infestation? A Study Using Topic Modelling and Sentiment Analysis on Social Media and Blog Discussions.

In this paper, we analyse the attitudes and sentiments of Romanian smallholders towards mole infestations, as expressed in online contexts. A corpus of texts on the topic of ground moles and how to get rid of them was collected from social media and blog thread discussions. The texts were analysed using topic modelling, clustering, and sentiment analysis, revealing both negative and positive sentiments and attitudes.

Fault detection and diagnosis of the wastewater nitrate and nitrite sensors using PCA and FDA combined with assessment of the economic and environmental impact of the faults.

One of the leading challenges in Water Resource Recovery Facility monitoring and control is the poor data quality and sensor consistency due to the tough and complex circumstances of the process operation. This paper presents a new principal component analysis fault detection approach for the nitrate and nitrite concentration sensor based on Water Resource Recovery Facility measurements, together with the Fisher Discriminant Analysis identification of fault types. Five malfunction cases were considered: constant additive error, ramp changing error in time, incorrect amplification error, random additive error, and unchanging sensor value error.

Tackling the primary healthcare workforce crisis: time to talk about health systems and governance-a comparative assessment of nine countries in the WHO European region.

Background: Primary healthcare has emerged as a powerful global concept, but little attention has been directed towards the pivotal role of the healthcare workforce and the diverse institutional setting in which they work. This study aims to bridge the gap between the primary healthcare policy and the ongoing healthcare workforce crisis debate by introducing a health system and governance approach to identify capacities that may help respond effectively to the HCWF crisis in health system contexts.

Methods: A qualitative comparative methodology was employed, and a rapid assessment of the primary healthcare workforce was conducted across nine countries: Denmark, Germany, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom/ England.

Probing the Local Field Enhancement Using SERS Detection of DNA Strands with Different Lengths and Grafting Strategies on Graphene Oxide Plasmonic Nanoplatforms.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a powerful tool for analyzing nucleic acids due to its exceptional sensitivity and specificity. This study rigorously investigates not only the impact of polyA strands of different lengths (, 5, 10, 15, and 20 adenine bases) but also their distinct grafting strategy (SH at 5' and NH at 5' end) on the SERS signal of DNA strand using synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on graphene oxide sheets (GO-AuNPs). By comparing the thiol vs amine bonding onto the GO-AuNP nanoplatform, we found a strong correlation between the adenine peak intensity at 732 cm and the strand length for both grafting methods (SH at 5' end or NH at 5' end).

Integrative Modeling in the Age of Machine Learning: A Summary of HADDOCK Strategies in CAPRI Rounds 47-55.

The HADDOCK team participated in CAPRI rounds 47-55 as server, manual predictor, and scorers. Throughout these CAPRI rounds, we used a plethora of computational strategies to predict the structure of protein complexes. Of the 10 targets comprising 24 interfaces, we achieved acceptable or better models for 3 targets in the human category and 1 in the server category.

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.

Digital phenotyping from heart rate dynamics: Identification of zero-poles models with data-driven evolutionary learning.

Heart rate response to physical activity is widely investigated in clinical and training practice, as it provides information on a person's physical state. For emerging digital phenotyping approaches, there is a need for individualized model estimation. In this study, we propose a zero-poles model and a data-driven evolutionary learning method for identification.

Competitive Electrochemical Apta-Assay Based on cDNA-Ferrocene and MXenes for Surface Protein A Detection.

() represents one of the most frequent worldwide causes of morbidity and mortality due to an infectious agent. It is a part of the infamous ESKAPE group, which is highly connected with increased rates of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance. can cause a large variety of diseases.

A scoping review of participatory approaches in child maltreatment research across Europe.

Background: Participatory approaches in child maltreatment (CM) research increasingly focus on involving children, youth, and adults as co-researchers. However, little is known about their use in Europe.

Objective: To review the European literature on participatory approaches in CM research.

Mapping environmental perceptions in Romania: A mixed-methods research.

The present study investigates environmental perceptions in Romania, emphasizing their role in shaping individual and collective responses to ecological challenges. By exploring how people understand and interact with their natural environment, the research aims to explore values, needs, behaviors, and motivations that drive pro-environmental actions. We used a mixed-methodology approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses to capture a comprehensive view of these perceptions.

Beeswax-poly(vinyl alcohol) composite films for bread packaging.

The study aimed to improve the barrier characteristics of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film by adding beeswax (BW) and glycerin and by heat treatment in order to become a potential suitable material for bread packaging. XRD, FTIR and XPS showed new cross-links between PVA and beeswax demonstrating the composite nature of the film. TGA-DTA showed that glycerin reduced the dehydration and that the beeswax improved theirs thermal stability.

Origin of the Suppression of Magnetic Order in MnSi under Hydrostatic Pressure.

We experimentally study the evolution of the magnetic moment m and exchange interaction J as a function of hydrostatic pressure in the zero-field helimagnetic phase of the strongly correlated electron system MnSi. The suppression of magnetic order at ≈1.5  GPa is shown to arise from the J collapse and not from a quantum fluctuations induced reduction of m.

Particularities of deposition of two ICS-LABA fixed dose combination dry powder aerosol drugs in the airways of COPD patients.

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of breathing parameters, age, gender and disease status on the lung doses of the two ICS + LABA fixed combination dry powder drugs. Breathing parameters of 113 COPD patients were measured while inhaling through emptied NEXThaler® and Ellipta® inhalers and the corresponding lung doses were calculated. Lung dose of Foster® NEXThaler® was superior to the lung dose of Relvar® Ellipta® in around 85 % of the patients.

Globin ferryl species: what is the nature of the protonation event at pH < 5?

The ferryl state in globins has previously been reported to undergo a protonation event below pH 5, as assessed using pH jump experiments with stopped-flow UV-Vis spectroscopy. This protonation entails hypsochromic shifts in the α and β bands (~ 20 to 40 nm) and an ~ 10 nm reduction in the energy difference between these two bands. We now report that in Mb this event is also characterized by a hypsochromic shift in the Soret band (~ 5 nm).

Enantio-Recognition and Charge Transfer Complex Formation Involving Tetrathiafulvalene-Appended Chiral 1,2-Cyclohexane-Diamine: An Integrated Experimental and Theoretical Study.

In this work, we exploit the electronic features of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) as a backbone in synthesizing chiral derivatives. The aim is to make use of TTF's well-known and unique redox and semiconducting properties in the fields of enantio-selective recognition and chiral charge transfer (CT) complex preparation, with the ultimate objective of obtaining devices with various potential applications, ranging from plasmonics to quantum computing. In particular, both cyclohexane-bis (TTF-amide)-based enantiomers 1-(S,S) and 1-(R,R), stable under an oxidation regime, have been selected, and under these conditions, the electrochemical enantiospecific response of the four possible systems, coming from the combination with L- and D-tartaric acid, respectively, was tested.

A randomized trial investigating the impact of response expectancy on the counting blessings intervention: the role of optimism as a moderator.

Introduction: This randomized controlled trial aimed to address a knowledge gap concerning the mechanisms responsible for the efficacy of gratitude interventions. Specifically, we investigated how various response expectancies (positive, ambiguous + negative, and no expectancy) impact the efficacy of the "counting blessings" intervention in influencing positive and negative emotions. Additionally, the study explores how optimism levels (high, medium, low) interact with these expectancies to influence intervention efficacy.

Towards an interpretable breast cancer detection and diagnosis system.

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer becomes fatal only if it spreads throughout the body. Therefore, regular screening is essential. Whilst mammography is the most frequently used technique, its interpretation can be challenging and time-consuming.

Phosphorus-containing polycarbosilazanes: synthesis dehydrocoupling catalysis and flame-retardant properties.

The barium complex [Ba{N(SiMe)}] has been used to catalyse the dehydropolymerisation of the phosphine-functionalised hydrosilane 4-PhP-CHSiH (A) with the α,ω-diamine 1,4-(CHNHMe)-CH (C), for the production of -[Si(4-CHPPh)H-N(Me)CH-CH-CHN(Me)]- polycarbosilazanes that contain dangling phosphino groups along the polymer backbone. The comonomers A and C, specifically prepared for this purpose and comprehensively characterised, lend themselves well to barium-promoted dehydrocoupling catalysis. They allow for the formation of linear, amine-capped polymers with molecular weights in the range 4000-8000 g mol, as estimated by DOSY and H end-group NMR analyses.

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions for PTSD, depression, and anxiety in asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrant populations: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies.

Background: Migrant populations are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. We aimed to compare the efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions in this population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).

Assessing technology usage in relation to the quality of life of autistic children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and duration of technology use by autistic children, their primary activities when engaging with technology, and the association between technology use and quality of life. We assumed that technology serves as a means of communication with peers, and it is associated with an improved quality of life.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 61 parents of autistic children aged 5-10 years old.

Analysing Digital Engagement Patterns: A Machine Learning Investigation into Social Anxiety Among Adolescents with ADHD.

The relationship between screen time and mental health among adolescents, particularly those identified as "digital natives", has become increasingly pertinent, especially in the context of heightened digital engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine the associations between digital engagement patterns, ADHD severity, and anxiety symptoms in adolescents aged 11-18. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with a sample of 97 adolescents diagnosed with ADHD.

Synthetic Aggregates and Bituminous Materials Based on Industrial Waste.

The transition to a circular economy requires new materials and products with new production designs, technologies, and processes. In order to create new materials with physico-chemical qualities suitable for application in the building materials engineering sector, stone dust and polymer waste-two environmentally hazardous industrial wastes-were combined in this study. The materials obtained were evaluated based on an analysis performed using the Micro-Deval test.