Current health sciences journal最新文献

Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) are the most common histological forms of lung cancer, lesions that by their incidence and associated mortality constitute a health problem worldwide. Alteration of the expression of claudins with a role in the stability of cell adhesion constitutes one of the complex biomolecular mechanisms involved in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, Claudin-4 immunoexpression was investigated in 52 cases of NSCLC in relation to epidemiological and histopathological prognostic parameters of the lesions. Although the staining scores were higher in patients in younger age groups, in women, in smokers and in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and large cell carcinoma (LLC) compared to adenocarcinomas (ADK), the aspects were not statistically significant. We found significantly higher differences in micropapillary, cribriform and solid ADK compared to other histological subtypes, in well and poorly differentiated lesions (G1/G3), with vascular invasion and in advanced tumor stages. Reaction analysis indicated translocation of Claudin-4 signals from the membrane level to the cytoplasm and nucleus in aggressive histological subtypes. The study indicated differences in Claudin-4 expression, which can be used to identify aggressive NSCLC and to stratify patients for specific therapy.

Aim of the study: analysis of dental wear variation in subjects with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), compared to subjects without systemic diseases (SDs).

Method: the study included 84 hospitalized subjects with CVDs and 84 without SDs subjects, who presented to the Dental Emergency Department of the Emergency Clinical Hospital in Drobeta Turnu Severin. The subjects' data were processed descriptively, by analysis of variance and simple and multiple linear regression.

Results: Subjects with CVDs had a mean age±SD:69.49±10.09, and subjects without SDs had a mean age±SD:58.98±5.61. In subjects with CVDs, out of 504 sextants, 360 (174 maxillary and 186 mandibular) were included in the dental wear assessment, and in subjects without SDs, out of 504 sextants, 480 (242 maxillary and 238 mandibular) were evaluated. The number of remaining teeth (NRT) ranged between 2 and 25 (mean±SD 15.54±5.43) for subjects with CVDs, and between 16 and 27 (mean±SD 22.64±2.47) for subjects without SDs. Analysis of variance of the wear score values assigned to the indicated the highest value F (2, 249) =71.09768707, with F (2, 249)> F crit. (3.032064916) for mandibular sextants in the CVDs subjects. Regression models adjusted independently with gender, age, residence and NRT, revealed a coefficient with values between 11.97%-28.72% for CVDs subjects and between 11.90%-20.88% for subjects without SDs.

Conclusion: dental wear varied for both categories of subjects in the mandibular arch, compared to the maxillary arch, in their frontal area, compared to the lateral areas, depending on age, residence and NRT.

Introduction: The correlation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and depression has already been established, but the relation between the two is insufficiently studied. Various murine models have proven effective in evaluating the mechanisms involved in these pathologies.

Material and methods: In this study we aimed to assess how the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) protocol impacts the behavior of mice with liver damage induced by a methionine choline deficient (MCD) diet, and also to evaluate the changes in microglial morphology in the cortex of animals with depressive-like behavior and liver injury. Thus, the cortical region was analyzed using confocal microscopy.

Results: Sucrose preference test and open field test revealed induced anhedonia and anxiety-like behavior, but short-term memory was not impaired, as assessed by novel object recognition test. Administration of the MCD diet led to an increase in total branch length and the number of terminal branches, revealing a hyperactivated microglia. The CUMS protocol in combination with MCD diet induced a reduced branching complexity, with fewer tertiary and terminal branches.

Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of microglial morphology at the cortical level in coexisting depression and liver injury.

Introduction: Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are heterogeneous group of neoplasms that arise from primordial germ cells and can occur in various locations, most commonly in the ovaries and testes but can also be found in extra-gonadal sites like retroperitoneum due to developmental errors. These tumors are relatively rare but clinically significant due to their potential for malignancy and association with developmental anomalies.

Case presentation: This case series presents four rare and unusual cases of germ cell tumors encountered in both paediatric and adult patients, each with distinctive clinical, radiological, and histopathological features. These cases are unique in their clinical presentation and histomorphological findings, reflecting the diverse spectrum of GCTs across different age groups.

Conclusion: These cases underscore the complexity of diagnosis, the role of radiological and histopathological examinations, and the varied management strategies for rare conditions like gonadoblastoma, dysgerminoma, struma ovarii, and fetus-in-fetu.

We conducted a retrospective observational study over a 6-year period (2018-2023) on patients aged over 50 with colorectal cancer (CRC), admitted to the Third Department of General Surgery, Clinical Emergency County Hospital. The patients were divided into two groups corresponding to two time periods: 2018-2020 and 2021-2023. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the profile of CRC patients over time through a comparative analysis of the two groups in terms of demographic, clinical, and therapeutic parameters. The study revealed a consistent increase in the incidence of CRC cases over the 6 years we analyzed. At the same time, we observed a more favorable profile of patients with CRC over 50 years old in the second group regarding admission type, a higher proportion of cases diagnosed at earlier stages, and a lower complication rate associated with CRC. These factors were reflected in better adherence to oncologic resection principles, a reduction in postoperative complications, and a shorter hospital stay. The direct consequence is an improvement in long-term prognosis and a decrease in the burden on healthcare systems. Furthermore, to tilt the balance towards early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, the implementation of a national screening program becomes imperative.

SARS-CoV-2 infection was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in the last months of 2019 as an atypical pneumonia, from where it rapidly spread worldwide causing the most severe pandemic of the 21st century. The disease had a complex symptomatology, with clinical signs of pulmonary impairment, frequently accompanied by digestive, renal, cardiovascular or nervous signs. In the present study, we aimed at analyzing a group of 5649 patients, aged between 3 and 104 years old, diagnosed with Covid-19 and hospitalized within the Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Craiova between 2020-2022. In Romania, the first cases of COVID-19 started in the first quarter of 2020. Our study revealed that, in the first year of the pandemic, 1404 (24.85%) patients were hospitalized; in 2021, 3670 (64.97%) patients were hospitalized, and in 2022, as a result of prophylaxis measures and the introduction of the anti-COVID-19 vaccination, the number of hospitalized patients decreased to 575 (10.18%). SARS-CoV-2 infection affected all age groups, from children younger than 5 years of age to people over 100 years of age, but most patients (3060 patients, representing 54.17% of the whole investigated group) were aged between 55 and 75 years old. Regarding sex, we found that the disease affected both sexes equally. The most common clinical signs were: cough and temperature change, each present in 62% of the total group of patients and dyspnea present in 29% of patients. The most common comorbidities were cardiovascular disease (39%), diabetes mellitus (9%) and chronic lung disease (10.21%).

Background: Fixed orthodontic retainers can promote biofilm accumulation, increasing periodontal risks in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study examines the relationship between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and bacterial load before and after oral hygiene intervention.

Methods: Forty diabetic patients (HbA1c: 6.5%-9%) were divided into Group I (18-30 years, n=18) and Group II (>30 years, n=22). Periodontal samples were analyzed using micro-IDent® PCR tests. Pearson's correlation and linear regression assessed associations between HbA1c and bacterial load.

Results: Pre-intervention bacterial loads were 66 (Group I) and 128 (Group II). Post-intervention, they decreased significantly to 34 and 93 (p≤0.05). HbA1c showed a strong pre-intervention correlation with bacterial load (r=0.78, p=0.002), decreasing post-intervention (r=0.42, p=0.08). Each 1% HbA1c increase correlated with a 20.3-unit rise pre-intervention (R²=0.61) and 8.2 units post-intervention (R²=0.18).

Conclusion: Fixed retainers facilitate bacterial colonization, worsening periodontal inflammation in diabetic patients. Glycemic control and regular oral hygiene interventions are essential for reducing bacterial load and preventing complications.

Lepromatous leprosy is considered rare in children owing to the immature immune system. Lepra reaction, although not uncommon, type-2 lepra reaction in childhood is scarcely reported. We report five such cases, all presented in our institutes' emergency department with severe type-2 lepra reaction as the presenting entity. They had multiple classical features of leprosy, like ulcero-necrotic lesions, deformity, neuritis, and high slit smear bacillary index, which are otherwise usual in adult leprosy and not seen in childhood leprosy. Childhood leprosy being an indicator of active transmission in the community, these cases are crucial from the rarity viewpoint but also a pointer of recrudescence in the post-elimination era, highlighting the need for more aggressive case detection and better active surveillance.

This paper aims to evaluate the general state of the medical services provided by the Craiova County Emergency Clinical Hospital (SCJU Craiova) and to compare the perceived quality of the services between 2016-2019 and 2022-2023. The method chosen to carry out the research was through the collection and analysis of data from the hospital's questionnaire for quality assessment, voluntarily filled in by patients. We analyzed the trends and the variability of the satisfaction reports for each period, separately, and then between the 2016-2019 and 2022-2023 periods. As a comparison, we observed that the rating of the healthcare services and staff behavior is more polarized in the post-pandemic period as it was before, while the assessment of the hotel conditions shows that, even if the objective conditions have improved, the patients tend to be more critical.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex, progressive disorder that involves the gradual breakdown of articular cartilage, alteration of the subchondral bone, synovial inflammation, and joint space limitation, ultimately leading to stiffness, pain, and impaired balance and mobility. At this moment there is no cure to stop the evolution of the disease, only symptomatic treatment. This fact is due to the lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms, thus limiting the possibilities of developing disease-modifying drugs. This challenge arises from an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms of disease, which limits the development of effective disease-modifying drugs due to the fact that human tissue samples are typically obtained in the advanced stages of the disease, usually when the patient is subjected to joint replacement surgery, making the study of early OA stages more difficult. For researchers, the murine animal model provides a useful tool for assessing the full evolution of the pathology and the study of the efficacy and safety of novel experimental drugs and supplements. The aim of our review is to present the diverse currently used murine models ranging from spontaneous to chemically and surgically induced OA and pharmacological results that were obtained on such models and are available for human use or represent a potential innovative therapy in the near future.