Constantza Port (Romania)

The present study aimed to assess the incidence of active TB, risk factors associated with TB and KT outcomes among a group of KTR from Romania. This single-center, nested case-control study, included 22 KTR with active TB and 88 KTR without active TB (matched 1:4) identified from 1485 patients who underwent KT at Fundeni Clinical Institute between 2002 and 2017. The incidence of active TB among the cohort was 1.48% with a median time to occurrence of 60.26 months (IQR: 30.75-102.50) after KT. Multivariate conditional logistic regression showed that history of active TB before KT (OR=17.97 [95% CI: 1.35-238.22], p=0.02) and anti-thymocyte globulin induction (OR=2.14 [95% CI: 1.10-4.24], p=0.02) were independent risk factors associated with TB development. Patient survival (p=0.03), overall (p<0.001) and death-censored graft survival (p<0.001) were significantly lower in KTR with active TB than in controls during the follow-up period. Kidney function was not significantly different between TB cases and controls at the last follow-up (p=0.57) in an adjusted analysis. This study was the first to evaluate active TB in KTR from Romania and found a higher incidence of active TB than that in the general population and a late onset of infection. TB had a negative impact on both patient and graft survival. Screening for latent TB, judicious prophylaxis, rigorous monitoring after KT and tailoring of the immunosuppression could be effective strategies to reduce the burden of TB among KTR.

ObjectiveOur objective was to assess retinal microcirculation and photoreceptor parameters in both healthy individuals and patients with vascular retinal diseases using adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy. This technology enhances optical system resolution to 2 µm by correcting wavefront aberrations, revolutionizing in vivo studies of ocular structures.Materials and methodsOur study examined the clinical applications of adaptive optics in both healthy individuals and patients with vascular retinal diseases, including nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2.ResultsIn our study, we observed a higher wall-to-lumen ratio (WLR) value in our patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy compared to our healthy volunteer. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between WLR and the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, cone density was lower in all quadrants of our patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. For our patient diagnosed with MacTel type 2, the cone mosaic appeared irregular and blurred, with notable cone loss, especially on the temporal side of the macula, consistent with the typical location of MacTel type 2 lesions.DiscussionAdaptive optics imaging assesses retinal changes in vascular diseases despite acquisition challenges. The obtained images aid in tracking the progression of diabetic retinopathy and detecting early changes of MacTel Type 2. Our study highlights both vascular and photoreceptor changes, quantifying these parameters to enhance the understanding of these vascular diseases.ConclusionsAdaptive optics imaging is an advanced technique that provides high-resolution visualization of the microstructure of retinal vasculature and photoreceptors. This technology enhances our understanding of both healthy and vascular retinal conditions, aiding in diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis.

It has been over a century since Adolf Loos's (1870-1933) most famous works, such as Ornament and Crime (1908) and Goldman & Salatsch building (1911), came to fruition

This work reports the analysis of melamine in forty samples (22 of powdered milk and 18 chocolate) purchased from local market in Romania, in order to examine the presence of melamine over baseline level in products. The European Union has a clear legislation establishing a standard limit of the melamine content in milk powder for children. An analytical method including liquid extraction followed by mixed mode ion exchange/reversed phase solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used. The method is sensitive (limit of detection and quantification are 0.05 mg/kg and 0.150mg/kg), precise (RSDs<6.5%) and accurate, with recoveries averaged between 82.68 -100.55%, for all fortification levels and matrices. Melamine was detected in 32 out of 40 samples, at concentrations ranging from 0.064 to 0.326 mg/kg. The low levels of melamine in analyzed samples indicated that these do not represent a health risk.

Abstract This paper aim is to study lower airways’ disorders in non-smoker patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without respiratory symptoms and to reveal the correlations between the lower airways’ disorders on one side and RA dependent variables and demographic variables on the other side. Our study included 145 women diagnosed with RA. Airways evaluation was assessed by spirometry. Patients with pulmonary radiological modifications, pulmonary diseases or respiratory symptoms (cough, dyspnea) were not included in the study. Bivariate analysis was used to analyze the obtained variables. The medium age was 56.28±10.24 years. The medium body mass index (BMI) was 27.66±3.23 kg/m2. The modifications of respiratory functional tests revealed by spirometry were the following: 15.86% had FEV1/FVC&lt;70%, 32.41% of patients had FEF50&lt;60%, 57.93% of patients had FEV1&lt;80% and 66.89% of patients had FCV&lt;80%. The repartition according to RA stage was: 60.68% in the IInd stage, 31.03% in the IIIrd stage and 8.96% in the IVth stage. Spirometry evaluated disorders of the airways and pulmonary interstitium are frequently found in patients with RA, without symptoms and without radiological anomalies