NAFLD (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) is a condition of high importance due to its increased prevalence, estimated at 24% of the global population, and its potential progression to advanced liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Onequarter of NAFLD patients have NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), which is histologically described as liver steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, hepatocyte injury, and death. Metabolic disruptions, such as obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, are considered to have a great impact on the development of NASH. Patients may have NAFLD for a long time before progressing into NASH, which highlights the necessity of periodic imaging and biochemical evaluation of the liver, and also presents an optimal window of therapeutic intervention. The challenge in developing treatment for NASH stems from the slow progression of the disease and the reliance on sequential biopsies as the diagnostic and staging tools. Several non-invasive tests have been developed as potential future alternatives to the current invasive gold standard. This review aims to assess the current available methods of diagnosis and treatment targeting inflammation.
Different factors may be involved in the clinical heterogeneity of spinal muscular atrophy disease. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) might be a candidate gene for this disease. Our study aimed to assess the preferential transmission of VDR polymorphisms from parents to SMA children. We genotyped 261 subjects (87 SMA nuclear families) for VDR FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI polymorphisms. The transmission of the genetic marker was estimated with Plink and FBAT software. It detected a preferential transmission of the rs731236 and rs7975232 variants to SMA1 patients and of rs1544410 variants to SMA2 patients. The variants of rs2228570 were preferentially transmitted to parents of all SMA patients. Haplotype analysis identified that haplotypes C-C-G-A and T-A-A-G seem to be involved in the booth type of SMA whereas the impact of T-A-A-A seems to be limited only to SMA2. Strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) between rs7975232 and rs1544410 was detected in samples from parents. Even though we investigated a small number of nuclear families the results suggest a potential link between VDR polymorphisms and SMA disease.
Diabetic foot is one of the main long-term complications of diabetes, having a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life. However, prevention by daily checking of the limbs and observance of the rules of care remains particularly important to avoid total or partial amputation. This paper aims to highlight the main challenges and progress in the treatment of the diabetic foot. To achieve this, we analyzed a database consisting of more than 100 articles published in recent years, approaching the treatment of the diabetic foot. The main problems that occur with the diabetic foot are peripheral vascular disease and diabetic neuropathy. These can lead to blisters and skin lesions that can eventually lead to ulcers in the lower limbs and even amputation. In conclusion, prevention is the main method of treatment for diabetic foot, followed by the treatment of each complication depending on when it is identified and its severity.
Background and Aim: Digital skills of healthcare professionals are recognized as critical for the successful digital transformation of healthcare. The present study aims to examine the relationship between the digital skills of healthcare professionals and the organizational structures of hospitals. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, using the convenience sampling method, 857 healthcare professionals, working in Greek military and civilian hospitals, voluntarily participated. Data were collected between July and November 2021 through a structured questionnaire, based on the Digital Competence framework. Digital skills were categorized into five subscales: information, communication, content creation, problem solving, and safety skills. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 26.0, with p-values 0.8, indicating high reliability. Younger participants showed higher scores (p<0.001). The mean scores for information, communication, content creation, problem solving and safety skills in military hospitals were calculated as 52.1 (SD=32.3), 50.6 (SD=31.8), 48.4 (SD=33.3), 49.8 (SD =30.8) and 52.8 (SD=34.1) respectively, while in civilian hospitals they were calculated as 45.1 (SD=32.2), 44.5 (SD=29.5), 41.8 (SD=32.4), 41.5 (SD=30.8) and 47.1 (SD=34.5) respectively. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals in military hospitals exhibit higher digital competence compared to their counterparts in civilian hospitals. Identifying the organizational factors that promote greater digital competence among healthcare professionals provides essential information to policymakers and healthcare managers for implementing targeted organizational improvements.
This study explores behavioral and demographic predictors of sustainability engagement in sustainable food choices among Romanian adults, addressing a regional gap in Eastern European sustainability research, based on an online non-probability sample of 406 respondents collected through an online cross-sectional survey, with voluntary response and snowball sampling techniques, conducted between 15 October 2024 and 30 January 2025. From 527 initial responses, 121 questionnaires were excluded due to incomplete or inconsistent answers, resulting in a final analytic sample of 406 respondents. A modified version of the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), termed the Consumers’ Engagement in Food Choices Questionnaire (CEFCQ), was employed to capture sustainability-related behaviors and attitudes. Four hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression. While snowball sampling is appropriate for exploratory research, we acknowledge its limitations in terms of representativeness at the national level. The respondents haven’t received any incentives, and data privacy and confidentiality were guaranteed. A modified version of the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was employed to assess sustainability-related attitudes and behaviors, including food label awareness, shopping frequency, and food waste reduction practices. Drawing on existing literature, four hypotheses were formulated and tested using multiple linear regression analysis. Results indicate that label reading behavior and perceived importance of digitalization are positively associated with sustainability engagement, while shopping frequency is negatively associated. Educational attainment and digital marketplace engagement show no significant association after controlling for other variables. The model explains approximately 25% of the variance in sustainability engagement. Given the non-probabilistic sampling design and demographic skew toward female and highly educated respondents, findings are interpreted as exploratory. This study contributes region-specific evidence on sustainable food behavior in Romania and highlights the role of information-oriented behaviors over formal education in predicting sustainability engagement. Implications for consumer education, labeling policy, and targeted interventions aligned with the European Green Deal are discussed.
