Background and aim: Obstructive coronary disease is one of the most important causes of death worldwide. Percutaneous coronary intervention is one of the most important treatments of this pathology. Using of coronary artery stents represented a major advance in interventional cardiology. While bare metal stents (BMS) set the reference point for improved safety over balloon-angioplasty, first-generation drug-eluting stents demonstrated significant improvements in efficacy, but not necessarily safety, and further technologic developments have focused on optimizing both. Methods: We studied 228 patients with STEMI in the last 6 months, divided in 2 groups – in the first group are 122 patients (53.5%) who developed in stent restenosis and the second group has 106 patients had no signs of restenosis (46.5%). The mean time of performing the angiographic reevaluation was 111 days for the first group and 154 days for the second group. The clinical signs that indicate the need of coronary reevaluation was stable angina (116, 50.87%), acute coronary syndrome (58, 25.4%) and asymptomatic patients (64, 28.9%). The cardiovascular risk factors correlate with high risk of restenosis was diabetes (24.3% in first group and 12.2% in the second one, p=0.004), active smoking (p=0.010) and metabolic syndrome (p=0.003). The stent’s length >28mm, stent’s diameter ≤ 2.5 mm and chronic occlusion correlate with high risk of in-stent restenosis in BMS. Conclusion: Understanding the importance of risk factors control, will reduce the risk of restenosis, of other cardiovascular event, even sudden death.
Objectives: This review aims to provide practicing clinicians with the most recent knowledge of the biological nature of prostate cancer especially the information regarding neuroendocrine differentiation. Methods: Review of the literature using PubMed search and scientific journal publications. Results: Much progress has been made towards an understanding of the development and progression of prostate cancer. The prostate is a male accessory sex gland which produces a fraction of seminal fluid. The normal human prostate is composed of a stromal compartment (which contains: nerves, fibroblast, smooth muscle cells, macrophages) surrounding glandular acins – epithelial cells. Neuroendocrine cells are one of the epithelial populations in the normal prostate and are believed to provide trophic signals trough the secretion of neuropeptides that diffuse and influence surrounding epithelial cells. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men. In prostate cancer, neuroendocrine cells can stimulate growth of surrounding prostate adenocarcinoma cells (proliferation of neighboring cancer cells in a paracrine manner by secretion of neuroendocrine products). Neuroendocrine prostate cancer is an aggressive variant of prostate cancer that commonly arises in later stages of castration resistant prostate cancer. The detection of neuroendocrine prostate cancer has clinical implications. These patients are often treated with platinum chemotherapy rather than with androgen receptor targeted therapies. Conclusion: This review shows the need to improve our knowledge regarding diagnostic and treatment methods of the Prostate Cancer, especially cancer cells with neuroendocrine phenotype.
Introduction: Clostridium difficile infection stands nowadays as one of the major emerging health problems still underestimated. Only in 2009 the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection (ESCMID) was able to publish guidelines for this serious disease. Actually the guidelines were updated in 2013 so we can speak of a united action towards the resolution of this healthcare problem. Methods: This is a review article aiming to shed light in various aspects of clostridium difficile infection as clinical presentation, symptoms and signs, therapeutic options and risk factors with a focus on urologic pathology. Conclusions: This type of infection represents a challenge from many points of view like treatment, relapse approach, mortality, morbidity, germ’ s adaptability to treatment and last but not the least the outbreak of different aggressive strains like B1,NAP1 or ribotype 027 toxinotype III.
The nutrition of the venous wall appears to be an important factor in the vascular- fibrillar trophicity and in the dynamic of the extracellular matrix formation for the normal veins and, for the chronic venous ulcers of legs, on period of healing. Sequential biopsies were taken at various levels of venous wall of external and internal saphena in 16 cases presenting a chronic condition of legs venous system (35-58 years old patients, both sexes). 8 vein fragments with normal macroscopic appearance were also taken, in necropsy. These samples were analyzed using regular morphological methods and some histochemical reactions to reveal the glycogen, glycoproteins, and glycosaminoglycans substrates. There were been used the Gomori silver impregnation and orcein to expose some specific substrates like reticulin or elastin. Other staining methods, like Gomori trichrome, were used to differentiate the specific structures of the vein wall, were used to differentiate the specific structures of the vein wall. A rich vascularization of normal and dilated vein wall could be remarked.Angiogenesis in vein wall and vasa vasorum changes as well as alcianophilic of vascular intima seem to be reactive and protective factors, depending on the applied therapeutic modalities. The veins are weak structures whose integrity depends on the thickness of the media and the support of neighboring structures. INTRODUCTION The emergence of varicosities it is supposed to be a consequence of defective development of venous wall and appears to be inherited. The proper nourishment of the venous walls appears to be an important factor in their trophicity. The incidence of varicose veins is about 1% of the adult population [5]. Both obesity and aging are involved as risk factors for emergence of defects in venous wall tissue support. The etiology and pathophysiology of varicose disease remains the involvement of the following lesional links amid stasis hypoxia: controversial. We emphasize 26 - Redistribution of microcirculation with arrangement in lobular aggregate of vessels in the superficial dermis; - Areas of floride proliferation mimicking Kaposi's (acro-angio-dermatitis), reticular dermis sarcoma fibrosis and massive deposits of hemosiderin, (senescent degeneration of dermal into fibroblasts myofibroblasts having a role in periulceros tegument retraction) to extended tissue matrix lysis; by modulation fibroblasts converted 1 Department of Dermatology, Emergency Military Hospital, Timișoara, Romania 2 Victor BabeșUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Timișoara
Late-life major depression is a high-incidence and difficult-to-treat affective disorder. Diagnosis of major depression in old age could also could be a challenge, due to aspects like (1) there is a higher vulnerability to the stigma of depression in this population, (2) hypochondriac ideation and somatic symptoms are the main symptoms, while depressive disposition or anhedonia are under-reported by such patients, (3) differential diagnosis includes various organic diseases, but also several psychiatric disorders, like neurocognitive disorders, organic affective disorders, drug induced affective disorders etc. Reduction of social relationships caused by retirement and loss of spouse and friends, as well as a decrease of personal income could precipitate or maintain depressive disorders during late-life. Quality of life in patients diagnosed with depressive major disorders is a rarely monitored parameter, although its importance for case management could not be overemphasized. A reduction of life quality correlates with a poorer functional prognosis, persistence of neglected residual symptoms, low adherence to treatment plan etc.
Treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a severely disabling disorder, which decreases dramatically the quality of life and overall functionality, while it increases the rate of hospital admissions and overall healthcare costs. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the risk factors for TRS in a group of patients based on a retrospective analysis. The secondary objective was to design an algorithm for initial evaluation in patients with schizophrenia, in order to detect the candidates at risk for developing TRS. Medical charts and consultation records of all patients aged between 18 and 30, diagnosed with TRS, evaluated during 1-year in our department, were selected for analysis. The most significant risk factors for TRS found in univariate model were younger age at schizophrenia onset, male gender, living in rural areas, co-morbid drug dependence, lower therapeutic adherence, and premorbid personality disorder. Marginally significant were higher Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores at previous admissions, higher scores on PANSS negative symptoms sub-scale, and lower educational background. In the multivariate model, TRS was still significantly predicted (p<0.05) by younger age at the disease onset, addictive co-morbidity, and lower therapeutic adherence. An algorithm based on these risk factors is suggested, based on (a) structured PANSS evaluation using SCI-PANSS and Informant Questionnaire for PANSS, (b) a scale for the detection of co-morbid drug dependence (i.e. Inventory of Drug Taking Situations, IDTS), (c) an interview for detecting premorbid personality disorders (i.e. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV – Axis II Disorders, SCID-II), and (d) Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) for therapeutic adherence monitoring. Also, the inclusion of several pharmacogenetic parameters (at least CYP450 2D6 panel for detection of poor/ultrarapid metabolizers) could be useful when establishing an adequate therapeutic management, and may help in decreasing the rate of non- response due to variations in antipsychotics plasma levels.
Several problems related to coagulation dysfunctions induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were reported in literature, as serotonin is widely distributed in the human organism and it has significant contribution in various vascular and hematologic regulatory mechanisms. First, a systematic review has integrated main results from the field of SSRIs and anticoagulants pharmacologic interactions. Secondly, a retrospective analysis was performed, based on the medical charts of hospitalized patients diagnosed with SSRI-treated depressive disorders, who also received concomitant anticoagulant treatment with acenocoumarol. Platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and bleeding time were monitored during hospitalization and their values before and after SSRI initiation treatment were compared.
Background: A large number of augmentation agents have been tried in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, because negative and cognitive symptoms are difficult-to-treat with current pharmacological agents, and because the high percentage of treatment-resistant cases requires new therapeutic solutions. Inflammation is one of the supposed pathophysiological mechanisms in schizophrenia; therefore, antibiotics have been explored as add-on agents. No systematic review or meta-analysis about the efficacy of antibiotics in psychotic disorders has yet been conducted. Objectives: To assess if the use of antibiotics as add-on to current antipsychotic treatment may improve core symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, global clinical status, overall functionality, and if this augmentation strategy is well tolerated. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted, including papers published between 1980 and 2018, which have been found in the main electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, NCBI, Embase, Thomson Reuters/Web of Science). The keyword search strategy was formulated using the following paradigm: „schizophrenia spectrum disorders”/ „schizophrenia”/ „schizo-affective disorder”/ „schizophreniform disorder”, AND „antibiotics”/ all the names of currently marketed antibiotics classes. This review was registered to PROSPERO database with the protocol number CRD42019119152. Results: Based on reviewing the selected trials regarding the efficacy of antibiotics over core symptoms of schizophrenia, only two agents were detected – minocycline and D-cycloserine. Minocycline as add-on to antipsychotic treatment was associated with mixed results, while regarding the efficacy of d-cycloserine either no significant difference, or superiority to placebo over negative and cognitive symptoms was reported. Minocycline had an overall effect over the clinical impression that was not distinguishable from placebo, although there was one trial supporting the efficacy of this antibiotic. The impact of minocycline over the global functioning when added to antipsychotic in patients with schizophrenia was mixed, with one positive and one negative trial (moderate to high quality designed trials). D-cycloserine had no significant impact over global clinical status or patients’ overall functionality. Conclusion: From all the data reviewed and hierarchized resulted that larger trials are needed in order to confirm the efficacy of antibiotics as add-on to antipsychotics over negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
