Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Limited Gut Microbiome Differences Between Relapsing–Remitting and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Shotgun Metagenomic Study

The gut microbiome may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) pathophysiology, but its relationship with disease phenotype and progression remains unclear. To characterize taxonomic and functional gut microbiome differences between relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and secondary progr...

Serial Mediation Pathways Linking Physical Performance to EQ-VAS-Assessed Self-Rated Health in Older Inpatients

Background/Objectives: This study examined patterns of cross-sectional indirect associations involving cognitive status, depressive symptoms, and functional status in the relationship between Tinetti Mobility Test (TMT)-assessed balance and gait performance and self-rated health...

Nail-Patella Syndrome in a 76-Year-Old Woman: Multisystem Phenotype, Diagnostic Delay, and Clinical Implications

Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare autosomal dominant multisystem disorder characterized by a variable combination of nail abnormalities, patellar hypoplasia or dysplasia, elbow involvement, and iliac horns, with possible renal, ophthalmological, neurological, and skeletal man...

Coexisting Sigmoid Volvulus and Acute Meckel’s Diverticulitis Associated with a Fibrous Band: A Case Report

Background and Clinical Significance: Meckel’s diverticulum is a remnant of the omphalomesenteric duct, arising from an incomplete obliteration of the embryonic vitelline duct, which connects the fetal gut to the yolk sac, typically regressing between the fifth and seventh weeks...

Immune checkpoint inhibitors for African people living with HIV: T-cell exhaustion, endemic co-infections, and the oncology trial gap

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have fundamentally transformed modern oncology by unleashing the body’s anti-tumor immunity, yet people living with HIV (PLWH) were systematically excluded from the pivotal registration trials. This evidence gap is especially consequential in s...

Expired endoscopic devices remain sterile and functional: an international multicentre study challenging current shelf-life criteria

Background and study aims Expired medical devices represent an environmental and economic concern, yet their magnitude and true shelf life remain poorly defined. We aimed to quantify the volume and cost of expired endoscopic devices and evaluate their sterility and functionality...

Diagnosis–Treatment Discordance in Suspected Lyme Neuroborreliosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study from a Romanian Tertiary Centre (2008–2025)

Background: European and Romanian recommendations for Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) emphasise cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis and a positive intrathecal antibody index (IAI) for diagnostic confirmation. We assessed whether antibiotic treatment in suspected LNB aligns with dia...

Peripheral Neuropathy in Parkinson’s Disease Treated with Device-Assisted Therapies: How Often It Is Reported Depends on How It Is Sought. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Objectives: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is an increasingly recognized complication of device-assisted therapies for advanced Parkinson’s disease, with reported frequencies ranging from 1% to nearly 50% and no pooled estimate available. We aimed to estimate how often PN...

Trends in Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Use in a Paediatric Hospital from Bucharest, Romania, Across the Pre-Pandemic, Pandemic, and Post-Pandemic Periods (2017–2024)

The COVID-19 pandemic and the broader epidemiological context may have affected healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use (AU), including among the paediatric population. This study used seven point prevalence surveys (PPSs) to characterise HAIs and AU and to...

A Patient-Specific Digital Twin Model for Haptic-Based Dental Simulation: Development and Pilot Evaluation of Its Static Design

Purpose: Haptic and mixed-reality (MR) simulation technologies are increasingly used in preclinical dental education to support psychomotor skill acquisition and to reduce early patient exposure. This technical feasibility study aimed to develop a patient-specific digital twin pa...

BDNF Val66Met (rs6265) in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Descriptive Genotype–Phenotype Study in a Romanian Cohort

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with musculoskeletal and extra-articular manifestations and associated cardiometabolic comorbidity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in pain processing, neuroplasticity, inflammatory sig...

Somatic Blood Mosaicism and Psychiatric Disease: Current Evidence and Causal Limits

Somatic blood mosaicism is an established feature of ageing and a heterogeneous marker of haematologic cancer and inflammatory and vascular risk, but its psychiatric evidence base remains small. This structured critical narrative review evaluates mutation-defined clonal haematopo...

Mechanism-Dependent Effects of the α5 GABAA Receptor Negative Allosteric Modulator Basmisanil on Spatial Memory

Cognitive impairment may arise through multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, including altered GABAergic neurotransmission, cholinergic dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. This study investigated whether basmisanil, a selective negative allosteric modulator of α5-containing GAB...

The Role of Interleukin 17 in Association with Systemic Parameters in Severity Stratification and Mortality Prediction in Moderate and Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory lesion that can lead to multiple organ dysfunctions and has an increased mortality rate. The pathogenic mechanisms are complex. A central element is represented by systemic inflammation. This exploratory study aims to identify p...

Presenting Phenotypes and Early Diagnostic Approach in Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Narrative Review for Emergency and Acute Care Practice

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare condition with multisystem involvement that, in the absence of early recognition and prompt initiation of specific treatment, can be life-threatening. Nowadays, the diagnosis of this pathology represents a challenge in i...

Traumatic Intracranial Vascular Lesions in Adults Undergoing Vascular Imaging After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives: Traumatic intracranial vascular lesions are rare but severe complications of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and include arterial and venous injuries such as arterial dissections, pseudoaneurysms, arterial occlusions, venous sinus thrombosis, arteriovenous...

Systemic Sclerosis-Specific Determinants of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events: Development of an Exploratory Cardiovascular Risk Model Beyond Traditional Risk Factors

Background: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have an increased burden of cardiovascular disease, resulting from the combined effects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, chronic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and disease-specific vascular involvement. Current...

Selective immunoglobulin A deficiency and coeliac disease: Immune response dynamics

Abstract Objective To analyse the serological immune response in paediatric patients with selective immunoglobulin A deficiency (SIgAD) and coeliac disease (CeD), focusing on immunoglobulin G antibody dynamics after starting the gluten‐free diet (GFD). Methods Data from SIgAD pat...

Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Romania and South-Eastern Europe: A Multilingual Narrative Review of Pandemic-Era Trajectories, 2020–2025

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is the pathogen driving the deterioration of the European antimicrobial resistance landscape, and the burden falls disproportionately on Romania and South-Eastern Europe. The objective of this review was to synthesise evidence pub...

Interest in geriatric medicine training among health and social care professionals: the roles of experience and attitudes. Findings from the online survey of the COST Action PROGRAMMING 21122

Abstract Background The growth of ageing populations is increasing the requirement for professionals trained to care for older adults. Aims To explore factors associated with interest in further training in geriatrics across health and social care professionals. Methods The COST...