Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Deep-Learning-Based Assessment of Breast Arterial Calcification on Mammography: Technical Validation, Cardiovascular Prognostic Value, and Clinical Translation—A Narrative Review

Breast arterial calcification (BAC) is a manifestation of medial arterial calcification frequently detected incidentally on screening mammography. Increasing evidence suggests that BAC may also serve as a marker of cardiovascular risk. This narrative review critically synthesizes...

Preoperative Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Clinical Recommendations

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) represents the most effective therapeutic approach for achieving substantial and sustained weight loss and improving obesity-related comorbidities. However, the role of routine preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) remains controversi...

Oxidative Stress in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder increasingly recognized as a multisystem disease rather than an isolated disorder of the upper airway. Recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction generate intermittent hypoxia, reox...

From nutrient intake to socioeconomic factors: what shapes diet quality in pregnancy?

Abstract Background Optimising maternal diet quality is among the most promising targets for public health interventions to improve the health of current and future generations. The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Canadian Pregnancy Diet Quality Inde...

Score Distributions of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Clock Drawing Test, and Reisberg Global Deterioration Scale Across Operational Cognitive Impairment Severity Strata in Romanian Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background/Objectives: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and Reisberg Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) are used together in primary care. This study describes their score distributions across operational severity strata in a Romanian cohort. Meth...

Targeting Sirtuins in Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Disorders: From Molecular Mechanisms to Pharmacological Modulation

Neurological and psychiatric disorders share several biological mechanisms, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, impaired protein homeostasis, and changes in synaptic plasticity. Sirtuins (SIRT) are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dep...

Diagnostic and Management Challenges in Mixed-Source MDR Sepsis in a Kidney Transplant Recipient with an Infected Sacral Pressure Ulcer Treated with VAC Therapy: A Case Report

Background: Kidney transplant recipients are particularly vulnerable to severe infections because of chronic immunosuppression, impaired wound healing, repeated healthcare exposure, and the potential nephrotoxicity of antimicrobial therapy. We report a complex case of multidrug-r...

Anxiety and Depression in Cervical Cancer Patients in Relation to Nutritional Status and Oxidative Stress

Cervical cancer remains a major global health concern, causing substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond its physical burden, patients frequently experience significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, w...

Advanced Endometrial Cancer Mimicking Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in a Postmenopausal Woman—A Case Report

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in high-income countries, with recurrence occurring in approximately 8.3% of endometrioid endometrial carcinoma cases. Recurrence in elderly patients is associated with significantly worse outcomes, compou...

Comorbidity Count Versus the Charlson Comorbidity Index in Predicting Hospital Stay After Hip Fracture in Older Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background and Objectives: Hip fracture in older adults is associated with high morbidity, and length of hospital stay is the simplest summary of the acute admission. We aimed to identify the clinical factors associated with prolonged hospital stay in older adults admitted with a...

From Germ Cell Histogenesis to Precision Risk Stratification: Prognostic and Predictive Molecular Markers in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors—A Systematic Review

Background/Objectives: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) represent the most common solid malignancies in young adult men, with cure rates exceeding 95% under modern cisplatin-based therapy, yet a clinically relevant subset of patients still experiences treatment failure or long...

From Active Compound to Target Epithelium: Local Delivery, Preclinical Model Validity, and Clinical Endpoint Interpretation in Topical Therapy for HPV-Associated Lower Genital Tract Disease—A Narrative Review

Cervical excision increases the risk of preterm birth, while active surveillance for grade 2 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia offers no active treatment. Topical therapy for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated lower genital tract disease could address this gap, yet no agent i...

Advanced Pulmonary Drug Delivery Systems: A Narrative Review

Pulmonary drug delivery systems have gained increasing attention as an effective strategy for the treatment of both respiratory and systemic diseases by enabling targeted, noninvasive, and efficient drug administration through the lungs, with advantages including rapid onset of a...

Pituitary Carcinoma Revisited: A Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Analysis of Clinicopathological Features, Treatment, and Survival

Background: Pituitary carcinoma (PC) is a rare and aggressive pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET) defined by non-contiguous craniospinal or systemic metastatic spread. Evidence guiding treatment is limited to case reports and case series. This systematic review aimed to chara...

The Thoracic Footprint of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Mechanism-Based Imaging Narrative Review

A thoracic finding in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may represent metastatic disease, vascular extension, treatment-related injury, or a complication of cirrhosis, and each carries different implications for staging and care. The mechanism behind the finding there...

Targeting the Gut Microbiome in Cardiovascular Disease: Current Therapeutic Strategies and Future Perspectives

The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important modulator of cardiovascular health, demonstrating complicated interactions among diet, metabolism, immunology and host physiology. Evidence is accumulating that changes in the composition and function of the gut microb...

Essential Oils of Lamiaceae Species as Promising Sources of Antimycobacterial Agents: Current Insights, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Tuberculosis remains a major global health threat, severely exacerbated by the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. The bioprospecting of natural matrices for novel, efficacious, and safe antimycobacterial agents represents an important strategy within the drug discovery pip...

Nonfatal Burden of Disease and Risk-Attributable Burden in Romania, 1990 to 2023: A Secondary Analysis of Global Burden of Disease 2023 Estimates

Background/Objectives: We assessed changes in nonfatal disease burden and risk attribution in Romania between 1990 and 2023. Methods: We analysed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 estimates of years lived with disability (YLDs), related nonfatal measures and risk attribution fo...

Recurrence of Benign Vocal Fold Lesions: Risk Factors and an Exploratory Comparison of Cold-Instrument and CO2 Laser Surgery in a Retrospective Cohort

Background and Objectives: Benign vocal fold lesions (BVFLs) are common causes of persistent dysphonia, but recurrence estimates are influenced by lesion type, outcome definition, and follow-up. We evaluated recurrence after documented lesion resolution and explored clinical fact...

Cumulative and Interactive Effects of Heavy Metal Mixtures Across Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Comparative Review of Alzheimer, Parkinson, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Multiple Sclerosis

Heavy metals and metalloids are persistent environmental contaminants that accumulate in the central nervous system and interact with endogenous essential metals, yet most neurotoxicological research continues to treat metals as independent agents rather than as co-occurring mixt...