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There are complex interconnections between the nervous system and the skin highlighted by the impact of stress and neuroendocrine factors on various dermatological conditions. We investigated the influence of stress on skin neurogenic inflammation induced by capsaicin. A total of 31 healthy subjects were randomized into two groups: subjects in the stress group underwent a stress-inducing protocol and those in the control group were exposed to indifferent conditions. Subsequently, topical capsaicin cream was administered on the non-dominant anterior forearm of each subject from the two groups. The assessment of the local inflammatory reaction induced by capsaicin was performed by thermography at 25 and 40 min post-application. In both groups the inflammatory reaction induced by capsaicin was evidenced at 25 min and was maintained at 40 min post-application. However, at 40 min post-application the hyperthermal area was larger in subjects from the stress group, suggesting that stress exposure is associated with an amplification of the mechanisms involved in capsaicin-induced skin neurogenic inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lucrarea analizează caracteristicile individuale şi psihofarmacologice care pot influenţa interacţiunile farmacologice ale psihotropelor. Măsura în care parametrii individuali afectează intensitatea şi durata acţiunii psihotropelor este studiată din perspectiva bio-psihosocioculturală. Sunt trecute în revistă principalele categorii de medicamentele psihiatrice şi posibilele lor interacţiuni cu medicamentele somatice, urmărind atât rolul principiilor farmacologice care ghidează eficienţa şi siguranţa utilizării medicaţiilor multiple, atunci când se impune o astfel de utilizare, cât şi principalele mecanisme farmacodinamice şi farmacocinetice care stau la baza interacţiunilor medicamentoase. în final, sunt prezentate câteva recomandări referitoare la posibilele interacţiuni medicamentoase cu psihotropele, cu aplicabilitate practică pentru clinicieni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic anemia is the hallmark of disease process in patients with non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT). Irrespectively, we believe that assessment of mental health in patients with NTDT should extend beyond the clinical care context to research studies aiming to improve patient outcomes through amelioration of anemia. 4 Taher A, Cappellini MD, Viprakasit V, Sutcharitchan P, Mahmoud D, Laadem A, Khan A, Gwaltney C, Harding G, Attie K, Zhang X, Zou J, Pariseau J, Henry Hu X, Kattamis A. Validation of a patient-reported outcomes symptom measure for patients with nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT-PRO((c))). [Extracted from the article]

Objective: We present the case of a 26-year-old male with severe spinal tuberculosis of the thoracolumbar region. The patient suffered from worsening back pain over five years, initially responding to over-the-counter analgesics. Despite being proposed surgery in 2019, the patient refused the intervention and subsequently experienced significant disease progression. Methods: Upon re-presentation in 2022, mild involvement of the T12-L1 vertebrae was recorded by imaging, leading to a percutaneous needle biopsy which confirmed tuberculosis. Despite undergoing anti-tuberculous therapy for one year, the follow-up in 2024 revealed extensive infection from T10 to S1, with large psoas abscesses and a pseudo-tumoral mass of the right thigh. The patient was ultimately submitted to a two-stage surgical intervention: anterior resection and reconstruction of T11-L1 with an expandable cage, followed by posterior stabilization from T8-S1. Results: Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with significant pain relief and no neurological deficits. The patient was discharged on a continued anti-tuberculous regimen and remains under close surveillance. Conclusions: This paper presents details on the challenges of diagnosis and management of severe spinal tuberculosis, with emphasis on the importance of timely intervention and multidisciplinary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: This study aimed to investigate the associations between depression, personality traits and substance use in Romanian medical students. Students with high risk alcohol use and high risk of cannabis consumption had low Emotional Stability (p < .05).

DNA analysis plays a crucial role in forensic investigations, helping in criminal cases, missing persons inquiries, and archaeological research. This study focuses on the DNA concentration in different skeletal elements to improve human identification efforts. Ten cases of unidentified skeletal remains brought to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Timisoara, Romania, underwent DNA analysis between 2019 and 2023. The results showed that teeth are the best source for DNA extraction as they contain the highest concentration of genetic material, at 3.68 ng/µL, compared to the petrous temporal bone (0.936 ng/µL) and femur bone (0.633 ng/µL). These findings highlight the significance of teeth in forensic contexts due to their abundant genetic material. Combining anthropological examination with DNA analysis enhances the understanding and precision of identifying human skeletal remains, thus advancing forensic science. Selecting specific skeletal elements, such as the cochlea or teeth, emerges as crucial for reliable genetic analyses, emphasizing the importance of careful consideration in forensic identification procedures. Our study concludes that automated DNA extraction protocols without liquid nitrogen represent a significant advancement in DNA extraction technology, providing a faster, more efficient, and less labor-intensive method for extracting high-quality DNA from damaged bone and tooth samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longevity health sciences and mental health are fields of public health and of preventive and integrative medicine. The antagonism between health construction and human pathology is substantiated by two opposite fundamental pathways: the health–longevity tetrad versus the aging–disease cascade. It is necessary that the current paradigm of contemporary medicine be replaced by the advanced paradigm of future medicine. A societal cost–benefit rate is decisive for health–longevity promotion. This is why the WHO public health strategy keeps forwarding the societal medical target into the global health–longevity field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods have been developed for the full quantitation of fatty acids from human plasma without derivatization. Therefore, we propose a method that requires fewer sample preparation steps, which can be used for the quantitation of several polyunsaturated fatty acids in human plasma. The method offers rapid, accurate, sensitive, and simultaneous quantification of omega 3 (α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids) and omega 6 fatty acids (arachidonic and linoleic acids) using high-performance LC-MS/MS. The selected fatty acids were analysed in lipid extracts from both free and total forms. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed phase C18 column with isocratic flow using ammonium acetate for improving negative electrospray ionization (ESI) response. Mass detection was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, and deuterated internal standards were used for each target compound. The limits of quantification were situated in the low nanomolar range, excepting linoleic acid, for which the limit was in the high nanomolar range. The method was validated according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, and offers a fast, sensitive, and reliable quantification of selected omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in human plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]