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The article "Correction to 'PEGylation Effects on the Interaction of Sphingomyelin Nanoemulsions with Serum Albumin: A Thermodynamic Investigation'" published in Macromolecular Materials & Engineering discusses the missing acknowledgement of funding from the Horizon 2020 Framework Program Project: 814607 – SAFE‐N‐MEDTECH. The research was funded by various institutions including Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), ERA‐NET EURONANOMED III projects METASTARG and PANIPAC, and the Executive Agency of Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI). The authors of the study are D. Gheorghe, S. Díez‐Villares, R. Sandu, A. Neacsu, D.‐A. Neacsu, A. Serban, A. Botea‐Petcu, V. T. Popa, J. Garcia‐Fernandez, R. L. López, M. de la Fuente Freire, F. Teodorescu, and S. Tanasescu. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: Cochlear implantation is the most effective method of rehabilitation for patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Binaural hearing forms the basis of the development of hearing-associated cortical networks in infants and toddlers, but simultaneous bilateral implantation is often postponed due to the demands of classical surgical methods, which are associated with large incisions and a deep bony well. Objective: The authors report on the use of a modern, thin implant type and the possibilities it provided to simplify the surgical technique. Methods and results: Recent models of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® implant family were studied in an international retrospective multi-center study: 6 otolaryngologists in 5 centers shared their experiences on 73 consecutively implanted, thin implants. The surgical incision could be made shorter than before and only shallow bony wells or none at all were created in 4 out of 5 centers. No complications occurred. Discussion: This study underlines that implants with thin electronics capsules enable a simplified, fast and safe implantation procedure that allows simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease characterized by insufficient insulin secretion and / or an inefficiency of target tissues to its metabolic action. Periodontal disease was recognized as the sixth leading complication of a diabetes. Gingival sulcus bleeding is considered as an important clinical parameter in the diagnosis of periodontal disease. This research is based on comparison of the clinical and paraclinical data between groups of patients with type 1 diabetes and periodontal disease on the one hand and groups of patients with periodontal disease without diabetic disease on the other hand. We can conclude that there is sufficient data to confirm the existence of a bidirectional relationship between metabolic changes in type 1 diabetes and periodontal (odontal-periodontal) disorder of patients, especially in adolescents and young adults. Both diseases can influence each other more or less, so for diabetics there is a predilection to develop periodontal disease as diabetes is a risk factor for severe parodontopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors review tonsillectomy from the patient's point of view, trying to find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding tonsillectomy: will the child be more prone to respiratory disease or weight gain after tonsillectomy?; is there any age limitation or seasonal variation of risks in tonsillectomy?; will the new surgical methods (i.e. coblation) reduce pain and bleeding risk after tonsillectomy? Materials and method. The authors compare their own clinical cases to cases reviewed from the literature. Conclusion. Tonsillectomy in children remains an important and up-to-date surgical technique, with well known indications and obvious benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facial nerve paralysis is one of the most feared complications of otologic surgery; the surgeon must always be prepared to recognize and solve such lesions if they occur. The authors present 2 clinical cases of intratemporal lesions of the facial nerve; in one of these we performed early neurografting of the facial nerve, in the second one we performed delayed decompression of the nerve. Facial nerve paralysis with early onset after otologic surgery needs timely exploration (via ENoG) and repair - this is always an emergency, the earlier the exploration, the better the outcome; there are a variety of surgical methods for facial nerve repair, according to the type of lesion and its duration. Postoperatively, the patient should be carefully monitored both clinically and by electromiography. Generally, posttraumatic facial nerve paralysis evolves better in children, compared to adult age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory obstruction and stridor in infants and children are not uncommon. A rare cause of these sometimes life-threatening symptoms is the congenital saccular cyst. Objectives: We present the case of a 5-year-old girl with a cervical tumor, which appeared after a laryngeal endoscopic surgery of a saccular cyst with two relapses and a particular local evolution of its recurrence through the cricothyroid membrane. Material and method: The patient data has been reviewed over the entire follow-up period and a thorough an analysis of her investigations and surgery was performed. Results: The unusual evolution of this case was marked by an atypical exteriorization-not found in the published literature. The surgical approach was external, by paramedian thyrotomy, with no further long-term recurrence. Conclusions: An accurate diagnosis of saccular cysts can be made with the help of medical history, by an endoscopic visualization of the lesion and by the CT-scan imaging of the cervical region. Sometimes, saccular cysts can extend beyond laryngeal limits, determining fluid-filled tumors in the cervical region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to necessity of huge impact forces, fractures of the frontal sinus rarely occur isolated, they are mostly seen in association with other craniofacial or skull base lesions. The treatment of frontal sinus fractures in children has become more conservative in the last decades, due to increased accuracy of imaging techniques and endoscopy. Craniofacial CT is the golden standard in such cases. The choice of treatment varies in each particular case, depending on the presence of rinoliquoreea or involvement of nasofrontal recesses; the aim is to be as conservative as possible, in order not to interfere with the growing of the child's face. The authors present two cases of complex facial trauma, both involving the posterior wall of the frontal sinus; still, the management was conservative in those cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors review the techniques described for the surgical treatment of the tonsils. Each new method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The difference can be evaluated by studying the intraoperative blood loss and safety of the procedure. Also, the postoperative complications and quality of life can be used as an adjunct to objectively appreciate the different surgical techniques. There is no literature consensus about the superiority of one technique over the other. Multiple studies brought multiple significant results. It is also hard to evaluate the entire panel of surgical methods described concomitantly. The experience of one surgeon and his/her mastering of a certain technique is the actual cause of so many surgical options still in use for tonsil treatment in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last 6 years, cochlear implantation has become a standard practice in our department. The number of patients rose from 5 to 21/ year. Using multiple types of cochlear implants and indicating the surgery also to malformed inner ears led to the encounter of some complications, Objective: to present the surgical complications from our department. Material: all the patients admitted and operated in our clinic have been reviewed. Results: 9 complications (8,86%) have occurred: the impossibility of establishing a reliable cochleostomy (due to ossification), air in the cochlea through lack of sealing of the cochleostomy (exteriorization of the electrode array), cochlear implant postoperative migration from its bed, weak hearing discrimination due to "double electrodes" in the scala tympani, gusher. Conclusions: cochlear implanting needs to respect the technical steps of the surgery and the best technical/ tactical solution has to be found to whatever complications arise in complex or malformed cases! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To emphasize diagnostic and therapeutical difficulties of tumoral diseases of the temporal bone in children. They need early clinical and imagistic addressing and full histologic examination, some of these tumors benefi ting a favorable prognosis with proper oncologic therapy. Material and method. 2 patients with Langerhans cell hystiocitosis are presented, stressing clinical key points that account for late diagnosis and treatment. Conclusions. Surgery can be useful for local control of the disease. Use of conservative methods seems appropriate, in conjunction with oncologic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public lighting applications, including street and pedestrian lighting provide crucial services for human safety, productivity and comfort in the modern urban and suburban landscape. However, energy charges for these lighting applications represent the largest part of all expenses for public lighting. The increasing price of electricity is, by itself, responsible for the majority of the increase in streetlight operation budgets. Telemanagement systems that control public lighting networks offer a significant opportunity to save energy and decrease the impact of artificial lighting on the environment. When high intensity discharge lamps are used regulation of light flux can be achieved using either step-dimming or continuous dimming ballasts (1-10V, DALI). This paper presents the variation of electrical parameters of two lighting solutions due to continuous dimming of light output. The first solution consists of a high pressure sodium SON-T 150W lamp and the electronic DynaVision SON ballast. The ceramic metal halide CDO-TT 150W lamp and the electronic DynaVision CDO ballast represent the second studied solution. Both solutions use the 1-10V analogic protocol technology for continuous dimming of lamp light flux. The results are presented as a comparison of the influence of light output dimming on the electrical parameters of the two solutions. This comparison is defined in terms of active and reactive power consumption, current harmonics and power factor values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the power demand and electricity consumption has a significant impact on the efficiency of electrical grid operation; the latter involves numerous decisions potentially generating significant costs such as power reserve planning, fuel supply planning, monitoring system security or planning energy transactions. The short-term load forecasting is expected to increase in the future due to the dramatic changes that occur in the energy sector, changes arising from the restructuring of this sector and the emergence of competition. This paper will present a Day Ahead Load Forecasting using artificial neural networks for a Distribution Operator in Romania. The results will be compared for two particular cases: one where it will be taken into account only the history of consumption and the other one is a naïve forecast [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context of the new worldwide energy policy imposes measures to produce electricity using renewable energy sources. Among these renewable sources, Fuel Cells are considered as one of the most promising devices for standalone/grid connected distributed generations (DGs) due to its cleanliness, modularity and higher potential capability. In this perspective the paper presents a PEM Fuel Cell model and the influence of different model parameters on the Fuel Cell performances. The influence of parameters such as resistance, temperature, mass-transport parameters, exchange current density and internal current density is presented in graphical representation. The operation of Fuel Cells as a power supplying sources enables the use of direct current. Today the connection between Fuel Cell and the alternative current network is realized through a dc/ac conversion process. By using a direct current network and connection as a direct interface for those sources the dc/ac conversion process is avoided and the overall performance is increased. To deliver the desired amount of energy, the Fuel Cells can be combined in stacks yielding higher voltage and higher currents. Some Fuel Cell Stacks promoted by different producers are presented in terms of power ratings and voltage magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteomas of the external ear are uncommon benign tumors that need to be differentiated from the external ear canal exostoses, bony proliferations that are linked mainly to cold-water exposure. Clinical manifestations vary from no symptoms to recurrent local infections and external ear cholesteatoma. Objective: presenting a rare case that we did not find described in the published literature. A patient with multiple long-term asymptomatic osteomas of both external ear canals presented to our department. Material: Data recorded from the patient's medical record was reviewed and analyzed. Surgery was performed and histology confirmed the presumptive diagnosis. Results: There was a discrepancy between the local severity of the disease, with a complete obstruction of his ear canals, and the long-term disease-free status of the patient. Conclusion: We hypothesized about the etiology of these multiple bilateral osteomas of the EAC, in light of the clinical and surgical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors present the case of a 4-year-old child admitted to the ENT Department with possible pulmonary foreign body aspiration. A detailed history revealed a clinical picture that seemed to depict an absence episode (with partial loss of conscience and cianosis) occured when eating, less the symptomes of a respiratory foreign body. Diagnosis needed full respiratory endoscopy and neurologic evaluation for correct assesment and effective therapy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vestibular syndromes are less common seen in pediatric practice than in adult pathology. Vestibular testing is not usual in pediatric hospitals. The most usual causes for vertigo in children are usually less investigated. The authors present a rare case of a child with a brainstem tumor presenting concomitant rhinosinusitis symptoms. Vestibular investigation and a thorough history managed to discover the real nature of the clinical signs. Conclusion: vertigo in children needs careful evaluation for precise determination of its cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenoidectomy is a very common surgical procedure in pediatric otolaryngology. Aim. To investigate two major operative techniques used for pediatric adenoidectomy (classic and using microdebrider), from a surgical point of view. Ease of use, comfort of the surgeon and possible intraoperative difficulties were studied and reported here. Material and method. A series of 93 patients were randomly assigned to two kind of surgery. Parameters like introperative blood loss, duration of the surgery and accuracy of the technique were assesed. Conclusions. Both techniques can consume similar amount of time. Blood loss is significantly higher with microdebrider but better surgical accuracy is obtained through powered instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laryngeal papillomatosis is a recurrent disease with significant long-term patient morbidity and associated burden on parental and medical support. Its treatment approach remains mainly symptomatic. Objectives. We present the incidence of the disease and the trends recorded in patients with laryngeal papillomatosis in the ENT Department of the “Marie Curie” Clinical Hospital for Children, Bucharest, on a period of 14 years (2007-2020), noticing the natural tendencies regarded as a response to the medical knowledge acummulated over the years. Materials and method. All admitted and histologically diagnosed laryngeal papillomatosis cases were reviewed retrospectively by studying their medical records. Results. A total of 85 patients were diagnosed in our department over the study period, with a median incidence of 16.29 admissions per year. The number of surgeries needed for each patient varied between 1.1 and 2.5 per year. The variations were high, reaching a maximum of 10. The patients’ age at the debut was between less than 1 year old to 17 years old (median of 6.4 years old). A total of 37 cases (43.5%) were diagnosed before the age of 5, and 11 cases (12.9%) at more than 13 years of age. Thirty-six children needed only one surgical procedure for long-term stable results, but 36% needed more than three surgeries to get the same results. Conclusions. Laryngeal papillomatosis remains a current disease of childhood, without a definitive long-term solution. The symptomatic therapeutic approach, with surgical papilloma removal, is the mainstay of the management approach. HPV prophylaxis is still pending, with less than optimal adherence of the target population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anatomical abnormalities of the middle ear are important elements in the differential diagnosis regarding child hearing loss, taking in consideration the frequent inflammatory pathology encountered at this age. We present some clinical and surgical features linked to a case series having the same condition: conductive hearing loss. Objective. To discuss the main causes of diagnostic errors in cases of children with hearing loss. Materials and method. A retrospective study, including some cases with anatomical abnormalities of the middle ear that were sent and managed in the ENT Department of the "M.S. Curie" Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children. Results. One case of stapedial artery, two cases of congenital absent stapes, four cases with tympanic membrane, ossicular chain and external auditory canal malformations, three cases of congenital cholesteatoma, and one case with ossified stapes are presented. Conclusions. Middle ear and tympanic malformations can be diagnosed usually by a thorough clinical examination, completed with good quality imagistics and with various audiological assessments. The therapeutic approach can be challenging and requires a detailed discussion with the patient in order to get completely satisfying results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Otitis media with effusion is the most frequent pathology found in children who seek medical care in ENT departments. Most of them come as acute, recurrent, but also with chronic disease of the middle ear. Objectives. To discuss the possible conditions that explain the recurrent middle ear effusion and to present the therapeutic means to cure the disease. Materials and method. A total of 157 cases of recurrent otitis media were retrospectively analyzed, during a one-year period, recording the management protocol and the followup. Results. Thirty-nine cases responded well to the medical regimens using intranasal corticosteroids; 95 cases were cured by adenoidectomy alone; 23 cases needed more surgical procedures - tympanostomy tube placement. The complications related to surgery were recorded. Conclusions. No single protocol could solve all recurrent middle ear effusions in children. Most of the cases need individual approach, taking into consideration some factors: age, possible malformations, dimensions of the ear canal, the social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]