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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are diseases caused by the interaction of genetic and non-genetic factors. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the association between six common genetic polymorphisms and T2DM and MetS in males. A total of 120 T2DM, 75 MetS, and 120 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. ACE ID, eNOS 4a/b, ATR1 A1166C, OXTR (A>G), SOD1 +35A/C, CAT-21A/T gene polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR or PCR-RFLP techniques. T2DM was diagnosed at an earlier age compared to MetS (54 vs 55 years old, p=0.0003) and the difference was greater in carriers of the OXTR G allele (54 vs 56 years old, p=0.0002) or both OXTR G and eNOS b alleles (54 vs 56, p=0.00016). The SOD1 AA genotype (O.R.=0.11, p=0.0006) and the presence of both ACE I and OXTR1 A (O.R.=0.39, p=0.0005) alleles revealed to be protective for T2DM. SOD1 AA and AC genotypes were protective factors for triglyceride (p=0.0002 and p=0.0005, respectively) and HDL cholesterol (p=0.0002 and p=0.0004, respectively) levels in T2DM patients. ACE DD was identified more frequently in hypertensive T2DM patients (O.R.=3.77, p=0.0005) and in those who reported drinking alcohol (p=0.0001) comparing to HC and T2DM patients who did not drink alcohol, respectively. We observed that T2DM patients who reported drinking alcohol had an increased frequency of ACE DD and eNOS bb (p

Pesticides are products of chemical or biological nature, used to control populations of harmful animal or vegetal organisms. They have been widely used in agriculture, since ancient times. In Romanian forestry, they were promoted especially after the nationalization of the forests, both the foresters and the country's management being concerned with obtaining the highest possible timber production. Insecticides continue to be the most used pesticides. They have been used to control populations of oak-defoliating insects (Lymantria dispar, Tortrix viridana, and geometrid species). Three important periods can be distinguished in the application of insecticides, closely related to the active substance that was the basis of the efficiency and the economy of their use. In the first period (1954-1985), non-selective and persistent organochlorine products, based on DDT and HCH, were used, initially in extremely high doses (30-40 kg/ha), with major adverse effects on the environment, fauna, and human health. It was imposed to carry out some research work leading to the elimination of these shortcomings, succeeding in considerably reducing the consumption norms of these categories of insecticides to only 1 kg/ha. However, the long-term use of organochlorine products has led to the appearance of resistance since the beginning of the 1960s, manifested by a significant number of species. Other non-selective insecticides, such as organophosphorus products and synthetic pyrethroids, were used during 1986-1990. Nor the application of these categories of insecticides was beneficial from an ecological point of view, with most studies indicating high concentrations of these products in the soil and in the food chains of forest ecosystems. A new stage (after 1990), related to the use of insecticides to control forest pests, was the use of selective, chemical, and biological pesticides, applied in extremely low doses and with minimal impact on useful entomofauna, the environment, and human health. We are currently in a transition period, with FSC certification of forests being particularly restrictive in the use of pesticides to control harmful organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic transport properties of silicon nanowires grown by chemical vapor deposition, embedded in an insulating alumina nanoporous membrane are studied. Transport measurements were performed from 300 to 4.2 K, which revealed a scaling law of the conductance as a function of the temperature and the dc bias voltage, which the authors interpreted as a Coulomb blockade manifestation. Magnetoconductive measurements at low temperature revealed a positive magnetoconductance which can be well fitted by quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) weak localization theory. These results seem to indicate that electron-electron interactions and quasi-1D effect predominate on the electronic transport properties of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impedance cardiography has been studied in the last decades as a noninvasive, harmless and cost-effective method of monitoring hemodynamic parameters. In order to establish its validity, impedance cardiography has been extensively compared with several other methods which measure those parameters in both human and animal studies. Until today, the method of impedance cardiography has been subjected to various refinements and alterations. However, the technique has not yet been accepted worldwide as reliable for assessing cardiac output. In the present review we show the current status of various aspects of impedance principles, its medical application and its new role in the field of obstetrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Death of smooth muscle cells in the atherosclerotic plaques makes the plaques more prone to rupture, which can initiate an acute ischemic event. The development of atherosclerosis includes the migration of immune cells e.g. monocytes/macrophages and T lymphocytes into the lesions. Immune cells can release antimicrobial peptides. One of these, human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide hCAP-18, is cleaved by proteinase 3 generating a 4.5 kDa C-terminal fragment named LL-37, which has been shown to be cytotoxic. The aim of the study was to explore a potential role of LL-37 in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Methods We investigated the presence of LL-37 in human atherosclerotic lesions obtained at autopsy using immunohistochemistry. The direct effects of LL-37 on cultured vascular smooth muscle cells and isolated neutrophil granulocytes were investigated with morphological, biochemical and flow cytometry analysis. Results The neointima of atherosclerotic plaques was found to contain LL-37-like immunoreactivity, mainly in macrophages. In cultured smooth muscle cells, LL-37 at 30 μg/ml caused cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation and an increase in caspase-3 activity as studied by microscopy, ELISA and enzyme activity assay, respectively. Flow cytometry demonstrated that LL-37 in a subset of the cells caused a small but rapidly developing increase in membrane permeability to propidium iodide, followed by a gradual development of FITC-annexin V binding. Another cell population stained heavily with both propidium iodide and FITC-annexin V. Neutrophil granulocytes were resistant to these effects of LL-37. Conclusion This study shows that LL-37 is present in atherosclerotic lesions and that it induces death of vascular smooth muscle cells. In a subset of cells, the changes indicate the development of apoptosis triggered by an initial mild perturbation of plasma membrane integrity. The findings suggest a role for LL-37 as a mediator of immune cell-induced death of vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis.

Impedance cardiography has been studied in the last decades as a noninvasive, harmless and cost-effective method of monitoring hemodynamic parameters. In order to establish its validity, impedance cardiography has been extensively compared with several other methods which measure those parameters in both human and animal studies. Until today, the method of impedance cardiography has been subjected to various refinements and alterations. However, the technique has not yet been accepted worldwide as reliable for assessing cardiac output. In the present review we show the current status of various aspects of impedance principles, its medical application and its new role in the field of obstetrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Patients that recovered from COVID-19 may remain with symptoms which can persist for an uncertain period of time. Aim. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons why patients who passed the acute phase of COVID-19 presented themselves to the Emergency Department. Patients and Methods. We selected 87 patients admitted to the Emergency Department of the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital between 01.01.2021-31.05.2021. Patients had pulmonary fibrosis (11.49%), pleural effusion (16.09%) or a history of hypertension (73.56%), type 2 diabetes (42.53%), stroke (24.14%), malignant diseases (10.34%). Results. Association between neutrophil levels and acute stroke and between fibrinogen levels and alveolar condensation were identified. The percentage of deaths was significantly higher in the subgroup of subjects that had maxim 11 days of hospitalization (p=0.004); we observed a trend of association between the age of more than 51 years old and admission in the Emergency Unit at less than a month after the SARS Cov2 infection, the positive result at the RT-PCR test or a lung damage of over 30% (p<0.05). Conclusion. A significant percentage of patients that were admitted to the Emergency Unit post COVID-19 had chronic pathologies and their characteristics were associated with neutrophilia, high fibrinogen levels or length of hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Accurate and reliable diagnosis is essential for lung cancer treatment. The study aim was to investigate interpathologist diagnostic concordance for pulmonary tumours according to WHO diagnostic criteria., Methods: Fifty-two unselected lung and bronchial biopsies were diagnosed by a thoracic pathologist based on a broad spectrum of immunohistochemical (IHC) stainings, molecular data and clinical/radiological information. Slides stained with H&E, thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) clone SPT24 and p40 were scanned and provided digitally to 20 pathologists unaware of reference diagnoses. The pathologists independently diagnosed the cases and stated if further diagnostic markers were deemed necessary., Results: In 31 (60%) of the cases, ≥80% of the pathologists agreed with each other and with the reference diagnosis. Lower agreement was seen in non-small cell neuroendocrine tumours and in squamous cell carcinoma with diffuse TTF-1 positivity. Agreement with the reference diagnosis ranged from 26 to 45 (50%-87%) for the individual pathologists. The pathologists requested additional IHC staining in 15-44 (29%-85%) of the 52 cases. In nearly half (17 of 36) of the malignant cases, one or more pathologist advocated for a different final diagnosis than the reference without need of additional IHC markers, potentially leading to different clinical treatment., Conclusions: Interpathologist diagnostic agreement is moderate for small unselected bronchial and lung biopsies based on a minimal panel of markers. Neuroendocrine morphology is sometimes missed and TTF-1 clone SPT24 should be interpreted with caution. Our results suggest an intensified education need for thoracic pathologists and a more generous use of diagnostic IHC markers., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

There is increased recognition of the effects of diffuse traumatic brain injury (dTBI), which can initiate yet unknown biochemical cascades, resulting in delayed secondary brain degeneration and long-term neurological sequela. There is limited availability of therapies that minimize the effect of secondary brain damage on the quality of life of people who have suffered TBI, many of which were otherwise healthy adults. Understanding the cascade of biochemical events initiated in specific brain regions in the acute phase of dTBI and how this spreads into adjacent brain structures may provide the necessary insight into drive development of improved therapies. In this study, we have used direct biochemical imaging techniques (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic imaging) and elemental mapping (X-ray fluorescence microscopy) to characterize biochemical and elemental alterations that occur in corpus callosum white matter in the acute phase of dTBI. The results provide direct visualization of differential biochemical and ionic changes that occur in the highly vulnerable medial corpus callosum white matter relative to the less vulnerable lateral regions of the corpus callosum. Specifically, the results suggest that altered ionic gradients manifest within mechanically damaged medial corpus callosum, potentially spreading to and inducing lipid alterations to white matter structures in lateral brain regions.

We show that the population ecology of the 9- to 10-year cyclic, broadleaf-defoliating winter moth (Operophtera brumata) and other early-season geometrids cannot be fully understood on a local scale unless population behaviour is known on a European scale. Qualitative and quantitative data on O. brumata outbreaks were obtained from published sources and previously unpublished material provided by authors of this article. Data cover six decades from the 1950s to the first decade of twenty-first century and most European countries, giving new information fundamental for the understanding of the population ecology of O. brumata. Analyses on epicentral, regional and continental scales show that in each decade, a wave of O. brumata outbreaks travelled across Europe. On average, the waves moved unidirectionally ESE-WNW, that is, toward the Scandes and the Atlantic. When one wave reached the Atlantic coast after 9-10 years, the next one started in East Europe to travel the same c. 3000 km distance. The average wave speed and wavelength was 330 km year(-1) and 3135 km, respectively, the high speed being incongruous with sedentary geometrid populations. A mapping of the wave of the 1990s revealed that this wave travelled in a straight E-W direction. It therefore passed the Scandes diagonally first in the north on its way westward. Within the frame of the Scandes, this caused the illusion that the wave moved N-S. In analogy, outbreaks described previously as moving S-N or occurring contemporaneously along the Scandes were probably the result of continental-scale waves meeting the Scandes obliquely from the south or in parallel. In the steppe zone of eastern-most and south-east Europe, outbreaks of the winter moth did not participate in the waves. Here, broadleaved stands are small and widely separated. This makes the zone hostile to short-distance dispersal between O. brumata subpopulations and prevents synchronization within meta-populations. We hypothesize that hostile boundary models, involving reciprocal host-herbivore-enemy reactions at the transition between the steppe and the broadleaved forest zones, offer the best explanation to the origin of outbreak waves. These results have theoretical and practical implications and indicate that multidisciplinary, continentally coordinated studies are essential for an understanding of the spatio-temporal behaviour of cyclic animal populations., (© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.)

Posterior fossa epidural hematomas (PFEH) are rare entities, with dark prognosis due to their specific localization. Because the simptomatology is usually nonspecific or poor, the CT should be performed as soon as posible. MRI does not offer suplimentary benefits/informations in the great majority of PFEH. Depending on the bleeding source, the rate of clinical signs appearance and the gravity of evolution varies. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment should be performed in hematomas associated with mass effect or suplimentary injuries. In all cases, in PFEH patients a careful monitoring is necessary due to unpredictable evolution and rapid clinical worsening, requiring surgical intervention.

Cystic meningioma represent a rare entity, accounting 1.7 to 11.7% from the total intracranial meningiomas. We present a 41 years old patients' case who suffered of an progressive bilateral visual acuity decreasing, more pronounced on the right side. The clinical examination revealed a severe reduction of vision, represented by difficulties in light perception on the right side. The MRI and CT scan showed an expansive, multi-lobular, fronto temporal process on the right side (87/58/63 mm), presenting a liquid signal, different from intra-cerebro-spinal fluid, without contrast enhancement at the level of the septae. The patient is operated on, the total resection of an polycystic and spongious tumour being accomplished together with the aspiration of the liquid from the giant peritumoral cyst. The postoperative evolution was favourable. The anatomo-pathological result: meningothelial meningioma. Several classifications, the etiology of intra and peritumoral cysts formation are discussed together with the therapeutical possibilities.