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This study investigates the impact of chitosan-based nanofibers on burn wound healing in a rat model. Two formulations of chitosan nanofibers were prepared through electrospinning. The formulations were then incorporated with different amounts of norfloxacin and underwent surface modifications with 2-formylphenylboronic acid. The burn model was applied to Wistar male rats by the contact method, using a heated steel rod attached to a thermocouple. The effectiveness of the nanofibers was tested against a negative control group and a standard commercial dressing (Atrauman Ag) on the described model and evaluated by wound diameter, histological analysis and biochemical profiling of systemic inflammatory markers. The results showed that chitosan-based dressings significantly accelerated burn healing compared to the control treatments. The high-concentration norfloxacin-infused chitosan coated with 2-formylphenylboronic acid' groups exhibited significant improvements in wound closure and reduced inflammation compared to the other groups; antioxidant enzymes SOD and GPx expression was significantly higher, p < 0.05, whereas pro-oxidative markers such as cortisol were lower (p < 0.05). Macroscopically, the wound area itself was significantly diminished in the chitosan-treated groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a histological evaluation indicated enhanced epithelialization and granulation tissue formation within the experiment time frame, while the biochemical panel revealed lower levels of inflammatory cytokines and lower leukocyte counts in the treated groups. These findings highlight the potential of the studied chitosan nanofibers as novel nanosystems for next-generation wound therapies, as well as the clinical utility of the novel chitosan fibers obtained by electrospinning technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) contribute to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular (CV) diseases (CVDs), making their non-invasive assessment through skin autofluorescence (SAF) increasingly important. This study aims to investigate the relationship between SAF levels, cardiovascular risk, and diabetic complications in T2DM patients. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study at Consultmed Hospital in Iasi, Romania, including 885 T2DM patients. The assessment of SAF levels was performed with the AGE Reader™, (Diagnoptics, Groningen, The Netherlands). CVD prevalence was 13.9%, and according to CV risk category distribution, 6.1% fell into the moderate-risk, 1.13% into the high-risk, and 92.77% into the very-high-risk category. The duration of DM averaged 9.0 ± 4.4 years and the mean HbA1c was 7.1% ± 1.3. After adjusting for age and eGFR, HbA1c values showed a correlation with SAF levels in the multivariate regression model, where a 1 SD increase in HbA1c was associated with a 0.105 SD increase in SAF levels (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.110; p < 0.001). For predicting very high risk with an SAF cut-off of 2.35, sensitivity was 67.7% and specificity was 56.2%, with an AUC of 0.634 (95% CI 0.560–0.709, p = 0.001). In T2DM, elevated SAF levels were associated with higher CV risk and HbA1c values, with 2.35 identified as the optimal SAF cut-off for very high CV risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compelling evidence indicates that nitric oxide (NO) exerts a significant influence on the central nervous system, participates in the modulation of neurotransmitter release, contributes to the regulation of cognitive functions, and plays a crucial role in modulating various aspects of neural activity. We aimed to explore the influence of two NO donors, molsidomine (MSD) and V-pyrro/NO, on the innate spontaneous psychomotor abilities and short-term memory in rats. Using an actimeter test, the locomotor activity, stress-sensitive behavior, and anxiety level were investigated. The influence on the animal's cognitive functions was evaluated usingthe Y-maze test to assess the spontaneous alternation percentage, number of arms visited, number of alternations, and the preference index. Four distinct groups of five white male Wistar rats were exposed to the intraperitoneal treatments as follows: Control batch—0.3 mL/100 g of body weight saline solution, Mg batch—200 mg/kbwof magnesium chloride, MSD batch—1 mg/kbw of molsidomine, and V-pyrro/NO batch—5 mg/kbwof V-pyrro/NO. The intraperitoneal administration of MSD resulted in a significant reduction in spontaneous behavior and exploratory skills but was less pronounced than the positive control drug, magnesium chloride. Conversely, treatment with V-pyrro/NO led to only a slight decrease in horizontal movements during the actimeter test. MSD administration, but not V-pyrro/NO, notably increased the rate of spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze test. Additionally, the use of MSD resulted in an increase in the blood level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the intensification of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activity. In our experimental setup, we demonstrated that MSD exposure led to a decrease in spontaneous behavior, showed anxiolytic effects and antioxidant activity, and improved spatial memory acquisition in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to assess the prognosis on the onset of arthritis in the diabetic patient after severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: The medical data of 10 patients with type 2 diabetes melitus, obese or overweight, hospitalized, in the interval between 1st of February and 31st of July 2021 at "Saint Spyridon" County Hospital Iasi, Romania for SARS-Cov-2 infection with were analyzed. Results: Although all the patients received treatment with tocilizumab 8 mg/kg body during 30 days, the blood analysis showed very high level of interleukins 6, and the joint painful symptoms continued to be manifested. The interleukins 6 serum level is higher and persistent in diabetic patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection, against the background of pre-existing chronic inflammation induced by diabetes, obesity and the glycemic imbalance. This renders the cytokine release syndrome difficult to control in the diabetic patients with severe infections, which leads to a higher hazard of interleukin 6 transcription errors. SARS-CoV-2 diabetic patients run the risk of developing long-term arthritis due to the uncontrolled, permanent synthesis of this cytokine. Conclusion: The immunologic modifications associated with the severe coronavirus infection acting on the predisposing genetic background (HLA-DR4/DR1), might underlie the onset of the arthritis on the long-term due to the exaggerated activation of IL-6 and the chronicity of the inflammation it generates. Studies shall be required that monitor on the long-term the diabetic patients surviving a severe Sars-CoV-2 infection as to the occurrence of the arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]