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We have successfully synthesized a layered iron oxychalcogenide BaFe2Se2O single crystal. This compound is built up of Ba and Fe-Se(O) layers alternatively stacked along the c axis. The Fe-Se(O) layers contain double chains of edge-shared Fe-Se(O) tetrahedra that propagate along the b axis and are bridged by oxygen along the a axis. Physical property measurements indicate that BaFe2Se2O is a semiconductor without the Curie-Weiss behavior up to 350 K. There is a possible long-range antiferromagnetic transition at 240 K, corresponding to the peak in specific-heat measurement, and two transitions at 115 K and 43 K where magnetic susceptibility drops abruptly. The magnetic entropy up to 300 K is much smaller than the expected value for Fe2+ in tetrahedral crystal fields and the Mössbauer spectrum indicates that long-range magnetic order is unlikely at 294 K. Our results suggest that BaFe2Se2O is a magnetic insulator at the borderline between a long-range antiferromagnetic spin ordering and possible spin dimerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-reactive protein (CRP) has been one of the most investigated inflammatory-biomarkers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemics caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The severe outcome among patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection is closely related to the cytokine storm and the hyperinflammation responsible for the acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure. It still remains a challenge to determine which of the hyperinflammatory biomarkers and cytokines are the best predictors for disease severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we evaluated and compared the outcome prediction efficiencies between CRP, the recently reported inflammatory modulators (suPAR, sTREM-1, HGF), and the classical biomarkers (MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-6, NLR, PLR, ESR, ferritin, fibrinogen, and LDH) in patients confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection at hospital admission. Notably, patients with severe disease had higher serum levels of CRP, suPAR, sTREM-1, HGF and classical biomarkers compared to the mild and moderate cases. Our data also identified CRP, among all investigated analytes, to best discriminate between severe and non-severe forms of disease, while LDH, sTREM-1 and HGF proved to be excellent mortality predictors in COVID-19 patients. Importantly, suPAR emerged as a key molecule in characterizing the Delta variant infections., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Paranga, Pavel-Tanasa, Constantinescu, Plesca, Petrovici, Miftode, Moscalu, Cianga and Miftode.)

Unlabelled: The similar routes of transmission for HIV and HBV place patients with either infection at greater risk for HIV/HBV co-infection., Aim: To determine the particularities of hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its influence on pregnancy., Methods: Retrospective study of 74 HIV-infected women monitored during pregnancy in the Iasi Regional HIV/AIDS Center (Romania) from 2010 to 2013. The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of HBV coinfection., Results: Most subjects belonged to age group 20-24 years (90% in the HIV group versus 75.5% in the HIV/HBV-coinfected group). HIV infection was most commonly transmitted by parenteral route (65.5% vs. 48.9%). The majority of patients were married (60% vs. 65%) and primiparous at the time of enrollment (71.1% vs. 96.6%). In the HIV/HBV-coinfected group CD4 level was lower and mean plasma viral load higher (1.92 log10 copies/mL vs. 2.31 log10 copies/ml). The proportion of cases with severe immunosuppression was similar in both groups (18.1% vs. 17.9%). HBV-HIV coinfection induced a risk of prematurity of 1.51 times, but did not increase the risk of newborns with low birth weight., Conclusions: Advanced stages of HIV disease, age group 21-30 years, low CD4 counts, and low levels of education are significant risk factors for preterm birth and low birth weight.

Severe sepsis has become one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization in intensive care units for patients diagnosed with HIV infection. The difficulty in setting a sepsis diagnosis in HIV-positive patients led to the systematic exclusion of these patients from studies on sepsis, which limited the understanding of its impact on the evolution of the disease. Our study aims to evaluate the etiology of sepsis in immunocompromised HIV-positive patients and the evolution after antibiotic therapy. 30 patients diagnosed with HIV infection and sepsis, admitted to our clinic between January 2008 and April 2012, were followed. Severity of illness, time since diagnosis, CD4 count, antiretroviral treatment, incidence of severe sepsis, and organ dysfunctions were registered. Patients were between 1 and 61 years of age, most of them were classified into stages B2, B3 and C3, requiring hospitalization for a period ranging from 14 to 28 days, with an average of 16.7 days and a median of 18 days, while 8 required monitoring in the intensive care unit. In about 40% of cases, the starting point was an infection of the lower respiratory tract, but also of the upper urinary tract and skin infections. Evolution and mortality in sepsis associated with HIV/AIDS infection depend on the presence of organ failure and are less influenced by the level of immunodepression, complex antibiotic therapy being the cornerstone in controlling patients.

Listeriosis is a rare food borne infection which, in the invasive form, presents as bloodstream infection, central nervous system infection, materno-fetal infection, or focal infection. Certain immunosuppressive conditions have been identified as risk factors for severe invasive disease. The invasive forms of listeriosis are associated with a high case fatality rate. We present the case of a 62-year-old male with an unremarkable medical history admitted to the Iasi Infectious Diseases Hospital for fever. headache, ataxia, and diplopia. Physical examination revealed high temperature, confusion, relative bradycardia, and signs of meningeal irritation. Laboratory test showed leukocyt osis with neutrophilia. pathological CSF findings (high WBC count with predominance of neutrophils, low glucose and high protein levels), increased liver enzymes (ALAT, ASAT, AP, gammaGT), and important renal impairment (normal levels at presentation). No abnormalities at chest x-ray, cranial CT and abdominal ultrasound. CSF and blood cultures were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Under antibiotics (ampicillin and ciprofloxacin), the course was marked by respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, coma, hypotension, tachycardia. and death 12 days after admission. The particularity of this case consists in the association of the two classical forms of invasive listeriosis, meningitis and bacteriemia, with a focal infection. acute hepatitis, and a course marked by multiple organ dysfunction syndromes and exitus in a previously apparently healthy individual.

Material and Methods: We performed QuantiFERON-TB Gold in Tube (QFT-G) in blood and CSF at 40 children diagnosed with TB meningitis and at 39 children with non TB meningitis, admitted between October 2006 and December 2009., Results: The CSF analyses were suggestive for TB at 27 patients and only 14 had positive culture. The sensitivity of QFT-G in CSF was 72.72% and 69.44% in blood; specificity 96.96% in CSF and 89.18% in blood; the positive predictive value was 96% in CSF and 86.2% in blood; negative predictive value was 78.04% in CSF and 75% in blood. The sensitivity of TST was 61.76% and specificity 82.05%. The sensitivity of the culture from CSF was only 35%. The sensitivity and specificity of QFT-G was higher than TST and culture and better in CSF than in blood., Conclusions: The determination of alpha-interferon in serum and CSF is useful diagnostic marker of tuberculosis who could improve the management of TB meningitis.

Despite the major medical advance, over 350 million people worldwide still have chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and HBV-associated liver disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. 15-50% of patient VHB infected have serological markers for VHD co-infection. We retrospectively studied 252 cases of acute hepatitis B (AHB) admitted in our hospital between 2003-2005; 12 of them (4.76%) had a co-infection with hepatitis D virus. Most of the patients were young males with an urban origin. The route of transmission was unknown in 8/12 cases. Abdominal pain was more frequent during the onset of the disease than in AHB (p < 0.05). A cholestatic pattern was noted in 9 cases. The frequency of severe/ fulminant cases was greater then in AHB. The HBsAg was absent in 3 patients, and the HBV-DNA was present at low levels in 3/12 patients tested. Two patients had HBsAg present 6 month later.

In order to enhance the viral clearance we used a combined antiviral therapy in an 18 year old patient, hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Hospital-Iaşi, in June 2002. The evolution under standard therapy was unsatisfactory, with the aggravation of the icteric syndrome and a constant cytolytic syndrome. At this point we used the combination of Lamivudine (Zeffix) 100 mg/24 h + alpha-IFN 3 milUI x 3/week for the duration of 8 weeks. The improvement in both clinical and biochemical condition of the patient was obvious. At the end of the treatment (8 weeks) none of the signs or symptoms were present, the patient became AgHBs negative, AgHBe negative and anti-HBe positive. The combined antiviral therapy was useful (with the clearance of the HBs antigen) in a severe case of acute hepatitis B.