Romanian Journal of Internal Medicine

INTRODUCTION: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection represented a disruptive pathology that emerged in late 2019 with profound implications ranging from individual health to health systems and world economy. Our study aimed to evaluate clinical, biochemical and computerized tomography (CT) parameters values in determining the severity of pulmonary embolism (PE) associated with COVID-19. METHODS: We performed an observational cohort study evaluating demographic, clinical, biochemical, coagulation markers, as well as CT imaging parameters...

Research advances in the oncology treatment field have led to the widespread use of immunotherapy. The usage of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) has improved the survival of cancer patients with metastases. This has also led to the rapidly expanding indications for ICI use. However, ICI usage may lead to toxicity, which may be immune-related, in different organ-specific targets. The immune-related adverse events (irAEs) of ICI may lead to increased morbidity, decreased quality of life, and early termination of ICI...

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate. The pathophysiology involves various complex processes. The systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) is a well-known biomarker that reflects the intricate balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory immune components. In this systematic review, we aim to determine the significance of SII as a potential biomarker for APE. METHOD: We utilized PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCOHost, and Google Scholar to search for articles...

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INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to compare metabolic risk factors, lipid indices, healthy eating index, and physical activity among premenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 4,732 women participating in the Hoveyzeh Cohort Study were placed into three groups of premenopausal (n=736), menopausal (n=396), and postmenopausal (n=917) women, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria . RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 43...

UNLABELLED: Objectives: Biomarker-based clinical practice is currently gaining ground and increasingly affects decision making. A variety of biomarkers have been studied through the years and some of them have already an established role in modern medicine, such as procalcitonin (PCT) which has been proposed to reduce antibiotic exposure. We purposed to systematically review all biomarkers examined for guiding the clinical practice in patients with pneumonia. METHODS: A systematic review on PubMed was performed on April 2023 by two independent researchers using the PRISMA guidelines...

Background : Aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) is crucial for aldosterone production, and variations in its gene may influence type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development. This study explores the link between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CYP11B2 gene - -344T/C and K173R and T2DM in the Moroccan population . Methods : The research involved 86 individuals with T2DM and 75 control subjects. Genotyping for the -344T/C and K173R SNPs was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis ...

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The development of sepsis is significantly influenced by genetic predisposition. In this study, we highlight a potential association between a variant of the fat mass and obesity-associated ( FTO ) gene and risk of sepsis in children and adolescents. METHODS: We investigated a first-intron tagging FTO polymorphism (rs17817449) by comparing a severe condition (SC) group, comprising 598 paediatric patients (ages 0-19 years) admitted to an ICU with fever, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), with a control group consisting of 616 healthy young adults...

INTRODUCTION: Accidental hypothermia (AH) presents a significant mortality risk, even in individuals with good health. Early recognition of the parameters associated with negative prognosis could save more lives. METHODS: This was a pilot, retrospective observational study, conducted in the largest Emergency Hospital in North Eastern Romania, which included all patients with AH (defined as body temperature below 35°C), hospitalized and treated in our hospital between 2019 and 2022...

Background : Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition closely linked with giant cell arteritis, which is a large vessel vasculitis. To provide real-world evidence on PMR outcomes and their determinants, we conducted a longitudinal study focusing on symptom relief and acute phase reactant normalization. Methods : We followed patients with PMR who were registered in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Vasculitis Registry (TUOMS-VR) until February 2023. We measured sustained remission (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes including glucocorticoids (GCs)-free remission, medication-free remission, relapse rate and disease-induced damage...

BACKGROUND: The frequency of thyrotoxicosis may vary between countries and some laboratory test results may be used in etiology research. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyrotoxicosis diagnoses and laboratory test results. METHODS: 3246 patients with overt thyrotoxicosis were included in this study. Laboratory test results, epicrisis, thyroid ultrasonography, thyroid scintigraphy, and radioactive iodine uptake test reports of the patients were examined in the study...

Introduction . Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a liver enzyme involved in inflammation and oxidative stress. It is already known that MCP-1 (Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1) and TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor) as inflammatory markers, ICAM-1 (Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1) as an endothelial dysfunctional marker, and glutathione, as an antioxidant, have abnormal levels in type 2 diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the specific biological picture of type 2 diabetic patients that also associate higher GGT activity...

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) induced cardiotoxicity is a rare diagnosis and is often associated with chronic use of the medication. It has been shown that chronic HCQ use is associated with a drug-induced cardiomyopathy mainly driven by acquired lysosomal storage defects leading to hypertrophy and conduction abnormalities. As the only proven treatment is the discontinuation of the offending agent, prompt recognition is required to avoid further exposure to the drug and potential progression of disease. History, physical examination and advanced imaging modalities are useful diagnostic tools, but more invasive testing with an endomyocardial biopsy is required for definitive diagnosis...

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Liver Disease (MASLD) represents a spectrum of conditions from simple fat accumulation to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The possible role of the intestinal microbiome on MASLD development has been in focus. Our study aimed to examine the effects of synbiotics on the liver steatosis, inflammation, and stool microbiome. METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted involving 84 MASLD patients, defined by an elastometric attenuation coefficient (ATT) greater than 0...

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and a major cause of disability having a high burden on patients, society, and caregiving systems. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of clusters of in-hospital patients with acute stroke based on demographic and clinical data. Cluster analysis reveals patterns in patient characteristics without requiring knowledge of a predefined patient category or assumptions about likely groupings within the data. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of open-access anonymized data from patients with acute stroke admitted to a hospital between December 2019 to June 2021...

Background and aims: Thyroid function abnormalities and thyroid autoantibodies have previously been described in rheumatoid arthirits (RA) with limited data. In some studies, a relationship was found between thyroid autoantibodies and RA disease activity. However, there are not strong studies in the literature indicating the relationship between thyroid diseases and RA. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of hypothyroidism and to investigate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels, autoantibodies and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

INTRODUCTION: Harmful alcohol consumption is one of the leading risk factors for global disease burden and injury condition, causing death and disability early in life, with over 3 million deaths worldwide every year. Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by hepatic failure with recent onset of jaundice, consequence of a heavy chronic alcohol drinking. The disease severity ranges from mild to severe cases, with high short-term mortality. Individual variety regarding disease outcome and therapeutic response complicates the prognosis stratification...

Perioperative acid-base disturbance could be informative regarding the possible slow graft function (SGF) or delayed graft function (DGF) development. There is a lack of data regarding the relationship between perioperative acid-base parameters and graft dysfunction in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. We aim to determine the incidence of graft dysfunction types and the association between them and acid-base parameters. We performed a prospective, cohort study on 54 adults, KT recipients, between 1st of January 2019 and 31st of December 2019...

BACKGROUND: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is one of the most important causes of in-hospital mortality. The global burden of AKI continues to rise without a marked reduction in mortality. As such, the use of renal replacement therapy (RRT) forms an integral part of AKI management, especially in critically ill patients. There has been much debate over the preferred modality of RRT between continuous, intermittent and intermediate modes. While there is abundant data from Europe and North America, data from tropical countries especially the Indian subcontinent is sparse...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of sarcopenia, functional status, fear-avoidance behaviors, biopsychosocial status and quality of life in RA women with healthy controls. METHODS: 25 RA women and 25 healthy women were included in the study. Definition of sarcopenia was assessed using parameters recommended by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia (EWGSOP): Bioimpedance analysis for muscle mass (body fat ratio, skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass index); grip and knee extension strength for muscle strength and 4-m course gait speed test for physical performance was applied...