Assessment of STI screening in Romania using a multiplex PCR technique.

INTRODUCTION: Most sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are curable, but inappropriate treatment can lead to serious complications. The importance of setting up STI screening programs has been highlighted in various studies, the absence of such national programs accounting for the lack of STI statistics in Romania. The purpose of our study was to evaluate multiplex PCR as a screening method for the most common 6 STIs and establish their frequency in a group of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. We aimed to highlight STI associations and correlations between STI pathogens and symptomatology, demographic status, antecedents or sexual partners. METHODOLOGY: A total of 249 patients, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, were included in this study. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseia gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU), Mycoplasma hominis (MH) and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) were all identified in urine samples via multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The SPSS IBM program was employed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 32.12% of the patients were found positive, some presenting multiple infections. The results are representative for the Romanian male population. 107 STI pathogens were identified, most frequent being CT, UU and NG. Several statistical correlations between patient characteristics and the presence of STIs have been demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that multiplex PCR meets all the prerequisites for a screening method, allowing the use of multiple specimens and enabling simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens in a short period of time. STI identification via multiplex PCR proved to be an effective method for quantifying their frequency in Romania.

The history of an unknown dermatological wax collection from Cluj-Napoca University "Iuliu Hatieganu", Romania.

Among the dermatological wax collections across Europe, one of the latest created is the collection from Cluj-Napoca University, Romania. The initiator was Professor Coriolan Tataru and the moulage artist employed was Dr. Richard Hoffmann. Between the years 1923 and 1928, around 200 wax moulages were made, all realised after patients hospitalised in the clinic. The majority of cases represent the dermatological infectious pathology of that time: syphilis, cutaneous tuberculosis and mycetomas. Other interesting moulages represent genodermatoses, pelagra, different cutaneous cancers, and atypical aspects of common diseases like psoriasis and eczemas. The models depicting different stages of syphilis won the gold medal at the Ninth International Congress of Dermato-Venereology held in Budapest in 1935. We believe that the collection has a great value from a historical, artistic, didactic and scientific point of view, and it is organised as a museum within the Dermatology Clinic.

VEGF involvement in psoriasis.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key growth factor, regulating the neovascularization, during embryogenesis, skeletal growth, reproductive functions and pathological processes. The VEGF receptors (VEGFR) are present in endothelial cells and other cell types, such as vascular smooth muscle cells, hematopoietic stem cells, monocytes, neurons, macrophages, and platelets. Angiogenesis is initiated by the activation of vascular endothelial cells through several factors. The excess dermal vascularity and VEGF production are markers of psoriasis. The pathological role of VEGF/VEGFR signaling during the psoriasis onset and evolution makes it a promising target for the treatment of psoriasis. Antibodies and other types of molecules targeting the VEGF pathway are currently evaluated in arresting the evolution of psoriasis.