Medicine and Pharmacy in the works of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).

The 700th commemorative year of Dante's death began on 25 March 2021, the day of the Annunciation of the Lord, of the creation of the world, the New Year's Day in old Florence according to ab Incarnatione. On 25 March 2021, Holy Father Francis published the apostolic letter Candor Lucis Aeternae solemnly uniting the voice of the catholic church with the chorus of all the ones honoring the memory of the illustrious poet Dante Alighieri. In professional fraternity the voices of the guild colleagues join in, physicians and pharmacists, descendants of those in Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali, which proudly included among their members Dante Alighieri, at the crossing between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Supragastric belching: Pathogenesis, diagnostic issues and treatment.

Belching is defined as an audible escape of air from the esophagus or the stomach into the pharynx. It becomes pathologic if it is excessive and becomes bothersome. According to Rome IV diagnostic criteria, there is a belching disorder when one experiences bothersome belching (severe enough to impact on usual activities) more than 3 days a week. Esophageal impedance can differentiate between gastric and supragastric belching. The aim of this review was to provide data on pathogenesis and diagnosis of supragastric belching and study its relationship with gastroesophageal reflux disease and psychological factors. Treatment options for supragastric belching are also presented.

Florence Nightingale bicentennial: 1820-2020. Her contributions to health care improvement.

In 2020 we celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Florence Nightingale and 110 years from her death (1820-1910). This gives us the opportunity to remember her life and her achievements. She is mainly known for her contribution to the foundation of modern nursing in the British Empire and subsequently to the world. Besides her personal engagement in the Crimean War, she organized a professional training for nurses, wrote the first textbook on nursing ("Notes on Nursing") and took public positions in favor of health care and philanthropic funding. She was a militant for the rights of the women and for social justice. She was a pioneer of medical statistics and hospital management. Her activity is acknowledged worldwide.

Pedicled perforator flaps for covering the elbow region. A case report.

Covering the elbow soft tissue defects is a difficult task for the plastic surgeon. Because of, the important anatomical structures situated superficially and the high tendency for stiffness of the elbow, the reconstructive method must be chosen carefully. Traditionally the free flaps were the choice method for elbow reconstruction. In our department, we use the perforator pedicled flaps for covering elbow defects, as a viable alternative to the free microsurgical transfer. This paper presents a successful case of covering an elbow soft tissue defect in a male patient. By using a local pedicled flap we replaced "like with like" to obtain a very good cosmetic result. The lack of microsurgical anastomosis allowed an early physical therapy.

A doctoral thesis about Carol Davila written in Paris in 1936.

Carol Davila, the father of the Romanian modern medicine, made decisive contributions to the development of health sciences in the Romanian Principalities in the last decades of the nineteenth century. The merit of his scientific work was recognized beyond the borders of his country. His life (not devoid of anecdotic instances and unknown episodes) and especially his work have aroused considerable interest among numerous medical historians. This paper presents a historical study elaborated in France, but until recently ignored, dedicated to the biography of Carol Davila. It concerns the medical doctoral thesis (State Diploma) elaborated by Joseph Adler (born 1910 in Botosani, Romania) under the supervision of professor Maxime Laignel-Lavastine, whose interest in Romania is well-known. Professor Laignel-Lavastine held the office of Secretary General of the International Society of History of Medicine (ISHM), founded in 1921, (replaced in this position by another French professor with links to Romania: Jules Guiart). The thesis comprises 48 pages and an exhaustive bibliography. It represents a token of the appreciation given to Davila's achievements by Europe's medical community.

The management of biofilm formation after hyaluronic acid gel filler injections: a review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: One of the most popular procedures of facial fillers in recent years has become the use of hyaluronic acid (HA). However, this method may be associated with local side effects of different severity. Many of them are not due to allergies, as previously believed, but to the formation of biofilm. We review the current knowledge on biofilm after HA. METHODS: All pertinent full text papers retrieved from PubMed under search words: "biofilm", "hyaluronic acid", "dermal fillers", "hyaluronic acid complications" and "hyaluronic acid side effects" were analyzed; 29 of 60 articles were selected fro analysis. RESULTS: Local infections were reported: 13 cases are attributable to the activation of the biofilm. Clinical evolution is generally mild. Therapy should avoid NSAID and is based on the administration of antibiotics, oral corticosteroids, or 5-Flourouracil. Removal of HA with hyaluronidase has also been proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of HA in cosmetic procedures might be accompanied by local adverse effects attributable to biofilm formation. This usually has a mild evolution, but in special cases requires specific therapy.