Visibility of documentary heritage through digitisation projects in Romanian libraries.

BACKGROUND: The article presents, from a diachronic perspective, the concerns of valorization and preservation of the documentary heritage through digitisation projects in the Romanian Library System. The development of the argument is made starting from the analysis of the interest in the subject in international literature (through a bibliometric analysis) and the investigation of the online presence of libraries expressed statistically from the typology of forms of representation, to specific digital products and services, thus highlighting how they evolved in the sense of diversifying and modernizing the products and services provided and taking into account the political, economic, and technological constraints. METHODS: The evaluation of the involvement of Romanian libraries in digitisation activities was done through the such research methods as content analysis and scientometric research, which allowed the carrying out of a longitudinal case study extended for the period 2007-2022, during the unravelling of the events. RESULTS: The most representative initiatives for the creation of the Digital Library of Romania and the involvement of libraries in national and European projects are presented, and examples of good practices are highlighted, including political and administrative concerns to support protection and capitalization through the digitisation of the libraries' heritage. This study is the first in Romanian specialized bibliography that proovides an overall and evolutionary perspective on the national project of digitisation of the documentary cultural heritage. Analyzing a large number of official documents and library web addresses has been a major challenge. CONCLUSIONS: During the analyzed period (2007-2022), there have been numerous initiatives and digitisation projects, but the results have not always met expectations. From the experience of Romanian libraries, it can be concluded that digital content development initiatives have not always been successful because of the absence or insufficient commitment of the sustainability component.

Diabetes Patients' Acceptance of Injectable Treatment, a Scientometric Analysis.

Diabetes is a condition associated with multiple systemic secondary risk factors, besides pancreatic dysfunctions, affecting the population worldwide and with high costs impacting the healthcare systems. This paper aims to identify the major issues in patients' adherence to injectable diabetes treatment. After the interrogation of the Web of Science database, a scientometric map was generated, from which six directions of approach were identified as essential factors influencing the patient's adherence. These directions yielded clusters of related articles. Glycemic control with the endocrinology metabolic implications, lifestyle adjustments, the healthcare services, medication therapy algorithm, healthcare services digitalization and healthcare policies seem to have a major impact on injectable diabetes therapy and patient adherence. Further research on every one of the six directions is needed to identify the potential of increasing injectable treatment adherence in diabetes patients.

Scientific Research Directions on the Histopathology and Immunohistochemistry of the Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Scientometric Study.

Introduction: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most frequently occurring types of cancer in humans. Scientometric research is an innovative method for analyzing the research trends in various domains, with great implications in the field of medicine. Materials and Methods: We searched the Web of Science database with the following established query terms: "Squamous cell carcinoma", "skin", and "immunohistochemistry". After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 76 articles were selected. The present study aims to analyze, based on the frequency of use of keywords with scientometric algorithms and map-based distributions, the trends of the research concerning cSCCs in 2017-2022. Results: A graphical representation based on 11 scientometric maps presented the division of the keywords into seven clusters, from which seven categories of research interest were defined. The clusters represent a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of cSCCs, cancer diagnostics, patient outcomes, histopathological importance, management of cSCCs, role of progression, and adequate treatment of and importance of immunohistochemistry for cSCCs. The distribution of the citations shows the importance of the available research on cSCCs by analyzing the first five most-cited articles included in our study in direct concordance with the seven defined clusters. Conclusion: The scientometric research method reveals the interest of research in the multidisciplinary approach used to obtain the best outcomes for the patient, including a targeted investigation, as well as diagnostic and treatment options. The trends in the research reveal that histopathological diagnostics and immunohistochemistry, combined with molecular techniques, are the most important tools used to establish a personalized diagnosis, thus increasing the quality of life and life expectancy for patients with cSCCs.

Misinformation about medication during the COVID- 19 pandemic: A perspective of medical staff.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals had to face numerous challenges during the pandemic, their professional activity being influenced not only by the virus, but also by the spread of medical misinformation. In this regard, we aimed to analyze, from the perspective of medical staff, the way medical and non-medical information about the virus was communicated during the pandemic to encourage the development of future research or interventions in order to raise awareness about the way misinformation affected medical staff. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The study was conducted on Romanian healthcare professionals. They were asked to answer to a questionnaire and the sample of the research includes 536 respondents. The findings revealed that most respondents stated that information about alternative treatments against the virus affected the credibility of health professionals, and that younger professionals believed to a greater extent that trust in doctors was affected. The research also showed that respondents were well informed about the drugs used in clinical trials in order to treat the virus. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals declared that the spread of misinformation regarding alternative treatments, affected their credibility and the relationship with their patients. Healthcare professionals had knowledge about the drugs used in clinical trials, and they acknowledged the role of social media in spreading medical misinformation. However, younger professionals also believed that social media could be used to share official information about the virus.

Analysis of Research Directions on the Rehabilitation of Patients with Stroke and Diabetes Using Scientometric Methods.

The multidisciplinary approach to the rehabilitation of patients with stroke and diabetes has been followed in this article by a review of the literature published in the Web of Science in the last ten years. A review of the literature was performed using scientometric methods. VOS Viewer software was used to determine the research directions in this area. Scientometric analysis has extracted relevant published scientific output that treats diabetes and stroke. Studies based on qualitative research and the conclusions of these studies were analyzed. The clusters with the keywords used in the title and abstract by the authors who published in the Web of Science were reviewed and research directions in the field were formulated. The proper care of diabetes and its numerous consequences, including stroke and its neurologic complications, necessitates the fast identification of research findings in various types of medicines and their efficacy when applied to various patient groups, such as diabetic patients, whose recovery after a stroke is similar to that of a nondiabetic patient following hemodynamic stabilization, although it takes longer and has poorer outcomes. The limitations of the study refer to the fact that the data reviewed are from the Web of Science only.

Patient Satisfaction with Private Recovery Services and Importance of Physician Behavior during COVID Time.

INTRODUCTION: Patient satisfaction represents an essential indicator of the quality of care in the medical recuperation sector. This study aimed to identify the degree of satisfaction in patients who benefit from medical recuperation services in one private clinic from Romania and the factors that played a part in this respect. METHOD: An online questionnaire was completed by 105 patients of a private clinic in the period immediately following the opening of the clinic after the quarantine period due to COVID-19. The following concepts were measured: general satisfaction with clinical recuperation services (SG), physician's behavior (PB), the impact of interventions on the state of health (IHI), modern equipment (ME), and the intention to return to the clinic (IRC). Based on a linear regression model, the impact of PB, IHI, ME, and IRC variables on general satisfaction (SG) was established. RESULTS: The study results confirm the data from studies carried out in different sociocultural contexts in ordinary time, where physician behavior is the most crucial factor in patients' satisfaction. Therefore, we can say that the physiotherapist's behavior has an essential role in determining the patients' satisfaction both in ordinary time and in COVID-19 time. The data in this study reflect the fact that satisfaction with the services offered by a medical recuperation clinic is a predictor for using the services in the future. Still, our study reflects a moderate relationship in intensity.

Equal Opportunities for Stroke Survivors' Rehabilitation: A Study on the Validity of the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale Translated and Adapted into Romanian.

Background and objectives: The Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UEFMA) is one of the most recommended and used methods of clinical evaluation not only for post-stroke motor function disability conditions but also for physiotherapy goal-setting. Up to the present, an official Romanian version has not been officially available. This study aims to carry out a translation, adaptation, and validation of UEFMA in Romanian, thus giving both patients and medical practitioners the equal opportunity of benefiting from its proficiency. Material and methods: The English version of the motor component of UEFMA was back and forth translated in the assent of best practice translation guidelines. The research was performed on a group of 64 post-stroke in-patients regarding psychometric properties for content validation and an exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis was performed using the Bayesian model. To assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability, we used the Cronbach Alpha index and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). We used Pearson correlation with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) to determine concurrent validation. Standardized response mean (SRM) was applied to determine the responsiveness of the instrument used. Results: After performing the exploratory factor analysis, a single factor was extracted, with an Eigenvalue of 19.363, which explained 64.543% of the variation. The model was confirmed by Bayesian exploration, with Root Mean Square Residual (RMR) 0.051, Goodness-of-fit Index (GFI) 0.980, Normed-Fit Index (NFI) 0.978 and Relative Fit Index (RFI) 0.977. The Cronbach Alpha value was 0.981, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) index for average measures was 0.992, the Pearson correlation with FIM 0.789, and MRS -0.787, while the SRM was 1.117. Conclusions: The Romanian version of the UEFMA scale is a reliable, responsive and valid tool which can be used as a standardized assessment in post-stroke patients across Romania.

Non-Invasive Assessment Method Using Thoracic-Abdominal Profile Image Acquisition and Mathematical Modeling with Bezier Curves.

The study was performed at Brasov County Hospital, in the Internal Medicine, Diabetes, Gastroenterology and Cardiology Wards with the collaboration of Transylvania University of Brasov, as a study approved by the Ethical Board of the university. The study aimed at assessing the connection between the anthropometric parameters of abdominal adiposity (measured by means of an original experiment designed to determine the curvature of the thoracic-abdominal adiposity for the patients and processed by help of a mathematical model based upon Bezier curves geometry) and the fat load of the liver (assessed by ultrasound by measuring the diameters of both hepatic lobes) for the patients diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). The existence of ten types of thoracic-abdominal curves profiles were statistically analyzed in order to evaluate in a simple manner the liver size in NAFLD. The method of diagnosis is based on an easily reproduced experiment, it is original, innovative, non-invasive, and cost-effective. Can be implemented anywhere in the world, there is no need for investment, only for determining the profile of the belly.

Patients' perceptions of healthcare professionalism-a Romanian experience.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this cross sectional study was to assess the psychometric properties of a new research instrument. The secondary aim was to analyze patients' levels of dissatisfaction with the professionalism of medical staff. METHODS: A social survey questionnaire was created and administered online. The instrument consisted of two scales: the 30-item patient dissatisfaction scale and the 10 items institutional scale. In this article, we assessed only the patient dissatisfaction scale. The research population includes 1838 subjects. The statistical procedures used were descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and factorial analyses with the SPSS.19 software. The internal consistency of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. We used a principal component analysis to investigate the factorial validity of the scale. RESULTS: The patients' scale of dissatisfaction obtained an alpha Cronbach score of 0.81. Three latent factors corresponding to three dimensions of dissatisfaction emerged from the data: medical staff's ability to communicate, medical staff's hygiene, as well as sanitary and privacy conditions within the hospital. The first factor explained 43.47% of the variance in patient dissatisfaction, the second factor explained 10.24%, and the third factor explained 7.59%; overall, the three factors explained 61.30% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: The Romanian healthcare system has an organization and management structure which has shown few changes since the communist period. Our study indicates that although more than 25 years have passed since the political regime changed in Romania and the introduction of a different system of social care, there have been no corresponding changes in the medical staff's mentality or in the way that patients are approached. The present assessment of patient dissatisfaction is not a strictly theoretical exercise; it also represents a valuable instrument for healthcare system management.

The Influence of Urbanism and Information Consumption on Political Dimensions of Social Capital: Exploratory Study of the Localities Adjacent to the Core City from Brașov Metropolitan Area, Romania.

BACKGROUND: The last two decades have seen a growing trend towards the research of voting behavior in post-communist countries. Urban sociology theorists state that not only space structures influence political participation, but also space structures are changing under the influence of global, local, and individual factors. The growing role played by information in the globalised world has accelerated the paradigm shift in urban sociology: from central place model (based on urban-rural distinction and on monocentric metropolitan areas) to network society (based on space of flows and polycentric metropolitan areas). However, recent studies have mainly focused on countries with solid democracies, rather than on former communist countries. The present study aims to analyze the extent to which a new emerging spatial structure can be envisaged within a metropolitan area of Romania and its consequences for the political dimensions of social capital. METHODS: The Transilvania University Ethics Commission approved this study (S1 Aprouval). The research is based upon individual and aggregate empirical data, collected from the areas adjacent to the core city in Brașov metropolitan area. Individual data has been collected during October 2012, using the oral survey technique (S1 Survey), based on a standardized questionnaire (stratified simple random sample, N = 600). The National Institute of Statistics and the Electoral Register provided the aggregate data per locality. Unvaried and multivariate analyses (hierarchical regression method) were conducted based on these data. RESULTS: Some dimensions of urbanism, identified as predictors of the political dimensions of social capital, suggest that the area under analysis has a predominantly monocentric character, where the rural-urban distinction continues to remain relevant. There are also arguments favoring the dissolution of the rural-urban distinction and the emergence of polycentric spatial structures. The presence of some influences related to the information consumption on all six indicators of the political dimensions of social capital under analysis suggests the occurrence of emerging forms of a space of flows. The identified effects of social problems associated with transport infrastructure and of migration experience on the political dimensions of social capital, also support the emergence of space of flows. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that, in the urban studies in former communist countries, conceptualization of urbanism as predictor of the political dimensions of social capital should consider both the material dimensions of space, as well as the dimensions of information consumption and migration experience.