Diagnostic and Therapeutic Characteristics in Patients with Pneumotorax Associated with COVID-19 versus Non-COVID-19 Pneumotorax.

Introduction: Pneumothorax is a condition that usually occurs in thin, young people, especially in smokers. It is an unusual complication of COVID-19 disease that can be associated with worse results. This disease can occur without pre-existing lung disease or without mechanical ventilation. Materials and Methods: We present a monocentric comparative retrospective study of diagnostic and treatment analysis of two groups of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pneumothorax. All patients included in this study underwent surgery in a thoracic surgery department. The study was conducted over a period of 18 months. It included 34 patients with COVID-19 pneumothorax and 42 patients with non-COVID-19 pneumothorax. Results: The clinical symptoms were more intense in patients with COVID-19 pneumothorax. We found that the patients with COVID-19 had significantly more respiratory comorbidities. Diagnostic procedures include chest CT exam for both groups. Laboratory findings showed that increasing values for the analyzed data were consistent with the deterioration of the general condition and the appearance of pneumothorax in the COVID-19 group. The therapeutic attitude regarding the non-COVID-19 group was to eliminate the air from the pleural cavity and surgical approach to the lesion that determined the occurrence of pneumothorax. The group of patients with COVID-19 pneumothorax received systemic treatment, and only minimal pleurotomy was performed. The surgical approach did not alter patients' survival. Conclusions: Careful monitoring of the patient's clinic and laboratory tests evaluating the degradation of the lung parenchyma, correlated with the imaging examination (chest CT) is mandatory and reduces COVID-19 complications. Early imaging examination starts an effective diagnosis and treatment management. In severe COVID-19 pneumothorax cases, the pneumothorax did not influence the evolution of COVID-19 disease. When we found that the general condition worsened with the rapid progression of dyspnea and the deterioration of the general condition, and we found that it represented the progression or recurrence of pneumothorax.

Pattern recognition of neuron specific enolase and carcinoembryonic antigen in whole blood samples.

New tools and methods for pattern recognition of neuron specific enolase (NSE) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were proposed for the screening of whole blood samples. The new tools were based on stochastic sensors designed using nanoporous gold microspheres, graphite, graphene, diamond paste as well as α-CDs, and 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin. The best sensor for the assay of CEA was the one based on P/graphite (the limit of determination was 16 fg/ml and sensitivity was 2.32 × 10(7) s mg(-1) ml), while for the assay of NSE the, best sensor was the one based on P/graphene (the limit of determination was 7.45 pg/ml and sensitivity was 2.49 × 10(8) s mg(-1) ml). The sensor of choice for simultaneous detection of NSE and CEA is the one based on P/graphene because we need high sensitivity and low limit of determination for NSE. To our knowledge, this is the only one screening test for early detection of lung cancer, by identification of NSE and CEA in whole blood samples.

Molecular recognition of HER-1 in whole-blood samples.

Multimode sensing was proposed for molecular screening and recognition of HER-1 in whole blood. The tools used for molecular recognition were platforms based on nanostructured materials such as the complex of Mn(III) with meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin, and maltodextrin (dextrose equivalence between 4 and 7), immobilized in diamond paste, graphite paste or C60 fullerene paste. The identification of HER-1 in whole-blood samples, at molecular level, is performed using stochastic mode and is followed by the quantification of it using stochastic and differential pulse voltammetry modes. HER-1 can be identified in the concentration range between 280 fg/ml and 4.86 ng/ml using stochastic mode, this making possible the early detection of cancers such as gastrointestinal, pancreatic and lung cancers. The recovery tests performed using whole-blood samples proved that the platforms can be used for identification and quantification of HER-1 with high sensitivity and reliability in such samples, these making them good molecular screening tools.

Correction: Nistor et al. Primary Cardiac Intimal Sarcoma: Multi-Layered Strategy and Core Role of MDM2 Amplification/Co-Amplification and MDM2 Immunostaining. Diagnostics 2024, 14, 919.

Camelia Stanciu Gavan, Adelina Birceanu, and Cezar Betianu were not included as authors in the original publication [...].

Clinical and Paraclinical Characteristics of Endobronchial Pulmonary Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Brief Review.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of tumors located inside the tracheobronchial tree. Patients often present in advanced stages of the disease, which most often leads to a targeted therapeutic attitude of pneumonectomy. Practicing lung parenchyma-preserving surgery led us to undertake this review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used three search platforms-SCIENCE, MEDLINE, and PubMed-in order to identify studies presenting case reports, investigations, and reviews on endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma. We identified the clinical and paraclinical features of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma. All the selected articles were in English and addressed the clinical criteria of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma, autofluorescence bronchoscopy in endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma, imaging features of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma, blood tumor markers specific to lung squamous cell carcinoma, and histopathological features of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma. RESULTS: In total, 73 articles were analyzed, from which 48 articles were selected as bibliographic references. We present the criteria used for the identification of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma in order to highlight its main characteristics and the most reliable technologies that can be used for the detection of this type of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The current literature review highlights the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of endobronchial squamous cell carcinoma. It aims to open new paths for research and early detection with respect to the frequent practice of lung parenchymal preservation surgery.

Attitude of the surgical approach in hyperparathyroidism: A retrospective study.

The present study constitutes a retrospective study for patients with hyperparathyroidism surgically operated on at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Central Military Emergency University Hospital 'Dr. Carol Davila', Bucharest, Romania (SUUMC), over a period of 6 years. The study aimed to elucidate the diagnostic and surgical attitude for an effective treatment, practiced at SUUMC, Romania. The study group included 55 patients: 41 women and 14 men, diagnosed at the endocrinology department, who underwent various personalized surgeries (Kocher modified incision) for typical and ectopic locations of parathyroid pseudotumor formations (hyperplasia and parathyroid adenoma), to cure the disease. The recommended protocol was followed by immediate and 30-day postoperative evaluation which showed normalization of the blood tests, and improved clinical and imaging anomalies. In conclusion, the thoracic surgeon has the necessary knowledge to perform surgery at the cervical, thoracic-cervical and mediastinal levels. Postoperative, the results of laboratory tests for calcium (Ca) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) gradually returned to normal, as can be seen from the statistical study.

A Screening Test for Early Diagnosis of Microcellular Bronchopulmonary Cancer-Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: According to WHO, in worldwide cancer mortality statistics, the first place is occupied by bronchopulmonary cancer. This reason has led us to carry out the present pilot study, was with the participation of the Clinics of Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest in order to apply a technique developed earlier by Stefan-van Staden, for early detection of this type of cancer, initiate a personalized diagnosis, and implicitly apply a personalized treatment in order to increase the life expectancy among these patients. In recent years, there has been a tendency to find fast non-invasive screening methods for the early diagnosis of cancer. Therefore, the present pilot study proposed simultaneous detection of tumor markers (NSE and CEA) by different methods: (1) ELISA kits, (2) the method developed earlier by Stefan-van Staden-which used stochastic sensors, and (3) IHC. All selected patients selected by Dr Claudiu-Eduard Nistor, were suspected of microcellular bronchopulmonary cancer. Tumor tissue samples were collected by conventional and minimally invasive surgical techniques. The results obtained for the detection of markers in blood using ELISA, and stochastic methods (based on stochastic sensors) were correlated with the results obtained using anatomopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor tissues. EXPERIMENTAL: Stochastic sensors have been used to analyze NSE in blood samples and whole tissues. The IHC was performed for analyzing tumor tissue using standard procedures. ELISA has been used as a standard method to determine specific biomarkers in whole blood samples. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A good correlation was found for results obtained using stochastic and ELISA methods, and IHC for blood and tissue analysis. Statistical evaluation of the data showed that the results of whole blood analysis are correlating very good with the analysis of pulmonary tumor tissue. Therefore, the stochastic method can be used for the detection and for the pursuit of therapeutic efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained, as well as the statistics, showed that the proposed method can be used as a screening method for fast and early detection of microcellular bronchopulmonary, being minim invasive. It can also be used for monitoring the therapeutic efficiency of the prescribed medication.

Fast Screening of Tissue Samples for Glycogen.

Screening of tissue samples for glycogen is very important in assessing the ageing, but also the state of health of the tissue. Therefore, two needle stochastic sensors based on maltodextrins presenting different dextrose equivalence (DE) MD-m (DE 13.0-17.0), and MD-M (DE 16.5-19.5) immobilized in diamond paste (obtained from synthetic diamond and paraffin oil) were designed and characterized. These stochastic sensors were used reliable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis for the assay of glycogen in tissue samples with limits of determination as low as 1fmol L-1.