Non-operative Management - The First Option in the Treatment of Blunt Liver and Spleen Trauma in Pediatric Patients.

AIM: The aim of the present study is to assess some characteristics of blunt hepatic and splenic injuries in children, the non-operative management (NOM) procedures and efficiency, over a 5-year period in a tertiary hospital for children. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 32 patients with blunt liver and/or spleen injuries. Age, gender, mechanism of injury, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, lenght of stay and bedrest, imaging diagnosis, hemostatics and transfusions, treatment, and discharge status were evaluated. Results: 58% of patients were males. Mean age was 10.7 years. The main mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accident. Ultrasound (US) and Computed Tomography (CT) found 56.2% patients with spleen injury and 43.8% with liver injuries. On US the most frequent injuries were lacerations, and on CT were splenic-grade III and hepatic-grade II. 84.4% of patients were hospitalized in Intensive Care Unit and 15.6% in the surgical unit. The mean hemoglobin and hematocrit were 10.91g/l and 33%, respectively.The treatment was non-operative for 84.4%, and operative for 15.6%. When discharged, 56.2% of patients were cured and 43.8% were improved. CONCLUSION: With a performing multidisciplinary team of surgeons, intensive care therapists and radiologists, NOM in pediatric patients with blunt liver and spleen injuries is safe and effective, may be conducted depending on the hemodynamic stability rather than the lesions' extension, and reduces the ICU lenght of stay, as well as the need for hemostatics and transfusion.

An Unusual Case of Meckel Diverticulitis Misdiagnosed as an Infected Urachal Cyst.

Introduction: Meckel's diverticulum (MD), a remnant of the omphaloenteric duct, is among the most frequent intestinal malformations. Another embryonic vestige is the urachus, which obliterates, becoming the median umbilical ligament; the failure of this process can lead to a urachal cyst formation. We present a case of Meckel diverticulitis misdiagnosed as an infected urachal cyst. Presentation of case: A 16-year-old girl presented with hypogastric pain, fever and vomiting. She had undergone an appendectomy 6 years prior and no digestive malformation had been documented. In the last 2 years, she had 3 events of urinary tract infections with Escherichia coli, and anabdominal ultrasound discovered a 28/21 mm hypoechogenic preperitoneal round tumor, anterosuperior to the bladder. We established the diagnosis of an infected urachal cyst, confirmed later by magnetic resonance imaging. Intraoperative, we found MD with necrotic diverticulitis attached to the bladder dome. Discussions: Meckel's diverticulum and urachal cyst (UC) are embryonic remnants. Both conditions are usually asymptomatic, being incidentally discovered during imaging or surgery performed for other abdominal pathology. Imaging diagnosis is accurate for UC, but for MD they are low sensitivity and specificity. For UC treatment, there is a tendency to follow an algorithm related to age and symptoms, but there is no general consensus on whether to perform a routine resection of incidentally discovered MD. Conclusion: Preoperatory diagnosis of MD represents a challenge. We want to emphasize the necessity of a thorough inspection of the small bowel during all abdominal surgical interventions and MD surgical excision regardless of its macroscopic appearance. These two actions seem to be the best prophylaxis measures for MD complications and consequently to avoid emergency surgery, in which case more extensive surgical procedures on an unstable patient may be needed.

Efficiency of continuous positive airway pressure and high-flow nasal oxygen therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 develop acute respiratory distress syndrome characterized by relatively well-preserved pulmonary compliance but severe hypoxemia. The challenge in managing such patients lies in optimizing oxygenation, which can be achieved through either high oxygen flow or noninvasive mechanical ventilation. This study was performed to compare the efficiency of two methods of noninvasive oxygen therapy: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved 668 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the "Sf. Apostol Andrei" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Galati, Romania from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (CPAP, n = 108; HFNO, n = 108). RESULTS: Mortality was significantly lower in the CPAP and HFNO groups than in the group of patients who underwent intubation and mechanical ventilation after ICU admission. Mortality in the ICU was not significantly different between the CPAP and HFNO groups. CONCLUSIONS: HFNO and CPAP represent efficient alternative therapies for patients with severe COVID-19 whose respiratory treatment has failed. Studies involving larger groups of patients are necessary to establish a personalized, more complex management modality for critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Acute Myocardial Infarction in COVID-19 Patients-A Review of Literature Data and Two-Case Report Series.

Background/Objectives: The newly emergent COVID-19 pandemic involved primarily the respiratory system and had also major cardiovascular system (CVS) implications, revealed by acute myocardial infarction (AMI), arrhythmias, myocardial injury, and thromboembolism. CVS involvement is done through main mechanisms-direct and indirect heart muscle injury, with high mortality rates, worse short-term outcomes, and severe complications. AMI is the echo of myocardial injury (revealed by increases in CK, CK-MB, and troponin serum markers-which are taken into consideration as possible COVID-19 risk stratification markers). When studying myocardial injury, physicians can make use of imaging studies, such as cardiac MRI, transthoracic (or transesophageal) echocardiography, coronary angiography, cardiac computed tomography, and nuclear imaging (which have been used in cases where angiography was not possible), or even endomyocardial biopsy (which is not always available or feasible). Two-case-series presentations: We present the cases of two COVID-19 positive male patients who were admitted into the Clinical Department of Cardiology in "Sfântul Apostol Andrei" Emergency Clinical Hospital of Galați (Romania), who presented with acute cardiac distress symptoms and have been diagnosed with ST elevation AMI. The patients were 82 and 57 years old, respectively, with moderate and severe forms of COVID-19, and were diagnosed with anteroseptal left ventricular AMI and extensive anterior transmural left ventricular AMI (with ventricular fibrillation at presentation), respectively. The first patient was a non-smoker and non-drinker with no associated comorbidities, and was later discharged, while the second one died due to AMI complications. Conclusions: From this two-case series, we extract the following: old age alone is not a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes in COVID-19-related CVS events, and that the cumulative effects of several patient-associated risk factors (be it either for severe forms of COVID-19 and/or acute cardiac injury) will most probably lead to poor patient prognosis (death). At the same time, serum cardiac enzymes, dynamic ECG changes, along with newly developed echocardiographic modifications are indicators for poor prognosis in acute cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients with acute myocardial injury, regardless of the presence of right ventricular dysfunction (due to pulmonary hypertension).

The Impact of Cardiovascular Antecedents on the Prognosis of COVID-19 Critically Ill Patients.

Background/Objectives: The objective of the study is to analyze the impact of cardiovascular history on mortality in COVID-19 patients, hospitalized in the intensive care unit with indications for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and subsequently mechanical ventilation, without oncological disease. Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out on a group of 108 critical COVID-19 patients. We compared demographic data, paraclinical and clinical parameters, days of hospitalization, and mortality rate between two groups of patients, one group with a history of cardiovascular disease (81 patients) and a group without a history of cardiovascular disease (27 patients). Results: Patients with cardiovascular antecedents had a higher mortality rate than those without cardiovascular antecedents, presenting severe forms with shorter survival time in the intensive care unit and increased inflammatory evidence. Compared to patients without a history of cardiovascular illness, those with cardiovascular disease had a lower average age, and developed a severe form of COVID-19. Conclusions: Cardiovascular antecedents can worsen the prognosis of patients with COVID-19, requiring a careful screening and multidisciplinary approach.

Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus between Present and Future.

Background/Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze the results of clinical trials regarding long-term antiviral therapies in chronic hepatitis with HBV to compare current therapeutic protocols and to analyze the results of preliminary studies with new antiviral therapies for HBV. Methods: Clinical studies and meta-analyses from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Research Gate from 2011 to 2024 were analyzed on patients undergoing chronic antiviral therapy for HBV, and a retrospective observational study performed in our clinic on a group of 76 patients undergoing chronic therapy with entecavir was presented. Also, a summary of the results of preliminary studies with various innovative antiviral molecules for HBV was performed. Results: The results of extensive clinical trials reveal that current therapies for chronic HBV are well tolerated and maintain good viral suppression if the patient is adherent to therapy. Innovative therapies aim to eliminate HBsAg and, thus, significantly shorten the duration of treatment, and the preliminary results of the studies are promising. Conclusions: Being an asymptomatic condition that requires life-long therapy, adherence to therapy is a real problem. Also, the risk of decompensation of liver cirrhosis and adenocarcinoma remains important in these patients. Future research is needed to perfect some antiviral therapy schemes that shorten the treatment period but also decrease the rate of progression towards decompensated cirrhosis and liver adenocarcinoma.

Changes in Dento-Facial Morphology Induced by Wind Instruments, in Professional Musicians and Physical Exercises That Can Prevent or Improve Them-A Systematic Review.

The aim of this study is to highlight the changes that occur regarding dento-facial morphology, facial, and masticatory muscles in musicians who play wind instruments. Anatomical and functional changes may occur after the long-term use of each type of wind instrument. We considered studies of the impact of playing the wind instrument on the masticatory muscle activity and the resulting modifications. Both children and adults can be affected by playing wind instruments in regard to tooth positioning and facial morphology. These changes relate to the type of wind instruments, the type of vowels and tones used by instrumentalists. There most valuable breathing techniques have been identified that improve the redistribution of pressure, with a minimizing effect on the morphological changes in the oral cavity and cephalic extremity, implicitly on the masticatory functional disorders. In addition to these beneficial effects on the stomatognathic system, these breathing techniques favorably increase lung capacity. Furthermore, a series of toning exercises for neck muscles-which are actively involved and overworked by wind instrument-playing artists-was identified. The study concludes that less experienced instrumentalists demonstrate increased facial muscle engagement, possibly leading to excessive strain, while experienced instrumentalists exhibit more optimized patterns of muscle activity. The novelty of this research lies in its interdisciplinary approach to understanding the influence of wind instruments on dento-facial morphology, addressing preventive and corrective measures to mitigate undesirable outcomes.

Sleep Disorders Associated with Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Sleep disturbances are common in various neurological pathologies, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple system atrophy (MSA), hereditary ataxias, Huntington's disease (HD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This article reviews the prevalence and characteristics of sleep disorders in these conditions, highlighting their impact on patients' quality of life and disease progression. Sleep-related breathing disorders, insomnia, restless legs syndrome (RLS), periodic limb movement syndrome (PLMS), and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are among the common sleep disturbances reported. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions play crucial roles in managing sleep disturbances and enhancing overall patient care.

Giant Benign Struma Ovarii with High-Grade Fever, Elevated CA 125, and Hormonal Function in an Adolescent Patient.

Struma ovarii (SO) is a monodermal teratoma containing at least 50% thyroid tissue. Classically, SO is a hormonally inactive benign neoplasm that occurs in premenopausal women, and has unspecific clinical and imaging features. Its treatment is surgical and its diagnosis is established histopathologically. We report the case of a euthyroid 16-year-old girl presenting with abdominal girth increase. An abdomino-pelvic ultrasound showed a giant multicystic mass with transonic content and multiple septa, and magnetic resonance imaging suggested the diagnosis of right ovarian mucinous cystadenoma. Blood tests showed inflammatory syndrome, iron deficiency anemia, mild hepatocytolysis, and elevated serum CA 125 levels. High-grade fever occurred on the third day of hospitalization, but none of the preoperative tests could identify its origin. Cystectomy was performed, and the histopathological examination revealed benign SO with a few small cysts with purulent content. The patient developed hypothyroidism postoperatively. In conclusion, this case report reunites most of the uncommon features of SO and confirms the superiorityof histopathology in its definitive diagnosis, as well as the suitability of ovarian sparing techniques, as the best treatment option for cystic ovarian pathology in pediatric patients, even in cases of large tumoral size and elevated serum CA 125 levels.

Comparative Evaluation of the Clinical Severity of COVID-19 of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients in Southeastern Romania in the First 6 Months of 2022, during the Omicron Wave.

(1) Background: The pandemic wave produced by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron was characterized by milder clinical forms and high contagiousness. The vaccination rate against COVID-19 in Romania was approximately 42%. (2) Objectives: Comparison of the clinical severity in vaccinated patients compared to unvaccinated ones. (3) Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on a group of 699 adult patients confirmed with COVID-19 who presented in the "Sf. Cuvioasa Parascheva" Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital of Galati, Romania, between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2022. The study compared the need for hospitalization, reinfections, demographic and comorbidity data, clinical and paraclinical parameters from the initial evaluation, and the ratio of unfavorable developments on subgroups chosen according to the vaccination status. (4) Results and Conclusions: Our study reveals that unvaccinated patients required hospitalization in 54.68% of cases, while fully vaccinated patients had a hospitalization rate of 40.72%, which was significantly lower than that of the unvaccinated group (p = 0.01); patients who received a booster dose had a hospitalization rate of 27.84% (p < 0.01, significantly lower than unvaccinated individuals; p = 0.01, significantly lower than fully vaccinated individuals); and among the four patients who received four doses, none required hospitalization. From the analysis of the two subgroups of hospitalized patients, we observed a significantly higher prevalence of radiological lesions, such as pulmonary opacities in the group of unvaccinated patients and a higher average duration of hospitalization, and serum values of D-dimers and blood-sugar at admission were significantly higher in unvaccinated patients. The higher presence of these parameters, which are indicators of severe progression in clinical studies, in the group of unvaccinated patients suggests the need to include them in the initial evaluation of the unvaccinated patients with COVID-19.The cumulative share of deaths and transfers in the ICU was higher in the group of unvaccinated patients, but the difference between the groups had no statistical significance. This study draws attention to the possibility of severe clinical forms among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, especially in the elderly and in patients with multiple comorbidities.

Calcium, Phosphorus and Magnesium Abnormalities Associated with COVID-19 Infection, and Beyond.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has had a profound impact on global health, leading to a surge in research to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease. Among the various aspects under investigation, disruptions in mineral homeostasis have emerged as a critical area of interest. This review aims to provide an overview of the current evidence linking calcium, phosphorus and magnesium abnormalities with COVID-19 infection and explores the potential implications beyond the acute phase of the disease. Beyond the acute phase of COVID-19, evidence suggests a potential impact of these mineral abnormalities on long-term health outcomes. Persistent alterations in calcium, phosphorus and magnesium levels have been linked to increased cardiovascular risk, skeletal complications and metabolic disorders, warranting continuous monitoring and management in post-COVID-19 patients.

Diagnostic and Management of Undescended Ovary - A Preoperative Dilemma: A Case-Based Systematic Review.

Undescended ovary (UO) is an uncommon congenital condition characterized by the presence of the adnexa above the common iliac vessels, with an estimated incidence of 0.3-2%. Because of its rarity, it is usually presented as a case report. A thorough knowledge of the ovarian embryological development is essential for the clinician, who must be warned about the possibility of associated Müllerian and renal malformations. There may be asymptomatic patients, incidentally diagnosed during infertility evaluation, but when symptoms occur, these are unspecific and most often this disorder is misdiagnosed, the accurate diagnosis being established intraoperatory. The malignant potential of an UO is accepted, although no such cases were reported. The role of the UO in infertility is still unclear, despite evidence of its normal function. Complications are linked to the ovary (cyst formation, cyst ruptures or tumors) or to the undescended fallopian tube (ectopic pregnancies). The management should be conservative, but there is no consensus about whether it is necessary to excise the ipsilateral undescended tube. We included a short case presentation of an UO cystadenoma misdiagnosed as a renal cyst, which depicts all diagnostic and management dilemmas and inspired us to write this review. The present literature review includes all the cases reported from the early 20th century to the present, with updated data about epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical and imaging diagnosis, treatment options and prognosis of this rare condition. This paper aims to establish some directions in the diagnosis and management of similar patients and to remind us that, no matter how advanced the imaging investigation techniques might be, a correct preoperative diagnosis may often be missed.

Clinical, Imaging, Histological and Surgical Aspects Regarding Giant Paraovarian Cysts: A Systematic Review.

Paraovarian cysts (POCs) develop within the broad ligament of the uterus. POCs are considered to be giant when the threshold of 150 mm is exceeded. Clinical signs and symptoms occur as a consequence of the pressure effect on adjacent organs or due to complications. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging are useful imaging tools, but most often the exact origin of such voluminous cysts is revealed only by surgical exploration. The review aims to appraise and update the diagnostic, the histological aspects and the treatment of the giant POCs in rare cases. We carried out a systematic search in Medline-PubMed, Google Scholar and ResearchGate electronic databases. Twenty-seven papers fulfilling the selection criteria were included in the review. The data extracted included information about first author, year of publication, country, patient age, size and side of the POCs, symptoms, tumoral markers, imaging methods, preoperative diagnosis, surgical management and histopathological findings. Although not very numerous, all the studies highlighted the low incidence of giant POCs, the impossibility of establishing the origin of the cystic mass by clinical and imaging methods even with advanced technical tools and the low risk of torsion (11.1%). Despite the recognized benign nature of POCs, we found an unexpected high percent (25.9%) of borderline giant POCs. Surgical excision is the only treatment option. Ovarian-sparing surgery was performed in 85.1% of the cases, and minimally invasive techniques were applied in only 42.9% of the patients, which demonstrates the need of a high-level laparoscopic expertise. Knowledge of this pathology, its recognition as a possible etiology of an abdominopelvic cyst, and a higher awareness of the possibility of a borderline histology in giant POCs are required for the proper management of these particular cases.

Orthopaedic manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1: A case report.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or von Recklinghausen disease is one of the most common autosomal dominant genetic diseases. It is characterized by 'café-au-lait' spots and multiple tumors starting from the central and peripheric nervous system. The diagnosis is determined on two out of seven criteria: i) A total of 6 or more light brown spots larger than 5 mm in diameter (pre-puberty) or 15 mm in diameter (post-puberty); ii) a total of 2 or more neurofibromas or one plexiform neurofibroma; iii) axillary or inguinal freckling; iv) optic glioma; v) a total of 2 or more Lisch nodules; vi) bone abnormalities: tibia pseudarthrosis or dysplasia of the sphenoid wing; and vii) a relative of first degree having an NF1 diagnosis. A total of ~50% of patients have significant musculoskeletal manifestation, with scoliosis and congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia most common. Management of the orthopaedic manifestations of NF1 is often difficult. Due to NF1 influencing multiple organ systems, patients are likely to benefit most from a multidisciplinary treatment strategy.

Ag-Decorated Iron Oxides-Silica Magnetic Nanocomposites with Antimicrobial and Photocatalytic Activity.

Nanotechnology offers unlimited possibilities for creating effective hybrid materials, which combine functional performance in environment depollution and antimicrobial defense with a lack of toxicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and natural availability. This paper presents the silver effect on photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of double-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs), Fe3O4@SiO2/ZnO-Ag. The structural, morphological, and textural information of the, core-shell iron oxides-based superparamagnetic nanoparticles (IOMNPs) decorated with 5% Ag by ultrasound-assisted synthesis were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller physisorption measurements. Although two synthesis temperatures of 95 and 80 °C were used for the co-precipitated iron oxide cores, the XRD patterns revealed the formation of a single magnetite, Fe3O4, phase. The sorption-photocatalytic activities under dark and UV irradiation encountered a maximum removal efficiency of the MB (90.47%) for the Fe3O4@SiO2/ZnO-Ag sample with iron oxide core obtained at 80 °C. The rate constant for the second-order kinetics was 0.0711 min-1 for 2 h, and the correlation coefficient R2 closed to unity. Two samples with Ag-decorated hybrid SiO2/ZnO shell and hierarchically interconnected porous structure with large surface area (328.8 and 342.5 m2g-1) exhibited the best disk diffusion antimicrobial activity against four microorganisms, especially gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus.

The Influence of Living in Rural Areas on the Evolution and Management of Pediatric Ovarian Cystic Lesions: A Retrospective Study on a Cohort from South Eastern Romania.

Background: The incidence of ovarian cystic lesions (OCLs) in pediatric patients has been increasing in recent years. An early diagnosis is mandatory for a favourable prognosis but it depends on the primary medical care services and on the socioeconomic status of the patient. The present study aims at assessing the prevalence and the age-specific frequencies of pediatric OCLs, as well as identifying disparities between subjects in the urban and the rural areas, in order to explore the extent to which OCLs occurrence, diagnosis, evolution and treatment differ in the case of patients living in rural areas. Methods: A 3-year retrospective study was conducted between 2017 and 2019. All the female patients aged between 0 and 18 with OCLs ≥10 mm (N = 488), diagnosed and treated at "Sf.Ioan" Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children in Galati were included in the study. The Chi2 test was used for comparing the distributions of frequencies, and the t-Student test was used for comparing the means of any two normally distributed variables. The statistical significance threshold (p) was set at 0.05. Results: The prevalence of OCLs ≥10 mm was 14.85%, 47.13% of the subjects originating in rural area (p = 0.62). Different from the urban areas, the rural ones are characterised by a lower proportion of patients with BMI ≥25 (p = 0.002), larger OCLs mean size (p = 0.278), a more frequent complex aspect on ultrasonography (p = 0.01), and a smaller number of general physician referrals (p = 0.005). Moreover, a higher proportion of rural patients were intraoperatively diagnosed with OCLs (p = 0.044), had complicated OCLs (p = 0.012) and had their OCLs surgically treated OCLs (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Taking into consideration the socio-economic situation of south eastern Romania, patients living in rural areas have proven exposed to a higher risk of presenting with larger, complex and complicated OCLs, which most often require surgical treatment.

The Role of D-Dimers in the Initial Evaluation of COVID-19.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic was noted for the high degree of contagion and the large number of cases, as well as for the various clinical forms, from asymptomatic towards rapid evolution to death. The hospitals limited care capacity imposed the need to identify some markers of unfavorable evolution. The purpose of our study is to identify the parameters correlated with COVID-19 unfavorable evolution and to draw the profile of the patient at risk of unfavorable evolution. This set of parameters will help the doctor in deciding whether to hospitalize a patient and in choosing the treatment. Patients and Methods: We performed a prospective, observational, actively controlled study on 849 patients with COVID-19, hospitalized in the Second Clinic of "Sf. Cuv. Parascheva" Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital Galati, Romania, between 1.03.2020-30.11.2020. Results: The parameters statistically significant modified at the admission of the patients with COVID-19 unfavorable evolution were age, oxygen saturation, D-dimers, creatine kinase (CK), troponin, erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR), leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, platelets, hemoglobin (Hb), aspartate transaminase (AST), total and direct bilirubin (TBIL, DBIL), urea, creatinine, serum glucose. Strong correlations were observed between the unfavorable evolution and the admission values of D-dimers, AST, TBIL and between D-dimers and AST, which suggests that D-dimers levels can be considered predictive for the alteration of liver function and for the negative prognosis of the patient. Conclusion: Coagulation disorders and acute respiratory failure are the prevailing causes of death from COVID-19. Together with other parameters that constitute the risk profile for severe COVID-19 evolution, the D-dimers dosing at admission proved to be extremely useful in the management of COVID-19.

Benefits and adverse events of melatonin use in the elderly (Review).

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in accordance with the circadian rhythm when the light level decreases. Reduction of melatonin secretion with age may be associated with physiological aging in neurodegenerative diseases by affecting the suprachiasmatic nucleus or of the neuronal pathways of transmission to the pineal gland. A significant decrease in melatonin synthesis has been reported in various disorders and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders (particularly diabetes type 2), cancer and endocrine diseases. In addition to the fact, that melatonin is a sleep inducer, it also exerts cytoprotective properties as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. The therapeutic role of melatonin has been demonstrated in sleep disorders, eye damage and cardiovascular disease. The association between melatonin and ß-blockers has had a positive impact on sleep disorders in clinical trials. Previous studies have reported the anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin by adjusting levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α. Melatonin treatment has been demonstrated to decrease IL-6 and IL-10 expression levels and efficiently attenuate T-cell proliferation. Currently, there is an inconsistency of scientific data regarding the lowest optimal dose and safety of melatonin for long-term use. The aim of the present review was to summarize the evidence on the role of melatonin in various clinical conditions and highlight the future research in this area.

Risk of hepatitis B reactivation: From biologic therapies for psoriasis to immunosuppressive therapies for COVID-19 (Review).

The cytokine storm from the evolution of severe cases of COVID-19, requiring strong immunosuppressive therapies, has raised the issue of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in these patients. An analysis of the first observational studies in patients with COVID-19 and immunosuppressive therapy and HBV infection along with special clinical cases was presented, as well as personal experience on a series of cases (a group of 958 patients with COVID-19), compared with the analysis of studies performed on patients with HBV infection that underwent biological therapies for psoriasis and personal experience (a group of 81 psoriasis patients treated with biological therapies). Clinical studies have revealed that HBV reactivation in patients undergoing biological therapies for psoriasis, can be prevented with monitoring and treatment protocols and thus, these therapies have been demonstrated to be safe and effective. In COVID-19, immunosuppressive therapies are short-lived but in high doses, and the conclusions of clinical trials are contradictory, but there are published cases of HBV reactivation, which requires a unitary attitude in the prevention of HBV reactivation in these patients. An algorithm was presented for monitoring and treatment of HBV infection for patients with psoriasis treated with biological therapy and the conditions when this protocol can be used for patients with COVID-19 and immunosuppressive therapy.

A Working Hypothesis on Vesicular Lesions Related to COVID-19 Infection, Koebner Phenomena Type V, and a Short Review of Related Data.

SARS-CoV-2 has recently been associated with the reactivation of varicella zoster virus in patients. This is potentially an observation of a local susceptibility of the skin in areas of vesicle formation. This article explores the dermatologic manifestations that have been linked to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, their infectious risk, as well as potential confounding factors. An isotopic response may be occurring due to the occurrence of an immunocompromised district incited by sustained inflammation mediated by inflammatory cytokines.