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This article investigates the link between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and cardiovascular and neurological disorders. Recent research suggests that H. pylori may play a role in cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and stroke, as well as neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. Cardiovascular Diseases: H. pylori induces endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation, promoting atherosclerotic plaque formation and other cardiac complications. High infection prevalence in cardiovascular patients implies that systemic inflammation from H. pylori accelerates disease progression. Eradication therapies combined with anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering treatments may reduce cardiovascular risk. Neurological Diseases: H. pylori may contribute to Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's through systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, and autoimmune responses. Increased infection prevalence in these patients suggests bacterial involvement in disease pathogenesis. The eradication of H. pylori could reduce neuroinflammation and improve outcomes. Discussions and Future Research: Managing H. pylori infection in clinical practice could impact public health and treatment approaches. Further research is needed to clarify these relationships. Longitudinal and mechanistic studies are essential to fully understand H. pylori's role in these conditions. Conclusions: H. pylori infection is a potential risk factor for various cardiovascular and neurological conditions. Additional research is critical for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. Targeted therapies, including H. pylori eradication combined with anti-inflammatory treatments, could improve clinical outcomes. These findings highlight the need for an integrated clinical approach to include H. pylori evaluation and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis Peritonitis is a serious condition, whose diagnosis is established late due to the nonspecific nature of the clinical features, which delays the performance of imaging investigations and, implicitly, the setting of the diagnosis through biopsy and histopathological examination. We report the case of a 49-year-old man who presented in our clinic with nonspecific symptoms and significant nitrogen retention, with ascites fluid detected during the clinical–paraclinical examination, ultimately confirming the diagnosis of bacillary peritonitis. Confirmation of tuberculous etiology through biopsy and/or bacteriological examination is sovereign for the diagnosis. The therapeutic protocol includes three anti-tuberculostatic drugs, for a period of at least 6 months, with or without the combination of corticosteroid therapy during the first months of treatment. The patient evolution under treatment was initially favorable, but due to peritoneal adhesions, it underwent complications later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidants have been commonly used in medicine for thousands of years. Clinically, pentoxifylline and Ginkgo biloba have beneficial renal effects. Our study evaluated the nephroprotective effect of Gingko biloba in combination with Pentoxifiln in an experimental model of vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity. Male Winstar rats were used in 3 groups: CONTROL, VANCO and VANCO+GBI+PTX and each group included 6 rats. Insufficient studies in the literature on the prevention of acute kidney injury by the combination of Ginkgo biloba and pentoxifylline led to the necessity to perform the study. Acute kidney injury was demonstrated by measuring serum values of classical markers such as urea and creatinine but also by measuring the urinary N-acetyl-ß-d-glucosaminidase index, a topical marker in modern medicine. The significant decrease of the biochemical parameters in group III (VANCO+GBI+PTX) compared to group II (VANCO) and values similar to group I (CONTROL), demonstrates, the nephroprotective effect of the use in combination of the two substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea and among adults, the worldwide incidence rate of the infection is increasing. There is a small amount of data in the literature for pediatric patients, but most indicate an increasing trend. C. difficile is a constituent of the normal microbiota; however, under specific conditions that cause a disruption of the normal bacterial flora, colonization of C. difficile and the released toxins that cause inflammation and mucosal damage occurs. Risk factors for CDI at any age include hospitalization, exposure to antibiotics, administration of proton pump inhibitors, invasive mechanical ventilation, immunosuppression and presence of associated comorbidities. Clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic colonization to fulminant disease characterized by toxic megacolon, intestinal perforation and, rarely, death. The aim of the present review was to outline the features of CDI in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. HCV is considered the most encountered viral infection that affect patients after hemodialysis sessions. Even though liver biopsy is considered the golden standard for hepatic diagnosis, additional methods have been used for assessing liver fibrosis. Transient elastography (TE) has evolved as a reference method in some European countries and allows the physician to carry out a fibrosis evaluation in a noninvasive, low-cost and rapid method. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of TE in staging patients with HCV liver disease associated with ESRD, thus choosing the correct moment to perform the procedure. Materials and Methods. We included 34 patients known with ESRD within the regional Nephrology Clinic of Olt County Hospital and also having positive hepatitis C viral liver marker. TE was performed before and hemodialysis and data was analyzed. Results. The patients where we have encountered significant changes were especially within the F0 and F1 stage with a decrease of fibrosis after hemodialysis. Thus, 7 patients which had no fibrosis (F0) went from 4,14±0,98kPa to 3,54±0,84 (p<0,05) and 12 patients from the F1 stage went from 6,22±0,39kPa to 5,47±0,58kPa. The other stages had no significant changes with F2 changing after hemodialysis from 8.03±0,62kPa to 7,76±0,6kPa. Conclusions. TE represents a valuable tool for stiffness assessment and should be taken into considerations as a major option for ESRD patients with liver disease. However, more patients should be enrolled to strengthen this theory and thus providing more reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucosteroids (GS) are widely used drugs for various inflammatory pathologies (Nephrotic syndrome, Proliferative glomerulonephritis, Extramembrane glomerulonephritis, Nephropathy of the Nodous Poliarterita (PAN), Nephropathy from purple Henoch-Schonlein, lupus nephropathy (LN), Acute adrenal insufficiency Waterhouse-Friederichsen, Chronic adrenal insufficiency Addison, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Polymyositis and dermatomyositis, Chronic granulomatosis, Crohn's disease, Hemorrhagic rectocolitis, Hemolytic anemias, Acute leukemias and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma). Although they are prescribed for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties, they also have many side effects, hyperglycemia being one of the most common and representative, which is why these drugs need careful monitoring when administered over the long term. This paper presents the case of a 39 year old patient diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with class IV lupus nephropathy (LN) who developed numerous complications due to the pathogenic side effects: diabetes, amenorrhea, recurrent infections, and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three centuries after the identification of hepatitis C virus (HCV), specialized literature has outlined the epidemiology, viral kinetics and clinical manifestations of this infection. A major cause of morbidity-mortality in patients with renal transplantation and in hemodialysis patients is HCV infection. In high seroprevalence countries, internal accounts are not uniform. The European trend is to decrease the incidence and prevalence of HCV in hemodialysis patients. In Europe, the prevalence of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients tends to be higher than that of the general population, but it is variable by region. Some studies indicate a decrease in incidence in parallel with prevalence in dialysis centers over the last 10 years, while others maintain a high incidence. In some countries, as is the case with Romania, both prevalence and incidence remain high, with the major route of transmission being nosocomial, probably due to limited resources for a rapidly growing dialyzed population. Some authors recommend more isolation measures to be taken in centers with high prevalence of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute pancreatitis is characterized as an inflammatory illness that is life-threatening and causes necrosis as well as simple edema when pancreatic enzymes are activated intraglandularly. It is not known whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causes acute pancreatitis. Patients with acute pancreatitis who test positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) frequently have biliary or alcoholic causes. It is unclear how common acute pancreatitis is in patients with COVID-19. By contrast with patients without COVID-19, however, COVID-19-positive patients with acute pancreatitis have a higher mortality as well as a higher risk of necrosis and admission to an intensive care unit. The most common cause of mortality in COVID-19-positive individuals with concurrent severe pancreatitis is acute respiratory distress syndrome. The present study discussed research on the link between COVID-19 infection and acute pancreatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digestive cancer represents a severe public health problem, being one of the main causes of death. It is considered a multifactorial disease, with hereditary predisposition, environmental factors, and other factors involved in carcinogenesis. Both the evolution and the pathogenesis of digestive neoplasms remain incompletely elucidated. As a multifactorial disease, it can be approached by taking into account the biopsychosocial influences via enteric nervous system. Many peptides and non-peptides having a neurotransmitter role can be found in the enteric nervous system, which can influence the neoplastic process directly or indirectly by affecting some angiogenic, growth, and metastasis factors. However, neurotransmitters can also cause directly, through intercellular signalizing, the angiogenesis, the proliferation, and the digestive neoplasms’ metastasis. This new approach to neoplasms of the digestive tube assumes broader psychosocial factors can play an important role in the understanding the ethiopathogenie, the evolution of the disease, and determination of possible molecular targeted therapies; it also suggests that behavioral strategies may be important for maintaining a healthy state with respect to the digestive tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]