Medicine and Pharmacy Reports最新文献

{"title":"Renal calcifications and primary hyperpara-thyroidism in a tertiary care hospital center of North Africa: a single-center experience.","authors":"Rania El Amel, Fatim Zahra Bentebbaa, Nisrine Bouichrat, Siham Rouf, Hanane Latrech","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2944","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder; one of its common complications is renal calcifications. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of renal calcifications (nephrolithiasis and nephrocalcinosis) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, to elucidate potential demographic, biochemical, radiological, and histological differences between patients with and without renal calcifications, and to assess potential risk factors associated with its occurrence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective, single-center, descriptive, and analytical study involving 62 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Participants were assessed through serum and urinary parameters, kidney-urinary tract ultrasonography, and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans to evaluate the presence or absence of renal calcifications.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found 30 patients (48.4%) with renal calcifications, all of them nephrolithiasis, and only 2 cases (6.7%) had nephrocalcinosis associated with nephrolithiasis; and they were all detected by abdominal CT scan. Compared to patients without renal calcifications, those who had renal calcifications had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes, BMI, waist circumference, PTH 1-84, alkaline phosphatase, and lower 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-(OH)-D). No significant difference was found between the two groups in other studied parameters. Higher BMI and lower 25-(OH)-D were potential risk factors for renal calcifications in multivariate regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The combination of PHPT and renal calcifications is still common and often asymptomatic.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"112-119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186311/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Serum metabolomic signatures of cutaneous malignancies identified by untargeted profiling.","authors":"Amalia Moisoiu, Tudor Moisoiu, Corina Bocşa, Carmen Socaciu, Daniela Fodor","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2960","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2960","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Skin cancers are among the most common malignancies worldwide, and improved non-invasive diagnostic tools are needed to support clinical decision making. Metabolomics offers a promising approach by capturing systemic biochemical alterations associated with tumor presence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we performed untargeted serum metabolomic profiling based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry in 85 individuals, including 49 with basal cell carcinoma, 19 with squamous cell carcinoma, 8 with melanoma and 9 with benign lesions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis yielded 98 polar metabolites and 53 lipophilic metabolites that passed quality filtering. Thirteen metabolites showed significant differences between the cancer and benign groups, including lysophosphatidylcholine (20:3), N-palmitoyl tryptophan, serotonin, and fumaric acid. Principal component analysis demonstrated clear separation between malignant and benign groups, while cancer samples displayed wider metabolic variability consistent with tumor heterogeneity. Integrating principal component scores into a linear discriminant model yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.98 corresponding to a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 67%. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed consistent alterations in mitochondrial electron transport, amino acid metabolism, the urea cycle, and the Warburg effect, indicating that common metabolic pathways are perturbed across cutaneous malignancies.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings show that serum metabolomics can distinguish cancer from benign skin lesions and highlight metabolic signatures that may serve as potential biomarkers for non-invasive assessment of skin cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"106-111"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186315/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Al-Zahrawi surgical instruments and techniques: a milestone in the history of surgery.","authors":"Adnan Al Aloul","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2963","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2963","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Abu al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi (936-1013), known in Western literature as Albucasis, is recognized as one of the founders of modern surgery. Practicing in medieval Andalusia, he played a decisive role in transforming surgery into a systematized medical discipline. His major work, Kitāb al-Taṣrīf, a 30-volume medical encyclopedia, synthesized the surgical knowledge of his era and profoundly influenced European medicine for several centuries. The aim of this article is to examine Albucasis' contributions to the development of medieval surgery, focusing on instrumentation, and the educational influence of Kitāb al-Taṣrīf on European medical practice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A narrative and historical analysis of open-access secondary sources was conducted, including the text of Kitāb al-Taṣrīf in medieval Latin translations, and modern academic literature indexed in international databases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Albucasis described advanced surgical procedures in pediatric, abdominal, orthopedic, and urological surgery and introduced more than 200 original surgical instruments, many of which became prototypes of modern tools. He emphasized the need to adapt operative techniques to the physiological particularities of children and highlighted the importance of clinical experience. The Latin translation of Al-Taṣrīf in the 12th century facilitated the integration of his principles into European universities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Kitāb al-Taṣrīf remains a fundamental work in the history of surgery, and the principles formulated by Albucasis continue to influence medical education and modern surgical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"156-159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186314/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the influence of enamel thickness on the effectiveness of tooth whitening: an <i>in vitr</i>o study.","authors":"Boutaina Maftouh, Fatima Zahra Amessegher, Zineb Al Jalil, Nouhaila Mazzir, El Mehdi Jouhadi","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2947","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>While tooth whitening is widely used to manage dental discoloration, results can vary substantially across teeth and protocols. In this in vitro study, we assessed whether enamel thickness across tooth regions influences whitening efficacy under different peroxide-based protocols.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ninety extracted human premolars were stained and allocated to three protocols (n=30 each): 10% (10 h), 20% (4 h), and 35% (1 h). Enamel thickness was measured on CBCT at the cervical, middle, and occlusal thirds. Color was recorded with a spectrophotometer using one acquisition before whitening and one after whitening; three regional L*a*b* values were extracted from each image. Color change was expressed as CIEDE2000 (ΔE00). Because three regions were analyzed per tooth, the primary analysis used a linear mixed-effects model (LMM) with a random intercept for tooth (ΔE00 ~ Group×Region + (1|Tooth)). Enamel thickness was added as a covariate in a secondary LMM. Robustness was assessed by GEE with robust standard errors and a tooth-level sensitivity analysis (mean ΔE00 per tooth).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ΔE00 differed significantly across protocols in the LMM: compared with 35%, ΔE00 was higher for 20% (p=0.003) and 10% (p<0.001). Region was not significant (p>0.05) and the interaction was not supported overall; a localized 10%×occlusal effect was borderline in LMM (p≈0.055) and significant in GEE (p≈0.024). Baseline color differed between groups and was therefore included a priori as a covariate; adjustment for baseline L* did not alter the main conclusions. After adjustment, enamel thickness was not associated with ΔE00 (p≈0.933). Exposure-dose (concentration × time, % h) showed a positive trend with ΔE00 (r=0.401, p<0.001; R²=0.161). Only 0.37% of measurements showed ΔE00 ≤ 1.8.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Whitening efficacy was primarily governed by the protocol (cumulative exposure) rather than enamel thickness. Regional modulation was modest, and enamel thickness alone was not predictive.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"142-148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186317/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COVID-19, the disease that changed the world.","authors":"Ancuţa Petrovan, Ligia Puiu, Carmen Monica Pop","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2957","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2957","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Five years ago, the COVID-19 coronavirus emerged as an invisible threat that profoundly disrupted the world, becoming a public health challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how important it is to have health systems that can quickly find and track new viruses as they spread and has ushered in a new era of genomic surveillance, allowing scientists to track the evolution of the coronavirus, providing public health strategies. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has been associated with very important global morbidity and mortality. The discovery of SARS-CoV-2 in bats and pangolins in South Asian countries indicates that SARS-CoV-2 likely originated from wildlife being the third highly pathogenic human coronavirus. The increased contagiousness of SARS-CoV-2 virus was due to the spike glycoprotein (S) that favors the attachment of the virus to the cell surface. SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers a damaging triad of oxidative stress, intense inflammation with cytokine storm, and endothelial dysfunction, leading to widespread cellular damage, blood clotting with thrombosis, and organ failure by overwhelming the body's antioxidant defenses, damaging blood vessel linings, and promoting hyperinflammation, all crucial factors in severe COVID disease. The purpose of the review is to make a synthesis of the data known so far about SARS-CoV-2 virus etiology, the complex interactions between the virus and the host, imbalanced immune response and cytokine storm, molecular mechanisms by which the spike protein drives endothelial dysfunction and, multisystemic pulmonary, cardiovascular, neurological, renal involvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"91-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186313/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stress-related cognitive-perceptual tendencies and their associations with psychological quality of life in informal Romanian schizophrenia caregivers: an exploratory ESI-based analysis.","authors":"Jes Sebastian Denis Völker, Ioana Valentina Micluția, Patricea Hulubă, Ramona-Cristina Vinași","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2955","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2955","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aim: </strong>Family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia frequently experience substantial emotional and functional strain, yet little is known about the subtle stress-related cognitive-perceptual tendencies that may emerge during long-term caregiving. Such tendencies, measurable with the Eppendorf Schizophrenia Inventory (ESI), have only recently begun to be examined in Romania, and their potential associations with caregiver well-being remain insufficiently explored.The objectives of this study: to compare cognitive-perceptual tendencies between schizophrenia caregivers and matched hybrid controls; to examine associations between ESI subscales and quality of life (QoL), depressive symptoms, and cognitive performance among caregivers; and to interpret these findings within a stress-adaptation and response-shift framework.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional study, 52 non-professional family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia were compared with 52 matched hybrid controls comprising individuals with chronic somatic illnesses and their caregiving relatives. Participants completed the Romanian-adapted ESI, WHOQOL-BREF, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Group comparisons, Pearson correlations, and stratified exploratory comparisons based on Ideas of Reference were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Caregivers showed moderately elevated ESI subscale scores, particularly Ideas of Reference, relative to controls. Higher Ideas of Reference scores were modestly associated with lower psychological QoL and higher depressive symptoms, whereas associations with cognitive performance were minimal. Correlation patterns indicated small-to-moderate associations across cognitive-perceptual tendencies and caregiver well-being domains.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this exploratory, cross-sectional analysis, stress-related cognitive-perceptual tendencies were more pronounced in schizophrenia caregivers than in matched controls and showed modest associations with psychological QoL and depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the relevance of considering cognitive-perceptual stress responses in caregiver research while highlighting the need for longitudinal designs and formal psychometric validation of the Romanian ESI.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"129-141"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison between orthopedic and surgical treatment of mandibular condylar fractures. An epidemiological and treatment outcomes research of the Maxillofacial Center in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.","authors":"Cosmin Ioan Faur, Rareş Călin Roman, Mădălina Anca Moldovan, Darius Platon, Maximilian George Dindelegan, Sergiu Megieşan, Mircea Ghergie","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2971","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2971","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Condyle fractures are one of the most common traumas of the mandibular bone, but the treatment of these lesions lacks a standardized protocol. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of orthopedic treatment by comparison with surgical treatment in a 10-year retrospective study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included condyle fracture patients treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Cluj-Napoca County Hospital between 2015 and 2024.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Young men were prone to suffer from mandibular condyle fractures, aggression being the most frequent cause. Usually, minor or moderate painkillers and amoxicillin are enough as medical treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between outcomes of orthopedic and. surgical treatment in patients with condylar trauma without displacement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The condylar fractures with no displacement or changes in the functionality of the mandible can be successfully treated by orthopedic reduction and intermaxillary fixation. The results of this study may help in choosing the optimal treatment based on the characteristics of the clinical cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"149-155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186312/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-world benchmarks for metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a single-center analysis of two standard immunotherapy pathways in Romania.","authors":"Daniel-Vasile Dulf, Anamaria Larisa Burnar, Doina-Ramona Matei, Patricia-Lorena Dulf, Raluca Maria Hendea, Cătălina Bungărdean, Andreea Hopârtean, Dinu Bolunduţ, Iulia Andras, Maximilian Buzoianu, Nicoale Crişan, Tudor-Eliade Ciuleanu, Camelia Alexandra Coadă","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2925","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2925","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To establish a real-world benchmark for treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and clinical outcomes for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) by analyzing two distinct, standard-of-care therapeutic sequences at a single Romanian tertiary care center.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with mUC treated between January 1, 2020, and April 30, 2025. Patients were analyzed in two clinically distinct cohorts: the Avelumab Maintenance Cohort (N=12), which included platinum-eligible patients who responded to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) followed by avelumab maintenance, and the Pembrolizumab Cohort (N=18), consisting of patients who received pembrolizumab therapy following disease progression after PBC. The primary endpoint was time to treatment failure (TTF). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and the incidence of grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The two cohorts displayed different baseline characteristics and clinical trajectories. The Avelumab Maintenance cohort, selected for chemotherapy-sensitive disease, demonstrated a higher disease control rate (DCR) of 91.7%. The Pembrolizumab cohort, representing a more clinically diverse and challenging population, had a DCR of 55.6%. In the Avelumab cohort, median TTF and median OS were not reached. In the Pembrolizumab cohort, the median TTF was 10.2 months and median OS was 21.8 months. Grade ≥3 TRAEs were infrequent, occurring in 1 of 12 patients (8.3%) in the Avelumab cohort and 2 of 18 patients (11.1%) in the Pembrolizumab cohort, with no new safety signals identified.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This single-center study provides a context-specific presentation of mUC treated with ICIs effectiveness and safety in the Romanian healthcare context and highlights the impact of systemic factors, such as national healthcare reimbursement policies, on clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 2","pages":"120-128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13186310/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147982282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating microsurgical reconstruction in head and neck oncology: a collaborative learning curve experience.","authors":"Anca Emilia Oprescu","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2921","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2921","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Microsurgical head and neck reconstruction requires specialized expertise that can be challenging to develop in regional healthcare settings. This study documents the collaborative learning curve experience of establishing microsurgical capabilities through multidisciplinary team integration.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective case series analyzed 8 consecutive head and neck microsurgical reconstructions performed between October 2018 and October 2021 in Constanta, Romania. All procedures were performed by the same primary surgeon with systematic collaborative multidisciplinary support. Data included patient demographics, risk factors, collaborative team composition, operative metrics, outcomes, and learning curve progression assessment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eight patients (5 male, 3 female) underwent reconstruction for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 50%), basal cell carcinoma (BCC, 25%), radiodermitis (12.5%), and iatrogenic facial palsy (12.5%). Procedures included mandibular reconstruction (37.5%), tongue/floor of mouth reconstruction (25%), facial reanimation (12.5%), nasal reconstruction (12.5%), and orbital coverage (12.5%). All cases utilized multidisciplinary teams averaging 3.4 members, with maxillofacial surgeons participating in 75% and general surgeons in 100% of cases. During the early learning phase, operative time decreased from 15 to 10 hours and surgeon confidence advancement from \"Low\" to \"Medium-High\" levels. Overall success rate was 62.5% with one partial success (12.5%) and two failures (25%). Risk factors were present in 75% of cases, with failures associated with cumulative risk factors and immunocompromised status.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Microsurgical head and neck reconstruction can be successfully integrated into regional healthcare systems through systematic collaborative learning approaches. The multidisciplinary model enabled safe skill acquisition while maintaining acceptable outcomes during the early learning phase. Key insights include avoiding cumulative risk factors during initial learning and ensuring comprehensive preoperative optimization. This collaborative framework describes an early institutional experience that may be informative for other centers initiating microsurgical programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 1","pages":"57-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13008010/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Post-COVID-19: effects on mental health and metabolic markers in type 2 diabetes.","authors":"Alecsandra-Andreea Budihoi, Violeta Briciu, Mihaela Lupse, Mihaela Gribovschi, Bogdana Nasui, Nina Ciuciuc, Tudor Calinici, Monica Popa","doi":"10.15386/mpr-2911","DOIUrl":"10.15386/mpr-2911","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection on both mental well-being and biological parameters of patients with type 2 diabetes, highlighting the potential long-term effects.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A longitudinal observational study was conducted on a total of 62 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We used two validated questionnaires: the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS). Biological data were extracted from medical records. We had two-point evaluations, in 2023 and 2024. Patients were divided into three groups based on the year of COVID-19 diagnosis: 2020, 2021, 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, with results presented as percentages and associations. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Kruskal-Wali's test, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (ρ) were applied for non-normally distributed variables. Analyses were performed using Jamovi 3.2.28. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were 24 (38.7%) females, and 38 (61.3%) males. The mean age was 66.5 years. From the medical history, regarding COVID-19 severity, 7 (11.3%) of cases were classified as mild 29 (46.8%) as moderate, and 26 (41.9%) as severe. WHO-5 scores increased from a mean of 42.5 from 2023 to 51.2 in 2024, indicating improved psychological well-being over time. A significant reduction in diabetes-related emotional distress was observed (p < 0.001). Regimen-related distress scores showed a small but significant decrease from 2023 to 2024 (p = 0.004). A statistically significant correlation was observed between WHO-5 score (2023) and LDL cholesterol (2024) (ρ = 0.629, p = 0.02). Descriptive statistics showed that mean HDL cholesterol values vary with COVID-19 severity levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Psychological well-being showed an improvement over time. Emotional distress related to diabetes, including emotional burden and regimen-related distress decreased with time. Serum LDL- and HDL cholesterol levels may play a potential role in supporting psychological well-being. This study reinforces the importance of holistic approaches in managing post-COVID-19 effects, especially in patients with pre-existing metabolic disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":18438,"journal":{"name":"Medicine and Pharmacy Reports","volume":"99 1","pages":"49-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13008018/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147513455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}