Cornelia Nitipir, Liliana Gabriela Popa, Maria Alexandra Barbu, Irina Radu, Mara Mihai, Calin Giurcaneanu

Erythroderma is an uncommon potentially fatal skin disorder first described by Hebra in 1868. Erythroderma is a definitive term that refers to generalized erythema and desquamation affecting 90% of the body surface. It usually occurs in individuals older than 40, except when the subjacent disease is atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis or hereditary ichthyosis [1,2]. Erythroderma represents a reaction pattern, a maximal form of skin irritation that may be secondary to certain cutaneous diseases, drug reactions, infections, solid or hematological malignancies, and other conditions. In the absence of a suggestive history, the clinical and histopatho logic distinction between the underlying causes is often problematic and determining the specific etiology is very challenging, an important proportion of cases being classified as idiopathic erythroderma.

Enhancing the Patency Rates for Native Arteriovenous Access for Dialysis: A Classical Two-Step Superficialization of a Deep Brachiocephalic Arteriovenous Fistula in a Normal Weight Patient

I.A. Checheriță, M. Elfarra, I. Peride, C. David, A. Niculae, M. Găvănescu, A. Ciocâlteu, R.D. Sinescu, I. Lascăr

Native arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are the best options for chronic hemodialysis (HD) access. Unfortunately, not every patient fulfils the requirements necessary for this type of vascular access: the artery and the vein implicated in dialysis fistula creation must accomplish some criteria which makes them suitable for this procedure. If these criteria are not fully met, the chances to a successfully intervention and a quick and qualitative maturation of the fistula are dropping [1-5]. An artery that is suitable for AVF creation has an inner diameter > 2 mm, optimal initial flow and elastic walls allowing dilatation to accommodate a supplementary 10 - 20 fold blood flow increase after the AVF is performed [1,2,5-11]. The participating vein must be superficial enough (less than 5 mm from the skin surface), wide enough (a caliber bigger than 2.5 mm) and its walls must allow important dilatation (without fibrosis, injuries, and thickenings). In elderly, diabetics or patients with late initiation of HD some of these demands are frequently absent; we need to adapt surgical procedures, taking advantage of any oppor tunity to overcame shortcomings and create a native dialysis access [1,2,5,9].

Sorin Păun, Ioan Tănase, Ionuț Negoi, Bogdan Stoica, Mircea Beuran

Although mainly asymptomatic, patients with biliary gallstones frequently associate common bile duct (CBD) stones. A percent ranging between 10-18% (1,2) from the patients that underwent cholecystectomy for gallbladder stones associate CBD lithiasis. The presence of CBD stones can be anticipated in the presence of jaundice, cholangitis, pancreatits, with altered hepatic function, or directly identified by imagistics (3). The percentage of preoperative undiagnosed CBD reaches almost 25% even for the newest imagistics (4). Acute cholecystitis is the most common infectious complication of gallstones, occuring with a frequency of 6-11% for the patients with 7-11 years of symptomatic gallstones (5). Recent studies are showing indirect signs of CBD stones in 37.7% of patients with acute cholecystitis, these signs being noticed for 72 % of patients with prooved choledocholithiasis (6).

Elisabeta Bădilă, Emma Țintea, Daniela Bartoș

The life-span increase recorded during the past decades across the global population has led to an increase in the number of people suffering from dementia. Recent analyses have estimated the worldwide number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia at between 27 million and 36 million, and projections by Alzheimer’s disease International estimate that 115 million people worldwide will be living with AD/dementia by 2050, less developed countries being more affected by these rising numbers(1). Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia - 60-70% cases, while vascular dementia accounts for another 25% of cases(2). Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative pathology associated with the intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated proteins and with the extracellular aggregation of β amyloid precursors(3). These structural modifications lead to a metabolic cascade responsible for neuronal death and, subsequently, dementia.

Elena-Rodica Dragu, Bogdan Liviu Chioaru, Ioana Teona Sebe, Ioan Lascăr, Oana Andreia Coman2

People have reported themselves differently regarding different species of animals and had different reactions about the animal species. The attention paid to them depends on the role held by them in human life, either as pets or as a method of entertainment, either as research subjects.

Some species enjoy privileges as pets (dogs cats, birds, turtles), others are used to satisfy human native instincts as hunting animals.