Volume 65, Issue 3, September 2019
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The Association between Various Lifestyle Patterns and the Body Mass Index in Adolescents
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0023
Objective: The study aims to analyze obesogenic behavioral patterns of adolescents living in Mureş County, Romania, as well as to establish a relationship between these behaviors and their Body Mass Index (BMI), in an attempt to provide effective prevention strategies for obesity.
Material and Methods: 153 students between 9th to 12th grade, aged between 14 and 19 years old, from the Vocational and Art Highschool of Târgu Mureş were included in the study. All the candidates filled out an evaluation questionnaire of lifestyle and risky behaviors. The analyzed data were sex, age, residence, BMI and risky eating behavior defined as the consumption of carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, sweets), sodas, junk food, alcohol (wine, distilled beverages, beer), beer separately, level of physical activity (school and extra-school sports activities), sedentary behaviors (≥2 hours/day in front of a screen: personal computer-PC and television-TV), and spending ≥2 hours/day separately on the PC and on the TV.
Results: A statistically significant association was observed between BMI and consumption of fast-food, tobacco, beer, sedentary behavior and spending ≥2 hours/day in front of the PC. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference between the BMI values of adolescents presenting all studied risk behaviors compared to those who did not.
Conclusions: Obesity among adolescents from Mureș County is influenced by lifestyle choices like fast-food, tobacco, beer, sedentary behavior and spending ≥2 hours/day in front of the PC.
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Clinical Study on the Perception of Patients with Orthodontic Appliances Regarding the Periodontal Change
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0021
Introduction: The orthodontic treatment helps in reestablishing a functional occlusion, improving the aesthetics and functionality of the dento-facial complex. A correct alignment of the teeth, through the correction of some dental or skeletal anomalies, enhances the possibilities of dental hygiene, thus reducing the risk of periodontal affections. Nevertheless, the presence of orthodontic appliances in the oral cavity may reduce the efficacy of the means of oral hygiene by creating retentive areas for food, thus producing damages at the level of the marginal periodontium.
Objective: The evaluation of oral hygiene practices for patients in the course of fixed orthodontic therapy and the identification of changes appeared at the level of the marginal periodontium caused by the orthodontic appliances.
Material and methods: A questionnaire with 20 questions was distributed to a number of 129 patients undergoing the active phase of orthodontic treatment in the Orthodontic and Dentofacial Clinic of the Medical Dental School Tîrgu Mureș or in some private practices in the Bucharest metropolitan area.
Results: The majority of patients surveyed are aware of the means of dental hygiene and practice a daily brushing, associated with auxiliary means. The iatrogenic effects of the fixed therapy are represented by gingival recession, gingival overgrowth and bleeding during brushing but these were visible only in the case of a small number of patients.
Conclusions: The fixed orthodontic treatment must be started only after a thorough evaluation of the marginal periodontium, with a close orthodontist – periodontist collaboration and avoidance of jiggling-like movements.
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Markers of Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive Patients with Less Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0022
Objective: Our study aimed to validate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a marker for aortic arch calcification in hypertensive patients with less advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Methods: A number of forty-four hypertensive patients with chronic kidney disease (categories G3a and G3b – 2012 KDIGO nomenclature) were included in the study. Considering the presence of aortic arch calcification (AAC) on chest X-ray, the study population was divided into two groups: 27 patients AAC present and seventeen without aortic arch calcification. Laboratory data were collected for each patient and NLR was computed. Comorbidities were also recorded: stable coronary artery disease, lower extremity arterial disease and hypertensive heart disease.
Results: A positive correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and aortic arch calcification in hypertensive CKD patients was identified. Furthermore, advanced age, increased alkaline phosphatase and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate had a positive association with aortic arch calcification. We found no statistical correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and other laboratory features in both groups of patients.
Conclusions: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be viewed as a potential risk factor for vascular calcification in patients with moderate chronic kidney disease; nevertheless, future extensive studies are necessary. In the management of hypertensive patients, general medicine might particularly benefit of this simple, readily available inflammatory marker.
Keywords: aortic arch calcification, atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic hypertension
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Atrial Fibrillation – An Orchestra of Classic and Modern Risk Factors
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0020
Over the past years, prevention and control of risk factors has begun to play an important role in the management of patients prone to develop atrial fibrillation (AF). A considerable number of risk factors that contribute to the creation of a predisposing substrate for AF has been identified over the years. Although certain AF risk factors such as age, gender, genetic predisposition, or race are unmodifiable, controlling modifiable risk factors may represent an invaluable tool in the management of AF patients. In the recent decades, numerous studies have evaluated the mechanisms linking different risk factors to AF, but the exact degree of atrial remodeling induced by each factor remains unknown. Elucidating these mechanisms is essential for initiating personalized therapies in patients prone to develop AF. The present review aims to provide an overview of the most relevant modifiable risk factors involved in AF occurrence, with a focus on the mechanisms by which these factors lead to AF initiation and perpetuation.
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Evaluation of the Apical Seal after Root Canal Cleaning and Shaping with Two Nickel-Titanium Systems
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0019
Objective: The aim of our study is to compare the ability of two nickel-titanium systems that use different rotation motions to create preparations that could promote a complete filling of the apical third of root canals.
Methods: We used 36 freshly extracted teeth, randomly divided in two groups, as follows: in Group A we used ProTaper Next, a system characterized by a continuous rotary motion and in Group B the teeth were instrumented with Wave-One, in which the files have a reciprocating motion. All teeth were root filled based on the same protocol, using gutta-percha and AH Plus. The teeth were further prepared for microleakage evaluation based on dye penetration technique, as follows: immersion in 2% methylene blue, longitudinally sectioned and examination of the apical thirds with an operating microscope. The distance of dye penetration along dentin walls was measured using the ImageJ program.
Results: The comparison between rotational and reciprocating systems showed that reciprocating files significantly promoted a reduced apical microleakage, as demonstrated by unpaired t test, Welch corrected (p=0.0346).
Conclusion: The use of Wave-One Reciprocating system was considered more effective in the shaping of root canals, as they demonstrating better conditions for the hermetic, tridimensional sealing of apical third of the roots canals.
Keywords: apical microleakage, cleaning and shaping, dye penetration technique, ProTaper Next, Wave-One
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Silent Ischemic Stroke Was Revealed after Screening for Cognitive Dysfunction in a Hypertensive Patient with New Onset Atrial Fibrillation – Case Report
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0018
Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most important modifiable risk factor related to cognitive decline and dementia. However, screening for cognitive dysfunction is not part of the routine clinical assessment.
Case presentation: In this report, we present the case of a 75 year old hypertensive male patient with new-onset atrial fibrillation, admitted to the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic Târgu Mureș. Apart from the routine clinical assessment, the evaluation of cognitive functions was performed with three different screening instruments which identified cognitive dysfunction. Depressive state was assessed with the shortened 13 items form of the Beck Depression Inventory BDI-13 (BDI-13) and it showed moderate depression which could influence the results of cognitive tests. Detection of cognitive impairment was followed by magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed not only hypertension specific microvascular impairment but also a sequelae of a former stroke in the territory of the left middle cerebral artery and a possible meningioma.
Conclusion: Screening for cognitive dysfunction in high-risk hypertensive patients can be easily performed and in several cases like ours, can unmask silent cerebrovascular pathologies, leading to prognostic and therapeutic consequences.
Keywords: atrial fibrillation; silent stroke, dementia
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Atomoxetine and Duloxetine: Evaluation of a Potential Pharmacokinetic Drug-Drug Interaction
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0017
Objective: The present research aimed to investigate whether a pharmacokinetic drug interaction exists between atomoxetine, a substrate of CYP2D6 and duloxetine, an enzymatic inhibitor of the same metabolic pathway.
Methods: Twenty-three healthy volunteers were enrolled in an open-label, non-randomized, sequential, 2-period clinical study. During the trial, they received a single dose of atomoxetine 25 mg (Period 1:Reference) followed by a combination of atomoxetine 25 mg and duloxetine 30 mg, after a pretreatment regimen with duloxetine 30-60 mg/day for 4 days (Period 2:Test). The pharmacokinetic parameters of atomoxetine and its main metabolite (4-hydroxyatomoxetine-O-glucuronide) were estimated using a non-compartmental approach and statistical tests were used to compare these parameters between study periods.
Results: A total of 22 subjects, extensive metabolizers (EMs), were considered for the final report of the study findings. Duloxetine influenced the plasma concentration-time profile of both parent drug and its glucuronidated metabolite. The pharmacokinetic and statistical analysis revealed that pretreatment with the enzymatic inhibitor increased the mean atomoxetine AUC0–t (from 1151.19±686.52 to 1495.54±812.40 [ng*h/mL]) and AUC0–∞ (from 1229.15±751.04 to 1619.37±955.01 [ng*h/mL]) while kel was decreased and the mean t1/2 was prolonged. With regard to 4-hydroxyatomoxetine-O-glucuronide, Cmax was reduced from 688.76±270.27 to 621.60±248.82 [ng/mL] after coadministration of atomoxetine and duloxetine.
Conclusions: Duloxetine had an impact on the pharmacokinetics of atomoxetine as it increased the exposure to the latter by ~30%. Although the magnitude of this pharmacokinetic interaction is rather small, a potential clinical relevance cannot be ruled out with certainty without further investigation.
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MicroRNAs as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Heart Failure
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0016
Heart failure still represents a real challenge both in everyday practice and research, due to the complex issues related to its pathogenesis and management. Humoral biomarkers have emerged in the last decades as useful tools in the diagnosis, risk stratification and guiding the treatment of heart failure. These molecules are related to different pathological and adaptive processes, like myocardial injury, neurohormonal activation and cardiac remodeling, their most widespread representatives being the natriuretic peptides (e.g. NT-proBNP). The role of altered gene expression and transcription as the basis of myocardial structural and functional changes in heart failure is largely recognized. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs which have a major role in post-transcriptional gene expression by interfering with messenger RNA molecules. Our short review summarizes the molecular biology of miRNAs and their possible role as biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure. Furthermore, the therapeutical perspectives conferred by these molecules are also presented.
Keywords: miRNA, biomarkers, heart failure
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The Statistical Analysis of Pharmacokinetic Parameters in the Context of Bioequivalence Testing of Two Anthelmintic Formulas Based on Ivermectine and Triclabendazole in Sheep
DOI: 10.2478/amma-2019-0015
Conducting bioequivalence studies is an essential step during the market authorization process of generic pharmaceutical formulations, for both human or veterinary use. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of triclabendazole sulphoxide, the main metabolite of triclabendazole, and ivermectin in order to evaluate the bioavailability and bioequivalence of a novel sheep anthelmintic formulation of oral suspension for sheep treatment containing triclabendazole 50 mg/mL and ivermectin 1 mg/mL compared to the reference product. In order to determine relative bioavailability of the test product with respect to the reference product the study was conducted on 36 clinically healthy sheep, following an unicentric, randomized, cross-over, two-sequence, two-treatment and 14-day wash-out study design. For the determination of triclabendazole sulphoxide and ivermectin sheep plasma concentrations, two rapid, selective high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods were developed and validated. The measured plasma concentrations of triclabendazole sulphoxide and ivermectin were used for the pharmacokinetic analysis and the determination of bioequivalence between the test product with regards to the reference product. The noncompartmental analysis of the pharmacokinetic data for both triclabendazole sulphoxide and ivermectin showed similarities between first-order kinetics of the test and reference product. The relevant pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, AUClast, AUCtot) were determined and the bioequivalence between the test and reference product could be concluded.
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