Category Archives: AMM 2011, Volume 57, Number 6

Value of Liver Contrast-enhanced Sonography to Diagnose Malignant or Benign Tumors

Pascarenco Ofelia1, Dobru Daniela2, Boeriu Alina2, Pascarenco G³, David Cristina1, Brusnic Olga1

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
² Department of Gastroenterology, Emergency County Hospital, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
³ Department of Surgery I, Emergency County Hospital, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic benefit of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the differential diagnosis of liver tumors in clinical practice.
Methods: From January 2010 to October 2010, 14 patients with focal liver lesions without an accurate diagnosis based on B-mode ultrasound and power Doppler ultrasound were examined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. All 14 patients were referred for CEUS following identification of 1 or more focal liver lesions on conventional ultrasound or CT imaging. After baseline US examination (GE LOGIQ 9), a bolus of 2.4 ml of SonoVue (Bracco, UK) was administered intravenously. The characterization as benign or malignant liver lesion was assessed based on the vascularity pattern and contrast enhancement seen in focal lesions during the arterial, portal, and late phase.
Result: The final diagnosis of liver lesions included 10 benign lesions ( hemangiomas n=6, focal nodular hyperplasia n=1, focal fatty sparing n=1, regenerating nodule n=1, hydatic cyst n=1) and 4 malignant lesions ( hepatocellular carcinoma n=3, metastases n=1).
Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) allows the differentiation between benign and malignant liver lesions based on the vascularity pattern and contrast enhancement seen in focal lesions during the arterial, portal, and late phase. The sensitivity and the specificity of CEUS in detecting hepatic tumors is up to 90%.

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Psychotherapeutical Intervention in Depressive State of Detainee Women

Pașca Maria Dorina

University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

Introduction: Concerning the thematic of our intervention it can be said that there is a bigger susceptibility for woman to develop a major depressive episode after a life event that generates stress and which is related to her own life, or to what happens around her, determining a back stroke state. Plus, childhood experiences lived by women, like: “neurotic” features, defective relationship with the mother, maltreatment, may constitute factors that lead to depression. In the same time we can say that women are trice more affected than men by combined depression (major, plus the one of short duration) asking again ourselves: “is the woman very different by man?” In our configuration, the woman being in the detention state develops a certain behavioral state, different by the one that develops the man being in the same state. Even if the statistics show a lower feminine delinquency rate, we can remark though the positive fact that the woman is lees amenable to commit a delinquency act than man.
Materials and methods: In our intervention we used among intervention, conversation, observation, biographical dialogue also scales like: Beck’s scale of auto evaluating the depression – Woodworth test and tree test, all identifying the existence of depressive state.
Results: It was shown that the woman in detention it is more amenable to develop an increased adherence to the elements that release the apparition of depressive state and in consequence to depression itself. Identifying in/at the depressive state does not determine vindicatory the existence of correlation between: deed and detention; detention and depression; detention and therapy, even if there may be established some resemblances of concept and attitudinal-behavioral expression, all reporting to the initial context, but foreshadowing a new personality profile.
Conclusions: It is imposed: to recognize the existence of the phenomenon itself, practicing the psychotherapeutic centered programs, in our case depression, and also implementing some reintegration programs, re-socialization, reeducation and professional re-conversion, having as main character the detainee woman.

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Colon Adenomas and Polyps Developing Synchronously, Without Carcinoma

Pap Zsuzsanna1, Dénes L1, Şipos R1, Brînzaniuc Klara1, Pávai Z1, Jung J2

1 Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
2 Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

Background: Prevention of colorectal carcinomas is based on early detection and removal of precancerous lesions. Our goal was to perform a comparison between clinicopathological features of adenomas/polyps developed in the presence and in the absence of a colon carcinoma. Materials and methods: We studied a total of 117 colon adenomas and polyps selected from the material of the Pathology Department of the Emergency County Hospital of Tîrgu Mureș. We compared and correlated through statistic analysis the clinicopathological factors, gender, age of the patients, localization, histological type, grade of dysplasia.
Results: 24.6% of A/P develop synchronously with a carcinoma and affect especially women and patients between 50–60 and 70–80 years; these are mainly tubular adenomas, localized more frequently in the left colon. Adenomas and polyps developed without a carcinoma are more frequent in males, in patients between 60–70 years, and are mainly tubulovillous adenomas.
Conclusions: One out of 4 colon carcinomas are associated with one or more precancerous lesions.

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Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Chronic Congestive Heart Failure in Normotensive and in Sinus Rhythm Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Olinic Maria, Homorodean C, Olinic D

Medical Clinic 1, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyse the blood pressure behaviour, before and after compensation by medical treatment of decompensated chronic congestive heart failure, in normotensive and in sinus rhythm patients with ischemic heart disease. Its main purpose is to find out whether heart failure compensation is associated with still normal blood pressures or, on the contrary, with the risk of an arterial hypotension.
Methods: Data recorded by 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, before and after an efficient compensation of heart failure in 16 patients (13 males and 3 females) with decompensated chronic congestive heart disease secondary to ischemic heart disease in functional NYHA classes III (5 patients) or IV (11 patients) were analysed and compared.
Results: In the decompensated state, mean systolic blood pressure per 24 h was normal, but well below the superior limit accepted as normal. Significant decreases of all systolic and diastolic blood pressures, per 24 h, diurnal and nocturnal, close to or even in the domain of arterial hypotension, were recorded after the efficient compensatory treatment. None of the patients had clinical symptoms of arterial hypotension. Significant prevalence of the non-dipper state, high in the decompensated state and still present after the efficient heart failure compensation, was found. A significant decrease of the heart rate after heart failure compensation was observed. Decompensated state was associated mainly with heart rates above 70/min, while the compensated state was associated mainly with heart rates below 70/min.
Conclusions: Significant asymptomatic decrease of the blood pressure, with a tendency towards arterial hypotension, is revealed by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, after the efficient treatment of the decompensated chronic congestive heart failure, in normotensive and in sinus rhythm patients with ischemic heart disease. This blood pressure decrease could add a supplementary cardiovascular risk. A high prevalence of the non-dipper state, with its negative significance, was found especially in the decompensated, but also in the compensated state of the chronic congestive heart failure.

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Determination of Triiodothyronine and Thyroxine from Plasma and Milk of Lactating Cow

Nistor Cristina1, Tero-Vescan Amelia1, Ureche Ramona2

1 Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
2 Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish a method for the determination of T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxin) hormone concentrations in plasma, whole milk and after ethanol extraction, as well as to calculate the partition coefficient milk/plasma.
Methods: Ten Holstein Romanian friza milking cows were used to test the efficiency of the method. T3 and T4 were determined by an immunochemical ELISA competitive assay.
Results: Medium value of T3 in plasma was 2.78 ±1.53 ng/ml (4.27±2.35 nmol/l), in whole milk 3.72±1.44 ng/ml (5.71±2.21 nmol/l) and in extracted milk 4.97±1.67 ng/ml (7.63±2.56 nmol/l). Mean value of T4 in plasma was 50.97±7.30 ng/ml (65.60±9.39 nmol/l), in whole milk 2.12±0.87 ng/ml (2.73±1.12 nmol/l) and in extracted milk 3.60±1.15 ng/ml (4.64±1.48 nmol/l). Extraction from milk presented a good efficiency of 94.39% for T3 and 101.30% for T4.
Conclusion: The values obtained are in the concentration range reported by literature data for T4 and T3 from plasma and milk.

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Upper Digestive Mucosal Changes in Patients Taking Low-dose Aspirin

Negovan Anca1, Băţagă Simona2, Sabău M3, Cozlea L1, Ţilea I1, Sárkány Z3

1 3rd Medical Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
2 Department of Gastroenterology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania
3 Department of Physiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Objective: The benefits of antiplatelet therapies for treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases have been demonstrated in the last years, but these therapies increase the risk of mucosal damage in the gastrointestinal tract. We aimed to evaluate endoscopic mucosal lesions in patients not referred for endoscopy, with a new recommendation for long term low-dose aspirin, who have not taken the drug before endoscopy and in patients taking long-term low-dose aspirin.
Material and methods: Two-hundred twenty-five patients who had accepted an endoscopy were included (90 with low-dose aspirin, 135 with recommendation for low-dose aspirin). With few exceptions, there were no statistically significant differences in patient groups regarding social habits, chronic diseases, ulcer history, concomitant drug or digestive symptoms.
Results: Severe Lanza scores were significantly more frequent in patients with low-dose aspirin than in patients without aspirin (60% vs. 30.4%, p<0.01). In patients with chronic low-dose aspirin, H. pylori infection was significantly less frequent than in patients not taking this therapy (38.9% vs. 50.4%, p=0.05), while gastric atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia were more frequent (48.9% vs. 36.3%, p=0.04). Active infection with H. pylori in taken biopsies was associated with more severe lesions, including ulcers, in both groups, while gastric atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia were significantly associated with severe endoscopic lesions in patients with low-dose aspirin.
Conclusions: Patients with recommendation for long term treatment with low-dose aspirin frequently present severe mucosal endoscopic lesions and multiple risk factors for gastrointestinal complications before starting the treatment. Patients taking low-dose aspirin on a daily basis present more severe endoscopic lesions when an active H. pylori infection and premalignant histological changes are present.

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The Impact of Fetal Echocardiography on Outcome of Patients with Pulmonary Atresia with Ductal-dependent Pulmonary Flow

Muntean Iolanda1, Togănel Rodica1, Gozar Liliana2, Sglimbea Anca1, Suciu H3, Mărginean C4

1 3rd Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
2 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
3 2nd Department of Cardiovascular Surgery University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
4 1st Department of Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Objective: Pulmonary atresia is a relative rare critical congenital heart defect with ductal-dependent pulmonary circulation. Echocardiography is the gold standard in diagnoses congenital heart defect in newborns, but also is the only diagnostic modality of congenital heart defect in the fetus. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the impact of fetal echocardiography on outcome of patients with pulmonary atresia with ductal-dependent pulmonary flow.
Methods: A single-institution observational study was made on 19 children diagnosed by echocardiography with ductal-dependent pulmonary atresia in Pediatric Cardiology Department from 1997 to 2010, from which four were diagnosed prenatally by fetal echocardiography. We compared a series of clinical data between the prenatally (group 1) and postnatally diagnosed group (group 2), respectively.
Results: All of the infants diagnosed prenatally were delivered in a center for pediatric cardiology. The prostaglandine infusion, to maintain the patency of arterial duct, was initiated in the first 48 h after birth in every cases of the first group comparing to the second group (range3 h – 37 days) (26.66%) (p=0.03). Also, a significantly higher percent of group 1 managed to get in the cardiac unit in the first 48 h after birth comparing to the second group (range 1–37 days) (p=0.03).
Conclusions: We suggest that fetal diagnosis might improve neonatal outcome because of earlier appropriate therapeutic intervention.

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Risk Assessment of Caries in Pregnancy

Molnar-Varlam C1, Molnar-Varlam Cristina2, Babeț Ioana-Gabriela3, Tohati A4

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
2 Department of Morphology of Teeth and Dental Arches, Technology of Dental Prosthesis and Dental Materials, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
3 Student, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
4 Department of Comunitary Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of salivary testing in dental caries assessment and to determine a possible relationship between oral hygiene, diet, salivary cariogenic flora, saliva secretion rate, buffer capacity of saliva, salivary pH and caries incidence during pregnancy. Another objective is to introduce a prevention program in teaching institutions.
Material and methods: The longitudinal and descriptive study was conducted from January 2010 to September 2011. Thirty-five pregnant women, aged between 20–35 years, were examined during the three trimesters of pregnancy in order to evaluate the caries risk factors. The study investigated the Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacilli count in saliva; the salivary pH and the buffer capacity of saliva by using a salivary testing kit (CRT Bacteria and Buffer). These tests were non-invasive and well-accepted by all women.
Results: The results showed an increase in the number of Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacilli in the second part of pregnancy (>105 CFU/ml saliva). An exception is the 20–24 years age group, where we observed a decrease in the third trimester. Also, their frequency increases with parity and women’s age. In terms of pH, we observed a decrease in the first trimester (6.35), but in the third trimester the pH was less acid (6.85).
Conclusions: Microbiological evaluations suggest that pregnant women present a high caries risk, but the implementation of preventive measures such as a rigorous hygiene and balanced diet prevent the appearance of new carious lesions.

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Semiautomated Image Analysis of High Contrast Tissue Areas Using Hue/Saturation/Brightness Based Color Filtering

Mezei T1, Szakács M1, Dénes L2, Jung J1, Egyed-Zsigmond I1

1 Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
2 Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Introduction: Quantification and morphological assessment of various tissue elements have numerous applications in fundamental and clinical research. Digital morphometry, in contrast to other morphologic methods, uses personal computers and specific software, to perform precise and highly reproducible results. Additionally, it delivers results in mathematical format. The aim of our study was to develop an open access digital morphometry method for measuring different parameters of various high contrast tissue elements and to elaborate a general work-around for digital morphometry study and data management.
Materials and methods: We used three different types of tissue samples and staining procedures: (1) Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma specimens, (2) various stage liver fibrosis specimens and (3) transversely sectioned skeletal muscle tissue to develop a digital morphometric analysis. Image analysis was performed using ImageJ software.
Results: We developed an intuitive and easy to use work-algorithm that fits generic demands. We split the algorithm into three phases, each requiring a different approach and workaround. Using the presented method we were able to quantify the proportion of CD34 positive areas in the DLBCL specimens, the vascularity of this type of lymphoma may be quantified; similarly, this method is optimal for determining the extension of fibrosis in liver specimens; and finally, morphometric analysis of striated muscle fibers was achieved.
Conclusions: We conclude that the use of ImageJ with semiautomatic color segmentation is a reliable and practical way of performing various morphometric measurements. In addition, we are confident that such methods of digital morphometry could have future applications in other areas of pathology and histology.

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Development of a Simplified Model of the Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neuron

Metz Júlia, Orbán-Kis K, Szilágyi T

Department of Physiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureş, Romania

Introduction: The hippocampus is critically involved in memory formation for facts and events. Beyond its physiological role the hippocampal region is of a particular interest for scientist and clinicians as well because of its low seizure susceptibility threshold and its possible role in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. The output of the hippocampus is through area CA1 pyramidal cells, thus the characterization of the pathophysiological integrative properties of its principal neurons, the pyramidal cells is of particular interest. Besides the experimental techniques in neuroscience, a large number of computational studies have been published involving CA1 pyramidal neurons.
Aim: The aim of our study was to develop a compartment model of CA1 pyramidal neurons that reproduces the experimentally observed main electrophysiological properties, with low computational effort.
Material and methods: We constructed a compartmental model of a pyramidal neuron with simplified geometry using the NEURON program. Active conductances were implemented in the soma, axon and dendrites.
Results: We compared our model to other computational models and found that it reproduces the main firing properties of the CA1 pyramidal neurons, with a lower computational cost.
Conclusions: Our model is suitable to be incorporated in a larger neural network.

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