Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory dermatosis characterized by the appearance of erythematous plaques, covered by white scales, occasionally pruritogenic, and distributed mainly on the extensor areas. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance or a transient or chronic increase in the levels of free oxygen/nitrogen radicals, either as a result of the exaggerated elevation in their production or the decrease in their ability to be eliminated by antioxidant systems. Although the pathogenesis of psoriasis remains far from elucidated, there are studies that delineate an involvement of oxidative stress in this skin disorder. Thus, a systematic search was computed in PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and SCOPUS and, in total, 1293 potentially eligible articles exploring this research question were detected. Following the removal of duplicates and the exclusion of irrelevant manuscripts based on the screening of their titles and abstracts (n = 995), 298 original articles were selected for full-text review. Finally, after we applied the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 79 original articles were included in this systematic review. Overall, the data analyzed in this systematic review point out that oxidative stress markers are elevated in psoriasis and share an association with the duration and severity of the disease. The concentrations of these biomarkers are impacted on by anti-psoriasis therapy. In addition, the crosstalk between psoriasis and oxidative stress is influenced by several polymorphisms that arise in genes encoding markers or enzymes related to the redox balance. Although the involvement of oxidative stress in psoriasis remains undisputable, future research is needed to explore the utility of assessing circulating serum, plasma, urinary and/or skin biomarkers of oxidative stress and of studying polymorphisms in genes regulating the redox balance, as well as how can these findings be translated into the management of psoriasis, as well in understanding its pathogenesis and evolution.

Background and Objectives: Polypharmacy heavily impacts the quality of life of patients worldwide. It is a necessary evil in many disorders, and especially in type 2 diabetes mellitus, as patients require treatment both for this condition and its related or unrelated comorbidities. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the use of polypharmacy in type 2 diabetes mellitus vs. non-diabetes patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective observational study was conducted. We collected the medical records of patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania, for a period of two months (01/01/2018–28/02/2018). Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in the study group, whereas patients who were not diabetic were used as controls. Results: The study group consisted of 63 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (mean age 69.19 ± 9.67 years, range 46–89 years; 52.38% males). The control group included 63 non-diabetes patients (mean age 67.05 ± 14.40 years, range 42–93 years, 39.68% males). Diabetic patients had more comorbidities (10.35 ± 3.09 vs. 7.48 ± 3.59, p = 0.0001) and received more drugs (7.81 ± 2.23 vs. 5.33 ± 2.63, p = 0.0001) vs. non-diabetic counterparts. The mean number of drug-drug and food-drug interactions was higher in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients vs. controls: 8.86 ± 5.76 vs. 4.98 ± 5.04, p = 0.0003 (minor: 1.22 ± 1.42 vs. 1.27 ± 1.89; moderate: 7.08 ± 4.08 vs. 3.54 ± 3.77; major: 0.56 ± 0.74 vs. 0.37 ± 0.77) and 2.63 ± 1.08 vs. 2.19 ± 1.42 (p = 0.0457), respectively. Conclusions: Polypharmacy should be an area of serious concern also in type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially in the elderly. In our study, type 2 diabetes mellitus patients received more drugs than their non-diabetes counterparts and were exposed to more drug-drug and food-drug interactions.

Dyslipidemia is a significant threat to public health worldwide and the identification of its pathogenic mechanisms, as well as novel lipid-lowering agents, are warranted. Magnesium (Mg) is a key element to human health and its deficiency has been linked to the development of lipid abnormalities and related disorders, such as the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or cardiovascular disease. In this review, we explored the associations of Mg (dietary intake, Mg concentrations in the body) and the lipid profile, as well as the impact of Mg supplementation on serum lipids. A systematic search was computed in PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library and 3649 potentially relevant papers were detected and screened (n = 3364 following the removal of duplicates). After the removal of irrelevant manuscripts based on the screening of their titles and abstracts (n = 3037), we examined the full-texts of 327 original papers. Finally, after we applied the exclusion and inclusion criteria, a number of 124 original articles were included in this review. Overall, the data analyzed in this review point out an association of Mg concentrations in the body with serum lipids in dyslipidemia and related disorders. However, further research is warranted to clarify whether a higher intake of Mg from the diet or via supplements can influence the lipid profile and exert lipid-lowering actions.

Background and Objectives: Polypharmacy is associated with drug–drug or food–drug interactions that may pose treatment difficulties. The objective of the study was to investigate the use of polypharmacy in hypertensive patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Clinic of a European referral hospital. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review study on patients identified by a database search of discharge diagnoses to assess the use of polypharmacy and identify potential drug-drug and food-drug interactions. Results: In total, 166 hypertensive patients (68.46 ± 12.70 years, range 42–94 years) were compared to 83 normotensive subjects (67.82 ± 14.47 years, range 22–94 years) who were hospitalized in the clinic during the same period. Polypharmacy was more common in hypertensive versus normotensive subjects (p = 0.007). There were no differences in terms of age, as well as major (0.44 ± 0.77 versus 0.37 ± 0.73 interactions/patient, p = 0.52) and minor (1.25 ± 1.50 versus 1.08 ± 1.84 interactions/patient, p = 0.46) drug–drug interactions between patients with and without hypertension. The mean number of drug–drug interactions (6.55 ± 5.82 versus 4.93 ± 5.59 interactions/patient, p = 0.03), moderate drug–drug interactions (4.94 ± 4.75 versus 3.54 ± 4.17, p = 0.02) and food–drug interactions (2.64 ± 1.29 versus 2.02 ± 1.73, p = 0.00) was higher in patients with hypertension versus their counterparts. Conclusions: The present study reinforces that polypharmacy is a serious concern in hypertensive patients, as reflected by the high number of potentially harmful drug–drug or food–drug interactions. We recorded higher numbers of comorbidities, prescribed drugs, and moderate drug–drug/food–drug interactions in hypertensive versus normotensive patients. A strategy to evaluate the number of discharge medications and reduce drug–drug interactions is essential for the safety of hypertensive patients.

Previous studies have reported age and gender disparities in the occurrence and therapeutic approach of dyslipidemia and (or) coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to investigate these differences in Romanian patients with T2DM. A cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of T2DM patients who attended the outpatient facility of the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania for routine check-ups in a six-month period. We analyzed the records of 217 diabetic patients (mean age 69 ± 11 years; 51.15% women). We found no significant gender differences in the occurrence of dyslipidemia, CHD or CHD + dyslipidemia or in terms of statin prescription. However; patients aged 65 years or older were significantly more affected by dyslipidemia, CHD or CHD + dyslipidemia, versus subjects aged <65 years. Further, they were more likely to be prescribed statin therapy (p < 0.0001 for all). Statins were prescribed to 67.24% of the patients with dyslipidemia; 61.01% of the subjects with CHD; and to 91.48% of the patients who had both conditions. e recorded no gender differences in the occurrence of CHD and (or) dyslipidemia in Romanian T2DM patients. Patients aged 65 years or older had a higher prevalence of CHD and/or dyslipidemia, and were more likely to be prescribed statins, versus younger counterparts. However, many T2DM patients with CHD and (or) dyslipidemia were undertreated: Nearly 33% of the subjects with dyslipidemia, and nearly 40% of the ones with CHD were not prescribed statins.

Acute cholangitis is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the intra and/or extrahepatic bile ducts. It remains the second and third cause of community-acquired and hospital-acquired bacteremia, respectively, and is associated with mortality rates of up to 15%, despite advances in broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy and improved access to emergency biliary tract decompression procedures. Even though not much has changed in recent years in terms of diagnosis or treatment, new data have emerged regarding multidrug-resistant bacteria that serve as etiologic agents of cholangitis. Moreover, different approaches in antibiotic regimes depending on severity grading and bile sample cultures as well as novel minimally invasive endoscopic procedures that can help when consecrated treatments such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) fail, cannot be performed, or are unavailable have been proposed. This state-of-the-art review aims to offer a complete and updated assessment of the epidemiology, novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods, complications, and prognostic variables of acute cholangitis. The authors will review the prognostic implications of unusual complications, the relevance of regular bile samples and antibiograms, and their new role in guiding antibiotic therapy and limiting antibiotic resistance to present an organized and comprehensive approach to the care of acute cholangitis.