In the last three decades, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has increased in incidence and severity in many countries worldwide. The increase in CDI incidence has been particularly apparent among surgical patients. Therefore, prevention of CDI and optimization of management in the surgical patient are paramount. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts from the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) updated its guidelines for management of CDI in surgical patients according to the most recent available literature. The update includes recent changes introduced in the management of this infection.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) are the most frequently occurring non-melanocytic skin cancers. The objective of our study is to present the pathophysiology of BCC and cSCC and its direct relationship with the histopathological diagnostics and the differential diagnostics of these types of cancer, based on the morphological characteristics, immunohistochemical profile, and genetic alterations. The qualitative study was based on emphasizing the morphological characteristics and immunohistochemistry profiles of BCC and cSCC and the differential diagnostics based on the tissue samples from the Clinical Pathology Department of Mures Clinical County Hospital between 2020 and 2022. We analyzed the histopathological appearances and immunohistochemical profiles of BCC and cSCC in comparison with those of Bowen disease, keratoacanthoma, hyperkeratotic squamous papilloma, metatypical carcinoma, pilomatricoma, trichoblastoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS), and melanoma. Our study showed the importance of the correct histopathological diagnosis, which has a direct impact on the appropriate treatment and outcome for each patient. The study highlighted the histopathological and morphological characteristics of NMSCs and the precursor lesions in HE and the immunohistochemical profile for lesions that may make the differential diagnosis difficult to establish.

The sustainable development of humanity imposes precise norms regarding the management of natural resources, their extraction, use, and the introduction in a complex, innovative circuit of the waste resulting from exploitation. The paper deals with some aspects related to the sustainable management of general medical waste on the one hand and the medical waste specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand. Medical waste requires special treatment given its impact on the environment and on humanity. The management of activities related to its storage, transport, destruction is an important point in the sustainable development of mankind, especially in the current context of the pandemic. Medical waste is in a continuous increase in quantity and involves many effects in various activity fields. Through a scientometric study in the Web of Science—WOS database, the authors identify clusters of keywords, analyze the articles identified in the WOS and identify the main research directions and existing concepts. Corroborating and interpreting the results obtained, three significant trends of approach to medical waste are identified: M—management (1); E—exposure (2); and D—distribution (3). An extensive map of the concepts is made, a narrow map of the concepts used, and a theoretical map of the concepts. The link between medical waste and the development of a sustainable society is demonstrated, and it is possible to open new research directions. The scientometric research undertaken on 1192 WOS articles that were published in 2020 led to the selection of 32, focused on issues related to hazardous medical waste, especially of COVID-19 patients. Following this approach, the authors were able to see, by comparison, the different forms of management of this waste in different countries, thus being able to contribute to the creation of procedures for the collection, storage, and destruction of this hazardous waste, with direct influence on the environment.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected health systems and services. Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common malignancies around the world. This study aimed to analyze the differences in the benign and malignant histopathological diagnoses performed on radical excision skin tumors and skin biopsies in the dermatopathology ward in Mures Clinical County Hospital, Targu Mures, Romania, 1 year prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, to emphasize the changes in the diagnostic process as per the new regulations. Materials and Methods: A total of 1168 histopathological diagnoses were included in the study—302 from the COVID-19 period and 866 from the non-COVID-19 period—considering the number, type, and frequency of the histopathological diagnoses as variables to be analyzed. Results: In the COVID-19 period, out of the 55 NMSC and melanoma histopathological diagnoses, 50.9% (n = 28) were BCCs, 20% (n = 11) were SCCs, 10.9% (n = 6) were basosquamous cell carcinomas, and 18.18% (n = 10) were melanoma cases. Regarding the non-COVID-19 period, out of the 173 NMSC and melanoma histopathological diagnoses, 46.82% (n = 81) were BCCs, 22.54% (n = 39) were SCCs, 7.51% (n = 13) were basosquamous cell carcinomas, and 23.12% (n = 40) were melanoma cases. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in histopathological diagnoses at the dermatopathology ward in our hospital was observed, for both benign and malignant pathologies, especially for NMSCs and melanomas, compared to the same period 1 year prior to the pandemic.

Toxicity studies were conducted to provide safety data of potential drug candidates by determining lethal and toxic doses. This study was designed for pre-clinical evaluation of novel cyclohexenone derivative with respect to the acute and sub-acute toxicity along with the diabetogenic potential. Acute and sub-acute toxicity were assessed after intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of the investigational compound through selected doses for 21 days. This was followed by assessment of isolated body organs (liver, kidney, heart and pancreas) via biochemical indicators and histopathological techniques. No signs of toxicity were revealed in the study of acute toxicity. Similarly, a sub-acute toxicity study showed no significant difference in biochemical indicators on 11th and 21st days between treated and control groups. However, in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and random blood glucose/sugar (RBS) values, significant differences were recorded. Histopathological evaluation of liver, kidney, pancreas and heart tissues revealed mild to severe changes in the form of steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis and myofibrillary damages on 11th and 21st days of treatment. In conclusion, the median lethal dose of the tested compound was expected to be greater than 500 mg/kg. No significant change occurred in selected biomarkers, except BUN and RBS levels, but a histopathological study showed moderate toxic effect on liver, kidney, pancreas and heart tissues by the cyclohexenone derivative.

The multidisciplinary approach to the rehabilitation of patients with stroke and diabetes has been followed in this article by a review of the literature published in the Web of Science in the last ten years. A review of the literature was performed using scientometric methods. VOS Viewer software was used to determine the research directions in this area. Scientometric analysis has extracted relevant published scientific output that treats diabetes and stroke. Studies based on qualitative research and the conclusions of these studies were analyzed. The clusters with the keywords used in the title and abstract by the authors who published in the Web of Science were reviewed and research directions in the field were formulated. The proper care of diabetes and its numerous consequences, including stroke and its neurologic complications, necessitates the fast identification of research findings in various types of medicines and their efficacy when applied to various patient groups, such as diabetic patients, whose recovery after a stroke is similar to that of a nondiabetic patient following hemodynamic stabilization, although it takes longer and has poorer outcomes. The limitations of the study refer to the fact that the data reviewed are from the Web of Science only.