Background and objectives: HIV infection in pregnant women can be responsible for a number of consequences during pregnancy, such as: maternal anaemia, miscarriage, low birth weight, and preterm birth. The objectives of this study were to determine the maternal–foetal transmission rate of HIV among pregnant women living with HIV from Craiova Regional Centre in order to assess the risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to identify the characteristics of newborns perinatally exposed to HIV. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020, including children born to HIV-positive mothers. Results: The studied group included 138 newborns and was divided into two subgroups: group A, which included 10 HIV-infected infants; and group B, which included 128 uninfected infants. The mother-to-child transmission rate was 3.5% for women to whom all prophylaxis standards were applied. We found a statistically significant correlation between the level of maternal HIV viremia and perinatal HIV transmission (p = 0.01). Preterm birth and low birth weight were associated with perinatal transmission of the infection. Conclusions: Perinatal transmission of HIV infection during our study was associated with inconsistent application of screening for HIV infection among pregnant women, lack of antiretroviral therapy, poor adherence to treatment, and detectable HIV viral load during pregnancy.

Background and Objectives: The occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in children in Romania has been reported since 1989. This retrospective study was aimed at assessing clinical and biological risk factors for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV in two HIV-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Regional Centers (RCs), Constanta and Craiova in Romania. Materials and Methods: During the study period (2008–2019), 408 HIV-positive pregnant women, 244 from Constanta RC and 164 from Craiova RC who attended antenatal visits, were included. All HIV-positive pregnant women were under combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) during pregnancy and childbirth, being followedup with their infants up to 18 months after delivery. We investigated the clinical as well as biological risk factorsassociated with increased MTCT of HIV. Results: Comparing different variables of HIV-positive pregnant women from the two HIV-AIDS CRs, we find that there are significant differences between the mean value of hemoglobin, CD4 level, environmental area, marital and amniotic membranes status, and HIV patient stage in the last trimester of pregnancy (p < 0.05), but without any differences in mother’s mean age, education level, type of delivery, breastfeeding, the duration of cART administration, HIV viral load, and survival rate. Conclusions: In 408 HIV-positive pregnant women followed up at two HIV-AIDS RCs in Romania, the most important clinical and biological risk factors associated with increased MTCT of HIV are represented by anemia, CD4 level, and HIV patient stage.

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that progressively impairs immune function by depleting CD4 + T-lymphocytes, ultimately leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). People living with HIV face a higher risk of developing various bone disorders, such as osteopenia, osteoporosis, and osteonecrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) status, to determine the prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis and to identify the risk factors for low BMD in patients living with HIV undergoing antiretroviral treatment (ART), registered in Craiova Regional Center. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between June 2024 and January 2025, including HIV-infected subjects aged over 18 years. Results: The study group included 106 patients. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) showed that 87 patients had low BMD, 51% having osteopenia and 31.1% having osteoporosis. We found a statistically significant correlation between low BMD and older age, higher levels HIV viremia, CD4 nadir < 200 cells/mm³, prolonged ART exposure and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate containing regimens. Conclusions: These findings support the inclusion of routine bone health monitoring in the standard care of patients with HIV, as well as the need for reevaluation.

Adults living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection (ALHIV) have high rates of cardiovascular events. New approaches are needed to detect subclinical cardiac dysfunction. We used conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography to investigate whether ALHIV display latent cardiac dysfunction. We analyzed 85 young subjects with HIV infection and free from cardiovascular risk factors (31 ± 4 years) and 80 matched healthy volunteers. We measured left ventricular (LV) layered global longitudinal strain, circumferential strain, peak longitudinal strain in the reservoir and contraction phases of the left atrium (LASr respectively LASct). In the HIV group, LV ejection fraction and s’ TDI (tissue doppler imaging) were slightly lower but still in the normal ranges. Layered longitudinal strain showed no significant difference, whereas circumferential global strain was significantly lower in the HIV group (−20.3 ± 3.9 vs. −22.3 ± 3.0, p < 0.001). LASr (34.3% ± 7.3% vs. 38.0% ± 6.9%, p < 0.001) was also lower in ALHIV and multivariate analysis showed that age (β = −0.737, p = 0.01) and infection duration (β = −0.221, p = 0.02) were independently associated with LASr. In the absence of cardiovascular risk factors, adults living with HIV display normal LV systolic function. Left atrial reservoir strain, is, however, decreased and suggests early diastolic dysfunction.

Background/Objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an increasingly recognized cause of acute hepatitis in Europe, but short-term in-hospital laboratory dynamics remain insufficiently described in hospitalized cohorts. We aimed to characterize admission biochemical abnormalities and paired admission-to-discharge laboratory changes in hospitalized patients with acute hepatitis E from Craiova, Romania, with exploratory sex- and age-stratified analyses. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective observational study including 40 consecutive hospitalized patients with acute hepatitis E during 2024–2025. Admission and discharge laboratory values were compared at the within-patient level, and exploratory subgroup analyses by sex and age class were performed. Given the limited sample size, multivariable analyses were restricted to parsimonious age-adjusted models for selected endpoints. Results: The cohort comprised 22 females (55%) and 18 males (45%), with a mean age of 53.05 ± 21.44 years; two in-hospital deaths occurred. At admission, marked transaminase elevation and frequent hyperbilirubinemia were observed, with 70% of patients having total bilirubin ≥ 2 mg/dL and 40% ≥ 10 mg/dL. During hospitalization, ALT and AST declined markedly, whereas total and direct bilirubin improved more modestly, indicating slower resolution of jaundice/cholestatic abnormalities. Platelets increased, while prothrombin index changes were heterogeneous. Male patients had higher bilirubin values at admission and discharge and more frequent clinically relevant hyperbilirubinemia thresholds; however, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size, the retrospective design, and the absence of standardized clinical confounders and mechanistic data. Exploratory age-stratified analyses did not identify robust differences after multiplicity control. Conclusions: In hospitalized hepatitis E, hepatocellular injury markers improved rapidly during hospitalization, whereas cholestatic abnormalities resolved more slowly and often remained clinically relevant at discharge. The observed sex-related cholestatic pattern should be considered exploratory and requires confirmation in larger studies with standardized clinical covariates and longer follow-up. These findings support closer monitoring of bilirubin trajectories at discharge, particularly in male patients, and highlight the need for integrating laboratory dynamics into short-term clinical assessment of hospitalized HEV cases.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with reported rates of insufficiency and deficiency substantially higher than in many general-population cohorts. This study aims to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and to investigate the risk factors contributing to its occurrence among people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and are registered at the Craiova Regional Center (CRC). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from May 2024 to August 2024, including individuals with HIV aged 18 years and older who were registered at the CRC. Results: A total of 138 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) and vitamin D insufficiency (20–29.9 ng/mL) was 36.2% and 33.3%, respectively, with an average vitamin D level of 26.4 ± 9.9 ng/mL. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with obesity (p = 0.0013), high HIV viral load (p = 0.043), low CD4 nadir (<200 cells/mm³, p = 0.006), prolonged ART exposure (p = 0.002), and the use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or protease inhibitor-containing regimens (p = 0.034 and p = 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: These findings indicate that monitoring vitamin D levels could be particularly relevant for patients with HIV with higher-risk profiles. However, our study included a relatively small number of participants, so further research in larger cohorts is needed to better understand these patterns.