Gout is a crystal-induced inflammatory arthritis driven by hyperuricemia and monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposition, yet urate burden alone does not explain why only a subset of hyperuricemic individuals develops clinical disease, why acute flares are usually self-limited, or why gout clusters with renal and cardiometabolic comorbidity. This structured narrative review uses a gout-specific redox-switch framework, defined as a context-dependent shift in uric acid biology according to concentration, compartment, crystallization state, xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) activity, inflammatory priming, and disease stage rather than as a binary molecular event. We integrate evidence on XOR-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial stress, NLRP3 inflammasome signaling, neutrophil oxidative responses, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), lipid peroxidation, and potential ferroptosis-related mechanisms. Evidence is classified into five categories: established, mechanistically supported, human-associative, conceptual, and emerging/unvalidated. The available human data support lipid-peroxidation and ferroptosis-associated molecular signatures, but do not yet establish ferroptotic cell death as a driver of gout. Therapeutic implications are therefore framed conservatively: urate-lowering therapy remains foundational, whereas redox-directed approaches require pathway specificity, disease-stage definition, and biomarker validation. The redox-switch concept is proposed as an organizing framework for mechanistic and translational research, not as a validated clinical algorithm.

Background/Objectives: The infraclavicular region contains a complex arrangement of the brachial plexus cords and axillary vessels. Accurate ultrasonographic characterization of these relationships is important for anatomical image interpretation and has direct relevance to ultrasound-guided infraclavicular procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the bilateral topographic distribution and morphometric relationships of the lateral, medial, and posterior cords relative to the axillary artery and axillary vein. Methods: This prospective, multicenter, observational anatomical–ultrasonographic study included 50 adults (25 women and 25 men), each examined bilaterally, yielding 100 potential side-specific examinations. The lateral cord (LC), medial cord (MC), posterior cord (PC), and axillary vein (AV) were mapped using a 12-sector radial model centered on the axillary artery (AA). Center-to-center intercord, cord-to-AA, and cord-to-AV distances were measured. Topographic confidence intervals were estimated using participant-level cluster bootstrap resampling, and bilateral morphometric data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Results: The LC was located in sectors 10–11 in 85/94 examinations (90.4%; 95% CI, 84.4–95.7%), the MC in sectors 2–4 in 84/89 (94.4%; 95% CI, 89.2–98.9%), the PC in sectors 6–7 in 78/83 (94.0%; 95% CI, 88.6–98.8%), and the AV in sectors 4–5 in 95/100 (95.0%; 95% CI, 90.0–99.0%). Mean intercord distances were 11.20 ± 1.18 mm for LC/MC, 7.30 ± 1.61 mm for LC/PC, and 5.70 ± 1.10 mm for MC/PC. Mean cord-to-AA distances were 7.60 ± 0.74, 4.60 ± 0.93, and 6.60 ± 0.91 mm for the LC, MC, and PC, respectively. Mean cord-to-AV distances were 15.50 ± 2.01, 6.60 ± 1.22, and 8.50 ± 1.10 mm, respectively. Mixed-effects models demonstrated significant differences among measurements within each distance family (all p < 0.001), without significant overall side or sex effects. Conclusions: The brachial plexus cords and AV demonstrated a consistent topographic organization around the AA during bilateral mid-infraclavicular ultrasonographic assessment. The MC showed the shortest center-to-center distance to both the AA and AV, and the three cords formed a non-equidistant spatial configuration.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated uncertainty about epidemiology, clinical course, and the influence of comorbidities. Evidence is conflicting on whether bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis alter susceptibility to SARS‑CoV‑2 or the severity of COVID‑19. This study describes occurrence and clinical course of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection in a small cohort of patients with allergic respiratory comorbidities. Methodology: Nineteen patients with PCR‑confirmed COVID‑19 were observed from 11 to 30 November 2020 at the Department of Occupational Diseases with Clinical Allergy Activity, University Hospital “St. George”, Plovdiv. Viral RNA was extracted from respiratory specimens using automated systems and amplified by real‑time PCR; cycle threshold (Ct) values were recorded as an indirect viral load measure. The department was temporarily reorganized as a dedicated COVID‑19 unit and care followed institutional protocols based on international evidence. Data were obtained retrospectively from official medical records; informed consent was included. Results: Clinical histories, examinations, and laboratory data were reviewed for all 19 patients. Six had bronchial asthma and three had allergic rhinitis. Although the sample is small and not statistically representative, allergic respiratory diseases were observed to coexist with SARS‑CoV‑2 infection in this hospitalized series. Conclusions: Given the lung’s central role in both allergic airway disease and COVID‑19, clinicians should evaluate infection risk and clinical implications in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis to inform prevention and management strategies.

Purpose: Silicosis is a specific occupational disease characterized by progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Lung cancer is one of the leading oncological illnesses in incidence and unfavorable prognosis. Bronchial asthma is a chronic allergic inflammation of the airways characterized by reversible bronchial obstruction. These diseases are a great burden for occupational medicine and the financial resource of the healthcare systems. The aim of this article is to prove the correlation between these three important diseases affecting the lungs. Materials/methods: Discharge summaries, results from imaging and functional lung tests, blood, biochemical, immunohistochemical, microbiological, and serological tests are used to describe the case. Results: Silicosis represents a risk factor for the occurrence of lung cancer. The presence of a relationship between the duration and intensity of silicon dioxide exposure and the severity and poor prognosis of lung cancer is assumed. In asthma, the mechanical impact of quartz could trigger bronchial obstruction by an irritative mechanism. Endobronchially growing lung cancer could provoke an obstructive ventilatory defect. Bronchial obstruction appears to be a connecting unit in the development of these three diseases. Furthermore, bronchial asthma could additionally complicate the course of silicosis and lung cancer, worsening the prognosis even more. Conclusions: The case gives an opportunity for strengthening the interdisciplinary collaboration between allergologists, pulmonologists, occupational physicians and oncologists, with the aim for prompter and more accurate diagnose of these diseases. The interdisciplinary approach could improve the control and postpone the complications in patients suffering from these three illnesses, thus improving the quality of their life.

Background/Objectives: Quantitative MRI data describing the infraclavicular brachial plexus cords together with both axillary vessels remain limited. This study characterized artery-centered cord topography and neurovascular morphometry on 0.55 T MRI and discussed the potential anatomical implications for infraclavicular block. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional imaging study included 100 adults undergoing clinically indicated MRI. One infraclavicular region was analyzed per participant. Within the mid-infraclavicular retropectoral region posterior to the pectoralis minor muscle, the axial T1-weighted image providing the clearest simultaneous visualization of the lateral cord (LC), medial cord (MC), posterior cord (PC), axillary artery (AA), and axillary vein (AV) was selected. The LC, MC, PC, and AV were mapped using a 12-sector clock-face model centered on the AA, and center-to-center intercord, cord-to-AA, and cord-to-AV distances were measured. Results: The LC was most frequently located at 11 o’clock (62%), the MC at 3 o’clock (41%), the PC at 6 o’clock (40%), and the AV at 2 o’clock (71.1%; n = 90). Mean intercord distances were 11.73 ± 3.17 mm (LC-MC), 11.09 ± 2.43 mm (LC-PC), and 8.13 ± 2.83 mm (MC-PC). Mean cord-to-AA distances were 6.33 ± 1.69, 7.36 ± 2.03, and 7.13 ± 1.83 mm for LC, MC, and PC, respectively. In 92 participants with complete cord-to-AV measurements, corresponding means were 17.01 ± 5.01, 9.61 ± 2.90, and 16.54 ± 3.87 mm. Conclusions: At the mid-infraclavicular retropectoral level, 0.55 T MRI demonstrated a structured but non-equidistant neurovascular arrangement. These imaging-derived data provide quantitative anatomical reference information but are not procedural safety margins or predictors of block success.