The assessment of the health status of healthcare workers (HWs) is related to the growing interest in the sustainability of the medical profession. This study explores for the first time the level of burnout, coping strategies, and pulse wave velocity (PWV), the correlations between them, and possible connections with the workplace. It included 154 HWs, aged 25–64 years, 83.76% women, divided into five groups (oncology, cardiology, intensive care, occupational health, and residents). The Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23) questionnaire for the burnout level and the Carver Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) questionnaire for the coping strategies were used. PWV was measured with a TensioMed arteriograph. Regarding BAT subscales, all studied groups are at burnout for exhaustion (E), prone to burnout for mental distancing (MD), emotional impairment (EI), and no burnout for cognitive impairment (CI). On the four subscales of the BAT, the MANOVA shows a medium-sized effect of the workplace on MD and on CI. All subjects use positive coping strategies. Problem-solving mechanisms are often used, followed by emotional support-based and social support-based coping. PWV correlates with age and BMI and has a small positive correlation with MD, CI, and EI. High burnout levels are related to the healthcare profession, not to the workplace. Our research shows the practical need to supervise the mental and physical health of HWs in order to preserve their health through medical and organizational methods.

Background and Objectives: In the COVID-19 epidemiological context, the health care workers who were treating patients with COVID-19 were exposed daily to additional stress. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a predictive parameter for possible major adverse cardiovascular events. The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the general stress levels and PWVs of medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: The study group was heterogeneous in terms of the medical profession. PWV was measured using a TendioMed arteriograph. Assessment of stress level was performed using a general stress questionnaire with questions grouped on the areas that contribute to stress: lifestyle, environment, symptoms, job, relationships and personality. PWV measurements and stress assessment were performed both during the period with many patients with COVID-19 and during the period with few patients with COVID-19. Results: The stress levels and PWVs of subjects were higher in the period when they cared for patients with COVID-19 than in the period when they did not have patients with COVID-19. Conclusions: The study shows a positive correlation between the PWV of each subject and his/her stress score (the higher the stress score, the higher the PWV).

Climate variability plays a crucial role in shaping drinking water quality, yet the quantitative links between meteorological factors and microbiological contamination remain underexplored in temperate continental climates. A secondary data analysis was conducted on 15,394 microbiological water quality test results collected between 2015 and 2024, including heterotrophic plate counts (22 °C and 37 °C), coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli, and their associations with local meteorological conditions across groundwater wells and piped distribution networks were examined. A clear distinction emerged: groundwater wells showed higher vulnerability to primary microbial contamination (coliforms and E. coli), whereas distribution networks exhibited higher odds of heterotrophic plate count exceedances, indicating greater susceptibility to post-treatment microbial regrowth. In groundwater wells, temperature showed strong positive associations with all microbial indicators (p < 0.001), with pronounced summer peaks in coliforms and E. coli, while precipitation triggered short-term contamination spikes characterized by a 2-day lag. In contrast, piped networks exhibited weaker and more delayed meteorological responses. These results highlight the need for a shift from climate-responsive to climate-pre-emptive water quality monitoring by incorporating meteorological forecasts, especially for non-chlorinated groundwater sources.

We present frequency- and magnetic field-dependent measurements of the complex dielectric permittivity ε*(f, H) of a kerosene-based ferrofluid, containing Mn_0.6Fe_0.4Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles, over 0.8–5 GHz and static fields up to ~91 kA/m. The imaginary part, ε′′_F, shows a peak at a characteristic frequency that shifts towards higher frequencies with increasing H, revealing a magnetic field-dependent relaxation process, interpreted using the Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars model. Dielectrophoretic extraction of nanoparticles was evaluated via the squared electric field gradient, and a threshold, dependent on particle size was determined. Below that threshold, Brownian forces dominate, so the ferrofluid acts as a homogeneous dielectric. For this case, the Clausius-Mossotti factor (CM) was calculated for ferrofluid droplets in air and in water as a function of frequency and magnetic field. In air, CM exhibits modest but systematic magnetic field dependence, indicating magnetically modulated dielectric response at GHz frequencies. In contrast, when water is used as the reference medium, CM remains negative and essentially independent of H across the entire frequency range, suggesting that the high permittivity of water masks magneto-dielectric effects in the ferrofluid. These findings provide insight into the interplay between magnetic field and permittivity of ferrofluids, with implications for high-frequency applications. Moreover, using a λ/4 antenna connected to a network analyzer, the existence of the dielectrophoretic force acting on a ferrofluid-impregnated textile thread, at microwave frequencies, was experimentally demonstrated.

Background/Objectives: Prenatal testing strategies for suspected monogenic disorders have changed considerably over the past decades, alongside evolving referral indications and increasing availability of genomic technologies. Longitudinal, practice-based data describing these changes within routine clinical care remain limited, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. We describe changes in referral indications, testing strategies, and molecular findings over 22 years in a single-center retrospective descriptive case series from Western Romania. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 52 pregnancies investigated for suspected monogenic disorders between 2004 and 2026. Forty pregnancies were evaluated through a diagnostic pathway, while a separate group of 12 pregnancies underwent cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based monogenic screening; these were analyzed as distinct clinical pathways. For the diagnostic pathway, clinical indications, testing strategies, and molecular findings were analyzed across three retrospectively defined study periods (2004–2013, 2014–2019, and 2020–2026). Results: Within the diagnostic pathway, referral patterns shifted from predominantly family-history-based testing (55.6% of cases in 2004–2013) toward indications arising from positive parental carrier screening and fetal ultrasound abnormalities in later study periods. Testing strategies expanded from predominantly targeted single-gene testing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) to include gene panels and whole-exome sequencing (WES). Among 34 pregnancies with fetal molecular evaluation, 7 (20.6%) had a confirmed disease-causing finding, 9 (26.5%) had carrier-only outcomes, 15 (44.1%) were classified as unaffected, and 3 (8.8%) had non-classic molecular findings. Incidental or additional molecular findings beyond the primary testing indication were identified in 6 of 34 pregnancies with fetal molecular evaluation (17.6%) and required case-specific interpretation and genetic counseling. The 12 cfDNA-based monogenic screening pregnancies constituted a separate, non-diagnostic screening pathway and were analyzed independently from the diagnostic pathway. Conclusions: Over 22 years, referral indications for suspected monogenic disorders broadened alongside an expansion of prenatal testing strategies from predominantly targeted familial testing to a wider range of genomic approaches. These findings describe temporal changes within a single-center clinical practice and should not be interpreted as evidence that changes in testing strategy improved diagnostic performance or pregnancy outcomes. Invasive diagnostic testing and cfDNA-based monogenic screening represent distinct clinical pathways and should be interpreted separately.

We present frequency- and magnetic field-dependent measurements of the complex dielectric permittivity ε*(f, H) of a kerosene-based ferrofluid, containing Mn₀.₆Fe₀.₄Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles, over 0.8–5 GHz and static fields up to ~91 kA/m. The imaginary part, ${\epsilon }_F^{″}$, shows a peak at a characteristic frequency that shifts towards higher frequencies with increasing H, revealing a magnetic field-dependent relaxation process, interpreted using the Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars model. The dielectrophoretic extraction of nanoparticles was evaluated via the squared electric field gradient, and a threshold, ${\left(\nabla E^2\right)}_{\min }$, dependent on particle size was determined. Below that threshold, Brownian forces dominate, so the ferrofluid acts as a homogeneous dielectric. For this case, the Clausius–Mossotti factor (CM) was calculated for ferrofluid droplets in air and in water as a function of frequency and magnetic field. In air, CM exhibits modest but systematic magnetic field dependence, indicating a magnetically modulated dielectric response at GHz frequencies. In contrast, when water is used as the reference medium, CM remains negative and essentially independent of H across the entire frequency range, suggesting that the high permittivity of water masks the magneto-dielectric effects in the ferrofluid. These findings provide insight into the interplay between the magnetic field and the permittivity of ferrofluids, with implications for high-frequency applications. Moreover, using a λ/4 antenna connected to a network analyzer, the existence of the dielectrophoretic force acting on a ferrofluid-impregnated textile thread at microwave frequencies was experimentally demonstrated.