Tiberiu Totu

Mr. Tiberiu Totu


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 December 2022 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
NTNicoleta-Bianca Tudorachi
Nicoleta-Bianca Tudorachi
TTTiberiu Totu
Tiberiu Totu
IEIuliana Eva
Iuliana Eva
BBBogdan Bărbieru
Bogdan Bărbieru
Eugenia Eftimie TotuEugenia Eftimie Totu
Eugenia Eftimie Totu
VAValeriu Ardeleanu
Valeriu Ardeleanu
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative pathology that is associated with multiple risk factors such as age, sex, obesity, or metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present clinical trial aimed to investigate the influence of the environment of origin, body mass index (BMI), and MetS parameters on the KOA differentiated degrees. Methods: 85 patients were admitted for the clinical study. The KOA presence was investigated using X-rays analysis. The Kellgren–Lawrence classification (KL) of the KOA severity and the MetS characteristic parameters using freshly collected blood were performed for each patient. All data collected were used for ANOVA statistic interpretation. Results: The total cholesterol and glycemia were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.028, and p < 0.03, respectively), with a high level in patients with severe KOA compared to healthy ones. Patients from rural regions are 5.18 times more prone to develop severe KOA when compared to ones from urban areas. Conclusions: The results of the statistical analysis confirmed the correlation between the incidence and severity of KOA and the influence of increased values of BMI, glycemia, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. The investigations revealed a statistically significant influence of the environment of origin on the KOA degree of the patients.

8 March 2022 in Membranes
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Eugenia Eftimie TotuEugenia Eftimie Totu
Eugenia Eftimie Totu
DMDaniela Manuc
Daniela Manuc
TTTiberiu Totu
Tiberiu Totu
Corina Marilena CristacheCorina Marilena Cristache
Corina Marilena Cristache
RBRoxana-Mădălina Buga
Roxana-Mădălina Buga
IIIbrahim Isildak
Ibrahim Isildak
(1) Background: The standard treatment for periodontal disease, a chronic inflammatory state caused by the interaction between biofilms generated by organized oral bacteria and the local host defense response, consists of calculus and biofilm removal through mechanical debridement, associated with antimicrobial therapy that could be delivered either systemically or locally. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a hyaluronic acid membrane matrix as a carrier for the controlled release of the active compounds of a formulation proposed as a topical treatment for periodontal disease, and the influence of pH on the complex system’s stability. (2) Methods: The obtained hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel membrane with dispersed melatonin (MEL), metronidazole (MZ), and tetracycline (T) was completely characterized through FTIR, XRD, thermal analysis, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, zeta potential and dielectric analysis. The MTT viability test was applied to check the cytotoxicity of the obtained membranes, while the microbiological assessment was performed against strains of Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. The spectrophotometric investigations allowed to follow up the release profile from the HA matrix for MEL, MZ, and T present in the topical treatment considered. We studied the behavior of the active compounds against the pH of the generated environment, and the release profile of the bioactive formulation based on the specific comportment towards pH variation. The controlled delivery of the bioactive compounds using HA as a supportive matrix was modeled applying Korsmeyer–Peppas, Higuchi, first-order kinetic models, and a newly proposed pseudo-first-order kinetic model. (3) Results: It was observed that MZ and T were released at higher active concentrations than MEL when the pH was increased from 6.75, specific for patients with periodontitis, to a pH of 7.10, characterizing the healthy patients. Additionally, it was shown that for MZ, there is a burst delivery up to 2.40 × 10−5 mol/L followed by a release decrease, while for MEL and T a short release plateau was recorded up to a concentration of 1.80 × 10−5 mol/L for MEL and 0.90 × 10−5 mol/L for T, followed by a continuous release; (4) Conclusions: The results are encouraging for the usage of the HA membrane matrix as releasing vehicle for the active components of the proposed topical treatment at a physiological pH.