Chronic inflammation and endothelium dysfunction are present in diabetic patients. COVID-19 has a high mortality rate in association with diabetes, partially due to the development of thromboembolic events in the context of coronavirus infection. The purpose of this review is to present the most important underlying pathomechanisms in the development of COVID-19-related coagulopathy in diabetic patients. The methodology consisted of data collection and synthesis from the recent scientific literature by accessing different databases (Cochrane, PubMed, Embase). The main results are the comprehensive and detailed presentation of the very complex interrelations between different factors and pathways involved in the development of arteriopathy and thrombosis in COVID-19-infected diabetic patients. Several genetic and metabolic factors influence the course of COVID-19 within the background of diabetes mellitus. Extensive knowledge of the underlying pathomechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-related vasculopathy and coagulopathy in diabetic subjects contributes to a better understanding of the manifestations in this highly vulnerable group of patients; thus, they can benefit from a modern, more efficient approach regarding diagnostic and therapeutic management.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates the potential correlation between the increased use of antipsychotic medications and the rising incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE). As psychiatric disorders surged, the consequential escalation in antipsychotic drug use raised concerns about thrombotic risks. We conducted a comprehensive literature review using PubMed, focusing on articles that intersected COVID-19, antipsychotic medication, and thrombosis. This approach allowed for a nuanced examination of the historical and recent data on antipsychotic drugs and their association with thrombotic events. Our findings reveal a notable link between the use of antipsychotic medications, particularly second-generation antipsychotics, and an increased risk of VTE, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. This association was evident, despite variations in study designs and populations. The study underscores the need for cautious medication management in psychiatric care, especially during pandemic conditions like COVID-19, to mitigate thrombotic risks. It advocates a personalized approach to prescribing antipsychotics, considering individual patient factors and comorbidities, to balance the benefits against potential thrombotic complications.

With multimorbidity on the rise, adverse cutaneous drug reactions are becoming a daily challenge in clinical practice. The objective evaluation of the skin lesion is crucial but hardly realized due to missing technology and guidelines. In this study, the novel Dermus SkinScanner-U, an optically guided high-frequency ultrasound imaging device, was evaluated regarding its comparability with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the pharmacological analysis of the patients’ drug therapy. A total of 40 adult patients were evaluated, all with chronic medication use and skin lesions that led to non-compliance toward the pharmacotherapy. With the ongoing aim of further improving the methodology, the first results, with two detailed patient cases, are presented here. It was concluded that in the cases evaluated, there was a significant correlation between the characteristics of the lesions observed on the optical and ultrasound image, the DLQI score, and the pharmacological analysis. The next steps include increasing the scale of the study to ultimately develop a quality-assured methodology for the correct diagnosis of skin-related adverse drug reactions and to prepare a database with the most frequently observed events.

In the past two decades, ractopamine has been used as a feed additive to increase protein synthesis in farmed animals (swine, cattle, and turkeys) and to produce high-quality meat. However, the excessive feeding of animals with ractopamine may result in its accumulation in animal and human tissues after consuming the meat. Ractopamine is a trace amine-associated receptor1 and β-adrenoceptor agonist banned in the EU but approved in the USA, and it may pose a potential risk to human health. In this paper, the authors, for the first time, provide neurochemical evidence that ractopamine leads to the release of dopamine from nerve terminals of the nigrostriatal pathway in the striatum.

Background: The widespread availability of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines supports self-care but also requires users to recognize medication-related risks and make safe decisions without direct professional supervision. Existing studies have often examined medication literacy, self-medication, or pharmacovigilance separately. To address this gap, we developed a questionnaire within the conceptual framework of OTC medication risk literacy to explore scenario-based OTC medicine risk recognition, self-assessed confidence, self-reported safety behaviours, information-seeking practices, and pharmacovigilance awareness among respondents recruited through an online survey in Romania. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using an anonymous Google Forms questionnaire. Data were collected between June–July 2026. The questionnaire included scenario-based items addressing common OTC medicine risks, self-assessed confidence in medication-related decision-making, self-reported safety behaviours, information sources, chronic disease and medicine use, adverse effect experience, reporting behaviour, and pharmacovigilance awareness. Associations were evaluated using chi-square tests, effect-size measures, and multivariable regression analyses. Results: A total of 423 respondents completed the survey. Recognition of major medication-safety risks was high for persistent symptoms requiring medical evaluation (96.5%), severe allergic reactions (95.7%), severe cutaneous adverse effects (96.2%), OTC medicine use during pregnancy (95.7%), antibiotic misuse (89.8%), and contraindications associated with chronic disease or anticoagulant therapy (91.7–92.7%). In contrast, recognition was lower for the antihistamine–alcohol interaction scenario, for which only 53.9% selected the safest response. Confidence was highest for understanding information provided on medicine packaging and patient information leaflets, whereas lower confidence was reported for recognising unsafe medicine combinations and contraindications. Most respondents reported reading medicine packaging and following recommended dosage instructions. Doctors (69.0%), pharmacists (61.2%), and patient information leaflets (56.3%) were the most used information sources. Pharmacovigilance awareness was limited, although 45.1% of respondents agreed that they knew how to report a suspected adverse effect, 35.0% disagreed and 52.3% of eligible respondents reported having previously submitted a suspected adverse effect report. Healthcare background remained independently associated with higher recognition and confidence scores after adjustment. Conclusions: In this online convenience sample, respondents generally recognized major OTC medicine safety risks in structured scenarios and reported several safe-use behaviours, but practical gaps remained in interaction recognition, complex risk assessment, and pharmacovigilance awareness. The findings should be interpreted as exploratory and not as representative national estimates. Scenario-based assessment may help identify educational priorities, while pharmacist counselling, clearer information, and pharmacovigilance education remain plausible strategies that require further evaluation.

Background: Gestational tobacco exposure is a major modifiable risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes; how smoking-induced redox perturbations transmit across the placental barrier to the fetal compartment, and mediate neonatal outcomes, remains incompletely understood. Methods: In a prospective cohort of 66 maternal-neonatal dyads (24 smokers, 42 non-smokers) from Târgu-Mures, six redox biomarkers (nitrite, nitrate, malondialdehyde, reduced, oxidized glutathione (GSH, GSSG) and GSH/GSSG ratio) were quantified in paired maternal and cord blood and converted to SI units, and pathway-specific composite indices (oxidative and nitrosative stress index–OSI, NSI, global redox index–GRI) were derived via standardized Z-scores of natural-log-transformed concentrations. Associations with preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) were assessed via multivariable regression. Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction was applied within predefined test families. Results: Tobacco exposure was associated with nominally significant depletion of the Neonatal NSI (mean difference = −0.842; 95% CI: −1.567 to −0.117; p = 0.024; FDR-adjusted p = 0.142), while maternal indices showed no significant group differences. Lower Maternal GRI and Neonatal NSI were independently associated with lower birth weight and higher odds of preterm birth (aOR = 0.35 and 0.52, respectively; both p < 0.05). Maternal and neonatal nitrite concentrations were positively correlated (FDR-adjusted p = 0.002) and oxidized glutathione showed an inverse maternal-neonatal correlation (FDR-adjusted p = 0.001), whereas the maternal and neonatal NSI was not significant after FDR-correction (FDR-adjusted p = 0.078) Conclusions: Gestational tobacco exposure was associated with depletion of the neonatal nitrosative stress index. Independently, lower maternal and neonatal composite redox indices were associated with lower birth weight and higher odds of preterm birth. Composite indices may offer an integrated assessment of perinatal redox status, but without external validation warrant confirmation in larger cohorts.