Background: Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is a non-immediate, CD8+ T cell–mediated hypersensitivity reaction characterized by well-demarcated erythematous–violaceous plaques that recur at the same site after re-exposure to the causative drug. Although NSAIDs and antibiotics are the most common triggers, various other medications may induce FDE, and genetic susceptibility has been linked to specific HLA alleles. Methods: We conducted a clinical evaluation supported by patch testing, oral drug provocation, and assessment of therapeutic alternatives to identify the causative agent and confirm delayed-type hypersensitivity. Results: We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with essential hypertension, autoimmune thyroiditis, and renal lithiasis who developed well-demarcated erythematous plaques with central vesiculation and moderate pruritus on the dorsal hand and posterior calf approximately 8 h after ingestion of a 60 mg etoricoxib tablet. Patch testing was negative, while oral challenge confirmed etoricoxib-induced FDE; celecoxib was subsequently evaluated as a potential safe alternative. Conclusions: This case underscores the importance of an integrated diagnostic approach—including careful history, clinical examination, and confirmatory testing—to accurately diagnose delayed cutaneous drug reactions and to identify safe therapeutic options for patients.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-established treatment for various psychiatric disorders. This retrospective study evaluates anesthesia practices, patient characteristics, and outcomes in ECT over a two-year period at the “Dr. Gheorghe Preda” Clinical Psychiatry Hospital in Sibiu, Romania. Methods: From March 2022 to July 2024, the Neuroscience Scientific Research Collective at our institution carried out a retrospective observational study on patients who underwent ECT. The evaluation and treatment protocol involved patients from all over the country. Results: The study involved 30 patients aged between 22 and 67 years and a mean age of 39.4 years; among them, 57% were male. The majority of the patients (68%) lived in urban areas, and 80% came from a different county. Schizophrenia was the most prevalent diagnosis (56.6%), followed by depression (40%) and bipolar disorder (3.4%). Common comorbidities included obesity/overweight, high blood pressure, and sinus tachycardia. A total of 330 ECT sessions were conducted, with an average of 11 sessions per patient, and 10 patients underwent multiple treatment courses. The reported adverse events included arterial hypertension, agitation, tachycardia, and shivering. Conclusions: This study underlines the safety and effectiveness of ECT when patients are closely monitored. Our results are consistent with the global data, suggesting that ECT is a good treatment option for severe psychiatric conditions with a manageable incidence of adverse events.

Streptococcus pseudoporcinus is a nonmotile Gram-positive, catalase, and benzidine negative, arranged in short chains, isolated from the genitourinary tract group B Streptococcus. S. pseudoporcinus was also identified from blood, urine, skin, cervical area, wounds, rectum, and placenta samples. Two cases of infective endocarditis have been reported in the literature. Based on these data, the identification of a case of S. pseudoporcinus infective endocarditis associated with spondylodiscitis in a patient with undiagnosed systemic mastocytosis until the age of 63 years is unusual. Two sets of blood specimens were collected, and both sets were positive for S. pseudoporcinus. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed, multiple vegetations on the mitral valve. A lumbar spine MRI revealed L5-S1 spondylodiscitis that associates prevertebral and right paramedian epidural abscesses with compressive stenosis. The performed bone marrow biopsy, and cellularity examination revealed 5–10% mast cells in the areas of medullary tissue, an aspect that is suggestive of mastocytosis. Antibiotic therapy was initiated, under which the patient presented intermittent fever. A second transesophageal echocardiography revealed a mitral valve abscess. A mitral valve replacement with a mechanical heart valve device through a minimally invasive approach was performed, with a favorable evolution under treatment. S. pseudoporcinus can be responsible for infectious endocarditis in certain immunodepressed cases, but also in a profibrotic, proatherogenic field, as shown by the association with mastocytosis in the presented case.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant condition of lymphoid progenitor cells that primarily affects the pediatric population, but also adults. The 5-year survival rate is 90% in children and approximately 40% in adults, with survival increasing through the use of peripheral stem cell allotransplantation (SCT). The relapse rate after stem cell transplantation (SCT) in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients ranges from 35% to 45%, making relapse a major cause of death in this population. Background: We present an atypical case of late testicular involvement in ALL in a 50-year-old man diagnosed with ALL pro-T in remission post-chemotherapy (GMALL 2003 protocol) and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) from a related donor. Methods: This case describes a 50-year-old male with ALL pro-T who experienced three rare extramedullary relapses post-chemotherapy and alloSCT. Five years after remission, he had a unilateral testicular relapse confirmed by immunophenotyping of spermatic fluid. Results: Despite no bone marrow involvement, he was treated with chemotherapy, intrathecal therapy, and bilateral testicular radiotherapy. He later relapsed in the orbit, controlled by radiotherapy, followed by a third relapse in the heart and colon. Conclusions: This case highlights the unusual sites and consecutive nature of extramedullary relapses in adult ALL.

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is implicated in epithelial dysfunction, fibroblast activation, tissue remodeling, and chronic inflammatory responses; however, the clinical value of circulating IL-11 in airway disease remains uncertain. This single-center retrospective exploratory observational study included 88 adults: 31 with allergic rhinitis, 15 with non-allergic asthma, 22 with allergic asthma associated with allergic rhinitis, and 20 healthy controls. Serum IL-11 concentrations were measured using a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Between-group differences were assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Holm-adjusted pairwise Mann–Whitney U tests. Associations with disease-specific ordinal clinical categories were evaluated using Spearman rank correlation, with GINA treatment Steps used for asthma phenotypes and ARIA severity categories for allergic rhinitis. Median IL-11 concentrations were 62.01 pg/mL in non-allergic asthma, 78.87 pg/mL in allergic rhinitis, 61.92 pg/mL in allergic asthma associated with allergic rhinitis, and 95.46 pg/mL in healthy controls. The primary global comparison was not statistically significant (H = 5.667, p = 0.129), and no pairwise comparison remained significant after Holm correction. Six measurements (6.8%) were below the assay detection limit; replacing these values with 4.0 pg/mL in a sensitivity analysis did not materially alter the global result (H = 5.671, p = 0.129). Serum IL-11 was not significantly associated with GINA treatment step in non-allergic asthma (rho = −0.170, p = 0.544) or allergic asthma associated with allergic rhinitis (rho = 0.052, p = 0.818), nor with ARIA severity category in allergic rhinitis (rho = 0.046, p = 0.805). In an exploratory analysis adjusted for age, sex, body-mass category, and current smoking status, IL-11 concentrations were lower in each clinical phenotype relative to healthy controls; given the modest group sizes and baseline imbalance, this finding was considered hypothesis-generating. Overall, the primary analysis did not demonstrate significant differences in circulating IL-11 across study groups, and serum IL-11 was not associated with disease-specific ordinal clinical categories. These findings do not support the use of a single serum IL-11 measurement as a stand-alone biomarker of airway disease phenotype or clinical category in this cohort and warrant confirmation in larger, prospectively characterized cohorts.

Cardiovascular imaging is a cornerstone of modern cardiology, yet its clinical impact is limited by operator dependence, inter-observer variability, time-consuming workflows, and unequal access to advanced expertise. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning and deep learning, offers new opportunities to overcome these limitations. This review aims to summarize current and emerging AI applications in cardiovascular imaging and to evaluate their potential clinical value in precision diagnostics and decision support. This narrative review synthesizes clinically relevant literature on AI applications across major cardiovascular imaging modalities, including echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance, cardiac computed tomography, and nuclear cardiology. Evidence was analyzed with a focus on AI-enabled acquisition support, image segmentation, quantitative and functional assessment, workflow automation, and risk stratification, alongside key methodological and implementation considerations. Across imaging modalities, AI-driven approaches have demonstrated improved reproducibility, efficiency, and scalability of cardiovascular imaging workflows. Automated algorithms reduce operator dependence, facilitate standardized extraction of imaging biomarkers, and support advanced functional assessment and prognostic stratification. Recent developments in video-based, temporal, and multimodal models further expand AI capabilities from technical automation toward integrated disease phenotyping and personalized clinical decision support. However, translation into routine practice remains limited by heterogeneous datasets, insufficient external validation, algorithmic bias, limited interpretability, and challenges related to regulatory approval and workflow integration. Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape cardiovascular imaging into a more efficient, reproducible, and patient-centered precision medicine tool. Real-world clinical impact will depend on outcome-driven evaluation, robust external validation, multimodal data integration, and human-in-the-loop implementation strategies that ensure safe, equitable, and clinically meaningful adoption.