Psoriasis is characterized by an aberrant immune response due to myeloid dendritic cells and T helper cells intertwining with keratinocyte hyperproliferation. Skin integrity alterations may predispose patients to physiological imbalances, such as xerosis, reduced elasticity, and increased friability. This study aims to assess the epidermal barrier dysfunction in chronic plaque psoriasis and gain a comprehensive view of the dynamic changes in the epidermal barrier during various topical therapies. Adult patients with chronic plaque psoriasis were enrolled in this observational study. For each patient, skin barrier parameters, stratum corneum hydration (SCH), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), elasticity, erythema, and melanin levels were measured in lesional and non-lesional skin. Two extensions of the initial study design, with subsequent epidermal barrier determinations, were made as follows: one in which patients with moderate psoriasis were treated with clobetasol propionate 0.5% and the second one in which mild psoriasis was treated with either clobetasol propionate 0.5% or clobetasol propionate 0.5% with 10% urea. TEWL and erythema were found to be higher in the sites affected by psoriatic lesions than the unaffected sites, while SCH and elasticity were decreased. Severe psoriasis presented with higher TEWL (p = 0.032), erythema (p = 0.002), and lower SCH (p < 0.001) compared with the mild and moderate forms. SCH significantly improved during clobetasol propionate 0.5% treatment (p = 0.015). Clobetasol propionate 0.5% with 10% urea was found to be superior to clobetasol propionate 0.5% in improving TEWL and SCH in psoriasis.

Background/Objectives: The analysis of the complete blood count (CBC)-derived inflammatory indexes across different histological subtypes of lung cancer supports the early detection of tumor-induced inflammation and has a good predictive value for severity in cancer patients. The main objective of this article was to assess the variations in CBC-derived inflammatory markers across different histologic subtypes of lung cancer, with the final goal of identifying specific predictors of severity for each histologic subtype of lung cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study that included 202 patients diagnosed with lung carcinoma at the Clinical County Hospital Mureș. The analyzed parameters were as follows: the histological type, the stage of the tumor, patients’ general data, and associated comorbidities. In addition, nine CBC-derived inflammatory indexes, like the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (d-NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil-to-neutrophil ratio (ENR), eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI), were analyzed as predictors of severity and correlated with histologic findings. Results: The predictors of severity differed across the histologic subtypes. SIRI, d-NLR, and age were predictors of severity in adenocarcinoma patients, while the d-NLR, ENR, leukocyte, and neutrophil count predicted severity in squamous cell carcinoma. For SCLC patients, AISI, SIRI, SII, d-NLR, EMR, ENR, MLR, leukocyte count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, platelets count, COPD, smoking, and male gender were predictors for severity. Conclusions: Understanding the complexity and variations in the inflammatory response across different histologic types of lung cancer can personalize treatment regimens and target specific abnormal cellular lines, thus improving the outcome of this highly deadly condition.

Background/Objectives: The early detection of high levels of CBC-derived inflammatory biomarkers and cellular lines, as well as their variations across different histological subtypes of lung cancer, may aid in the early identification of high-risk lung cancer patients and further guide their clinical approach. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted and included 202 patients diagnosed with lung carcinoma at the Clinical County Hospital Mureș. The main analyzed parameters were the histological subtype and the stage of the tumor at diagnosis, white blood cell counts, and platelet counts, as well as nine CBC-derived inflammatory indexes like neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (d-NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil-to-neutrophil ratio (ENR), eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI). The statistical analysis was performed using the MedCalc software, version 23.0.2. Logarithmic ANOVA was used to compare groups. Normality was tested using the Shapiro–Wilk test. The Chi-square test compared categorical variables, while the independent Mann-Whitney test was used for continuous variables. Results: The inflammatory response increased as disease severity progressed, with NSCLC-NOS being the histological subtype with the most numerous patients outside the normal ranges. Eosinophil count differed significantly across the histologic subtypes of NSCLC, with adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous patients exhibiting the highest values. In adenocarcinoma patients, we observed that NLR and MLR levels increased progressively as the tumor stage advanced. Based on severity, differences were observed across the histological subtypes of lung cancer in stage III patients for ENR, EMR, AISI, eosinophil count, and platelet count, as well as in stage IV patients for AISI, SIRI, and SII. Disease severity impacts the associated inflammatory response in all histologic subtypes of lung cancer to varying degrees. Conclusions: Histological subtype might have a decisive role in shaping the systemic inflammatory profile of lung cancer patients. CBC-derived indices serve as accessible, cost-effective biomarkers for early risk assessment, aiding in the prognosis evaluation and monitoring of therapeutic response. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the histology-specific inflammatory profiles as adjunctive tools in precision oncology.

Background: Since lung cancer remains a health problem worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer death, finding new tools that can help in the early identification of high-risk patients remains a key target. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of 70 patients diagnosed with lung cancer at the Clinical County Hospital Mureș was conducted. Information regarding the histopathological type of the tumor, the TNM stage at diagnosis, and the CBC-derived inflammatory status was obtained for all the included patients. Skeletal muscle area was measured at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (L3SMA), based on the patients’ native CT scans, to identify sarcopenia. These four primary characteristics (the histopathological type of the tumor, the TNM stage, the systemic inflammatory status, and the sarcopenic changes) were integrated into a new severity score: the histology, sarcopenia, and lung inflammation score (HISLIS). Subsequently, based on the HISLIS score, the patients were divided into three severity grades (high, medium, and low). Results: Our results showed that patients diagnosed in late advanced TNM stages (III or IV) had the highest severity grade. The severity grade strongly correlated with the systemic inflammatory biomarkers, with the highest severity grades being associated with an increased inflammatory status. In addition, sarcopenic patients were diagnosed in more advanced TNM stages, exhibited higher HISLIS levels, and had a higher degree of systemic inflammation than non-sarcopenic patients. Sarcopenic patients also showed an impaired hematological profile, with hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Ht) levels being significantly decreased in sarcopenic patients. Conclusions: Future prospective studies are needed to validate the HISLIS and integrate it into the routine clinical and paraclinical assessment of lung cancer patients, as it could represent a triage tool for the early identification of patients at higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. Combining critical information regarding the tumors’ characteristics, such as TNM stage and histological characteristics, together with biological and imaging-derived information like the CBC-derived inflammatory status and the associated degree of sarcopenia, could lead to a complex approach and a personalized therapeutic regimen for this highly deadly condition.

Background: Persistent cardiovascular and multisystem manifestations remain an important concern following hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the spectrum of newly identified conditions during follow-up and their relationship with acute disease severity remain incompletely characterized. This study aimed to describe cardiovascular and multisystem diagnoses, identified during short-term and long-term follow-up and to evaluate the association between acute-phase clinical characteristics, biomarkers, and subsequent outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study including 762 adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection between January 2021 and December 2022. Follow-up data were obtained from patients who re-presented to the same hospital during short-term follow-up (mean 4.33 months; n = 130) or long-term follow-up (mean 2.06 years; n = 186). Newly documented cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diagnoses recorded during routine clinical care were analyzed separately for each follow-up cohort. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Results: At least one newly documented diagnosis was identified in 120/130 patients (92.3%) during short-term follow-up and in 175/186 patients (94.1%) during long-term follow-up. Cardiovascular diagnoses were identified in 32.3% and 45.2% of patients attending short-term and long-term follow-up, respectively. Hypertension and atherosclerosis were the most frequent cardiovascular diagnoses during short-term follow-up, whereas heart failure and ischemic heart disease predominated among patients attending long-term follow-up. Pulmonary fibrosis was the most common non-cardiovascular diagnosis at both follow-up periods. Elevated D-dimer and fibrinogen levels during acute COVID-19 were independently associated with in-hospital mortality, whereas acute-phase NT-proBNP was not independently associated with cardiovascular diagnoses identified during follow-up. Conclusions: Patients who re-presented for clinical evaluation after hospitalization for COVID-19 exhibited a substantial burden of newly documented cardiovascular and multisystem diagnoses. Given the retrospective design, independent follow-up cohorts, and absence of a non-COVID control group, these findings should be interpreted as observational post-hospitalization data rather than evidence of causal or progressive post-COVID-19 disease. Prospective controlled longitudinal studies are needed to better define the long-term health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background/Objectives: Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Conventional computed tomography (CT) is the preferred imaging modality for evaluating pulmonary nodules because of its high spatial resolution; however, it primarily provides morphological information, including lesion size, shape, and density. Dual-energy CT (DECT), a more recent imaging technique, uses two different energy levels to enable material decomposition and quantitative parameter assessment. These parameters may provide additional information regarding tumor perfusion, vascularization, and tissue composition. This rapid review aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding the clinical utility of DECT in the detection, characterization, and staging of lung tumors. Methods: This rapid review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A literature search was performed in the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for studies published between 2005 and 2026. Studies were included if they evaluated the detection, characterization, or staging of lung tumors using quantitative DECT parameters. Case reports, editorials, duplicate studies, and studies without quantitative DECT data were excluded. Descriptive data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel. Results: A total of 24 studies were included, comprising 18 retrospective (75%) and 6 prospective studies (25%). Only one study evaluated the role of DECT in lung tumor detection, demonstrating improved detection of mixed ground-glass nodules and invasive adenocarcinoma. Significant correlations were found between iodine uptake and tumor perfusion, highlighting the potential of DECT to improve differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. Several studies also demonstrated associations between DECT parameters and tumor biomarkers, including Ki-67 Proliferation Index (Ki-67) expression, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutation status, Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and treatment response in non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, DECT provided complementary metabolic information regarding tumor malignancy and showed correlations between iodine uptake and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) parameters. Associations between iodine volume and tumor differentiation grade were also reported. One study demonstrated the potential role of DECT in tumor staging by predicting mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Across all included studies, iodine-based parameters (50%), radiomics and material decomposition parameters (16.67% each), and spectral attenuation parameters (12.50%) were the most frequently investigated DECT metrics. Conclusions: DECT appears to be a promising complementary imaging technique that provides quantitative perfusion-related and compositional surrogate information beyond the morphological assessment offered by conventional CT. However, the current evidence remains heterogeneous and is largely based on retrospective studies with relatively small patient cohorts. Larger prospective studies with standardized imaging protocols are necessary to further establish the clinical utility of DECT in lung tumors.