The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major global health crisis, with clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic infection to fatal outcomes. While all individuals are susceptible, specific populations, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions, face a heightened risk of severe disease. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of severe COVID-19 among hospitalized patients with comorbidities in the Central Region of Romania, and to analyze the association between these conditions and mortality. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Corona Forms platform (2020–2022), encompassing hospitalized cases across three Romanian counties. A total of 1458 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and documented comorbidities were included. Demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and hospitalization outcomes were analyzed. The overall mortality rate among comorbid patients was 89.3%. Renal, neurologic, hepatic disease, cardiovascular conditions, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular accidents are significant risk factors for death outcomes in the SARS-CoV-2-infected study population. The strength of their association varies, with odds ratios ranging from 25.32 to 1. The findings underscore the critical impact of comorbidities on COVID-19 severity and mortality among the Central Romanian population, emphasizing the necessity of targeted clinical interventions and public health strategies to protect high-risk populations.

Background: This study is particularly relevant to the Romanian context, where relatively few empirical investigations have examined post-pandemic health perceptions and levels of trust in public institutions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health perceptions and trust in the healthcare system by examining key socioeconomic and epidemiological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Romanian adults (N = 423), between March and April 2025. Demographic data, lifestyle habits, mental health, and access to healthcare were assessed. Statistical analyses included both bivariate (chi-square test) and multivariable logistic regression models to identify independent associations. Results: 31.9% of participants reported increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic. Decreased trust in the healthcare system (75.6%) and a perceived reduction in life expectancy (74.3%) were also noted as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived life expectancy decline was linked to lower education and inconsistent healthcare behavior. Conclusion: In our sample, the perception of decreased life expectancy reflects not only epidemiological realities but also emotional and social responses to crises. Individuals’ trust, behavior, and shared vision of the future have also been challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aims to assess the awareness and opinions of employees and children living in foster care homes about the Romanian Clean Air Legislation. The assessment was performed six months after the implementation of the antitobacco legislation (Romanian Law no.15/2016), in three Romanian counties (Alba, Mures, and Covasna) including 178 employees and 368 children from 59 foster care homes. Data were collected using an anonymous paper and pencil questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used for data analysis (significant difference if p < 0.05). Almost one third of the employees and children were smokers from the forest care homes. Nearly, all the employees and most of the children were aware of the legislation, most of them have also noticed some kind of measures taken by foster care homes against smoking. As claimed by smokers, almost two-thirds of them smoked like they used to do before the legislation, more than a quarter stated that they decreased the number of daily smoked cigarettes and nearly a quarter intended to quit smoking in the future. A half year after the implementation of the legislation most of the employees and children living in foster care homes admitted that they knew about the change and it affected their smoking habits. Most of them have also observed some kind of measures taken against smoking. Despite these measures there were still smokers in the foster care homes, so there would be a need for more campaigns against smoking in the future.

We discovered a rare pathology described in adulthood, followed by the development of a long asymptomatic evolution, which underlined the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration. We present the case of a 62-year-old female smoker patient, with a known previous medical history of chronic ischemic heart disease, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), gastric ulcer and gastritis. The patient was rushed to the emergency room (ER) with acute respiratory failure, chest discomfort, ankle and facial edema and a chest X-ray showing a right lower pulmonary lobe consolidation, with an alarming ischemic electrocardiogram (ECG) modification without increasing myocardial cytolysis indicators. This led our medical team to investigate a possible cardiovascular event that might have been in development. After immediate admission, thoracic computer tomography (CT) imaging was carried out, which found a Morgagni diaphragmatic hernia, containing adipose tissue and the hepatic flexure of the colon with approximate dimensions of 50/100 mm. We faced differential diagnostic problems. We knew the subject’s existing cardiac and chronic respiratory tract pathologies from their previous medical history; therefore, multiple investigations and check-ups were carried out. A chest CT and surgery intervention were needed to resolve this case. Subsequently, the acute respiratory failure and alarming ischemic ECG modification disappeared.

Background/Objectives: Cognitive impairment in alcohol use disorder (AUD) may reflect alcohol exposure, withdrawal, nutritional disruption, systemic illness, and social vulnerability. We evaluated prioritized human-adult evidence linking nutritional exposures with objective cognition and examined separately whether AUD severity modifies nutrition–cognition associations and whether nutritional disruption mediates the relationship between alcohol exposure and cognitive outcomes. Methods: This structured narrative review used documented multi-database retrieval, pre-access prioritization, full-text adjudication, evidence appraisal, and qualitative sensitivity scenarios. A targeted vitamin B12 update supplemented the baseline corpus. Results: Thiamine had the broadest and most clinically actionable evidence, but biomarker thresholds, optimal cognitive dosing, and independent treatment effects remained uncertain. Evidence for folate, vitamin B12, niacin outside pellagra, other micronutrients, diet, body mass index, and albumin was sparse, mixed, or nonspecific. The targeted B12 evidence was null or contradictory rather than supportive. Cognitive improvement during detoxification could not be separated from abstinence and bundled care. No included study verified causal mediation by nutrition or a formal nutrition-by-severity interaction. Conclusions: Nutritional assessment and prompt treatment of recognized deficiency remain clinically important, but the prioritized retrieved corpus does not justify nutrient-specific causal claims for typical AUD-related cognitive impairment. Longitudinal studies should align repeated nutrition, alcohol exposure, cognition, and function and prespecify interaction and mediation tests.

Background: Frequency indicators are used by epidemiologists to facilitate public health professionals in estimating the impact of diseases. As of April 2022, Romania had reported 2.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases to the World Health Organization, equating to a prevalence rate of 13.94%. A more accurate method for assessing the cumulative number of cases is the use of seroprevalence studies. This study retrospectively evaluates infection trends in Romania to enhance understanding of the virus’s spread and may support future comparative analyses of public health responses and community-level immunity. Methods: We analyzed 51,533 qualitative test results for high-affinity IgG antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein. Results: The largest proportion of tested individuals (59.4%) was aged 18–49 years. Among all serological tests, 18,980 were positive, corresponding to an adjusted seroprevalence rate of 40%. Conclusions: During the second year of the pandemic, seropositivity rates were highest among young adults, particularly in the western regions, and lowest among children and adolescents. These findings point out variations in exposure across age groups and geographic areas.