Alina Săcărescu

Dr. Alina Săcărescu


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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6 October 2022 in Biomedicines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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ITIvona Maria Tudorancea
Ivona Maria Tudorancea
MCMitica Ciorpac
Mitica Ciorpac
Gabriela-Dumitrita StanciuGabriela-Dumitrita Stanciu
Gabriela-Dumitrita Stanciu
CCCătălin Cezar Caratașu
Cătălin Cezar Caratașu
ASAlina Săcărescu
Alina Săcărescu
BTBogdan Tamba
Bogdan Tamba
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) dynamically regulates many aspects of mammalian physiology. ECS has gained substantial interest since growing evidence suggests that it also plays a major role in several pathophysiological conditions due to its ability to modulate various underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, cannabinoids, as components of the cannabinoid system (CS), have proven beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuromodulatory, antioxidative, and cardioprotective effects. In this comprehensive review, we aimed to describe the complex interaction between CS and most common age-related diseases such as neuro-degenerative, oncological, skeletal, and cardiovascular disorders, together with the potential of various cannabinoids to ameliorate the progression of these disorders. Since chronic inflammation is postulated as the pillar of all the above-mentioned medical conditions, we also discuss in this paper the potential of CS to ameliorate aging-associated immune system dysregulation.

15 May 2026 in Medical Sciences
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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LCLaura-Elena Cucu
Laura-Elena Cucu
ASAlina Săcărescu
Alina Săcărescu
AOAndra Oancea
Andra Oancea
EIEmilian Bogdan Ignat
Emilian Bogdan Ignat
CGCristina Grosu
Cristina Grosu
MLMaria Magdalena Leon
Maria Magdalena Leon
Background/Objectives: Uric acid (UA), a major circulating antioxidant, has been consistently reported at lower levels in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, yet long-term UA trajectories stratified by disease-modifying therapy (DMT) efficacy remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the 5-year longitudinal evolution of serum UA levels in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), comparing high-efficacy (HE-DMT) and moderate-efficacy (ME-DMT) treatment groups. Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study included adult RRMS patients who initiated or switched DMTs between January 2020 and June 2025. Serum UA was measured at treatment initiation (T0) and annually for up to 5 years (T1–T5). Linear mixed-effects models adjusted for sex, age, and EDSS were used to examine longitudinal UA trajectories. Results: A total of 222 patients were included and followed for up to 5 years across HE-DMT and ME-DMT treatment groups. Groups were comparable at baseline regarding serum UA levels despite significant differences in age, EDSS, and therapy status. Linear mixed-effects modeling demonstrated that serum UA levels changed significantly over time (F(5, 307.04) = 11.03, p < 0.01), with a significant main effect of treatment type (F(1, 378.31) = 5.25, p = 0.02) and a significant time × treatment interaction (F(5, 307.05) = 2.42, p = 0.04), indicating that UA trajectories differed between groups across the follow-up period. In the HE-DMT group, UA levels increased progressively from 4.27 mg/dL at baseline to 5.58 mg/dL at year 4, whereas the ME-DMT group showed an initial decline at year 1 followed by a more gradual increase from 4.19 mg/dL to 5.04 mg/dL at year 4. Sex was a significant independent predictor of UA levels (p < 0.01), whereas age and EDSS were not. Conclusions: HE-DMTs were associated with an earlier and more pronounced increase in serum UA levels over 5 years compared with ME-DMTs, with distinct trajectories depending on treatment efficacy. These findings suggest that longitudinal UA assessment may serve as a complementary exploratory indicator of the metabolic context associated with DMT efficacy.

28 July 2026 in Preprints.org
Verified
Preprint
Open access
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LCLaura-Elena Cucu
Laura-Elena Cucu
LBLaura Cristina Baciu
Laura Cristina Baciu
OOOriana Maria Onicescu
Oriana Maria Onicescu
EIEmilian Bogdan Ignat
Emilian Bogdan Ignat
ASAlina Săcărescu
Alina Săcărescu
MLMaria Magdalena Leon
Maria Magdalena Leon
Background/Objectives: Sleep disturbances are common but frequently underrecognized in multiple sclerosis (MS), independently predicting reduced quality of life and worsening fatigue, cognitive impairment, and depression. While pain, nocturia, fatigue, and mood symptoms are established contributors, cardiometabolic and inflammatory factors remain largely unexplored despite their known links to poor sleep in other populations. This study used interpretable machine learning to determine the relative contribution of disease-related, cardiometabolic, and inflammatory parameters to sleep quality, assessed by the PSQI, in patients with MS. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational, single-center cohort study enrolled adult patients with MS. Sleep quality (PSQI), daytime sleepiness (ESS), and restless legs syndrome severity (IRLS) were assessed alongside clinical, anthropometric, hemodynamic, and laboratory parameters, including inflammatory and metabolic indices. Three regression models, Support Vector Regression, Random Forest, and XGBoost, were trained on 28 predictors to predict PSQI global scores and evaluated on a independent test set, with feature contributions examined using SHAP analysis. Results: A total of 173 patients with MS were included (mean age 39.66 ± 11.86 years, 69.9% female, 90.2% RRMS), with 48.0% classified as poor sleepers (PSQI > 5) and a mean PSQI score of 6.06 ± 3.47. XGBoost achieved the best predictive performance (test R² = 0.451). SHAP analysis identified IRLS severity as the strongest predictor of PSQI across all three models, followed by EDSS score and depression in the Random Forest and XGBoost models, while daytime sleepiness (ESS) ranked consistently among the top predictors. Cardiometabolic and inflammatory parameters contributed inconsistently, with several showing effects opposite to physiological expectation. Conclusions: Sleep impairment in MS was driven mainly by restless legs syndrome severity and neurological disability, with depression also contributing in the two best-performing models. Disease-related and symptomatic factors outweighed cardiometabolic and inflammatory contributions. These findings support the value of interpretable machine learning for identifying the multifactorial drivers of sleep quality in MS.

14 August 2026 in Medical Sciences
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LCLaura-Elena Cucu
Laura-Elena Cucu
LBLaura Cristina Baciu
Laura Cristina Baciu
OOOriana Maria Onicescu
Oriana Maria Onicescu
EIEmilian Bogdan Ignat
Emilian Bogdan Ignat
ASAlina Săcărescu
Alina Săcărescu
MLMaria Magdalena Leon
Maria Magdalena Leon
Background/Objectives: Sleep disturbances are common but frequently underrecognized in multiple sclerosis (MS), independently predicting reduced quality of life and worsening fatigue, cognitive impairment, and depression. While pain, nocturia, fatigue, and mood symptoms are established contributors, cardiometabolic, and inflammatory factors remain largely unexplored despite their known links to poor sleep in other populations. This study used interpretable machine learning to determine the relative contribution of disease-related, cardiometabolic, and inflammatory parameters to sleep quality, assessed by the PSQI, in patients with MS. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational, single-center cohort study enrolled adult patients with MS. Sleep quality (PSQI), daytime sleepiness (ESS), and restless legs syndrome severity (IRLS) were assessed alongside clinical, anthropometric, hemodynamic, and laboratory parameters, including inflammatory and metabolic indices. Three regression models, Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest, and XGBoost, were trained on 28 predictors to predict PSQI global scores and evaluated on an internal test set, with feature contributions examined using SHAP analysis. Results: A total of 173 patients with MS were included (mean age 39.66 ± 11.86 years, 69.9% female, 90.2% RRMS), with 48.0% classified as poor sleepers (PSQI > 5) and a mean PSQI score of 6.06 ± 3.47. XGBoost achieved the best predictive performance (test R2 = 0.451). SHAP analysis identified IRLS severity as the strongest predictor of PSQI across all three models, followed by EDSS score and depression in the Random Forest and XGBoost models, while daytime sleepiness (ESS) ranked consistently among the top predictors. Cardiometabolic and inflammatory parameters contributed inconsistently, with several showing effects opposite to physiological expectation. Conclusions: Sleep impairment in MS was most strongly associated with restless legs syndrome severity and neurological disability, with depression also contributing in the two best-performing models. Disease-related and symptomatic factors outweighed cardiometabolic and inflammatory contributions. These findings support the value of interpretable machine learning for identifying clinically relevant correlates of sleep quality in MS, though the exploratory design and modest sample size warrant confirmation in larger, independent cohorts.

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LCLaura-Elena Cucu
Laura-Elena Cucu
ASAlina Săcărescu
Alina Săcărescu
CGCristina Grosu
Cristina Grosu
VCVictor Constantinescu
Victor Constantinescu
LBLaura Cristina Baciu
Laura Cristina Baciu
EIEmilian Bogdan Ignat
Emilian Bogdan Ignat
Combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD) is a rare neuroimmunological condition involving inflammatory demyelination of both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). We report a chronic progressive CCPD case initially diagnosed as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and treated with conventional CIDP-directed immunotherapies, with subsequent development of multiple sclerosis (MS)-like CNS demyelination. An extensive diagnostic evaluation excluded alternative infectious, metabolic, paraneoplastic, and antibody-mediated etiologies affecting either compartment. In the absence of a unifying pathogenic autoantibody, the combined clinical, radiological, cerebrospinal fluid, and electrophysiological findings support a shared immune-mediated process. Within this framework, B cells are implicated through antibody-independent mechanisms, including antigen presentation, pro-inflammatory cytokine production (e.g., IL-6), and amplification of Th1/Th17-driven inflammation. Interactions between B cells and the complement system via CR1 (CD35) and CR2 (CD21), together with dysfunction of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–nerve barrier (BNB), may facilitate parallel immune activation across both compartments. In this case, the observed radiological and electrophysiological stabilization under anti-CD20 therapy is consistent with a B-cell-driven pathogenic model in CCPD.