Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important cause of chronic liver diseases around the world. Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an enzyme produced by the liver with an important antioxidant role. The aim of this study was to evaluate PON1 serum concentration and PON1 gene polymorphisms in patients with NAFLD. Materials and methods: We studied a group of 81 patients with NAFLD with persistently elevated aminotransferases and a control group of 81 patients without liver diseases. We collected clinical information and performed routine blood tests. We also measured the serum concentration of PON1 and evaluated the PON1 gene polymorphisms L55M, Q192R, and C-108T. Results: There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in serum PON1 concentrations among the two groups. The heterozygous and the mutated homozygous variants (LM + MM) of the L55M polymorphism were more frequent in the NAFLD group (p < 0.001). These genotypes were found in a multivariate binary logistic regression to be independently linked to NAFLD (Odds ratio = 3.4; p = 0.04). In a multivariate linear regression model, the presence of NAFLD was associated with low PON1 concentration (p < 0.001). Conclusions: PON1 serum concentrations were diminished in patients with NAFLD, and the presence of NAFLD was linked with low PON1 concentration. The LM + MM genotypes of the PON1 L55M polymorphism were an independent predictor for NAFLD with persistently elevated aminotransferases.

Introduction: Renal transplantation ensures particular advantages for patients with end-stage kidney disease. However, in some cases, early complications may result in allograft dysfunction, which can ultimately lead to the loss of the graft. Creatinine is a poor biomarker for kidney injury due principally to its inability to help diagnose early acute renal failure and complete inability to help differentiate among its various causes. Different urinary and serum proteins have been intensively investigated as possible biomarkers in this setting. We focused on emerging serum biomarkers such as kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) on a cohort of grafted patients. The motivation of this study was to analyze a predictive biological marker in comparison with standard markers for the evaluation of renal function, with the aim of observing if there are statistically significant differences regarding the performance and promptness of its increase compared to the current monitoring methods in order to improve graft survival, quality of life, and overall patient prognosis. Patients and Methods: We included 21 patients who had their first kidney transplantation (8 females, 13 males), with a follow-up period from transplantation of 3.14 years, without prior immunization, having complete HLA typing and a negative cross-match test before transplantation. We determined serum creatinine and KIM-1 in the whole cohort at the time of the enrollment in the study. Results: The mean creatinine value was 0.89 mg/dL ± 0.33. The mean value for KIM-1 was 13.56 +/− 21.52 in the Tx group vs. 5.91 +/− 3.26 in the control group with a p-value of 0.06. We defined patients at low risk (LR) of graft loss (serum creatinine < 0.9 mg/dL) and those at high risk (HR) (serum creatinine > 0.91 mg/dL). The mean values for KIM-1 were 6.09 +/− 1.67 in the LR vs. 21.77 +/− 29.71 in the HR group, with a p-value 0.01. Conclusions: There is a strong difference for KIM-1 at 24 h postTx between the two groups, showing a high correlation between KIM-1 and the predisposition of the graft dysfunction. Further studies are needed in order to clarify the utility of these novel biomarkers in the prediction of graft survival in renal transplantation patients.

Background and objectives: Since the first reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases in China, the virus has rapidly spread to many countries, including Romania. In Romania, schools were closed in March 2020 to prevent the virus from spreading; since then, they have been sporadically opened, but only for a short time. Teachers had to adopt online education methods, experiencing real difficulties in their attempts to maintain high-quality teaching, as a result of social distancing from students and colleagues. The current study aimed to evaluate the burden on the neuroticism states of employees in the pre-university education system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted, in which personality trait data from 138 employees were collected via a questionnaire (EPI, Eysenck Personality Inventory), which measured extraversion–introversion and neuroticism scores before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, 150 subjects were invited to participate in the study, although 12 of them refused to participate. Based on the questionnaire not being fully filled in a further three subjects were excluded from the study, leaving a total of 135, of which 115 were woman and 20 were men. Results: The results demonstrate that the subjects included in the study expressed higher neuroticism during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the pre-pandemic period. This change could promote more stress and depression symptoms. Subjects with high school education had significantly lower neuroticism scores over time than those with university education (p = 0.006). Furthermore, we found extraversion scores to be statistically significant in our population (p = 0.022). Conclusion: The gender and living environment of the teachers were not significantly associated with the reduction in the extraversion score, but were more frequently found among older persons and in subjects without higher education. Subjects of Hungarian ethnicity had lower extraversion scores than those of Romanian ethnicity.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are increasingly used for the management of obesity and type 2 diabetes, including among patients with cancer. Although previous research has mainly focused on cancer incidence, their associations with clinical outcomes after cancer diagnosis remain less well characterized. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the oncologic and survival outcomes associated with GLP-1 RA use in adults with an established malignancy. We performed a systematic review of comparative studies evaluating GLP-1 RA use in patients with a confirmed cancer diagnosis. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for English-language publications from 1 January 2016 to 8 August 2026. Twenty-six retrospective cohort studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Thirteen studies included selective GLP-1 RAs and tirzepatide within the same exposure group. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Twenty-five studies evaluated overall survival and/or all-cause mortality, while nine assessed cancer recurrence, progression, or related outcomes. Survival and mortality outcomes more often favored the exposed group (especially compared with nonuse) than not, but findings were less consistent in active-comparator analyses. Evidence for recurrence and progression was sparse and heterogeneous, and no clear signal of increased risk was observed. Because all of these were observational studies with substantial differences in populations, comparators, exposure definitions, and duration of follow-up, the survival associations do not imply causality or direct antitumor effects of GLP-1 RAs. Clinically, the preponderance of evidence does not support the use of GLP-1 RAs as cancer-directed therapy, and their use in patients with cancer should be guided by established indications such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Potential explanations include effects on glycemic and cardiovascular risk factors, treatment selection, residual confounding, or combinations thereof. Prospective studies and randomized controlled trials with cancer-specific outcomes and longer follow-up are needed to further evaluate these associations.

Background and Objectives: Exercise is central to axSpA management, but whether live remote delivery preserves effects of the same face-to-face program is uncertain. Methods: Five databases were searched until 9 September 2026; registry, reference, and citation searches ended on 11 September 2026. Reports from one trial were linked; contextual studies were illustrative. Results: Of 214 database records, 123 unique records were screened, and 11 reports representing eight studies were selected from the five databases. A ClinicalTrials.gov record and doctoral thesis linked to the Karaca trial were obtained separately and were not counted among those 11 database-selected reports. One assessor-blinded RCT compared the same individualized clinical Pilates program by videoconference or in clinic. Fifty participants were randomized, 46 assessed at eight weeks, and 40 at six months. Median BASFI improvement was 3.0 versus 2.5 points at eight weeks (p = 0.587) and 2.0 versus 2.0 points at six months (p = 0.838). Mann–Whitney U tests used α = 0.017; between-group effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals were unavailable. All-randomized attendance was 93.8% versus 94.0%. Five participants reported transient symptoms; three serious events were judged unrelated, and no intervention-related serious adverse event was reported. Conclusions: Remote delivery was implementable with high short-term attendance among digitally eligible participants. This trial does not establish equivalence, non-inferiority, preserved effect, broad accessibility, or a safety profile. Adequately powered non-inferiority trials are needed.