Simona Cerbu

Dr. Simona Cerbu


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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LCLiliana Catan
Liliana Catan
SCSimona Cerbu
Simona Cerbu
Elena AmaricaiElena Amaricai
Elena Amaricai
OSOana Suciu
Oana Suciu
DHDelia Ioana Horhat
Delia Ioana Horhat
EBEugen Radu Boia
Eugen Radu Boia
(1) Background: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) can be associated with vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia. Plantar pressure and stabilometry offer important information about posture. The objectives of our study were to compare static plantar pressure and stabilometric parameters, serum 25-OH-vitamin D3 and calcium levels, and bone mineral densitometry expressed as z-score in patients with moderate AIS and healthy subjects. (2) Methods: 32 female adolescents (idiopathic S shaped moderate scoliosis, main lumbar curve) and 32 gender and age-matched controls performed: static plantar pressure, stabilometry, serum 25-OH-vitamin D3 and calcium levels, and dual X-ray absorptiometry scans of the spine. (3) Results: In scoliosis patients, significant differences were recorded between right and left foot for total foot, first and fifth metatarsal, and heel loadings. Stabilometry showed a poorer postural control when compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.001). Patients had significantly lower vitamin D, calcium levels, and z-scores. Lumbar Cobb angle was significantly correlated with the z-score (r = −0.39, p = 0.02), with right foot fifth metatarsal load (r = −0.35, p = 0.04), center of pressure CoPx (r = −0.42, p = 0.01), CoP displacement (r = 0.35, p = 0.04) and 90% confidence ellipse area (r = −0.38, p = 0.03). (4) Conclusions: In our study including female adolescents with idiopathic S shaped moderate scoliosis, plantar pressure and stabilometric parameters were influenced by the main scoliotic curve.

LCLiliana Catan
Liliana Catan
Elena AmaricaiElena Amaricai
Elena Amaricai
Roxana Ramona OnofreiRoxana Ramona Onofrei
Roxana Ramona Onofrei
Calin PopoiuCalin Popoiu
Calin Popoiu
EIEmil Radu Iacob
Emil Radu Iacob
OSOana Suciu
Oana Suciu
We aimed to synthesise the results of previous studies addressing the impact of overweight and obesity on plantar pressure in children and adolescents. An electronic search of scientific literature was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus database, with keywords: “plantar pressure” AND “children” AND “obesity”; “plantar pressure” AND “adolescents” AND “obesity”, “plantar pressure” AND “children” AND “overweight”, “plantar pressure” AND “adolescents” AND “overweight”. Twenty-two articles were included in the review and the following data were recorded: authors, publication year, type of technology (systems, software) for the determination of plantar pressure, study characteristics. Most of the articles used dynamic plantar pressure determination with only four using static plantar pressure measurement. Using ultrasonography with static plantar pressure determination, the correlation between structural and functional changes in the feet of obese children. In overweight and obese children and adolescents, important findings were recorded: higher contact area, increased maximum force beneath the lateral and medial forefoot, increased pressure–time integral beneath the midfoot and 2nd–5th metatarsal regions. Significantly increased foot axis angle and significantly flatter feet were observed in obese subjects in comparison to their normal-weight counterparts. The obese children presented increased midfoot fat pad thickness, with decreased sensitivity of the whole foot and midfoot.

29 April 2022 in Healthcare
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RSRoxana Stoicescu
Roxana Stoicescu
Emil Robert StoicescuEmil Robert Stoicescu
Emil Robert Stoicescu
SCSimona Cerbu
Simona Cerbu
DIDaniela Iacob
Daniela Iacob
Elena AmaricaiElena Amaricai
Elena Amaricai
EIEmil Radu Iacob
Emil Radu Iacob
Fracture is one of the most frequent causes of emergency department visits in children, conventional radiography being the standard imaging tool used for following procedures and treatment. This imagistic method is irradiating and harmful, especially for children due to their high cell division rate. For this reason, we searched the literature to see if musculoskeletal ultrasound is a good alternative for diagnostic and follow-up regarding fractures in the pediatric population. After searching the databases using MeSH terms and manual filters, 24 articles that compare X-ray and ultrasound regarding their specificity and sensitivity in diagnosing fractures were included in this study. In the majority of the studied articles, the specificity and sensitivity of ultrasound are around 90–100%, and with high PPVs (positive predictive values) and NPVs (negative predictive values). Although it cannot replace conventional radiography, it is a great complementary tool in fracture diagnosis, having a sensitivity of nearly 100% when combined with clinical suspicion of fracture, compared with X-ray.

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Emil Robert StoicescuEmil Robert Stoicescu
Emil Robert Stoicescu
DMDiana Luminita Manolescu
Diana Luminita Manolescu
RSRoxana Stoicescu
Roxana Stoicescu
SCSimona Cerbu
Simona Cerbu
DMDima Mirabela
Dima Mirabela
DIDaniela Iacob
Daniela Iacob
Newborns infected with SARS-CoV2 infection develop different symptoms in comparison with adults, but one thing is clear: some of the most common manifestations include cough and other respiratory symptoms that need to be evaluated. In these cases, lung ultrasound is a useful imaging technique that can evaluate the newborns’ lung damage caused by COVID-19 pneumonia and can be used for the surveillance of the patients as well, being non-irradiating and easy to use. Nineteen neonates who were confirmed as having SARS-CoV2 infection were investigated using this imaging tool, and the results were compared and correlated with their symptoms and biomarkers. The mean of LUSS was 12.21 ± 3.56 (S.D), while the 95% CI for the arithmetic mean was 10.49–13.93. The difference of an independent t-test between the LUSS for the patient who presented cough and the LUSS for the patient without cough was −4.48 with an associated p-value of p = 0.02. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient r = 0.89 (p = 0.03, 95% CI 0.0642 to 0.993) between the LUSS and IL-6 level showed a positive strong correlation. This reliable correlation between lung ultrasound score and inflammatory markers suggests that LUS could be used for monitoring inflammatory lung diseases in the future.

7 February 2023 in Life
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RSRoxana Stoicescu
Roxana Stoicescu
Emil Robert StoicescuEmil Robert Stoicescu
Emil Robert Stoicescu
SCSimona Cerbu
Simona Cerbu
DMDiana Luminita Manolescu
Diana Luminita Manolescu
RBRăzvan Bardan
Răzvan Bardan
ACAlin Adrian Cumpanas
Alin Adrian Cumpanas
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a worldwide epidemiological problem, since it is one of the most prevalent types of neoplasia among men, and the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, after lung and colorectal tumors. Unfortunately, the early stages of PCa have a wide range of unspecific symptoms. For these reasons, early diagnosis and accurate evaluation of suspicious lesions are crucial. Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is currently the imaging modality of choice for diagnostic screening and local staging of PCa, but also has a leading role in guiding biopsies and in treatment biparametric MRI (bpMRI) could partially replace mpMRI due to its lack of adverse reactions caused by contrast agents, relatively lower costs, and shorter acquisition time. Further, 31 relevant articles regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the aforementioned imaging techniques were scanned. As a result, while bpMRI has comparable accuracy in detecting PCa, its roles in the other steps of PCa management are limited.

10 August 2023 in Children
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Daniela-Eugenia PopescuDaniela-Eugenia Popescu
Daniela-Eugenia Popescu
SCSimona Cerbu
Simona Cerbu
IRIoana Rosca
Ioana Rosca
NLNicoleta Lungu
Nicoleta Lungu
ATAna Adriana Trușculescu
Ana Adriana Trușculescu
MBMarioara Boia
Marioara Boia
The aim of this study is to evaluate the test results of neonates delivered by COVID-19-positive mothers during pregnancy with those of neonates born to unvaccinated mothers who are COVID-19-free. A cohort study was conducted on 367 pregnant women who gave birth at Premiere Hospital, Timisoara, Romania, between May 2021 and February 2022. Two groups were established: Group 1, with 167 pregnant women infected with COVID-19, and Group 2, with 200 pregnant women who were not affected by COVID-19 during pregnancy. Maternal laboratory examination did not exhibit significant variations except for platelet count. In neonatal blood tests, WBC had a significantly lower median value in the group born to COVID-19-free mothers. Neonatal anemia and leukocytosis showed slightly higher prevalence in Group 1, but the differences were not statistically significant. This study suggests that maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy does not have significant associations with most maternal and neonatal characteristics.