Background: With a steady increase in prevalence, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recognized as a leading contributor to global mortality, which underscores the need to identify prognostic biomarkers that are easy to use in everyday practice. As both local and systemic inflammation play a pivotal part in the development and progression of COPD, the purpose of our study was to assess the role of inflammatory markers in estimating disease severity (GOLD 1 to 4) to guide the management and treatment of patients with COPD, thus helping to reduce episodes of decompensation and fatal outcomes in both immediate and long-term contexts. Methods: We performed a descriptive observational analysis with a cross-sectional design including 100 patients with stable COPD. All subjects underwent standard clinical examination, lung function tests and a comprehensive inflammation blood panel. Results: We included 55 patients with mild–moderate COPD (GOLD 1–2), 33 patients with advanced stages of COPD (GOLD 3) and 12 patients with very severe forms of the disease (GOLD 4). Male sex, smoking status, BMI, IL-1 beta, NLR, and nocturnal heart rate were parameters with significant value for assessing COPD severity (p < 0.05 for all). NLR correlates significantly with the predicted distance in the 6 MWT (p = 0.039). Significant associations were identified between IL-8 and duration of exposure of biomass fuel (p = 0.045) as well as between IL-6 and pack-years (p = 0.024), with both prognostic and therapeutic impact. Furthermore, the analysis of the total cohort revealed positive correlations between serum IL-6 and FVC (%) (p = 0.033) or NLR and the ratio between FEV1 and FVC (p = 0.048). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) proved to be a reliable indicator of stages 3–4 GOLD (AUC 0.66, threshold value 2.3045, p = 0.004—a one-point increase in NLR corresponded to a 2.148 increase in FEV1). Conclusions: NLR emerged as a simple, accessible and highly informative biomarker in COPD, linked to disease severity and functional decline. Its integration into routine assessment could enhance prognosis and guide clinical decisions, a finding that warrants confirmation in future multicenter studies.

Catheter ablation has become a cornerstone therapy for atrial fibrillation, with pulmonary vein isolation as its mechanistic foundation. Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation, the two established thermal technologies, have demonstrated robust efficacy across multiple randomized trials but remain limited by collateral tissue injury inherent to heat- or cold-mediated lesion formation. Pulsed field ablation has recently emerged as a novel non-thermal energy source based on irreversible electroporation, offering myocardial-selective injury with relative sparing of adjacent structures. This review synthesizes evidence across three complementary domains: fundamental studies; preclinical evidence; and clinical data supporting radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and pulsed field ablation for atrial fibrillation. We summarize mechanistic differences in lesion formation, key animal studies that established safety and efficacy profiles, and pivotal randomized clinical trials, including recent head-to-head comparisons and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. By synthesizing these levels of evidence, the review aims to place recent clinical results into a mechanistic and translational context. Available evidence demonstrates that pulsed field ablation achieves rhythm-control efficacy comparable to radiofrequency and cryoablation while offering procedural efficiency and a potentially improved safety profile. However, long-term durability data and broader experience remain limited. Understanding the strengths and limitations of each ablation modality is essential for informed clinical decision-making as non-thermal ablation technologies enter routine practice.

Objectives. This study highlights several aspects demonstrating that the use of mobile phones has become so deeply integrated into everyday life that it transforms users’ behaviors as well as social relationships between individuals. Material and methods. A quantitative study was conducted in 2024 with the participation of 1,591 volunteers, from both urban and rural areas. The average age of the participants was 40. From the applied “omnibus” questionnaire, the items selected for this paper focused on the impact of mobile phone use on users, specifically in relation to receiving criticism for mobile phone use, and the feeling of guilt associated with the time spent using it. The data were statistically processed using MATLAB, version R2020a. Results. Nearly half of all participants (47.50%) were never bothered or criticized by others for excessive mobile phone use. 37.20% of participants sometimes felt guilty about the time spent on their mobile phones. There is a very small, but significant correlation between the two items. 52.62% of participants believed that, if they halved the time spent on social platforms, the way they would be viewed by colleagues/friends would remain largely unchanged. 35.39% of participants often took their mobile phone with them when going to another room. Between the last two items there is a significant correlation, even if very small. Conclusions. This study shows that mobile phones have become essential communication tools, easily accessible in everyday life, to the extent that individuals feel the need to have them constantly within reach. Keywords: mobile phones, problematic use, guilt

Background and Clinical Significance: Evaluating wide complex rhythms in patients with permanent pacemakers can be a diagnostic challenge, particularly when the rhythm is irregular. While pacemaker-mediated rhythms are typically regular and predictable, the appearance of wide complex irregular rhythms raises concerns ranging from lead malfunction to life-threatening arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia. Understanding the interplay between intrinsic cardiac activity and device function is crucial for timely and accurate diagnosis in this increasingly common clinical scenario. Case presentation: We report on a 74-year-old female with a VVI pacemaker implanted for binodal disease, who presented with intermittent palpitations and an irregular rhythm. The patient has a recent history of falling on her right shoulder, which is also the site of the device implantation. We used a clinical step-by-step approach to rule out pacemaker malfunction and to establish the need for an unscheduled device interrogation. Conclusions: This case presentation highlights the important role of clinical reasoning and the approach to such a patient, especially when a key method of pacemaker evaluation, such as device interrogation, is not readily available.