Papers by Victorita Ştefanescu
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a collagenosis with a substrate of chronic inflammation, which is det... more Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a collagenosis with a substrate of chronic inflammation, which is determined by autoimmunity. The pathogenesis of this disease involves microvasculopathy (small vessel pathology) followed by excessive cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Although acoustic and vestibular impairment is not classified as being a secondary pathology of SSc, several studies have identified cases of SSc that associate hearing loss and especially vertigo and tinnitus. This paper presents data from the medical literature that have identified vestibular and auditory symptoms among patients with SSc, associating the clinical case presentation of a patient suffering from SSc, which is associated with hearing loss. The need for additional studies on larger groups of patients is underlined, in order to clarify the impact of vasculopathy and fibrosis on the acoustic and vestibular analyzer in patients with SSc.
Revista de Chimie
The oral mucosa is a mirror of the state of health for the whole organism, representing a natural... more The oral mucosa is a mirror of the state of health for the whole organism, representing a natural barrier to infection, an entry gate for a large number of pathogens, a site for microbial multiplication and for initiating disease- specific pathological processes, expressed by lesions, signs and symptoms characteristic for diagnosis. The new global threat to public health, COVID-19 infection can be customized within the oral pathology. The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is characterized by high contagiousness, airborne transmission, directly through inhaled drops or, indirectly, through the use of contaminated objects. The survival of the virus on surfaces, depending on their structure, varies from 4 hours to 9 days. The initiation of infection is possible through the binding of viruses in site of host cells, due to receptor affinity and an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2), distributed in the epithelium, alveoli, ascular endothelium, lung pneumocytes and macrophage. The severity of t...
Risk in Contemporary Economy, 2017
Introduction: Arachnoid cysts in children are incidental or symptomatic findings which can have a... more Introduction: Arachnoid cysts in children are incidental or symptomatic findings which can have associated neurological pathologies in children. Epileptic seizures and headache are by far the most common symptoms associated to arachnoid cysts but they can also associate cerebral palsy or facial dwarfism. Objectives: In the era of globalisation we want to highlight the importance of modern diagnostic procedures and long term strategic management of children with arachnoid cysts in order to rise their social competence and have a better quality of life. Material and methods: We searched the most important theories in the literature and the new methods in the management of the arachnoid cysts. Results: Even if surgical is necessary just in few cases, medication is needed for epileptic seizures. Many children receive neuroprotective agents while other receive antiepileptic drugs for the concomitant or associated epilepsy. For speech difficulties and movement disorders speech therapy, physical therapy and other further support is needed. Discussions and conclusions: The EEG patterns are not mandatory identic to the site of the cyst. Facial dwarfism and other genetic hallmarks need to be further investigated for rare syndromes associated to cerebral arachnoid cysts. The arachnoid cyst could be a hallmark that children brain can be more sensitive to seizures.
International Journal of General Medicine
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune substrate that affe... more Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune substrate that affects the skin and a large number of internal organs. The chronic inflammatory process is sustained by a wide range of cytokines and chemokines, which are discharged by inflammatory cells, with fibrosis and nail bed vascular changes (disorganized vasculature architecture with microhemorrhages, megacapillaries and areas without capillaries). Confocal microscopy contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in chronic inflammation and mainly targets the field of research. Coherent optical tomography, capillaroscopy, and skin biopsy are useful for the differential diagnosis of SSc with other sclerodermoid syndromes. The immunological profile is a classification criterion for SSc and directs the diagnosis to the two subsets of the disease. Multisystemic damage requires evaluation with the help of a set of investigations specific to each affected organ, such as: diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, forced vital capacity, 6-minute walk test, high-resolution computed tomography standard and reduced sequential, cardiac ultrasound and right cardiac catheterization. The current possibilities of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring are permanently adapting to new medical discoveries.
Medicina, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is a new challenge for the diagnosis and treatment of infective endocarditi... more The COVID-19 pandemic is a new challenge for the diagnosis and treatment of infective endocarditis (IE). Fever and other unspecific symptoms of coronaviral infection could be misleading or masking its manifestations. We present the case of a young patient admitted for persistent fever, profuse sweating, headache, articular pain, myalgias, and weight loss. She reported regression taste and smell disorders compared to a month earlier when diagnosed with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. While the RT-PCR SARS-COV-2 test was positive, she was admitted to a COVID-19 ward. Investigations of febrile syndrome revealed two positive blood cultures with Streptococcus gordonii and the presence of vegetations on the aortic valve, supporting a certain diagnosis of IE. After six weeks of antibiotic treatment, the patient had clinical and biologic favorable outcomes. Streptococcus gordonii is a common commensal related to the dental biofilm, although there were no caries in our patient. The influence of...
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014
Purpose: To establish whether nutritional programs in special schools for children with neuropsyc... more Purpose: To establish whether nutritional programs in special schools for children with neuropsychomotor deficiencies in Romania influence the prevalence of obesity compared to similar programs for unaffected children attending normal schools. Materials and methods: The survey included 3,103 pupils (age: 7-18 years): 663 from special schools serving breakfast, lunch and a snack and 2,440 from normal schools benefiting only from the EU fruit and milk in schools program. Results: The percentage of obese children in the normal schools was 8.97%, against 6.48% in the special schools. Although the presence of the deficiency implies the existence of several risk factors for obesity, contrary to expectations we find a smaller number of obese children among the children from the special schools. Under these circumstances, where there are multiple risk factors for obesity and food consumption is normal for the age group, with a higher ratio of hyper-caloric food the children with deficiencies have less prevalent obesity. Conclusions: The low obesity prevalence in the special schools is due to the nutritional programs these children benefit from. Nutritional programs should be rethought in terms of introducing them in all school types, especially in relation to quantitative standards.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014
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Papers by Victorita Ştefanescu