Tudor Drugan

• M.D., Ph.D.
• Head of Department at Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite of hepatitis B virus (HBV) for transmission and propagation and infects nearly 20 million people worldwide. The HDV genome is a compact circular single-stranded RNA genome with extensive intramolecular complementarity. Despite its different epidemiological and pathological patterns, the variability and geograp...

Objectives: Biomarker research is an important area of investigation in Gaucher disease, caused by an inherited deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase. We evaluated the usefulness of neopterin, as a novel biomarker reflecting chronic inflammation and immune system activation in Gaucher disease and analysed its evolution in response to...

Chitotriosidase, an enzyme secreted by activated macrophages, is widely used as a biomarker for therapeutic monitoring and patient follow-up in Gaucher disease (GD), a lysosomal disorder caused by an inherited deficiency of glucocerebrosidase. We analyzed the long-term evolution of chitotriosidase aiming to establish an accurate model that describe...

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is responsible for the most severe form of acute and chronic viral hepatitis. We previously proposed that the Deltavirus genus is composed of 8 major clades. However, few sequences were available to confirm this classification. Moreover, little is known about the structural and functional consequences of HDV variability....

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic conditions marked by persistent inflammation, impacting patients’ quality of life. This study assessed differences in coffee consumption between CD and UC patients and its potential effects on the subjective perception and objective changes in...

This study examines the interplay between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genotypes in influencing kidney transplantation outcomes. Understanding these interactions is crucial for improving graft survival and minimizing rejection risks. We evaluated 84 kidney transplant recipients, divi...

Retrograde axonal neurodegeneration along the visual pathway—either direct or trans-synaptic—has already been demonstrated in multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as in compressive, vascular, or posttraumatic lesions of the visual pathway. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can noninvasively track macular and optic nerve changes occurring as a result o...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique based on the principle of low-coherence interferometry that captures detailed images of ocular structures. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease that can lead to damage of the optic nerve and retina, which can be depicted by OCT. The purpose of this pilot study...

Objective Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic pathologies characterized by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, as well as aberrant immune responses. This study aimed to investigate inflammation markers’ seasonality and association with disease exacerbation episodes in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis....

The primary targets of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the lungs are type I pneumocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells. We aimed to identify lung cells targeted by SARS-CoV-2 using viral nucleocapsid protein staining and morphometric features on patients with fatal COVID-19. We conducted a retrospective analysis...

Personalized medicine, sometimes referred to as precision medicine, is a paradigm shift in healthcare [...]

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological disease affecting the optic nerve, directly or indirectly, through transsynaptic axonal degeneration along the visual pathway. New ophthalmological tools, arguably the most important being optical coherence tomography (OCT), could prove paramount in redefining MS diagnoses and shaping the...

We aimed to evaluate the primary lung postmortem macro- and microscopic biomarkers and factors associated with diffuse alveolar damage in patients with fatal coronavirus (COVID-19). We retrospectively analyzed lung tissue collected from autopsies performed in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between April 2020 and April 2021 on patients with severe acute resp...

Electronic nose (e-nose) is a new technology applied for the identification of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in breath air. Measuring VOC in exhaled breath can adequately identify airway inflammation, especially in asthma. Its noninvasive character makes e-nose an attractive technology applicable in pediatrics. We hypothesized that an electronic...

Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic conditions characterized by periods of remission, alternating with episodes of exacerbation, in which the primary therapeutic target is mucosal healing. Although colonoscopy is currently considered the gold standard for assessing disease activity, it presents a significant number of disadvantages. Over time,...

Background and aims. The COVID-19 lockdowns are reported to have negatively influenced the wellbeing and learning efficacy of students. In this context, we analyzed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on healthcare students, a subpopulation experiencing high stress levels. Methods. Our survey-based, cross-sectional study assessed we...

The present study aimed to evaluate the students’ progress in evaluating ultrasound (US) and cadaveric cardiac images and long-time retention of information. First-year medical students were invited to participate in four two-hour online lectures during one week voluntarily. The students were trained to recognize cardiovascular anatomical structure...

Fetal inflammatory response syndrome is associated with increased neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dynamics of the plasmatic value of pro-inflammatory cytokines: tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neutrophil activating peptide 78 (ENA-78) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-...

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of localization, age or sex and histopathological characteristics upon the chance of developing lymphatic or hematogenous metastatic spread over time, or a positive sentinel lymph node in cutaneous melanoma patients. Patients from the Department of Dermatology, County Emergency Hospital Cluj-...

The chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) are accompanied by inflammatory manifestations. Our study aimed to evaluate a possible association between the inflammatory status (reflected by serum chitotriosidase and neopterin) and the timely evolution and occurrence of chronic microvascular complications in patients with type 1 DM. This obse...

Even though vitamin D is widely acknowledged as having a potential immunomodulatory role in asthma, its exact beneficial mechanisms are yet to be clarified. An optimal serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OH-VitD) level in pediatric asthma patients might not rely solely on the effect of dose-dependent vitamin D 3 intake, but might also be influenced by f...

Background and aimThe chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) are accompanied by inflammatory manifestations. Our study aimed to assess the association between inflammatory status, reflected by C-reactive protein (CRP) values and the evolution of type 1 and 2 DM patients, evaluated by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, the length of diseas...

Objectives. The involvement of bacterial biofilms in the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is intensively debated, despite the acknowledgement of their negative impact on postoperative evolution of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between bacterial biofilms and inflammatory infiltrate of sinus mucosa, and the...

Aim: To evaluate if smoking, quantified by the serum cotinine levels, is related to the evolution of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Method: A pilot study was conducted on CLI patients who addressed at the Second Surgery Clinic of the Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania between November 2015 and December 2016. The sample of...

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), defined as a persistent inflammation of the nasal and sinus mucosa, affects approximately 10% of the European adult population. Our study focused on the evaluation of serum chitotriosidase (Cht) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D3) as potential biomarkers of CRS-associated inflammation. This cross-sectional, randomized,...

Objective: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive high-resolution imaging technique which was suggested to be a powerful biomarker of neurodegeneration. The objective of our study is to assess the pattern of retinal OCT changes in patients with visual pathway tumors. Methods: A prospective clinical study was conducted and patients...

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) increases morbidity in Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. In the mid-eighties, an outbreak of HDV fulminant hepatitis (FH) in the Central African Republic (CAR) killed 88% of patients hospitalized in Bangui. We evaluated infections with HBV and HDV among students and pregnant women, 25 years after the fulminant h...

Occupation of subjects from the 2 cohorts (student and pregnant women) in function of HBV and HDV status. (DOC)

Comparison of age, marital status, and blood borne and sexual risk factors in students infected or non-infected by HBV (HBV positive versus negative) in CAR in year 2010. (DOCX)

A: Consensus tree obtained from PreS1 region analysis of the HBV genome (nt 2817–nt81) of reference sequence from Galibert et al. (Nature. 1979) obtained from 49 isolates from asymptomatic HBV-infected students sampled in Bangui in 2010. PreS1 sequences were obtained by hemi-nested PCR as previously described [20]. Bayesian analyses were conducted...

Students repartition among high schools and University departments. This list corresponds to almost all different high educational entities in Bangui, Central African Republic. (DOC)

Comparison of age, marital status, and blood borne and sexual risk factors in pregnant women infected or non-infected by HBV (HBV positive versus negative) in CAR in year 2010. (DOCX)

Age, marital status, district address in Bangui, and blood borne and sexual risk factors in students and pregnant women in Central Africa Republic (CAR) in year 2010. (DOC)

Comparison of age, marital status, and blood borne and sexual risk factors in students infected or non-infected by HDV (HDAg ± anti-HD Abs positive versus negative) in CAR in year 2010. (DOCX)

HDV sequences from this study Accession Summary ----------------- Type Accession Unique Name Study PRJEB24597 ena-STUDY-Research Cancer Center of Lyon-24-01-2018-10:05:53:847–48 European Nucleotide Archive (ENA). (DOC)

A: Consensus tree obtained from the PreC-C region of the HBV genome (nt1814–nt2495) of reference sequence from Galibert et al. (Nature. 1979). HBV DNA was amplified from DNA extracted from the 40 initial ancestral samples with Macherey Nagel extraction procedures. Amplification yielded positive results in 8 samples, and DNA was directly sequenced f...

French to English translated questionnaire. (DOCX)

Place of living of the studied cohort in the different districts (1–8) of Bangui capital and Bimbo suburbs district in function of HBV and HDV status. The gray scale indicates the economical status of the district. (DOC)

Comparison of age, marital status, and blood borne and sexual risk factors in pregnant women infected or non-infected by HDV (HDAg ± anti-HD Abs positive versus negative) in CAR in year 2010. (DOCX)

The estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects of butylparaben (BuPB), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and propyl gallate (PG) were evaluated for individual compounds as well as for binary mixtures, using an estrogen-dependent reporter gene assay in T47D-Kbluc breast cancer cells and an estrogen-dependent proliferation as...

Background: Chitotriosidase is an enzyme secreted by activated macrophages. This study aims to investigate the usefulness of circulating chitotriosidase activity as a marker of inflammatory status in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Materials and methods: An observational gender-matched case-control study was conducted on patients hos...

Poster on the session Diversity

The aim of our study is to establish the epidemiology of candidemia in our unit by comparing risk factors, clinical manifestations, complications and outcome according to Candida Spp. involved.

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by a recessively inherited deficiency of glucocerebrosidase, encoded by the GBA gene, in which nearly 450 mutations have been described. However, only a few genotype-phenotype correlations have been clearly established. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular features of GD in Romanian patie...

Background and aim High risk newborns are often much smaller than healthy infants when are discharged from hospital. Different types of feeding: breastmilk, formula or mixed can influence growth rates and improve development. The aims of the study were to evaluate the growth rates; catch–up rate and some biological parameters of the nutritional sta...

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-reported questionnaire adapted for Romanian physicians. The questionnaire will be used to assess the knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of physicians in the Romania regarding evidence-based clinical practice (EBP). Methods: The items of the questionnaire were generat...

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the IGF2 and IGF2R plasmatic level and IGF2-ApaI polymorphism on infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Materials and methods: A transversal study was conducted at the Neonatology Ward of the Gynecology Clinic I, Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca on neonates with IUGR who were discharged dur...

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is one of the many alternative methods that can be used in medical education. There are different views about its advantages and limitation, but the added value of this method is well recognized. PBL helps students to develop team working and collabor...

Background and aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the serum concentration of main chemokines and interferons in patients with diagnosed endometriosis. Materials and methods. A total of 160 women were divided in two study groups (Group I – endometriosis; Group 2 – healthy women). Serum levels of IFN-α, IFN-γ, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, eo...

Purpose Endometriosis has an incidence reaching up to 50% in infertile women. Cytokine-mediated immune responses seem to play an important role in endometriosis pathogenesis, but still the etiology and pathophysiology remain unclear. In the current study we tried to investigate whether there is a relationship between IL-10 genetic polymorphism, ser...

Background: Health related quality of life (HRQL) and voice handicap index (VHI) of laryngectomies seem to be relevant regarding voice rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to assess the impact on HRQL and VHI of laryngectomies, following voice rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study done at the Ear, Nose, and Throat Departm...

866 EAPS-0795 Eposter at the the 6th Congress of the European Academy of Paediatric Societies Background and aims Infants with low SVC flow a marker of the low systemic blood perfusion have a higher risk of mortality and morbidity. The study aimed to evaluate the role of SVC flow assessments in neonates <=32 weeks gestation. Methods A prospective s...

The aims of this study were to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQL) according to: type of surgery, adjuvant oncological treatment and postoperative complications. We performed a retrospective case–control study between October 2013 and November 2014 at the Ear Nose and Throat Clinic of Cluj-Napoca. We included patients diagnosed with...

The present study aimed for the evaluation of the (anti)estrogenic (E/AE) potential of binary mixtures of butylparaben (BP), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and propyl gallate (PG). First, each compound was evaluated for E/AE effect. For the evaluation of the E potential the MCF-7 cells were incubated for 144 h follo...

In the modern socio-economical context the use of traditional methods in medical education is generally not enough. E-learning provides well-known benefits. Many institutions find and implement e-learning instruments and platforms but there are many medical education institutions which are still searching for the best solution for their specific co...

Aim of the study Aim of the study was to investigate interleukin (IL)-4 serum levels in patients with advanced endometriosis and whether IL-4 promoter region (-590C/T) genetic polymorphism is involved in genetic susceptibility to endometriosis. Material and methods IL-4 serum levels and IL-4 -590C/T genetic polymorphism were determined for 80 pati...

Purpose: To assess the assumption that differences exist between the traditional and publication-based PhD routes in terms of the thesis’ length and the scientific publications originating from it. Method: A retrospective comparative study on medical PhD theses offered by an online repository was performed. All free full-text medical PhD theses def...

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy is a serious complication related to prematurity and a leading cause of childhood blindness. The aggressive posterior form of retinopathy of prematurity (APROP) has a worse anatomical and functional outcome following laser therapy, as compared with the classic form of the disease. The main outcome measures are the APROP regr...

The scope of the present study was to contrast publication rates and particularities of original scientific articles related to medical PhD theses defended between 2009 and 2013 from one developing country (Romania) and two developed countries (France and the United Kingdom) within the European Union. A sample from each of the three countries was e...

Introduction: The scope of the research was a more detailed understanding of the influence of social media and the importance of student’s usage of social media context in relation to medical information. The research aimed to increase the understanding of social media and the impact on medical information use, informing policy and practice while h...

Context: Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease, characterized by ectopic deposits of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity, and it is associated with pelvic pain and infertility, with an important impact on the quality of life. At this point there is a controversy regarding the etiology and pathophysiology of endometriosis and...

Introduction Linear growth failure is caused by multiple factors including parental factors. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate parental risk factors for intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) on a population of Romanian newborn infants in a tertiary level maternity facility for a period of 2.5 years. Methods A retrospective matched ca...

As the web has evolved from 2.0, 3.0 models different services occur. Healt as the use of social networks to promote col patients, health professionals, medical profe in health care. In Romania, the social network users active accounts on different websites where t 30 and 120 minutes daily. There is few data behavior. The study investigates through...

Objectives: To assess the voice handicap, the satisfaction with today's voice assisting methods and to identify the needs that should be addressed by new vocal assistive technologies for aphonic patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study on two samples of patients with total laryngectomy and submitted to speech therapy. Voice...

Question: During the last two decades a major concern could be noticed regarding the endocrine disruptive potential of certain xenobiotics, with a possible negative impact on humans and wildlife. Most of the studies focused on evaluating the (anti)estrogenic potential. However the impact on the androgenic system is of similar importance. Methods: T...

Background and aim. Medical research needs statistical analyses to understand the reality of variable phenomena. There are numerous studies showing poor statistical reporting in many journals with different rankings, in different countries. Our aim was to assess the reporting of statistical analyses in original papers published in Clujul Medical jo...

Purpose . This study aims to evaluate the regression of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after one intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and the factors that influenced it. Methods . This retrospective case series was carried out at the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It includes all the consecutive infa...

Background: Undergraduate medical students are supposed to follow a vast curriculum, which requires time management and specific abilities. Sometimes the topic of the subjects generates a lack of interest among the students and traditional methods are not enough. Summary of Work: Students enrolled in the first year at the Faculty of Medicine studie...

Introduction: Many studies stressed the problem of the poor quality of the statistical reporting in various biomedical journals. Our aim was to evaluate all pharmaceutical papers published in six Romanian journals, in the 2013 year, for statistical reporting. Materials and Methods: We used mainly the “Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Publis...

Background: Endometriosis is a frequent gynecologic disease with a severe impact on the quality of life in affected women; its pathogenesis is yet to be fully understood, with an altered immunity as a possible key factor. The present study aimed to investigate the serum anti-inflammatory cytokine profile in patients with endometriosis compared with...

In order to maintain a high standard from the point of view of achieving their mission, educational institutions for health science must ensure that their employees – teaching staff, auxiliary staff, technical staff or administrative staff have the right level of training and necessary abilities to do their tasks. For this, continuous professional...

To assess the neonatal outcomes in newborns with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in a Romanian population in a 3 level maternity unit. A matched case-control design, with one control for each patient was used. The case group comprised neonates with birth weight and birth length below the 10th percentile for the gestational age. Individual ma...

The quality of the statistical reporting is poor in various biomedical journals, this being a problem stressed by numerous studies. Our aim was to evaluate all pharmaceutical papers published in six Romanian journals, in 2013, for statistical reporting. We used mainly the " Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature " – SAMPL-guid...

Background: our study aimed to analyze the clinic al management of patients admitted with critical limb ischemia (CU) at Second Surgical Clinic, Emergency County Hospital Cluj-Napoca and to identfy the risk factors for amputation. Materials and methods: A three years retrospective study was conducted on subjects hospitalized for critical lower limb...

Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate if intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) infants had different anthropometry and morbidities in preterm and term subgroups compared to controls. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca on infants admitted to the First Gynecology Neonatal-W...

The aim of the study was to investigate the serum pro-inflammatory cytokine profile in patients with diagnosed endometriosis. Material and methods: The study included 160 women, who were divided in two study groups (Group I – endometriosis; Group 2 – healthy). We evaluated the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, and IL-12, and o...

Background: The aim of our study was to investigate if intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) infants had different anthropometry and morbidities in preterm and term subgroups compared to controls. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Emergency County Hospital, Cluj-Napoca on infants admitted to the 1st Gynecology Neonat...

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of transpupillary diode laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in our hospital.

Background: In this chapter we aim to evaluate the outcome and prognostic factors of the intravitreal administration of bevacizumab for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), as monotherapy and associated with laser treatment, as emerged from our experience.

im: The aim of our research was to design and implement data collection instruments to be use in context of an observational prospective clinical study with follow-up conducted on new born with intrauterine growth restriction. Methods: The structure of the data collection forms (paper based and electronic based) was first identified and for each va...

In the present study we evaluated the estrogenic/anti-estrogenic effects of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate (PG) and butyl paraben (BP), compounds extensively used as antioxidants/conservatives in food, food packaging, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, using the luciferase assay. BP and PG were found out...

The first objective of the study was to compute the time to completion and publication of original scientific publications for medical doctoral students in the UK. A second objective was to evaluate if PhD theses format (monograph or publication-based) can influence the time to completion and publication of original scientific publications. We asse...