Due to the plethora of pharmacological activities reported in the literature, Origanum vulgare L. is a valuable aromatic plant for the medicine of the XXI century. Recent studies highlight that Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OvEo) has gained attention in the dermatological field due to the cosmeceutical potential correlated with the presence of thymol and carvacrol. As a result of the fulminant expansion of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the aggressiveness of skin infections, OvEo was extensively studied for its antimicrobial activity against Staphyloccocus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Moreover, researchers have also assessed the anti-inflammatory activity of OvEo, suggesting its tissue remodeling and wound healing potential. Whereas OvEo comprises important biological activities that are used in a wide range of pathologies, recently, essential oils have shown great potential in the development of new therapeutic alternatives for skin disorders, such as acne, wounds or aging. Furthermore, substantial efforts have been committed to the development of modern formulations, such as microemulsions and nanoemulsions, in order to create the possibility for topical application. The review brings to the fore the most recent findings in the dermatological field regarding potential plant-based therapies involving OvEo, emphasizing the modern pharmaceutical formulation approaches and the cutaneous benefits in skin disorders.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a polymorphic condition, present throughout the world and involving children and adults. Multiple studies over the last decade have contributed to a better understanding of the natural evolution of this infection in various population groups, several reservoirs and transmission routes being identified. To date, acute or chronic HEV-induced hepatitis has in some cases remained underdiagnosed due to the lower accuracy of serological tests and due to the evolutionary possibility with extrahepatic manifestations. Implementation of diagnostic tests based on nucleic acid analysis has increased the detection rate of this disease. The epidemiological and clinical features of HEV hepatitis differ depending on the geographical areas studied. HEV infection is usually a self-limiting condition in immunocompetent patients, but in certain categories of vulnerable patients it can induce a sudden evolution toward acute liver failure (pregnant women) or chronicity (immunosuppressed patients, post-transplant, hematological, or malignant diseases). In acute HEV infections in most cases supportive treatment is sufficient. In patients who develop chronic hepatitis with HEV, dose reduction of immunosuppressive medication should be the first therapeutic step, especially in patients with transplant. In case of unfavorable response, the initiation of antiviral therapy is recommended. In this review, the authors summarized the essential published data related to the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic aspects of HEV infection in adult and pediatric patients.

Elastofibroma dorsi (ED) is known as a particular clinical and biological entity. We report a case of a bilateral elastofibroma dorsi (ED) in a 65-year-old female who presented to the Department of General and Oncologic Surgery of Emergency Clinical Municipal Hospital Timisoara, Romania. The patient was symptomatic on the right side, presenting pain in the interscapulothoracic region associated with a variable tumoral mass, dependent on the position of the right arm. Imaging studies revealed a well-defined, bilateral tumoral mass with alternation of the muscular and fatty tissue. The initial diagnosis of lipoma was taken into consideration based on the CT scan and clinical findings. Surgical excision of the right subscapular tumor was performed without any postoperative complications. Microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and orcein stained slides revealed the diagnosis of ED. Considering the high rate of reported postoperative complications and the asymptomatic presentation of the contralateral subscapular mass, the patient underwent clinical and imagistic monitoring for the contralateral tumor. Due to its rare nature, ED is a difficult preoperative diagnosis that can, however, be suggested by its specific location and may require an accurate histopathological examination for a final diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to assess the basic biochemical and clinical characteristics of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), office blood pressure (BP) and 24-h BP profile, their risk factors and associated comorbidities. Compared with non-diabetics, hypertensive patients with T2DM were older, with a longer duration of hypertension (5.9 vs. 4.7 years), greater office blood pressure and ambulatory BP values, increased incidence of multiple risk factors, target organ damage and cardiovascular disease. Biochemical data in hypertension with T2DM revealed significantly high levels of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, micro- and macro-albuminuria and a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate. The presence of diabetes was associated with obesity, represented by a BMI ]30 kg/m2 (OR 2.08 [95% CI 1.26-3.45], p = 0.004), abdominal obesity (OR 1.85 [95% CI 1.11-3.04], p = 0.016), high LDL cholesterol (OR 2.02 [95% CI 1.22-3.35], p = 0.006) and high triglycerides (OR 1.86 [95% CI 1.11-3.11], p = 0.017).

Giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone is a benign aggressive bone lesion with significant recurrence rates following surgical curettage. Historically, these tumors were approached by performing an intralesional curettage of the tumoral tissue by filling the resulting cavity using morselized iliac bone autograft. The major problems of this therapy were the high recurrence rates of up to 40–50%. Several adjuvant treatments have been proposed in order to augment resection margins, including liquid nitrogen (LN), phenol, ethanol, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and bone cement (polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)). LN can be used either to preserve tissues or for controlled necrosis depending on the cycles of freezing and thawing. Usually, a quick freeze followed by a slow thaw will lead to destruction of human cells. This article reviews the results of cryosurgery with LN associated with surgical resection and the additional use of PMMA in a small group of patients with a histopathological confirmation of bone GCT with different localizations (i.e., tibia, distal radius and iliac bone). Cryosurgery with LN of bone GCT proved to be an efficient tool to decrease the recurrence rate for this tumoral type. In our series of cases, there were no complications, oncological or otherwise, at the two-year minimum follow-up, with good and excellent functional results.