Heart failure is a worldwide health problem with important consequences for the overall wellbeing of affected individuals as well as for the healthcare system. Over recent decades, numerous pieces of evidence have demonstrated that the associated gut microbiota represent an important component of human physiology and metabolic homeostasis, and can affect one’s state of health or disease directly, or through their derived metabolites. The recent advances in human microbiome studies shed light on the relationship between the gut microbiota and the cardiovascular system, revealing its contribution to the development of heart failure-associated dysbiosis. HF has been linked to gut dysbiosis, low bacterial diversity, intestinal overgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria and a decrease in short chain fatty acids-producing bacteria. An increased intestinal permeability allowing microbial translocation and the passage of bacterial-derived metabolites into the bloodstream is associated with HF progression. A more insightful understanding of the interactions between the human gut microbiome, HF and the associated risk factors is mandatory for optimizing therapeutic strategies based on microbiota modulation and offering individualized treatment. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available data regarding the influence of gut bacterial communities and their derived metabolites on HF, in order to obtain a better understanding of this multi-layered complex relationship.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been described as a neurological condition observed in a variety of clinical settings and is characterized by focal neurological deficits, seizures, headaches, altered mental status, and visual impairment, associated with transient typical lesions on neuroimaging, predominantly in the posterior part of the brain. The most common risk factors for PRES are hypertension, renal diseases, and the use of calcineurin inhibitors. The incidence of PRES in children with renal disorders varies between 4 and 9%, according to different reports. Vasogenic cerebral edema is considered the major pathophysiological mechanism of PRES. There are two main theories regarding the genesis of this edema: (1) hyperperfusion, due to autoregulatory failure of the cerebral vasculature, and (2) hypoperfusion, due to vasoconstriction of the cerebral arteries. In addition, PRES might also be the result of a systemic inflammatory state causing endothelial dysfunction. The management of PRES includes BP control, treatment of seizures, and removal of or reduction in calcineurin inhibitors. Intravenous administration of antihypertensive therapy is preferred, and various drugs have been used in this regard, including nicardipine, labetalol, sodium nitroprusside, and hydralazine. The prognosis of PRES is usually benign, except for rare cases with intracranial hemorrhage.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is now recognized as the most common cause of chronic liver disease with an increasing prevalence in both adults and children. Although the symptoms are absent or poorly expressed in most cases, some patients may progress to end-stage liver disease. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is known to be multifactorial. Current therapeutic recommendations focus on lifestyle changes in order to reduce the incidence of risk factors and drugs targeting major molecular pathways potentially involved in the development of this disease. Given that a pharmacological treatment, completely safe and effective, is not currently known in recent years more research has been done on the effects that some bio-active natural compounds, derived from plants, have in preventing the onset and progression of NAFLD. Numerous studies, in animals and humans, have shown that phytosterols (PSs) play an important role in this pathology. Phytosterols are natural products that are found naturally in plant. More than 250 phytosterols have been identified, but the most common in the diet are stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and campesterol. Consumption of dietary PSs can reduce serum cholesterol levels. Due to these properties, most studies have focused on their action on lipid metabolism and the evolution of NAFLD. PSs may reduce steatosis, cytotoxicity oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the importance of dietary phytosterols, which are a window of opportunity in the therapeutic management of NAFLD.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a leading cause of antibiotic prescriptions in children worldwide, even in the era of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. We aimed to assess the bacterial spectrum of AOM in children and to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile in culture-positive cases. We performed a retrospective, tympanocentesis-based analysis of antimicrobial resistance patterns in children with AOM hospitalized in “St Mary” Emergency Hospital for Children Iasi, Romania, between January 2013 and December 2021. A total of 147 samples have been assessed, 97 (65.98%) of which had positive cultures, with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae as the most common microorganisms. A worrying proportion, 82.85% (58/70), of the Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were multidrug-resistant. The World Health Organization included Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae on the medium priority group due to penicillin non-susceptibility and ampicillin-resistant strains, respectively. Consequently, strategies to address the threats of antimicrobial resistance are needed to reduce the potential negative effects on hospitalization costs.

Birth is a physiological act that is part of the morpho-functional economy of the maternal body. Each stage in the act of birth has a predetermined pathway that is neurohormonally induced and morpho-functionally established through specific and characteristic adaptations. Like maternity, childbirth also has an important impact on the maternal body as a biological structure and psycho-emotional behavior. Cesarean section performed at the request of the mother with no medical underlying conditions besides the prolonged hospitalization risk can also cause breathing problems in children, delayed breastfeeding, and possible complications in a future pregnancy. Vaginal birth remains the path of choice for a physiological evolution pregnancy. Although erroneously considered safe and easy today, cesarean section delivery must remain an emergency procedure or a procedure recommended for pregnancies where birth is a risk to the mother and to the child, as cesarean section itself is a risk factor for negative outcomes for both mother and baby. This review summarizes the impact that both cesarean section and natural birth have on mother and newborn in their attempt to adapt to postpartum events and extrauterine life.