Necrotizing fasciitis of the neck: case presentation

Necrotizing fasciitis represents a severe and rare infectious disease, which is accompanied by extended necrosis of subcutaneous tissues and fascia layers, having as a result gangrene of the teguments. To reduce mortality associated with this disease, a rapid diagnosis is necessary as well as aggressive surgical treatment, accompanied by adequate, aggressive antibiotic therapy. As a rule, etiology is teeth related, with the condition more common in immunology-depressed patients. This article presents the experience of the authors regarding a case presentation of necrotizing fasciitis with typical clinical expression and management of the disease in an immunological-depressed patient. Further data on diagnosis, microbiology, clinical manifestations, therapy principles, and prognosis are yet needed for atypical cases

New imagistic method for assessment of liver structure in children

Introduction: Newly, acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography has been introduced as a noninvasive technique for evaluating liver fibrosis. Matherial and methods: The present study was carried out at the Ist Pediatric Clinic Tg.-Mures, Romania, between 2010 September and 2011, April; it was a prospective study including a control group composed of 38 children with normal clinical and paraclinical findings related to the liver function and a lot of 96 children with different causes of hepatopathies. In group of patients with liver damage there were 28 overweight and obese children (considered overweight whether their weight was between the 85th and 95thpercentilefor age and sex, and obese whether their weight exceeds 95th percentile, respectively), all of them with modifications to the standard abdominal ultrasound (high echogenicity, granular liver aspect, posterior attenuation suggestive for steatosis); there were 48 patients with various malignancies under or after chemotherapy, with tumor infiltration of the liver or hepatotoxicity related to cytostatic treatment and a number of 20 patients with various etiology of hepatopathy (viral hepatitis, acute toxic hepatitis, drug hepatotoxicity).Alanine transaminase(ALT, IU) was 19,56±8,67 SD in the control group, and 37,42±31,16 in the group of children with liver diseases, while aspartate transaminase (AST, IU) was 24,88±8.67 SD in the control group, and 39,92±20,12 in the group of children with liver inury. As far as it concerns aspartate transaminase(AST, IU), in the control group it were, also, smaller levels than inthe groupofchildrenwithhepatopathies, the difference between AST mean for the two groups was, as for ALT, statistically extremely significant, with p<0.0001 We searched for correlations between global SVW and other determined parameters (AST and ALT) in each group, but we obtained no statisticaly significant correlations between the assesed parameters, except that between SWV and AST, only for the group of children with liver injury (r = 0,54 and p = 0,01),statistically significant. Conclusions: In normal conditions (children with free liver tissue), SVW was higher for the segment VIII compared to I, statistically significant, meaning that caudate lobe is “softer”, difference that does not exist in the group of liver diseases. SWV values in group of children with hepatopathies were found to increase particularly in the segment I (caudate lobe), which shows that it is first affected by any liver injury

Transforming Loneliness: An Orthodox Christian Answer to an Increasing Loneliness in Disabled Populations

Social isolation and inactivity have a profound effect on one&rsquo;s quality of life. In recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the social life of many. When it comes to disabled populations, emotional well-being is greatly affected by an increasing trend of social isolation. Research shows that people with disabilities perceive loneliness as unbelonging in childhood and disaffiliation to normative institutions in adulthood. Certainly, the efforts of building community bring richness and quality to life, but there are other solutions to addressing loneliness and solitude. Therefore, finding the true meaning of life is what can bring a positive vision of one&rsquo;s world. In the Eastern Orthodox Christian ascetical theology, loneliness was transformed into a positive voluntary solitude and has been a central point of daily life, manifested from the ancient Christian sites to modern-day monastic and eremitic life. The present paper proposes a two-folded solution for reframing loneliness into empowerment. It starts with an insight into Frankl&rsquo;s Man&rsquo;s Search for Meaning and continues with finding a positive value of loneliness. The study examines different perspectives on loneliness and solitude which can improve the spiritual and emotional well-being of people with disabilities

The Influence of the Printing Temperature and the Filament Color on the Dimensional Accuracy, Tensile Strength, and Friction Performance of FFF-Printed PLA Specimens

The printing variable least addressed in previous research aiming to reveal the effect of the FFF process parameters on the printed PLA part&rsquo;s quality and properties is the filament color. Moreover, the color of the PLA, as well as its manufacturer, are rarely mentioned when the experimental conditions for the printing of the samples are described, although current existing data reveal that their influence on the final characteristics of the print should not be neglected. In order to point out the importance of this influential parameter, a natural and a black-colored PLA filament, produced by the same manufacturer, were selected. The dimensional accuracy, tensile strength, and friction properties of the samples were analyzed and compared for printing temperatures ranging from 200 &deg;C up to 240 &deg;C. The experimental results clearly showed different characteristics depending on the polymer color of samples printed under the same conditions. Therefore, the optimization of the FFF process parameters for the 3D-printing of PLA should always start with the proper selection of the type of the PLA material, regarding both its color and the fabricant