The preoperative evaluation of post-COVID-19 patients scheduled for elective surgery - What is important not to miss!

Continuous rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, since it was first diagnosed in 2019, forced the entire medical fraternity to delay elective surgeries. The preoperative evaluation guidelines that were used in the pre-COVID-19 era underwent significant changes, adding modifications to meet the post-COVID patients' specific criteria and requirements. Currently, all patients before or at the time of hospital admission were tested using a nasopharyngeal swab, by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2. Apart from this, for a patient undergoing elective surgery in their post-COVID-19 period, it is mandatory to obtain a detailed history of COVID-19 disease/SARS-CoV-2 infection, to identify residual symptoms or any organ dysfunction the infection might have caused. As well as the functional optimization of the patient to achieve the best clinical and biological status before the surgery. After all the systems have been thoroughly investigated, the risk-benefit ratio needs to be calculated, keeping in mind the cytokine storm and inflammatory responses encountered postoperatively. A mere negative RT-PCR test cannot be considered as the only decisive factor to operate, as the post-COVID-19 phase can influence postoperative outcome of the patient. Hence, the pre-operative evaluation protocols of post-COVID patients should be set and followed thoroughly, in order to avoid post-surgical complications. For better surgical and post-surgical management of post-COVID-19 patients, conducting clinical tests, assessing previously administered medications, evaluating the need for deep venous thrombosis prophylaxes, and identifying subclinical inflammatory state are the measures that should be taken.

Contribution of the polymer standards' polydispersity to the observed band broadening in size-exclusion chromatography.

The contribution of the polydispersity of polymer standards to the observed band broadening in size-exclusion chromatography was evaluated. Initially, theoretical predictions based on an equation by Knox et al. were found to overestimate this contribution, greatly due to the fact that the polydispersity values specified by the manufacturers are upper limits and therefore too high to be applied in this context. An improved estimate of the polydispersity values was obtained from the size-exclusion chromatography results and these new values were used to reassess the polydispersity contribution to band broadening. For two of three columns tested the best molar-mass-distribution parameters, i.e. those the least affected by extra-column and intra-column band broadening effects, can be obtained for polymers with a molar mass in the effective range of the given column and at rather low mobile-phase flow rates. At those conditions, for low-molar-mass polymers, the estimated polydispersity index values approach the theoretical ones derived from a Poisson distribution.

Evaluation of size-exclusion chromatography and size-exclusion electrochromatography calibration curves.

Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and size-exclusion electrochromatography (SEEC) are chromatographic techniques used to determine molecular mass (weight) distributions (MWD) of polymers. One important step in the data treatment to derive MWD parameters is the modelling of the calibration curves. The calibration curves applied in SEC and SEEC are generally not linear. In this study the modelling of calibration curves is being examined. Different polynomial models have been evaluated and compared, not only for model fit but also for their predictive properties. It was found that sometimes a straight line and sometimes a third-order polynomial model were best. The best model across the effective range (also called linear range) is not always found to be a straight line. The SEEC curves were found to have considerably higher prediction errors than the SEC ones. Reduction of the number of calibration standards to five or six did not greatly affect the predictive properties of the calibration curves, neither in SEC nor in SEEC.

[Epidemiological and laboratory observations on viral hepatitis morbidity in child social welfare institutions]. / Observatii epidemiologice si de laborator asupra morbiditatii prin hepatita virala in institutii de asistenta sociala a copiilor.

The investigations revealed that in the interval 1978-1987 the mean incidence of viral hepatitis type B in children was 40 at 100,000 inhabitants as compared to 767 in the children from orphanages. In 27.5% of the cases, the children from orphanages, with or without HBs antigen, had viral hepatitis in their case history. The prevalence of AgHBs carriers was of 21.6%, the highest value (46.1%) being recorded in the children from orphanages in the age group 0-3 years. It was also found that 14.9% of the children had AgHBs when admitted to orphanage and 28.7% became carriers later on. It is suggested that in children homes there are conditions for an increased risk requiring special measures for viral hepatitis prophylaxis and control.

[Detection of the rotavirus group antigen by a screening test using the ELISA-IC kit in subjects with acute gastroenteritis, at the pediatric services of Moldavia]. / Détection de l'antigène rotaviral de groupe par le test de screening à l'aide de la trousse ELISA-IC chez des sujets atteints de gastro-entérite aiguë, des services de pédiatrie de Moldavie.

The rotaviral antigen was detected by a screening test using the ELISA-IC kit in 17.6% out of 415 children with acute gastroenteritis. The highest frequency (28.9%) was found in children hospitalized in pediatric services with a diagnosis of diarrhoeic disease associated to acute respiratory infection. The rotavirus infection incidence was about three times higher during the cold season than during summer (30.4% versus 10.5%). The 6-11 month age group was the most severely affected.