Aging is an inevitable process in the human body that is associated with a multitude of systemic and localized changes. All these conditions have a common pathogenic mechanism characterized by the presence of a low-grade proinflammatory status. Inflammaging refers to all the processes that contribute to the occurrence of various diseases associated with aging such as frailty, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, sarcopenia, type 2 diabetes, or osteoarthritis. Inflammaging is systemic, chronic, and asymptomatic. Osteoarthritis and many age-related degenerative joint diseases are correlated with aging mechanisms such as the presence of an inflammatory microenvironment and the impaired link between inflammasomes and autophagy. There is a close relationship between chondrocyte activity and local articular environment changes due to cell senescence, followed by secretion of inflammatory mediators. In addition, systemic inflammaging can lead to cartilage destruction, pain, disability, and an impaired quality of life. The purpose of this review is to summarize the main mechanisms implicated in inflammaging and the connection it has with degenerative joint diseases.

Background. Shared decision making (SDM) is becoming more and more important for the patient-physician interaction. There has not been a study in Romania evaluating patients’ point of view in the SDM process yet. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the psychometric parameters of the translated Romanian version of SDM-Q-9. Material and methods. A multicentric cross-sectional study was performed comprising eight recruitment centers. The sample consisted of in- and outpatients who referred to Hospital Units for treatment for atrial fibrillation or collagen diseases. Furthermore, patients who were members of Autoimmune Disease Patient Society were able to participate via an online survey. All participants completed the Romanian translated SDM-Q-9. Results. Altogether, 665 questionnaires were filled in within the hospital setting (n = 324; 48.7%) and online (n = 341; 51.3%). The Romanian version had good internal consistency (Cronbach α coefficient of 0.96.) Corrected item correlations were good ranging from 0.64 to 0.89 with low corrected item correlations for item 1 and item 7. PCA found a one-factorial solution (similar with previous reports) but the first item had the lowest loading. Conclusion. SDM-Q-9 is a useful tool for evaluation and improvement in health care that was validated in Romania and can be used in clinical setting in this country.

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, a known risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis and vascular disease. The aim of this study was to show that the connection between DM and other risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, inflammatory phenomena, or the development of certain vascular injuries, leads to a high frequency of thrombotic events in diabetic patients compared to the nondiabetic population. The study included one hundred eighty patients divided in the following groups: diabetic without ischemic cardiopathy-related disorders (DM), diabetic with clinical or off-clinical (electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound) ischemic cardiopathy-related disorders (DM + IC), and nondiabetic with ischemic cardiopathy-related disorders (IC). We investigated the following parameters: von Willebrand Factor, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, interleukin-1-beta, protein C, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1. The results achieved in our study have revealed the highest thrombotic risk among the groups of diabetic patients, which is in direct correlation with the high values of interleukin-1-beta and the modifications of lipid parameters, acknowledging the data in the literature, according to which hyperglycemia alters endothelial functions directly and indirectly by synthesis of growth factors and cytokines and generates metabolic disorders which would explain the high risk for thrombotic events.