We have characterised KAP on Ebola disease among Romanian healthcare workers from a tertiary care hospital in Bucharest. Nurses, specialist physicians and laboratory personnel may need more frequent retraining than residents and senior physicians.

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Background Influenza is an acute infection affecting all age groups; however, elderly patients are at an increased risk. We aim to describe the clinical characteristics and the circulation of influenza virus types in elderly patients admitted for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) to a tertiary care hospital in Bucharest, Romania, part of the I‐MOVE+ hospital network. Methods We conducted an active surveillance study at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr Matei Balș,” Bucharest, Romania, during three consecutive influenza seasons: 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18. All patients aged 65 and older admitted to our hospital for SARI were tested for influenza by PCR. Results A total of 349 eligible patients were tested during the study period, and 149 (42.7%) were confirmed with influenza. Most patients, 321 (92.5%) presented at least one underlying condition at the time of hospital admission, the most frequent being cardiovascular disease, 270 (78.3%). The main influenza viral subtype circulating in 2015/16 was A(H1N1)pdm09, followed by A(H3N2) in 2016/17 and B influenza in 2017/18. Case fatality was highest in the 2015/16 season (3.7%), 0% in 2016/17, and 1.0% in 2017/18. Vaccination coverage in elderly patients with SARI from our study population was 22 (6.3%) over the three seasons. Conclusions Our study has highlighted a high burden of comorbidities in elderly patients presenting with SARI during winter season in Romania. The influenza vaccine coverage rate needs to be substantially increased in the elderly population, through targeted interventions.

Romania reported the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) -a 25-yearold man from Gorj county, Romania.An epidemiological investigation in Gorj county was started on 25 February 2020 following the news that an Italian citizen who had just returned from Romania had been diagnosed with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in Rimini, Italy. The Italian citizen (the patient zero) had visited Romania from 18 to1 22 February and was initially considered to

Introduction Patients with diabetes may be at a higher risk of developing complicated influenza. We report the characteristics of influenza in hospitalized elderly patients with and without diabetes, in three consecutive influenza seasons. Methods The study included patients admitted for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș", Bucharest, during a three-year active epidemiological surveillance study (2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18), in the I-MOVE+ hospital network. Results A total of 349 patients were tested by PCR over the duration of the study. The percentage of patients with diabetes was comparable throughout the seasons: 34.7%, 28.3% and 30.4% (p=0.587). Influenza A was the main viral type circulating in 2015/16 and 2016/17 (100% and 97.6%) in our study population, while in 2017/18, B viruses predominated (90.0%). Diabetics presented a higher median number of comorbidities (3 vs. 2) p<0.001, and twofold higher odds of also associating obesity (OR=2.1, 95%CI:1.3-3.4, p=0.003), compared to those without diabetes. Diabetics also tested positive for influenza more often (p=0.296). Only 6 patients with diabetes (5.4%) from our study had been vaccinated against influenza, and most (n=4) of those who had been vaccinated tested negative for influenza. Conclusions Our study is the first to describe the circulation of influenza viral types in elderly diabetic patients hospitalized for SARI. The results reinforce the national and international recommendation to vaccinate against influenza all patients with diabetes.

Background: Young, non-obese adults are considered at low risk for cardiometabolic diseases, although markers of an unhealthy metabolic state are not uncommon findings in this population. Adipose tissue dysfunction, evaluated by the adipokine profile, significantly influences lipid and glucose metabolism and low-grade systemic inflammation. Aims: To determine the relation between adipose tissue dysfunction and the already confirmed cardiometabolic risk indicators, including the atherogenic index of plasma, lipid accumulation product, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and the low-grade inflammation markers, namely, interleukin 6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: We recruited 93 non-obese, healthy young adults. Anthropometric, lipid profile, inflammatory markers, and adipokines were measured. An abnormal adipokine profile (high leptin-to-adiponectin ratio) was considered as a marker of a dysfunctional adipose tissue. The correlation between the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio and the anthropometric measurements, atherogenic index of plasma, lipid accumulation product, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, interleukin 6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was determined. Results: We found a direct correlation between the abnormal adipokine profile and the cardiometabolic risk indicators mentioned above, except for the low-grade inflammatory markers. In the regression model derived from our data, the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio was best correlated with the unfavorable plasma lipid profile, as estimated by the atherogenic index of plasma (r=0.097, confidence interval=0.015-0.180, p=0.021). A significantly higher leptin-to-adiponectin ratio was found in the insulin-resistant group (p=0.012) and in the highest lipid accumulation product quartile (p=0.032). Conclusion: In a non-obese young population, the high rate of leptin-adiponectin may be a good predictor of cardiovascular and metabolic risk assessment.

One significant food group that is part of our daily diet is the dairy group, and both research and industry are actively involved to meet the increasing requirement for plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs). The production tendency of PBDAs is growing with a predictable rate of over 18.5% in 2023 from 7.4% at the moment. A multitude of sources can be used for development such as cereals, pseudocereals, legumes, nuts, and seeds to obtain food products such as vegetal milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, and different sweets, such as ice cream, which have nearly similar nutritional profiles to those of animal-origin products. Increased interest in PBDAs is manifested in groups with special dietary needs (e.g., lactose intolerant individuals, pregnant women, newborns, and the elderly) or with pathologies such as metabolic syndromes, dermatological diseases, and arthritis. In spite of the vast range of production perspectives, certain industrial challenges arise during development, such as processing and preservation technologies. This paper aims at providing an overview of the currently available PBDAs based on recent studies selected from the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus. We found 148 publications regarding PBDAs in correlation with their nutritional and technological aspects, together with the implications in terms of health. Therefore, this review focuses on the relationship between plant-based alternatives for dairy products and the human diet, from the raw material to the final products, including the industrial processes and health-related concerns.