CONTENTS	Volume 21, No. 2, 2026
Current Issue

EDITORIAL
The Patriarch and the Age 400
Mircea CINTEZA

ORIGINAL PAPERS
Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection in Children: Clinical Features and Outcomes
Roxana TARAS, Keon Theodore NICOLAE, Eliza Elena CINTEZA, Marcela Daniela IONESCU

Early-Onset and Rapidly Progressive Hereditary Pancreatitis Associated with PRSS1 Mutations in a Romanian Pediatric Cohort
Corina Valentina DRAGU, Antoaneta PUNGA, Alexandra COROLEUCA, Cristina Adriana BECHEANU

Validation of the ASALT Score for Predicting Biliary Etiology in Acute Pancreatitis: a Single-Center Study of 441 Patients
Ioana DUMITRASCU, Alexandru ILIE, Narcis Octavian ZARNESCU, Eugenia Claudia ZARNESCU, Corina POP, Carmen FIERBINTEANU, Lucian NEGREANU, Radu COSTEA

Impact of C-Fos Overactivation on Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Biological Parameters
Aristeidis CHRYSOVERGIS, Vasileios PAPANIKOLAOU, Georgios PAPANASTASIOU, Despoina SPYROPOULOU, Maria ADAMOPOULOU, Athanasios NIOTIS, Panagiotis FOTIADES, Pavlos PANTOS, Sotirios PAPOULIAKOS, Vasileios RAGOS, Nicholas MASTRONIKOLIS, Evangelos TSIAMBAS, Ioanna E METAXAS, Napoleon-Georgios RAGKOS, Efthymios KYRODIMOS

Case Series of Head and Neck Paragangliomas: Radiological Diagnosis and Clinical Characteristics
Tanuj KUMAR, Rachit SHARMA, Abhishek DEWIDI, Deepika JAIN

Clinical, Allergological and Otorhinolaryngological Characteristics of Rhinitis in a Small Real-Life Cohort: a Descriptive Pilot Study
Alina-Mihaela PETRE, Razvan-Matei BRATU, Cristina SURDU, Anghel ION, Romeo COSTIN

Deep Learning-Based Detection of Malignant and Equivocal Cervical Lymph Nodes on CT Imaging Using a 2D U-Net++ Model
Iulian-Alexandru TACIUC, Mihai DUMITRU, Daniela VRINCEANU, Andreea MARINESCU, Adina Zamfir Chiru ANTON, Adrian COSTACHE

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation of Lumbar Multifidus Muscle in Early Degenerative Changes of Lumbar Spine: a Cross-Sectional Study
Gaurima BEYPI, Pronami BORAH, Dharavath VENKATESH, Ramchandra KUMAR, Jouhar KOLLERI

Assessment of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Its Relationship to Breast Cancer Patients' Quality of Life
Fathima HAKEEM

The Prevalence and Risk of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in Women with Epilepsy: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Zahra SHAHRAKI, Mohsen RASTKAR, Elnaz RASTKA, Aida MOHAMAD, Mahsa GHAJARZADEH

Cardiac MRI Versus Echocardiography for Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Assessment: a Prospective Comparative Study
Dharavath VENKATESH, Pronami BORAH, Hemchandra KALITA, Ramchandra KUMAR, Jouhar KOLLERI

Association of Lipoprotein(a) and ApoB/ApoA1 Ratio with SYNTAX Score in Premature Myocardial Infarction: an Age-Stratified Study from Northeast India
Choudhary SANGEETAKUMARI, Bornali DUTTA, Farhin IQBAL, Mauchumi Saikia PATHAK

Demographic Patterns and Sex-Based Differences in Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: a Six-Year Observational Study from a Tertiary Centre of North Eastern India
Pranab Jyoti BHATTACHARYYA, Pawan KUMAR, Farhin IQBAL

Comorbidities of Diabetes, Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease and Their Contribution to Erectile Dysfunction Severity in a Lebanese Sample
Imad GHANTOUS, George MAROUN, Hady KASSEM, Alfadel DIB, Joe Abou JAOUDE, Imad El SAYAD, Bachar SLEIMAN, Georges El KARI, Georges GHANTOUS, Mohamad TLAIS

Obesity and Risk of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS): a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Sanaz MEHRABANI, Narges EBRAHIMI, Mohsen RASTKAR, Mahsa GHAJARZADEH

Robotic Guidance and Optical Navigation for Precision Implant Placement: a Prospective Comparative Clinical Study
IPE SABU K, Fathima SEETHI, MANJU Mary K, FAIZ MK, Sukesh PANIKKATH, Salman ANSARI

Clinical Evaluation of Gingival Augmentation Using Injectable Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Microneedling in Thin Periodontal Phenotype
Anishka DHANAI, Hiroj BAGDE, Neelam DAS

Evaluation of Vitamin B12 Levels in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Patients and Correlation with Severity of Disease
Kalpana Ramanna MALI, Deepthi KONDA, Sai Sumanth THOTA, Madhavi EERIKE, Venu Goapala Rao KONDA, R SHYAMALA, Siddharam S JANTI

A Randomized Clinical Study to Compare the Effectiveness of the Orthoptek Magnocellular Stimulator, Occlu-tab and Phakic Intraocular Lens in Refractive Amblyopia of Older Children and Young Adults
Arvind Kumar MORYA, Mehul SHAH, Shreya SHAH, Aprajita Sinha, K. S. Santhan GOPAL

Cytological and Immunohistochemical Analysis of Human Fetal Brain across Different Gestational Ages
Arpan HALDAR, Manisha R GAIKWAD, Apurba PATRA

Foramen Rotundum Dimensions and Landmarks in Indian Adults: Anatomical Insight for Skull Base Surgery
Khursheed RAZA, Neha XALXO, S SHIVSHANKAR, Krishna S PATIL, Rashmi Bala PATEL, Ajay Kumar PATEL

Redefining Sciatic Nerve Division Patterns: Cadaveric Study Introducing a Novel Index-Based Classification for Enhanced Clinical Precision
Vandana TIWARI, Priti CHAUDHARY, Navita AGGARWAL, Apurba PATRA

Clinical Profile and Severity Spectrum of COVID-19 Patients with and without Comorbidities Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in India
Rakesh Kumar SISODIA, Tarunendra Kumar MISHRA, Sandeep Kumar JAIN, Mahendra CHOUHAN

Combating Sedentary Lifestyle: Effect of Static Workplace Stretching on Balance in Medical Students
Mrudula CHANDRUPATLA, Punnapa RAVITEJA, Ariyanachi KALIAPPAN

Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Treated with Synbiotics: a Prospective Observational Study
Tudor STROIE, Doina ISTRATESCU, Rucsandra-Ilinca DICULESCU, Carmen-Monica PREDA, Codruta-Delia RADU, Cristian-George GOGIRLA, Andrada-Mihaela DIACONU, Alexandra CRAP, Corina MEIANURoxana LUCUTA, Mircea DICULESCU

REVIEWS
Immunological Considerations and Biological Consequences of Intradiscal Needle Procedures: Implications for Chemo-Nucleolysis and Oxygen–Ozone Therapy
Aniello LANGELLA, Marianno FRANZINI, Luigi VALDENASSI, Francesco VAIANO, Umberto TIRELLI, Salvatore CHIRUMBOLO

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prediction Scores for Anastomotic Leak Following Colorectal Surgery
Danilo COCO, Silvana LEANZA

Gastric Juice MicroRNAs in Gastric Cancer: What is the Evidence?
Gerasimia D. KYROCHRISTOU, Fotios S. FOUSEKIS, Christina D BALI, Ioannis SAINIS, Michail MITSIS, Konstantinos VLACHOS, Georgios D. LIANOS

The Impact of Interleukin-6 on the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease and the Prognosis of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
Mihai MELNIC, Ioana-Antonia LORENT, Andreea Catarina POPESCU, Livia-Florentina PADURARU, Serban-Mihai BALANESCU

Targeting Mouse Double Minute 2 Homolog (MDM2) Oncogene in Breast Adenocarcinoma
Athanasios NIOTIS, Sofianiki MASTRONIKOLI, Despoina SPYROPOULOU, Maria ADAMOPOULOU, Panagiotis FOTIADES, Antonios VYLLIOTIS, Alexandros TSANTOULAS, Evangelos TSIAMBAS

Off-Target activity as a Translational Barrier in Programmable Gene-Editing Strategies for Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria: Narrative Review
Daniel RAJ D, Anand Kumar MAURYA, Jitendra SINGH, Mukesh KUMAR G, Anirban RAMANI, Alkesh Kumar KHURANA, Shashank PURWAR, Debasis BISWAS

Nose- and Sinus-related Neuralgia Syndromes: a Narrative Review with Proposed Diagnostic and Management Algorithm
Christos TSILIVIGKOS, Marios STAVRAKAS

Soft Tissue Augmentation Around Dental Implants – a Systematic Review
Aishwarya DUBLE, Hiroj BAGDE, Tapaswi KAMBLE, Ankita AGRAWAL

Anemia and Sleep Disturbances: Mechanisms, Evidence and Clinical Implications – a Narrative Review
Madhusudhan UMESH, Vidya SINGARAVELU, Kalpana MEDALA, Vidya GANJI, Archana GAUR

CASE REPORTS
Subglottic Mucormycosis and Invasive Candidiasis in Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus – a Case Report with Review of the Literature
Garima ANANDANI, Anil CHAUDHARY, Parth GOSWAMI, Mayuri BHISE, Komal Kumar JANGIR, Ashwini AGARWAL, Kunal DEOKAR

Early Detection of Isolated Transient Right Ventricular Hypertrophy in a Term Neonate: the Neonatologist’s Role
Evgeniya BABACHEVA, Evangelia GIANNOUSIOU, Maria FLOROU, Apostolia STAMPOULI, Maria LITHOXOPOULOU, Christos TSAKALIDIS

Burr Cell Hemolytic Anemia with Congenital Varicose Veins: a Distinct Case
Garima ANANDANI, Vaishali BHANKHODIA, Pankhuri DUBEY, Parth GOSWAMI, Pinky Saras SAHOO, Yash Mohanlal THESIYA, Avani DANGAR, Jaysukhkumar BERANI

Sigmoid Colon Perforation into an Infected Pelvic Lymphocele after Pelvic Lymphadenectomy and Radiotherapy for Recurrent Endometrial Cancer: a Rare Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge
Loizos HADJIGEORGIOU, Melina YEROLATSITE, Georgios LIANOS, Dimitrios SCHIZAS, Michail MITSIS, Konstantinos VLACHOS, Vasileios TATSIS

Inflammatory Fibrous Hyperplasia Secondary to Band and Loop Space Maintainer in a Child: a Rare Clinical Presentation
Jeswin Mulackal THOMAS, Alisha Thankachan SUSAN, Aparna KRISHNAKUMAR, Divya PHILIP, Anandhukrishnan Easwaran NAMPOOTHIRI, Joshy Pokkattu ABRAHAM

A Case Series on Unilateral Elevation of Diaphragm
Saboor MATEEN, Hakim Jalees MURTAZA, Fayika AHAD, Mohammad Yusuf Dilshad SHAIKH, Tarun CP GARG, Ajay Singh YADAV

Acute Isolated Dislocation of the Trapeziometacarpal Joint: Report of Two Clinical Cases
Grigorios KASTANIS, Mikela-Rafaella SILIGARDOU, Constantinos CHANIOTAKIS, Nikolaos RITZAKIS, Petros KAPSETAKIS