Alina Musetescu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Alina Musetescu

MGMT (O6-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase) is a protein with a specific enzyme activity that ... more MGMT (O6-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase) is a protein with a specific enzyme activity that is involved in repair of DNA alkylation alterations introduced by classical chemotherapy, such as involving temozolomide (TMZ) use for glioma and Ewing sarcoma tumors. The MGMT methylation biomarker is frequently used for the evaluation of the treatment prognosis in such type of classical anticancer approach. In this article, optimized analytical conditions of a nested MS-PCR method for the methylation status of the MGMT coding gene promoter are described and the clinical significance of the reaction results are discussed in relation with the prognostic value for the tumor tissues treatment with an alkylating drug.

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2021

Psoriasis, one of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases in dermatologic pathology, remains a c... more Psoriasis, one of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases in dermatologic pathology, remains a challenge in regards to the therapeutic approach. Topical therapy for psoriasis is a current trending subject as it implies good compliance for the patient, few adverse systemic reactions and a targeted effect. Numerous substances are now being tested, from natural to synthetic compounds and already known substances in improved formulas such as vesicular systems. The aim of this article was to conduct a literature review regarding the topical therapy of psoriasis in animal models, between June, 27, 2019 and July 9, 2020. For this article, the authors conducted extensive research in PubMed with the following keywords: Psoriasis AND (topical OR local) and (therapy OR treatment) AND (mice OR rats). The main new studied substances included lycopene, sodium butyrate, salvianolic acid B, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in ionic liquids, albendazole, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, biomimetic reconstituted highdensity lipoprotein nanocarrier gel containing microRNA (miRNA)-210 antisense, thymoquinone in ethosomal vesicle, Sea buckthorn oil (Hippophae rhamnoides), nitidine chloride, Melissa officinalis spp. Altissima extract and [1-(4-chloro-3nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-methanol (CIM). New formulas of already known anti-psoriasis substances such as: Cyclosporine, methotrexate, calcipotriol, tazarotene, protein kinase p38 and integrin α5β1 as a target, are also reviewed. Recent research in topical psoriasis underlines the importance of animal experimental research in dermatology, providing a starting point for developing new therapeutic approaches in one of the most frequently diagnosed chronic dermatologic diseases. Vesicular systems are now providing the best vehicle for topical therapy, thus easing the action of the active substances at their target sites. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Research methods 3. Summary and discussion of the new topical treatment strategies 4. Discussion 5. Conclusions

Romanian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2015

The relation between sun exposure, vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer is a complex one. Radiatio... more The relation between sun exposure, vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer is a complex one. Radiations from the sun stimulate the cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, one way, and promote the development of the skin cancer on the other way. A lot of epidemiologic and experimental studies revealed contradictory results regarding the relation between vitamin D and malignant melanoma. The vitamin D deficiency, accurate biochemical indicator of the vitamin D status in the body, could be implicated in promoting metastasis of the malignant melanoma by activation of the cellular proliferation, stimulation of the neutrophils chemotaxis and promoting angiogenesis. Identification of therapeutic strategies to normalise serum levels of the 25-OH vitamin D3 could represent useful tools in preventing melanoma metastasis.

Two types of sutures made by two different biopolymers were tested in terms of hydrolytic biodegr... more Two types of sutures made by two different biopolymers were tested in terms of hydrolytic biodegradation in phosphate buffered saline solution, which simulates the physiological conditions, varying the pH of the medium and the immersion time. The determination of the degradation rate was conducted by measuring the weight loss of the sutures. The study revealed that both investigated surgical suture exhibit quite different hydrolytic degradation at various immersion times and pH level, a more intense degradation being recorded in the alkaline environment.

In the industry of plastics and dyes, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, the toxic effects of heavy... more In the industry of plastics and dyes, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, the toxic effects of heavy metals have been reported during prolonged professional exposure. Heavy metals in the environment can enter the body orally, inhaled or by skin absorption. Unlike other toxins present in the environment, heavy metals accumulate in tissues because the body has no ability to remove them. Heavy metals in excess cause numerous metabolic imbalances. In cancer, heavy metal overload could be a stimulus for secretion of chemokines, for promoting oxidative stress and antioxidants inactivation, for altering cell signaling, for promotion and progression of tumorigenesis. Strategies to prevent accumulation of toxic metals, to decipher the pathophysiological mechanisms by which heavy metals affect cell metabolism, to increase excretion of toxic metals without removing essential minerals in the body is the subject of current researches.

Urticaria is a complex inflammatory disease, with often unidentified causes and incompletely eluc... more Urticaria is a complex inflammatory disease, with often unidentified causes and incompletely elucidated etiopathogenic mechanisms. The purpose of the paper is to determine the serum profile of adenosine deaminases (total ADA, ADA-1, ADA-2), endogenous mediators possibly involved in the persistence and resolution of spontaneous urticaria. Based on the enzymatic activities determined in 84 patients with spontaneous acute urticaria, 60 patients with spontaneous chronic urticaria and 64 healthy volunteers, it was found that: two ADA-1 and ADA-2 isoenzymes were detected in the human serum, based on which the two types of urticaria can be differentiated. The authors acknowledge that modulation of adenosine deaminase activity could influence urticaria resolution.

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2020

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a group of oligopeptides found in most multicellular organisms ... more Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a group of oligopeptides found in most multicellular organisms with a capacity for rapid and nonspecific destruction of pathogens. The action of destroying pathogens is associated with a strong proinflammatory activity, stimulating the secretion of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors but also chemotaxis, the activation of dendritic cells and involving adaptive immunity also. The action of AMPs fits perfectly into the characteristics of innate immunity which makes these peptides candidates to be considered as an important element of this type of immunity. It has been shown that AMPs are involved in a number of cellular processes such as: differentiation, proliferation, maturation, thus widening the degree of involvement of these peptides in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. In psoriasis, AMPs act both as a pro-inflammatory and chemotaxis factor and through the cathelicidin (LL-37)/dc DNA complex as a possible autoantigen for T cells, triggering an autoimmune response, activating the Th17/IL23 axis and maintaining the inflammatory process. Thus, many arguments are accumulated to consider that innate immunity through AMPs is an important link in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Moreover, the action of antimicrobial peptides in psoriasis is almost entirely characteristic for the general mode of action of innate immunity. Contents 1. AMPs 2. AMPs in innate immunity 3. AMPs in psoriasis 4. Conclusions

Revista de Chimie, 2017

Reflectometric technique for analyzing urine strips represents a simple, fast and inexpensive met... more Reflectometric technique for analyzing urine strips represents a simple, fast and inexpensive method, with no risk and discomfort for the patient. In the present paper, the authors conducted a retrospective study on the possible association between lichen planus (LP) and a number of pathological conditions that produce changes of urine metabolites. A retrospective study was made on 77 patients with LP (49 cases of cutaneous LP - CLP, 28 cases of oral LP - OLP) who were diagnosed and treated in the dermatology department of Victor Babes Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases. The quantification of certain urine metabolites in the spontaneous urine through reflectometric technique may reveal liver diseases (urobilinogen, bilirubin), kidney diseases (erythrocytes, proteins, albumin, creatinine, albumin/creatinine ratio, urine specific gravity, pH), metabolic disorders (glucose, ketones, pH, ascorbic acid) and urinary diseases (leucocyturia, nitrites, proteins, erythrocytes). The...

Internal Medicine, 2018

Based on the latest medical research, it is supposed that lichen planus is an inflammatory disord... more Based on the latest medical research, it is supposed that lichen planus is an inflammatory disorder, associated with autoimmune diseases, hepatitis C infection, oxidative stress or antioxidant deficiency. The purpose of the present work is to determine a panel of serum antioxidants, possibly involved in the development/persistence of the disease. The determination of extracellular antioxidants (bilirubin, uric acid, albumin, iron, transferrin, ferritin, copper, ceruloplasmin, total antioxidant capacity) in patients with lichen planus during exacerbations have revealed a significant reduction in non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Hepatitis C virus enhances the deficit of antioxidants in patients with lichen planus. Based on these findings, the authors consider that lichen planus is a complex disease of unidentified cause and its pathogenic mechanisms are still incompletely elucidated. It may be speculated that several interconnected mechanisms are involved in the onset and evolution ...

Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologie, 2015

Cutaneous symptoms are characteristic for the autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), both in the clas... more Cutaneous symptoms are characteristic for the autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), both in the classical autoinflammatory phenotype and in most disorders included in this syndrome, but they are not specific and inconstant. Several skin disorders (pyoderma gangrenosum and pustular acne) may be encountered either isolate or associated with autoinflammatory symptoms, forming well-defined clinical entities within the autoinflammatory syndrome. The high prevalence of cutaneous manifestations is an important characteristic of AIDs. The presence of cutaneous symptoms in AIDs opens the perspective of understanding the contribution of innate immunity mechanisms involved in skin pathology. It is possible that many diseases present the alteration, in various degrees, of the innate immune mechanisms. Recently, dermatology faced two challenges connected to AIDs. The first involves the diagnosis of skin symptoms in a clinical autoinflammatory setting and the investigative approach to identify a dis...

MGMT (O6-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase) is a protein with a specific enzyme activity that ... more MGMT (O6-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase) is a protein with a specific enzyme activity that is involved in repair of DNA alkylation alterations introduced by classical chemotherapy, such as involving temozolomide (TMZ) use for glioma and Ewing sarcoma tumors. The MGMT methylation biomarker is frequently used for the evaluation of the treatment prognosis in such type of classical anticancer approach. In this article, optimized analytical conditions of a nested MS-PCR method for the methylation status of the MGMT coding gene promoter are described and the clinical significance of the reaction results are discussed in relation with the prognostic value for the tumor tissues treatment with an alkylating drug.

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2021

Psoriasis, one of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases in dermatologic pathology, remains a c... more Psoriasis, one of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases in dermatologic pathology, remains a challenge in regards to the therapeutic approach. Topical therapy for psoriasis is a current trending subject as it implies good compliance for the patient, few adverse systemic reactions and a targeted effect. Numerous substances are now being tested, from natural to synthetic compounds and already known substances in improved formulas such as vesicular systems. The aim of this article was to conduct a literature review regarding the topical therapy of psoriasis in animal models, between June, 27, 2019 and July 9, 2020. For this article, the authors conducted extensive research in PubMed with the following keywords: Psoriasis AND (topical OR local) and (therapy OR treatment) AND (mice OR rats). The main new studied substances included lycopene, sodium butyrate, salvianolic acid B, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in ionic liquids, albendazole, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, biomimetic reconstituted highdensity lipoprotein nanocarrier gel containing microRNA (miRNA)-210 antisense, thymoquinone in ethosomal vesicle, Sea buckthorn oil (Hippophae rhamnoides), nitidine chloride, Melissa officinalis spp. Altissima extract and [1-(4-chloro-3nitrobenzenesulfonyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-methanol (CIM). New formulas of already known anti-psoriasis substances such as: Cyclosporine, methotrexate, calcipotriol, tazarotene, protein kinase p38 and integrin α5β1 as a target, are also reviewed. Recent research in topical psoriasis underlines the importance of animal experimental research in dermatology, providing a starting point for developing new therapeutic approaches in one of the most frequently diagnosed chronic dermatologic diseases. Vesicular systems are now providing the best vehicle for topical therapy, thus easing the action of the active substances at their target sites. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Research methods 3. Summary and discussion of the new topical treatment strategies 4. Discussion 5. Conclusions

Romanian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2015

The relation between sun exposure, vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer is a complex one. Radiatio... more The relation between sun exposure, vitamin D synthesis and skin cancer is a complex one. Radiations from the sun stimulate the cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, one way, and promote the development of the skin cancer on the other way. A lot of epidemiologic and experimental studies revealed contradictory results regarding the relation between vitamin D and malignant melanoma. The vitamin D deficiency, accurate biochemical indicator of the vitamin D status in the body, could be implicated in promoting metastasis of the malignant melanoma by activation of the cellular proliferation, stimulation of the neutrophils chemotaxis and promoting angiogenesis. Identification of therapeutic strategies to normalise serum levels of the 25-OH vitamin D3 could represent useful tools in preventing melanoma metastasis.

Two types of sutures made by two different biopolymers were tested in terms of hydrolytic biodegr... more Two types of sutures made by two different biopolymers were tested in terms of hydrolytic biodegradation in phosphate buffered saline solution, which simulates the physiological conditions, varying the pH of the medium and the immersion time. The determination of the degradation rate was conducted by measuring the weight loss of the sutures. The study revealed that both investigated surgical suture exhibit quite different hydrolytic degradation at various immersion times and pH level, a more intense degradation being recorded in the alkaline environment.

In the industry of plastics and dyes, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, the toxic effects of heavy... more In the industry of plastics and dyes, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, the toxic effects of heavy metals have been reported during prolonged professional exposure. Heavy metals in the environment can enter the body orally, inhaled or by skin absorption. Unlike other toxins present in the environment, heavy metals accumulate in tissues because the body has no ability to remove them. Heavy metals in excess cause numerous metabolic imbalances. In cancer, heavy metal overload could be a stimulus for secretion of chemokines, for promoting oxidative stress and antioxidants inactivation, for altering cell signaling, for promotion and progression of tumorigenesis. Strategies to prevent accumulation of toxic metals, to decipher the pathophysiological mechanisms by which heavy metals affect cell metabolism, to increase excretion of toxic metals without removing essential minerals in the body is the subject of current researches.

Urticaria is a complex inflammatory disease, with often unidentified causes and incompletely eluc... more Urticaria is a complex inflammatory disease, with often unidentified causes and incompletely elucidated etiopathogenic mechanisms. The purpose of the paper is to determine the serum profile of adenosine deaminases (total ADA, ADA-1, ADA-2), endogenous mediators possibly involved in the persistence and resolution of spontaneous urticaria. Based on the enzymatic activities determined in 84 patients with spontaneous acute urticaria, 60 patients with spontaneous chronic urticaria and 64 healthy volunteers, it was found that: two ADA-1 and ADA-2 isoenzymes were detected in the human serum, based on which the two types of urticaria can be differentiated. The authors acknowledge that modulation of adenosine deaminase activity could influence urticaria resolution.

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2020

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a group of oligopeptides found in most multicellular organisms ... more Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a group of oligopeptides found in most multicellular organisms with a capacity for rapid and nonspecific destruction of pathogens. The action of destroying pathogens is associated with a strong proinflammatory activity, stimulating the secretion of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors but also chemotaxis, the activation of dendritic cells and involving adaptive immunity also. The action of AMPs fits perfectly into the characteristics of innate immunity which makes these peptides candidates to be considered as an important element of this type of immunity. It has been shown that AMPs are involved in a number of cellular processes such as: differentiation, proliferation, maturation, thus widening the degree of involvement of these peptides in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases. In psoriasis, AMPs act both as a pro-inflammatory and chemotaxis factor and through the cathelicidin (LL-37)/dc DNA complex as a possible autoantigen for T cells, triggering an autoimmune response, activating the Th17/IL23 axis and maintaining the inflammatory process. Thus, many arguments are accumulated to consider that innate immunity through AMPs is an important link in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Moreover, the action of antimicrobial peptides in psoriasis is almost entirely characteristic for the general mode of action of innate immunity. Contents 1. AMPs 2. AMPs in innate immunity 3. AMPs in psoriasis 4. Conclusions

Revista de Chimie, 2017

Reflectometric technique for analyzing urine strips represents a simple, fast and inexpensive met... more Reflectometric technique for analyzing urine strips represents a simple, fast and inexpensive method, with no risk and discomfort for the patient. In the present paper, the authors conducted a retrospective study on the possible association between lichen planus (LP) and a number of pathological conditions that produce changes of urine metabolites. A retrospective study was made on 77 patients with LP (49 cases of cutaneous LP - CLP, 28 cases of oral LP - OLP) who were diagnosed and treated in the dermatology department of Victor Babes Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases. The quantification of certain urine metabolites in the spontaneous urine through reflectometric technique may reveal liver diseases (urobilinogen, bilirubin), kidney diseases (erythrocytes, proteins, albumin, creatinine, albumin/creatinine ratio, urine specific gravity, pH), metabolic disorders (glucose, ketones, pH, ascorbic acid) and urinary diseases (leucocyturia, nitrites, proteins, erythrocytes). The...

Internal Medicine, 2018

Based on the latest medical research, it is supposed that lichen planus is an inflammatory disord... more Based on the latest medical research, it is supposed that lichen planus is an inflammatory disorder, associated with autoimmune diseases, hepatitis C infection, oxidative stress or antioxidant deficiency. The purpose of the present work is to determine a panel of serum antioxidants, possibly involved in the development/persistence of the disease. The determination of extracellular antioxidants (bilirubin, uric acid, albumin, iron, transferrin, ferritin, copper, ceruloplasmin, total antioxidant capacity) in patients with lichen planus during exacerbations have revealed a significant reduction in non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Hepatitis C virus enhances the deficit of antioxidants in patients with lichen planus. Based on these findings, the authors consider that lichen planus is a complex disease of unidentified cause and its pathogenic mechanisms are still incompletely elucidated. It may be speculated that several interconnected mechanisms are involved in the onset and evolution ...

Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologie, 2015

Cutaneous symptoms are characteristic for the autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), both in the clas... more Cutaneous symptoms are characteristic for the autoinflammatory disorders (AIDs), both in the classical autoinflammatory phenotype and in most disorders included in this syndrome, but they are not specific and inconstant. Several skin disorders (pyoderma gangrenosum and pustular acne) may be encountered either isolate or associated with autoinflammatory symptoms, forming well-defined clinical entities within the autoinflammatory syndrome. The high prevalence of cutaneous manifestations is an important characteristic of AIDs. The presence of cutaneous symptoms in AIDs opens the perspective of understanding the contribution of innate immunity mechanisms involved in skin pathology. It is possible that many diseases present the alteration, in various degrees, of the innate immune mechanisms. Recently, dermatology faced two challenges connected to AIDs. The first involves the diagnosis of skin symptoms in a clinical autoinflammatory setting and the investigative approach to identify a dis...