As health technology assessment (HTA) becomes vital in healthcare decision-making, the demand for specialized education grows. A new HTA course, tailored to the specific needs of the Republic of Moldova’s health system , was launched under a joint project—a collaboration between the World Bank, the Swiss Cooperation Office, Radboud University Medical Center, and the School of Public Health Management. The course targets first- and second-year master’s students, and health professionals enrolled in continuing education.

The course aimed to introduce the fundamentals of HTA. Participants included 49 master’s students and 26 health professionals. A pre- and post-test model was employed, with participants completing a 10-(multiple) question HTA knowledge assessment at both the start and end of the course.

Initial pre-test results showed an average score of 30 percent, reflecting limited prior HTA knowledge. Following course completion, the post-test average escalated to 80 percent. This 50 percent increase in knowledge was consistent across student and professional groups. While a significant 79 percent of participants accurately answered questions about the use of HTA reports from other jurisdictions, identification of stakeholders, and the elements of establishing PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome), they found it more challenging to understand the deeper aspects of HTA. Notably, about 72 percent had difficulties with questions related to the main goals of HTA, evaluating the broader impacts of health technologies, and starting the evidence-based deliberative decision-making process.

The HTA course successfully covered basic concepts, yet it also highlighted the need for more comprehensive teaching of complex topics. The participants showed varying levels of understanding. This underscores the necessity for an HTA curriculum that equally emphasizes fundamental knowledge and in-depth analysis, preparing future healthcare professionals for complex decision-making in their roles.

We studied the extent of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) sink contamination and transmission to patients in a nonoutbreak setting.

During 2017–2019, 592 patient-room sinks were sampled in 34 departments. Patient weekly rectal swab CPE surveillance was universally performed. Repeated sink sampling was conducted in 9 departments. Isolates from patients and sinks were characterized using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and pairs of high resemblance were sequenced by Oxford Nanopore and Illumina. Hybrid assembly was used to fully assemble plasmids, which are shared between paired isolates.

In total, 144 (24%) of 592 CPE-contaminated sinks were detected in 25 of 34 departments. Repeated sampling (n = 7,123) revealed that 52%–100% were contaminated at least once during the sampling period. Persistent contamination for >1 year by a dominant strain was common. During the study period, 318 patients acquired CPE. The most common species were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter spp. In 127 (40%) patients, a contaminated sink was the suspected source of CPE acquisition. For 20 cases with an identical sink-patient strain, temporal relation suggested sink-to-patient transmission. Hybrid assembly of specific sink-patient isolates revealed that shared plasmids were structurally identical, and SNP differences between shared pairs, along with signatures for potential recombination events, suggests recent sharing of the plasmids.

CPE-contaminated sinks are an important source of transmission to patients. Although traditionally person-to-person transmission has been considered the main route of CPE transmission, these data suggest a change in paradigm that may influence strategies of preventing CPE dissemination.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder possessing a multifactorial nature and dual facets of symptoms with a core underlying genetic mechanism that is still obscure. Lately, genomic studies revealed numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are non-coding and influence ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression, particularly its splicing.

Considering that next-generation sequencing (NGS) protocols focus upon long-read sequencing as opposed to conventional RNA sequencing methodologies once with the advent of Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ (ONT) MinION, we primarily aimed to gather and review all evidence into how this approach may deepen and further offer insight into SCZ still undiscovered domain.

The relevant literature searches were performed using distinct combinations of keywords including “schizophrenia” alongside „Nanopore”, “MinION”, and “Oxford Nanopore Technologies” on four databases (PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect). We implied the entries to strictly “research articles” written in English as inclusion criteria.

By restricting the returned results starting with the year when the platform was officially launched, a total of n = 69 studies were displayed between the pre-established interval (2014 – 2022). If taken per database, n = 2 were identified in PubMed/Medline, n = 7 in ISI Web of Knowledge, n = 4 in Scopus, and n = 56 in ScienceDirect. In chronological order, n = 0 were published in 2014, n = 3 in 2015, n = 7 in 2016, n = 7 in 2017, n = 9 in 2018, n = 3 in 2019, n = 7 in 2020, n = 19 in 2021 and n = 14 in 2022. Finally, per the strategy applied, n = 49 were returned for “schizophrenia” + “Nanopore” from which n = 2 in PubMed/Medline, n = 5 in ISI Web of Knowledge, n = 4 in Scopus, and n = 38 in ScienceDirect. For “schizophrenia” + “MinION, there was a cumulative number of n = 5, from which we had n = 0 in PubMed/Medline, n = 0 in ISI Web of Knowledge, n = 0 in Scopus, and n = 5 in ScienceDirect. Finally, for “schizophrenia” + “Oxford Nanopore Technologies” were displayed n = 15, and the situation was n = 0 in PubMed/Medline, n = 2 in ISI Web of Knowledge, n = 0 in Scopus, and n = 13 in ScienceDirect.

We presently assist to a fulminant ascension in the literature, with applicability in other fields. Perhaps as cornerstone stands a recent publication in which the authors reveal the risk of the Calcium Voltage-Gated Channel Subunit Alpha1 C (CACNA1C) gene involved, being identified thirty-eight novel exons and two hundred and forty-one novel transcripts following RNA purification from six regions (cerebellum, striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) among which targeted were cingulate, occipital and parietal cortexes.

None Declared

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has evolved over the years as a preferred organism due to its vast repertoire in research fields that mimic a targeted phenotype, particularly behavioral typologies and specific attributes comparable to murine models and relatively high homology with humans. Considering this consideration, different pharmacological treatments have been tested and proven that under different concentrations may trigger schizophrenia (SCZ)-like symptoms.

Starting from the actual stage of knowledge according to which agents used as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) inhibitors (MK-801, ketamine, and phencyclidine) alongside psychedelic (mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide), psychoactive substances (amphetamine), and non- and essential amino acids (proline and methionine), we aimed to reunite and review all existing evidence. This approach may offer an updated and critical overview regarding the possible future directions surrounding these compounds regarding the pharmaco-dynamics/kinetics.

To ensure the coverage of all relevant literature, we performed searches in four databases (PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) per combinations of keywords: “schizophrenia” with “MK-801”, “ketamine”, “phencyclidine”, “mescaline”, “lysergic acid diethylamide”, “amphetamine”, “proline”, “methionine”, and “zebrafish”. Eligible studies had to be “research article(s)” written in English.

A total of n = 246 studies were returned during the established interval (2010 – 2022). Precisely, n = 16 were identified in PubMed/Medline, n = 16 in ISI Web of Knowledge, n = 17 in Scopus, and n = 197 in ScienceDirect per database. If taken per year, n = 13 were published in 2010, n = 12 in 2011, n = 15 in 2012, n = 24 in 2013, n = 21 in 2014, n = 21 in 2015, n = 32 in 2016, n = 8 in 2017, n = 12 in 2018, n = 9 in 2019, n = 17 in 2020, n = 34 in 2021, and n = 28 in 2022. Depending on the combination of keywords, we had the following situation: n = 65 for “schizophrenia+MK-801+zebrafish”, n = 42 for “schizophrenia+ketamine+zebrafish”, n = 21 for “schizophrenia+phencyclidine+zebrafish”, n = 4 for “schizophrenia+mescaline+zebrafish”, n = 5 for “schizophrenia+lysergic acid diethylamide+zebrafish”, n = 36 for “schizophrenia+amphetamine+zebrafish”, n = 37 for “schizophrenia+proline+zebrafish”, n = 36 for “schizophrenia+ methionine+zebrafish”.

There can be seen an uprising trend in the current literature of studies focused on the administration of MK-801, ketamine, amphetamine, proline, methionine, and phencyclidine aiming to trigger SCZ-like symptoms as opposed to mescaline and lysergic acid diethylamide. Most of the data is contradicting, with either a decrease/increase in behavior (locomotion, aggression, sociability, circling behavior, and memory deficits), which is why additional studies are mandatory.

None Declared

The present study has the aim to evaluate the link between PTSD and Bipolar Disorder/Schizoaffective Disorder. There are great apparent differences between Bipolar Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder, also many similitudes.

The sample consists of 22 patients, 14 females and 8 males, with average age 29,3 years. They were hospitalized for depressive or manic episode and diagnosed using DSM IV criteria with BPD (n1=12 patients) and Schizoaffective Disorder (n2=10). All the patients were screened for PTSD using module from the Structural Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID).

The study replicated the impact of PTSD on the onset of the two major disorders. In this sample, 8 from 10 patients with Schizoaffective Disorder (80%) have had PTSD (frequently after a suicide in patient`s family or rape), 3-4 years before onset. The most patients with Bipolar Disorder (n=7; 58,33%) had also a PTSD but the temporal link between this one and BD is longer (6,5 years average).

It may be concluded that PTSD is highly prevalent in patients with Schizoaffective Disorder, but there is also a great risk of having PTSD in patients with BD.