Front Matter: Volume 4

This PDF file contains the front matter of the Proceedings of CBU in Natural Sciences and ICT  Volume 4, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing

LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES SEPTICEMIA IN A NEUTROPENIC PATIENT: A CASE REPORT

Introduction: Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive facultative intracellular bacterium, commonly transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food. In immunocompetent individuals, it typically results in self-limiting gastroenteritis, whereas in immunocompromised patients, it can lead to more severe manifestations, including septicemia, meningitis, and encephalitis. Clinically, listeriosis may present with altered mental status, and seizures occur in approximately 25% of cases. Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy, the mortality rate for listeriosis remains around 30%. Case presentation: We report the case of a 60-year-old female with a 5-day history of high-grade fever (up to 40°C), headache, nausea, watery diarrhea, fatigue, and myalgia, who presented to the Infectious Diseases Emergency Department at UHC “Mother Teresa” in January 2024. The patient had a known history of diffuse infiltrative carcinoma of the gastric fundus and was undergoing chemotherapy. Laboratory investigations revealed severe leukopenia with a white blood cell (WBC) count of 1.0 K/μL. Despite the initiation of empirical antimicrobial therapy with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole, the treatment regimen was adjusted to target Listeria after blood cultures confirmed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. On the fourth day of hospitalization, the patient developed 3-4 episodes of generalized tonic-clonic seizures, characterized by eye fixation and limb rigidity. Neurological evaluation, including a head computed tomography (CT) scan and lumbar puncture (LP), showed no abnormalities in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. The patient was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) and intubated. However, despite aggressive treatment, her clinical condition continued to deteriorate, with a further decline in WBC count to 0.2 K/μL. Unfortunately, on the seventh day of hospitalization, the patient succumbed to the infection, resulting in Exitus Letalis. Conclusion: Chemotherapy-induced intestinal paralysis, malnutrition, and myeloablation significantly increase the risk of bacterial translocation and sepsis, exacerbating the severity and worsening the prognosis of listeriosis. These factors must be carefully considered when selecting empirical anti-listerial antibiotic therapy for patients undergoing cytotoxic treatment. Although Listeria monocytogenes infections are rare, they represent a substantial threat to immunocompromised patients, often leading to severe and fatal outcomes, as demonstrated in this case

Front Matter: Volume 4

This PDF file contains the front matter of the Proceedings of CBU in Proceedings of CBU in Social Sciences Volume 4, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONSUMERS'AND TOURISM EXPERTS' ATTITUDE TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURISM SECTOR IN THE REGIONS OF LITHUANIA

The processes of economic, social and political globalisation have made tourism one of the leading sectors of the economy and a major economic activity and source of income in many countries. Tourism development encourages regions to compete with each other to attract more tourists, and regional competitiveness is inextricably linked to and has a direct impact on tourism growth. The aim of the study was to compare the views of tourism experts and consumers and to find common ground in assessing the competitiveness of tourism regions in terms of sustainability. Two quantitative surveys were conducted: tourism consumers and tourism experts. The results of the surveys are compared. The conclusions are reached: when comparing the opinions of consumers and tourism experts on the most important factors of sustainable development of the tourism sector, the opinions of consumers and tourism experts agree on such factors of the tourism sector as the accessibility of tourism, the creation of tourist routes accessible to all (people with disabilities). Comparing the opinions of consumers and tourism experts on the most important problems of sustainable development of the tourism sector and the most important activities for sustainable development of the tourism sector, the opinions of both consumers and tourism experts agree on the most important problems of the tourism sector: it would be the lack of knowledge about the nature and principles of sustainable tourism in local politics, underdeveloped infrastructure and economic problems: insufficient investments in sustainable tourism development

STRUCTURALISM IN THE WORK OF NIKOLAI TRUBETSKOY AND PETER SAVICKY

The Prague Linguistic Circle became one of the most significant centers of intellectual activity in the first half of the 20th century. It included prominent researchers in exile, such as Peter Savitsky and Nikolai Trubetskoy, whose concepts significantly impacted the development of linguistic and cultural studies. The article analyses the key aspects of structuralism in the work of these scholars and highlights the main ideas and concepts they developed in the context of the Prague Linguistic Circle. Their writings, methods, and influence on the modern understanding of language, culture, and society are analyzed and their legacy in contemporary scientific research

Front Matter: Volume 4

This PDF file contains the front matter of the Proceedings of CBU in Proceedings of CBU in Economics and Business Volume 4, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing

THE STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ACACIA HONEY WESTERN GEORGIA

The purpose of this study was to examine the physico-chemical characteristics, phenolic compound content, and antioxidant activity of acacia honey produced in the western regions of Georgia (Imereti, Guria, Adjara) in accordance with Codex Alimentarius standards. At the initial stage of the research, pollen analysis was conducted to confirm the botanical origin of the honey. There is no significant difference in the average characteristics of the honey across the regions. By jointly analyzing these parameters, we aim to confirm the naturalness and origin of acacia honey produced in Western Georgia

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ATTACHMENT IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREGIVER EMPATHY AND RESILIENCE IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD

Empathy plays an important mediating role between quality relationships and resilient development. This study examined the relationships between perceived empathy from caregivers/parents, quality of attachment relationships, and resilience in young adults. An online survey was administered to 240 university students measuring their perceptions of caregiver empathy during childhood, attachment styles, and current resilience. Results indicated that secure attachment partially mediated the association between caregiver empathy and resilience. A cross-sectional online survey design was used. Participants were 240 university students (mean age 21 years, 60% female). Measures included the s-EMBU (Arrindell, 1999) to assess perceptions of caregiver empathy during upbringing, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form (ECR-S; Wei et al., 2007) to measure attachment anxiety and avoidance styles, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003) to evaluate resilience. Descriptive statistics and correlational analyses were conducted using SPSS. Mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2018) examined whether attachment mediated the association between caregiver empathy and resilience. Higher s-EMBU scores were associated with lower attachment anxiety (r=-0.53) and avoidance (r = -.14, p < .001) and higher CD-RISC scores (r = .33, p = .001). Attachment anxiety and avoidance partially mediated the relationship between s-EMBU and CD-RISC (indirect effects for anxiety=.07, anxiety=.12). The secure attachment, characterized by low anxiety and avoidance accounted for a total effect was of .49. Results indicated that higher perceived empathy from caregivers was associated with more secure attachment relationships and higher resilience. In summary, this study found that secure attachment partially mediated the association between perceived empathy from caregivers and resilience in young adults. Empathy in caregiving relationships was linked to forming secure bonds, which then supported resilient development. The findings highlight empathy as a key factor fostering quality relationships and resilience from childhood through emerging adulthood. These results suggest that empathy in caregiving relationships may foster secure attachment bonds which in turn support resilient development. Cultivating empathetic parenting could help strengthen relationships and build resilience

USA INAUGURAL SPEECH: A STATISTICAL APPROACH

The aim of this study is to determine the statistical characteristics of the terms present in the inaugural speeches of the elected American presidents, from the year 2000 to date. The methods applied belong to text mining and they determined the existence of a specific distribution of terms (Zipf and Heaps law), the correlation between certain words, the frequency of terms (alongside TF–IDF), the lexical variation within the speeches (Type–Token Ration, Hapax Richness), as well as the type of sentiment extracted by comparing specific sentiment lexicons (Afinn versus Bing). Thus, from a quantitative point of view and based on the results obtained in R, it is possible to deduce which terms will be used in the following inaugural speeches of future American presidents. This paper was co-financed by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies as part of the PhD programme

Front Matter: Volume 4

This PDF file contains the front matter of the Proceedings of CBU in Proceedings of CBU in Medicine and Pharmacy Volume 4, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing.&nbsp