The potential health risks caused by decades of heavy metal pollution in Resita city, Caras-Severin county, Romania

There is growing concern about the effects of environmental contaminants on human health. In heavily industrialized area an increasing number of nose, throat and ears diseases caused especially by particulate matter were found. Respiratory system is the main gate of entry to the air pollutants in the body and the children are especially affected. In Re§ita town, Cara§- Severin County, Romania, the level of particulate matter carrying heavy metals and many substances is often exceeded. The potential health risk caused by decades of pollution in this town was investigated. Most affected are children aged 7-11 years with relatively high frequencies of pharyngitis, latyngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Almost 50% of medical investigated children had respiratory diseases. Effect on children’s health of each sterile dump in part, as source of pollution, is not obvious but can be assumed a cumulative effect

The long-run impact of monetary policy uncertainty and banking stability on inward FDI in EU countries

In the present paper, we assess the long-run relationship between FDI inflows and the financial environment in 16 EU countries. For this purpose, we use a cointegration technique for heterogeneous panels and the FMOLS and DOLS estimators, over the period 2001 to 2015. We show that financial conditions are important for FDI inflows. More precisely, the monetary uncertainty, calculated as the difference between the recorded and the forecasted interest rate values, negatively affects the FDI inflows. In addition, the banking stability, measured through different Z-score specifications, positively influences the foreign investment. However, this result is influenced by the way the Z-score is calculated. We further report a positive relationship between the business cycle and the FDI entrance. The robustness analyses based on alternative specifications of monetary uncertainty and banking stability confirm our findings. These results are also supported by a PMG estimation. Therefore, authorities must pay special attention to monetary policy predictability and to banking stability in order to facilitate the investors' access to finance and their investment decision

The Mediating Role of Anxiety between Parenting Styles and Academic Performance among Primary School Students in the Context of Sustainable Education

The importance of parenting styles for the necessary fulfilment of the developmental needs of children and eventually improving their quality of life is frequently treated in the literature. Despite there being many studies that examined the relationship of parenting styles and academic performance, there is a lack of measurement of the relationship in the Romanian sample. This study analyzed the relationship between parenting styles and academic performance, along with cognitive test anxiety as a mediating variable. In order to identify how assessment anxiety influences the relationship between parenting styles and academic performance, we conducted a study on a sample of 231 students from rural and urban backgrounds. A questionnaire-based survey (to measure anxiety and parenting style) and assessment tests were used. The undertaken study highlighted the existence of a negative correlation between the level of assessment anxiety and the level of academic performance of students. At the same time, we found that poor supervision on behalf of parents negatively correlates with students’ performances in Romanian Language and Literature and in Mathematics. On the other hand, the results of the mediation analysis show that assessment anxiety partially mediates only the negative relationship between poor supervision and school performance

RESEARCH ON PLATING PARTS USED IN THE OIL INDUSTRY

The paper includes a number of theoretical and experimental results on plating of several pieces from different classes focusing especially on the pieces of the flanges and housings class. For reasons of confidentiality to beneficiaries, the paper presents experimeindustry at the ends of probe drilling and extraction. Have been taken into account these kinds of pieces in the research due to operating conditions and high requests which occur during operation

Potential Benefits of Dietary Plant Compounds on Normal and Tumor Brain Cells in Humans: In Silico and In Vitro Approaches

Neuroblastoma can be accessed with compounds of larger sizes and wider polarities, which do not usually cross the blood–brain barrier. Clinical data indicate cases of spontaneous regression of neuroblastoma, suggesting a reversible point in the course of cell brain tumorigenesis. Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase2 (DYRK2) is a major molecular target in tumorigenesis, while curcumin was revealed to be a strong inhibitor of DYRK2 (PBD ID: 5ZTN). Methods: in silico studies by CLC Drug Discovery Workbench (CLC) and Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD) Software on 20 vegetal compounds from the human diet tested on 5ZTN against the native ligand curcumin, in comparison with anemonin. In vitro studies were conducted on two ethanolic extracts from Anemone nemorosa tested on normal and tumor human brain cell lines NHA and U87, compared with four phenolic acids (caffeic, ferulic, gentisic, and para-aminobenzoic/PABA). Conclusions: in silico studies revealed five dietary compounds (verbascoside, lariciresinol, pinoresinol, medioresinol, matairesinol) acting as stronger inhibitors of 5ZTN compared to the native ligand curcumin. In vitro studies indicated that caffeic acid has certain anti-proliferative effects on U87 and small benefits on NHA viability. A. nemorosa extracts indicated potential benefits on NHA viability, and likely dangerous effects on U87

Antiproliferative Activity of Stokesia laevis Ethanolic Extract in Combination with Several Food-Related Bioactive Compounds; In Vitro (Caco-2) and In Silico Docking (TNKS1 and TNKS2) Studies

This study evaluates in vitro cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity on human colon tumor cell line Caco-2 (ATCC-HTB-37) of a standardized (5 mg GAE/mL) ethanolic extract from Stokesia laevis (Slae26), of five polyphenols compounds (reference substances, ref.), namely luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin-8-C-glucoside, caffeic acid, gentisic acid, and p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), as well as of Slae26 combinations with the five reference substances, 1:1 mass rate (GAE, ref.). Cell viability studies (MTS test) have revealed IC50 values of 36 μg GAE/mL in the case of Slae26 ethanolic extract, while Slae26 combinations with the five phenolics indicated IC50 values around 5 μg GAE/mL. In silico docking studies on the molecular targets human tankyrase 1 (TNKS1) and human tankyrase 2 (TNKS2) in complex with their native ligands, Co-crystallized 3J5A and Co-crystallized FLN, indicated score values of −104.15 and −76.97, respectively; in the series of the reference compounds studied, luteolin-7-O-glucoside was revealed with the best score values on both molecular targets (−80.49 and −85.17), together signifying real antiproliferative potential against human colon cancer of Slae26, of luteolin-7-O-glucoside, and of Slae26 combinations with all food-related bioactive compounds tested

In Vitro and In Silico Investigations of Natural Compounds with Predicted Activity against Neuroblastomas

In the present study, the ability of an ethanolic extract from Stokesia laevis to inhibit the development of human glioblastoma cell line U87 has been investigated. Cytotoxic activity has been estimated at 78% in comparison to normal human astrocyte cell line NHA, while IC50 values were 9.12 μg of gallic acid ([GAE]) equivalents per 1 mL of extract for U87 and 24.17 μg of gallic acid ([GAE]) equivalents per 1 mL of extract for NHA. Docking simulations of the active compounds in Stokesia aster and curcumin against the target anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2 has revealed the following order in the magnitude of the docking scores: native ligand > curcumin > luteolin-7-O-glucoside > luteolin-8-O-glucoside > luteolin, with root mean square (RMS) between 0.01 and 0.93. Since neuroblastomas are not restricted by the blood–brain barrier and selective cytotoxicity has been demonstrated to be higher against tumor cells than normal control astrocytes, the use of Stokesia aster ethanolic extracts and luteolin derivates as an alternative approach to neuroblastomas is to be considered

Why do the psycho-social conditions in the field of mining require changes to occupational health and safety legislation?

In 2019, 13 years have passed since the adoption of Law no. 319/2006 on Safety and Health at Work. Analysing the conditions of its application, there is a clear need to change, to correct some structural deficiencies and to reformulate various terms and definitions. The „ad literam” translation of the Council Directive 89/391/EEC has led to the forced introduction of some terms (e.g. designated worker, external service, light accident) or the ambiguous formulation of some requirements (e.g.: the situations in which the employer resorts to external services). The authors formulate proposals that will lead to the improvement of mining activities: - the obligation to undergo psychological examination, upon hiring and periodically, as a result of intensification of the general stress conditions and the effects of the special activities conducted underground; - determining the number of specialists in the field of occupational safety and health, depending on the number of employees in the respective enterprise; - the investigation of all work related accidents by the Territorial Labour Inspectorates, respectively the Labour Inspectorate, in order to avoid the conflict of interests during their investigation and to have a correct record of them, including in the mining activities