The study of acetylsalicylic acid effects on wheat seeds germination in salt stress conditions

The present study was conducted in order to determine whether a treatment using acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) would increase the germinative energy of wheat seeds in conditions of salt stress. Wheat seeds were immersed in six solutions of ASA of different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mM) and then germinated in two solutions of different levels of salinity (one replicating normal conditions of salinity in crop soils, and one reproducing the conditions present in salty soil). The optimum concentration ofASA for alleviating the effects of salt stress proved to be 1 mM. The enzymatic activities of three antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase and poliphenoloxidase) were also monitored in all theexperimental variants to determine whether the effects of the ASA on wheat seeds germination were due to its effects on the antioxidant system. The treatment using ASA in 1 mM concentration increased,in high salinity conditions, foremost the catalase activity and less the peroxidase and poliphenoloxidase activity, making catalase the most indicative enzyme in explaining the effects of ASA on saline stress reduction

SPORT CLUBS INTERACTION WITH THE FANS USING SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS. CASE STUDY AT SCM CRAIOVA

Today, the process of communication has come to be seen all together differently to how it was viewed a few decades ago, because contemporary society has greatly changed the way people interact with each other. Communication has stretched its arms to all areas, starting with businesses, where the human relations sector is quite important, up to sport organizations in which communication with the fans is essential. Organizations in all areas have become aware of the need for communication, realizing the strategic role that communication plays in achieving goals. The communication strategy is the defining lines of the organization’s attitude and conduct in order to achieve its communication goals and thereby performance goals. The paper aims to present some theoretical aspects regarding the notions of social media and the connection between social media communications and the sports clubs, emphasizing how this connection leads to the increase of the awareness, with a practical example at the handball club SCM Craiova. REZUMAT. Interacțiunea cluburilor sportive cu fanii folosind comunicarea prin social media. Studiu de caz la SCM Craiova. Astăzi, procesul de comunicare a ajuns să fie privit în totalitate diferit față de modul în care a fost văzut în urmă cu câteva decenii, deoarece în societatea contemporană s-a schimbat foarte mult modul în care oamenii interacționează unul cu celălalt. Comunicarea și-a întins brațele în toate domeniile, pornind de la sfera afacerilor, unde sectorul relațiilor umane este destul de important, până la organizațiile sportive în care comunicarea cu fanii este esențială. Organizațiile din toate domeniile au devenit conștiente de nevoia de comunicare, realizând rolul strategic pe care îl joacă comunicarea în atingerea obiectivelor. Strategia de comunicare reprezintă liniile de definire a atitudinii și comportamentului organizației pentru a-și atinge obiectivele de comunicare și, prin urmare, obiectivele de performanță. Lucrarea urmărește prezentarea unor aspecte teoretice privind noțiunile de social media și legătura dintre comunicarea prin social media și cluburile sportive, subliniind modul în care această conexiune conduce la creșterea notorietății, prin prezentarea unui exemplu practic la clubul de handbal SCM Craiova. Cuvinte-cheie: social media, sport, marketing, Internet, comunicar

An Assessment of the Immigration Impact on the International Housing Price

The article highlights the correlation between the evolution of the housing price, as measured by House Price Index, the flow of immigrants and other macroeconomic variables for a sample of 21 representative countries for the period 2007-2014. The proposed model explains and highlights the existence of a positive link between the House Price Index evolution and the flow of immigrants, market capitalization share to Gross Domestic Product and the growth rate of the economy. The novelty of this study is derived from the use of panel data models, the results indicating that for one percent increase in immigration (measured by the flow of immigrants), the housing price changes, in the same way, by 0.045%. It confirms the existence of a positive link, although not significant to the level of the housing price. The article is divided into four parts: the first part explains the choice of this topic; the second part presents an overview of the main ideas that are found in the literature; the third part presents the methodology and models applied to identify the immigration impact on the housing price and the fourth part contains conclusions, test limits and future research directions

Endoscopic sphincterotomy for delaying choLecystectomy in mild acute biliarY pancreatitis (EMILY study): Protocol of a multicentre randomised clinical trial

Introduction: According to the literature, early cholecystectomy is necessary to avoid complications related to gallstones after an initial episode of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP). A randomised, controlled multicentre trial (the PONCHO trial) revealed that in the case of gallstone-induced pancreatitis, early cholecystectomy was safe in patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis and reduced the risk of recurrent gallstone-related complications, as compared with interval cholecystectomy. We hypothesise that carrying out a sphincterotomy (ES) allows us to delay cholecystectomy, thus making it logistically easier to perform and potentially increasing the efficacy and safety of the procedure. Methods/Design: EMILY is a prospective, randomised, controlled multicentre trial. All patients with mild ABP, who underwent ES during the index admission or in the medical history will be informed to take part in EMILY study. The patients will be randomised into two groups: (1) early cholecystectomy (within 6 days after discharge) and (2) patients with delayed (interval) cholecystectomy (between 45 and 60 days after discharge). During a 12-month period, 93 patients will be enrolled from participating clinics. The primary endpoint is a composite endpoint of mortality and recurrent acute biliary events (that is, recurrent ABP, acute cholecystitis, uncomplicated biliary colic and cholangitis). The secondary endpoints are organ failure, biliary leakage, technical difficulty of the cholecystectomy, surgical and other complications

Worldwide Variations in Demographics, Management, and Outcomes of Acute Pancreatitis

Background & Aims Few studies have compared regional differences in acute pancreatitis. We analyzed data from an international registry of patients with acute pancreatitis to evaluate geographic variations in patient characteristics, management, and outcomes. Methods We collected data from the APPRENTICE registry of patients with acute pancreatitis, which obtains information from patients in Europe (6 centers), India (3 centers), Latin America (5 centers), and North America (8 centers) using standardized questionnaires. Our final analysis included 1,612 patients with acute pancreatitis (median age, 49 years; 53% male, 62% white) enrolled from August 2015 through January 2018. Results Biliary (45%) and alcoholic acute pancreatitis (21%) were the most common etiologies. Based on the revised Atlanta classification, 65% of patients developed mild disease, 23% moderate, and 12% severe. The mean age of patients in Europe (58 years) was older than mean age for all 4 regions (46 years) and a higher proportion of patients in Europe had comorbid conditions (73% vs 50% overall). The predominant etiology of acute pancreatitis in Latin America was biliary (78%), whereas alcohol-associated pancreatitis accounted for the highest proportion of acute pancreatitis cases in India (45%). Pain was managed with opioid analgesics in 93% of patients in North America versus 27% of patients in the other 3 regions. Cholecystectomies were performed at the time of hospital admission for most patients in Latin America (60% vs 15% overall). A higher proportion of European patients with severe acute pancreatitis died during the original hospital stay (44%) compared with the other 3 regions (15%). Conclusions We found significant variation in demographics, etiologies, management practices, and outcomes of acute pancreatitis worldwide

Incidence and risk factors of oral feeding intolerance in acute pancreatitis: Results from an international, multicenter, prospective cohort study

Background: Inability to advance to an oral diet, or oral feeding intolerance, is a common complication in patients with acute pancreatitis associated with worse clinical outcomes. The factors related to oral feeding intolerance are not well studied. Objective: We aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of oral feeding intolerance in acute pancreatitis. Methods: Patients were prospectively enrolled in the Acute Pancreatitis Patient Registry to Examine Novel Therapies in Clinical Experience, an international acute pancreatitis registry, between 2015 and 2018. Oral feeding intolerance was defined as worsening abdominal pain and/or vomiting after resumption of oral diet. The timing of the initial feeding attempt was stratified based on the day of hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess for independent risk factors/predictors of oral feeding intolerance. Results: Of 1233 acute pancreatitis patients included in the study, 160 (13%) experienced oral feeding intolerance. The incidence of oral feeding intolerance was similar irrespective of the timing of the initial feeding attempt relative to hospital admission day (p = 0.41). Patients with oral feeding intolerance were more likely to be younger (45 vs. 50 years of age), men (61% vs. 49%), and active alcohol users (44% vs. 36%). They also had higher blood urea nitrogen (20 vs. 15 mg/dl; p < 0.001) and hematocrit levels (41.7% vs. 40.5%; p = 0.017) on admission; were more likely to have a nonbiliary acute pancreatitis etiology (69% vs. 51%), systemic inflammatory response syndrome of 2 or greater on admission (49% vs. 35%) and at 48 h (50% vs. 26%), develop pancreatic necrosis (29% vs. 13%), moderate to severe acute pancreatitis (41% vs. 24%), and have a longer hospital stay (10 vs. 6 days; all p < 0.04). The adjusted analysis showed that systemic inflammatory response syndrome of 2 or greater at 48 h (odds ratio 3.10; 95% confidence interval 1.83-5.25) and a nonbiliary acute pancreatitis etiology (odds ratio 1.65; 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.69) were independent risk factors for oral feeding intolerance. Conclusion: Oral feeding intolerance occurs in 13% of acute pancreatitis patients and is independently associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome at 48 h and a nonbiliary etiology

Introduction and Validation of a Novel Acute Pancreatitis Digital Tool: Interrogating Large Pooled Data From 2 Prospectively Ascertained Cohorts

Objectives: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden onset, rapidly evolving inflammatory response with systemic inflammation and multiorgan failure (MOF) in a subset of patients. New highly accurate clinical decision support tools are needed to allow local doctors to provide expert care. Methods: Ariel Dynamic Acute Pancreatitis Tracker (ADAPT) is a digital tool to guide physicians in ordering standard tests, evaluate test results and model progression using available data, propose emergent therapies. The accuracy of the severity score calculators was tested using 2 prospectively ascertained Acute Pancreatitis Patient Registry to Examine Novel Therapies in Clinical Experience cohorts (pilot University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, n = 163; international, n = 1544). Results: The ADAPT and post hoc expert-calculated AP severity scores were 100% concordant in both pilot and international cohorts. High-risk criteria of all 4 severity scores at admission were associated with moderately-severe or severe AP and MOF (both P < 0.0001) and prediction of no MOF was 97.8% to 98.9%. The positive predictive value for MOF was 7.5% to 14.9%. Conclusions: The ADAPT tool showed 100% accuracy with AP predictive metrics. Prospective evaluation of ADAPT features is needed to determine if additional data can accurately predict and mitigate severe AP and MOF

Mortality in acute pancreatitis with persistent organ failure is determined by the number, type, and sequence of organ systems affected

Background: Persistent organ failure (POF) is the strongest determinant of mortality in acute pancreatitis (AP). There is a paucity of data regarding the impact of different POF attributes on mortality and the role of different characteristics of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in the risk of developing POF. Objective: We aimed to assess the association of POF dynamic features with mortality and SIRS characteristics with POF. Methods: We studied 1544 AP subjects prospectively enrolled at 22 international centers (APPRENTICE consortium). First, we estimated the association of onset, duration, and maximal score of SIRS with POF. Then, we evaluated the risk of mortality based on POF onset, duration, number, type, and sequence of organs affected. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders. Results: 58% had SIRS, 11% developed POF, and 2.5% died. Early SIRS, persistent SIRS, and maximal SIRS score ≥ 3 were independently associated with higher risk of POF (p < 0.05). Mortality risk in POF was higher with two (33%, odds ratio [OR] = 10.8, 3.3-34.9) and three (48%, OR = 20.2, 5.9-68.6) organs failing, in comparison to single POF (4%). In subjects with multiple POF, mortality was higher when the cardiovascular and respiratory systems failed first or concurrently as compared to when the renal system failed first or concurrently with other organ (p < 0.05). In multivariate regression model, the number and sequence of organs affected in POF were associated with mortality (p < 0.05). Onset and duration of POF had no impact mortality. Conclusion: In AP patients with POF, the risk of mortality is influenced by the number, type, and sequence of organs affected. These results are useful for future revisions of AP severity classification systems