Valorizing intangible cultural heritage through community-based tourism in Lăpuș Land, Transylvania

Community-based tourism has been promoted as a means of development whereby the social, environmental and economic needs of local communities are met through the offering of a tourism product. Local culture may be a community’s most valuable asset for tourism if planned and managed properly. Its intangible cultural heritage may provide a community with a competitive advantage and uniqueness, one that differentiates it from all other communities. However, with increasing commodification of tourism, many smaller rural communities face several challenges in developing community-based tourism. The present paper explores the concept of community-based tourism, as a basis for the valorization of intangible cultural heritage, with a special focus on a regional tourist destination in Romania. Aiming to identify tourists’ experience, a research was conducted among Japanese visitors who discovered the intangible cultural heritage of the studied area during an academic summer camp

HIBISCUS: Hydroxychloroquine for the secondary prevention of thrombotic and obstetrical events in primary antiphospholipid syndrome

The relapse rate in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) remains high, i.e. around 20%-21% at 5 years in thrombotic APS and 20-28% in obstetrical APS [2, 3]. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) appears as an additional therapy, as it possesses immunomodulatory and anti-thrombotic various effects [4-16]. Our group recently obtained the orphan designation of HCQ in antiphospholipid syndrome by the European Medicine Agency. Furthermore, the leaders of the project made the proposal of an international project, HIBISCUS, about the use of Hydroxychloroquine in secondary prevention of obstetrical and thrombotic events in primary APS. This study has been launched in several countries and at now, 53 centers from 16 countries participate to this international trial. This trial consists in two parts: a retrospective and a prospective study. The French part of the trial in thrombosis has been granted by the French Minister of Health in December 2015 (the academic trial independent of the pharmaceutical industry PHRC N PAPIRUS) and is coordinated by one of the members of the leading consortium of HIBISCUS

Étymologies roumaines

Candrea-Hecht J. A. Étymologies roumaines. In: Romania, tome 31 n°122-123, 1902. pp. 296-314

Ecotourism development in Romania - a possible contribution to the fulfilment of the real convergence criteria for Euro adoption

Ecotourism is a chance to diversify the Romanian tourism industry while protecting the environment and benefiting local communities. The present paper focuses on ecotourism as a possible contribution the fulfilment of the real convergence criteria for euro adoption in Romania by stimulating the economic growth of rural communities. The main benefits that ecotourism brings to rural communities are highlighted as well as the main initiatives of national organisations aimed at stimulating the local economy in different ecotourism destinations

Visitor Management, a Tool for Sustainable Tourism Development in Protected Areas

The article analyzes visitor management techniques as a way to develop sustainable tourism in protected areas. Visitor management is an important tool in recreational and protected areas, as increasing use levels can negatively impact the quality of recreational experience as well as natural resources. To meet the requirements of both nature and visitors, a prudent and careful management is necessary. In order to manage protected areas within acceptable ecological and social carrying capacities, tourism planners need to monitor visitor numbers, leisure activities and behaviour and understand expectations and motivations

Unbalancing p53/Mdm2/IGF-1R axis by Mdm2 activation restrains the IGF-1-dependent invasive phenotype of skin melanoma

Melanoma tumors usually retain wild-type p53; however, its tumor-suppressor activity is functionally disabled, most commonly through an inactivating interaction with mouse double-minute 2 homolog (Mdm2), indicating p53 release from this complex as a potential therapeutic approach. P53 and the tumor-promoter insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) compete as substrates for the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mdm2, making their relative abundance intricately linked. Hence we investigated the effects of pharmacological Mdm2 release from the Mdm2/p53 complex on the expression and function of the IGF-1R. Nutlin-3 treatment increased IGF-1R/Mdm2 association with enhanced IGF-1R ubiquitination and a dual functional outcome: Receptor downregulation and selective downstream signaling activation confined to the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. This Nutlin-3 functional selectivity translated into IGF-1-mediated bioactivities with biphasic effects on the proliferative and metastatic phenotype: An early increase and late decrease in the number of proliferative and migratory cells, while the invasiveness was completely inhibited following Nutlin-3 treatment through an impaired IGF-1-mediated matrix metalloproteinases type 2 activation mechanism. Taken together, these experiments reveal the biased agonistic properties of Nutlin-3 for the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, mediated by Mdm2 through IGF-1R ubiquitination and provide fundamental insights into destabilizing p53/Mdm2/IGF-1R circuitry that could be developed for therapeutic gain