Monitorizarea unor parametri microbiologici și a compoziției algale în apele de suprafață ale unor emisari din Bazinul Dornelor

The objective of this study was to establish the microbiological and algal load of surface waters from the streams that cross the Dorna’s Basin. In order to carry out this study, 10 sampling stations were established over four streams, the study taking place during the period of two years, 2017 and 2018, between May and October. The samples were analyzed in the laboratory using specific methods for each monitored indicator, observing the fluctuations which are determined by the sampling location, weather phenomena, and the influence of anthropogenic factors that are relevant for the streams that were studied. Therefore, microbiological parameters are strongly influenced by contamination with faeces from both animals (wild and domestic), as well as from households, that are not connected to a centralized sewer system, especially the ones which use septic tanks that are, in many cases, inappropriately built. All microbiological indicators showed significant variations between sampling stations along the same stream, upstream the values recorded being much lower than downstream. The samples that presented the lowest values, for all the evaluated parameters, were those collected upstream of the Călimănel brook. The absence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa indicator from all samples taken during the study was recorded at two of the stations, Călimănel-sus (stream) and Secu-sus and the spores of sulfite-reducing anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium) were not identified in the samples collected from Călimănel-sus station (stream). The samples with the highest degree of contamination were those taken from Arinu-jos station and those from Călimănel-jos, the anthropic influence being evident through the economic activities that were carried out. Similar values were obtained following the analyzes performed for each type of algae, recording higher levels of parameters in the case of samples taken from the Arini-jos station. The maximum values were recorded from the samples taken from the stations on the Arinu rivulet in August 2018, after a torrential rain, when large quantities of organic substances were entrained. The main conclusion obtained from the interpretation of the results is that the surface waters have a significant microbial load and that it multiplies exponentially from the source to the collector

Speciation of iron(II/III) at the iron-cement interface: a review.

Steel is used as reinforcement in construction materials and it is also an important component of cement-stabilized waste materials to be disposed of in deep geological repositories for radioactive waste. Steel corrosion releases dissolved Fe(II/III) species that can form corrosion products on the steel surface or interact with cementitious materials at the iron-cement interface. The thermodynamically stable Fe species in the given conditions may diffuse further into the adjacent, porous cement matrix and react with individual cement phases. Thus, the retention of Fe(II/III) by the hydrate assemblage of cement paste is an important process affecting the diffusive transport of the aqueous species into the cementitious materials. The diffusion of aqueous Fe(II/III) species from the steel surface into the adjacent cementitious material coupled with the kinetically controlled formation of iron corrosion products, such as by Fe(II) oxidation, decisively determines the extension of the corrosion front. This review summarises the state-of-the art knowledge on the interaction of ferrous and ferric iron with cement phases based on a literature survey and provides new insights and proper perspectives for future study on interaction systems of iron and cement

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Serotype O126:H27, Israel

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is a newly diarrheagenic agent wherein several predominant serotypes are reported. We studied the association between those serotypes, as clonal indicators, and the trait of enteroaggregative adherence to host cells, tested by polymerase chain reaction. We also evaluated the clinical manifestations of infection in 17 hospitalized children by our most common EAEC serotype, O126:H27

Characterisation of the parasite load of river Bistrita tributaries, in Dornelor Basin, Romania

Dornelor Basin is characterised by numerous high quality water sources, which is proven by the fact that the main mineral waters on the Romanian market come from this area. The study aimed to provide data on the occurrence and human infective potential of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, as the most important water-borne parasites, from Bistrița river tributaries of Dornelor basin, North-Eastern Romania. Water samples were collected from 10 tributaries of the Bistrita river, from the level of sampling stations set upstream and downstream from the anthropic communities. The harvested water samples were further processed using nonmolecular methods in order to isolate (oo)cysts. Subsequently, the isolated Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)ccyst were molecularly characterized through PCR and genomic sequencing, which led to the identification of Giardia in order to identify them at species level. The outcomes revealed the fact that the waters of the emissaries under study have a low parasite load and that, upstream from the human settlements, the water is highly pure when related to the protozoa under study. The increased load of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. corresponded to important animal husbandry activity. The obtained results underline a potential public health risk

EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES IN BORRELIA BURGDORFERI INFESTATION IN DOGS

Borreliosis or Lyme disease is a disease transmitted by ixodidae ticks during feeding on blood (Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis in the USA, Ixodes persulcatus in Asia, Ixodes ricinus in Europe) and is widespread in the entire northern hemisphere. In Romania, the geographic distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was 1.4% in 41 counties, with a prevalence between 0.75–18.8%. B. burgdorferi sensu lato. had a prevalence of 3.8%, being found inside ticks in 55 of 183 localities. Successful treatment and full recovery can only be achieved through early diagnosis. The clinical and serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease is particularly difficult because of the phenotypic heterogeneity within and among spirochete species. A case study is presented in this paper: an eight-year-old male Yorkshire terrier dog, which was diagnosed positive for Lyme disease, based on a test which uses a peptide called C6 and which comes from the VlsE protein of B. burgdorferi, used to detect antibodies in dogs. The results demonstrate the reliability of the commercial SNAP 4Dx Plus Test for B. burgdorferi, which uses C6 to differentiate antibodies produced by natural infection from antibodies formed after vaccination. In addition, using real-time PCR, the diagnosis was negative, confirming the results from the literature, according to which the PCR technique is only recommended for research, the positivity percentage being low, especially when the sample is blood (0.1%). We conclude that the tests for the detection of antibodies specific to Lyme disease are recommended and useful

Cytotoxic activity of Pinus cembra L. needle extract: A preliminary study on HeLa cell line

The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of a hydromethanolic extract obtained from cembran pine needles in HeLa cell line. In this respect, the effects of needle extract on protein synthesis, viability, proliferation and cell cycle in HeLa cells were evaluated after 48 h treatment. Cembran pine needle extract dose-dependently decreased protein synthesis in HeLa cells causing 44.26% reduction in protein synthesis at 100µg/ml. At 25, 50 and 100µg/ml, it increased cell death in comparison with the control (20.99%, 21.49% and 23.63%, respectively vs. 9.83%). In addition, at 100µg/ml, cembran pine needle extract showed a remarkable antiproliferative effect whereas at 25 and 50µg/ml, it induced sub-G1 phase cells accumulation (11.68 ± 0.81% and 14.69 ± 0.56%, respectively in comparison with control, 6.03 ± 0.55%), an indicator of proapoptotic effects. Taken together, these results indicate that cembran pine needles are a source of compounds with antitumor potential which needs to be further investigated and exploited