The Retrospective Study on the Ethio-Pathogenic Factors of the Congenital Malformations in the Bihor district

Malformaţiile congenitale reprezintă o cauză majoră de mortalitate şi morbiditate în copilărie, pentru prevenirea acestora impunându-se cunoaşterea nivelului de morbiditate şi a etiologiei lor. Cunoaşterea nivelului prevalenţei bolii şi a factorilor etio-patogenetici este necesară pentru construirea unei imagini reale a fenomenului malformaţiilor congenitale, imagine care va avea rolul de a sta la baza strategiilor şi măsurilor ce se impun în acest domeniu.Studiul de faţă a fost proiectat în vederea furnizării de repere ştiinţifice (evidenţe) pentru formularea ipotezelor de lucru privind abordarea strategică a problemei determinate de malformaţiile congenitale în rândul populaţiei infantile din judeţul Bihor şi pentru aprecierea impactului (social, economic etc) pe care malformaţiile congenitale îl au asupra stării de sănătate a populaţiei. Cuvinte cheie: anomalii congenitale, factori etio-patogenici, promovarea sănătăţii.The congenital malformations represent a major cause of mortality and morbidity in childhood; to prevent this, it is important to know the level of morbidity and its etiology.Knowing the level of the diseases prevalence as well as the ethiopathogenetic factors is necessary to obtain a real image of the congenital malformation phenomenon, image which will have the role of creating the strategies and measures to be used in this field.This study was designed to provide scientific evidence in order to formulate hypothesis regarding the strategical approach of the problem caused by the congenital malformations among of the underage population from the Bihor district as well as to apreciate the impact which the congenital malformations have upon the people’s health.Key words: congenital anomalies, ethiopathogenetic factors, health promotion

Sewage sludge for sustainable agriculture: contaminants' contents and potential use as fertilizer

Abstract Background Sewage sludge, the inevitable byproduct of municipal wastewater-treatment plant operation, is a key issue in many countries due to its increasing volume and the impacts associated with its disposal. According to the report of European Commission published in 2010, 39% of sewage sludge produced in the European Union is recycled into agriculture. Management options require extensive waste characterization, since many of them may contain compounds, which could be harmful to the ecosystem, such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, etc. The present study aims to show the results of 2 years' sampling of sewage sludge—based on 130 samples collected from 35 wastewater-treatment plants situated in the North of Italy—and to assess its suitability as soil fertilizer regarding contents of nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenolethoxylates (NPnEOs), and phthalates (DEHP). Results An effective analytic method for organic pollutants detection in the sewage sludge has been developed, showing an excellent repeatability and recoveries. Ecotoxicological risk assessment was evaluated using risk quotients (RQs) for sludge-amended soil. Most of the analyzed samples do not contain NP, NPnEOs, and DEHP at levels higher than the limit established by the draft-working document of the European Commission on Sludge. The assessment using RQs reports that NP and NPnEOs never give values higher than 1, and for DEHP the obtained RQs exceed the value of 1 just three times. Data obtained were compared to the data from other European and Asiatic countries, showing a huge variability for all the compounds considered. Conclusions Based on the obtained results, it appears that the proposed EU limits for the selected substances on sewage sludge intended to be used as soil fertilizer in agriculture are sufficiently conservative to avoid negative effects on soil fauna

The Role of Cone Beam Computed Tomography in Dental Practice: An Endodontic Case Report

We aim to present a case of obliterated root canal which was successfully treated in our dental faculty using these new techniques. Teeth with calcified root canals referred for endodontic treatment pose pa rticular diagnostic and treatment challenges. Usually these are intact traumatized anterior teeth without symptoms except of slight discoloration, without apical radiolucency. The thorough knowledge of endodontic anatomy and the use of modern equipment as the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and operating microscope are the basis for long term clinical and radiological success of these cases. The use of rotary endodontic instrumentation in conjunction with chelating agents as EDTA have been advocated for the endodontic instrumentation of narrow or obliterated root canals, where the apical dentin is usually more mineralized. CBCT images offered superior information in comparison to conventional radiographs but it must be taken into consideration only for difficult cases, due to higher radiation dose and costs

Mineralogical Assessment Regarding the Sustainability of Mortars Exposed to Sodium Sulfate Attack

AbstractThe paper presents the mineralogical analysis in XRD and thin sections of three types of mortars, before and after immersion in a salty solution of sodium sulphate decahydrate (Na2SO4•10H2O). The proposal of the study it was to identify the chemical transformation of minerals, and the degree of mortars decay after 15 cycles of immersion in salty solution. These studies highlights the role of mineralogical analysis in conservation of building materials in order to avoid their deterioration when are exposed in aggressive environment

First evaluation of pesticides occurrence in groundwater of Tidone Valley, an area with intensive viticulture.

Abstract Agricultural practice often involves an intensive and incorrect use of pesticides and fertilizers. These chemicals can leach through the soil profile and contaminate groundwater, including drinking water. For this reason, an effective groundwater monitoring is strongly advisable. The aim of this study was to investigate the groundwater contamination by plant protection products (PPPs) on a hilly area situated in the Tidone Valley, North-West of Italy, a region characterized by an intensive viticulture production. This area is not included in the national groundwater monitoring plan and therefore scarce information is available regarding the quality of groundwater, even though the local Environmental Agency previously revealed the occurrence of PPPs at values higher than the Environmental Quality Standard downstream this area. Hence, a monitoring wells network was developed following an upstream-downstream criterion, a list of pesticides to be monitored, based on a multi-actor approach, and an analytical method for PPPs detection and quantification. The analytical approach involved solid phase extraction followed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The results of three monitoring campaigns revealed the occurrence of seven PPPs at a level higher than EQS for groundwater (0.1 μg/L) in 30% of the wells. The main pesticides detected were Chlorantraniliprole, Dimethomorph, Fluopicolide, Metalaxyl-M, Penconazole, and Tetraconazole, all commonly used in viticulture, together with S-metolachlor, authorized for cereal cropping. Statistical analysis revealed a significant influence of the sampling time, slope of the soil surrounding the wells, wells depth and wells location on the concentration of five PPPs. Therefore, the results obtained show that the improper use of PPPs for grapevine cultivation may cause groundwater contamination and suggest the need for a deeper analysis of territorial reality, including hydrology studies and farmer behavior and for an urgent introduction of best management practices and mitigation measures to promote a sustainable use of PPPs in viticulture

Multi-actor approach and engagement strategy to promote the adoption of best management practices and a sustainable use of pesticides for groundwater quality improvement in hilly vineyards.

The adoption of pesticide mitigation measures and innovation at farm level, are seen as a drivers to reach the sustainable water policy objectives. With the aim to prevent the pesticide pressure of hilly vineyards on groundwater contamination, a stepwise approach in Tidone Valley was applied using different consultation mechanisms and involvement strategies throughout the overall process. Face to face meetings, direct surveys, participatory monitoring and planning of several activities aiming to inform, educate, improve skills, change of individual behaviour or raise awareness, or even initiatives to build institutional trust or support for new investment in innovation are some examples. These activities allowed us to involve key actors of water use and governance (such as farmers, advisors, representatives of drinking water management, farmer's associations, Winemaking cooperatives, local Health Authority), and to have a deeper knowledge of the context agricultural practices, of farmer's knowledge and skills concerning factors influencing water contamination and also to promote the most suitable Best Management Practices aimed at limiting the pesticide occurrence in groundwater. Indeed, the surveys results highlighted that the majority of the farms are small (64% of vineyards10 ha), that most of the farmers (62%) are not aware of the current legislation on water, even if 64% of them declare to participate regularly to training courses for the prevention of water contamination and that there is a low to moderate level of adoption of Best Practices able to prevent contamination by pesticides. At the end of the overall process, it can be stated that the multi-actor approach and engagement strategy adopted were successful in improving attitudes to more sustainable practices. This is supported also by the monitoring data that show in 2019 a decrease by 44% of pesticides occurrences and a fall by 68% of values above EQ

VENTRICULOMEGALIA CEREBRALĂ FETALĂ „BORDERLINE“

Ventriculomegalia reprezintă dilatarea ventriculilor cerebrali peste 10 mm, fiind clasificată în uşoară sau „borderline“ (10-12 mm), moderată (13-15 mm) şi severă (peste 15 mm). Incidenţa variază foarte mult în funcţie de tehnica utilizată şi de vârsta gestaţională. Locul de elecţie pentru măsurarea cea mai exactă a diametrului ventricular este la nivelul glomusului plexului coroid. RMN-ul este o altă metodă de evaluare a creierului fetal care permite, de asemenea, vizualizarea suprafeţei cerebrale. Ventriculomegalia unilaterală este cauzată de obstrucţia morfologică, fizică sau funcţională a orificiului Monro. Ventriculomegalia „borderline“ poate fi asociată cu anomalii cromozomiale, infecţii congenitale, accidente vasculare cerebrale sau hemoragie, precum şi cu alte anomalii extracerebrale. Factori care influenţează prognosticul copiilor diagnosticaţi cu ventriculomegalie uşoară sunt: sexul, vârsta gestaţională, dimensiunea ventriculilor, afectarea uni- sau bilaterală, ventriculomegalie bilaterală simetrică sau asimetrică, progresia ventriculomegaliei – probabil cel mai important factor al prognosticului, regresia ventriculomegaliei. Părinţii trebuie informaţi despre faptul că există limitări ultrasonografice în diferenţierea unei ventriculomegalii „borderline“ izolate şi ventriculomegalie asociată unor altor anomalii oculte, care nu pot fi identificate iniţial în vederea luării unei decizii adecvate. Ecografia fetală de control este de preferat a se efectuat după aproximativ 1-2 săptămâni de la diagnosticul iniţial de „ventriculomegalie“