Root Vegetables: Biology, Nutritional Value and Health Implications

Plants served as main staple for humanity since time immemorial. Plant roots science is a fascinating domain that offers a window to the complex world of plants-microorganisms relationship. Plant roots were used throughout human history both as a food source particularly in times of food scarcity as well as for medicinal purposes aid in the treatment of various human disorders. Root vegetables are excellent sources of fiber and antioxidants and are low in calories and lipids—being indispensable in human diet. There is an increasing interest in the biochemical processes occurring in the rhizosphere between root tissues and the bacterial/fungal colonizers especially in soils where there is a deficiency in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and selenium or there is higher load of toxic metals such as aluminum, cadmium, nickel and lead. That interest stems from the need to improve crop yields in hostile environmental conditions such as drought and low nutrient availability in soils. In this chapter, we will focus on the typical edible plant roots as well as bulbs (are not proper roots) looking at their nutrient content as well as their use as health enhancers

Accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 might be a challenge in the molecular biology laboratory for RT-PCR final results

The challenges we experience professionally always teach us to retreat, to document ourselves, to learn, to become better and to succeed in asserting ourselves in the fields we have trained and perfected throughout several years. This also happened in the pandemic times with Covid19, when we had to document RT-PCR techniques in order to be able to detect at the molecular level the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for disturbing the world worldwide. Thus, in the molecular biology laboratory, analysts must make very important decisions about the final result of the RT-PCR test to determine – given several analytical criteria – whether the result is negative, positive or equivocal. There are situations where the RT-PCR equipment does not detect all the genes responsible for a clearly positive result, or when the cycle threshold (Ct) is higher than specified in the reagent insert kit, and then it is the analyst's duty to decide what is the final result of molecular test. This paper brings to the fore the involvement, duty and the art of researchers and specialists who must assume the final result of the RT-PCR test in the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the global pandemic of Covid-19

Therapeutic properties and phenantrens compounds of Tamus communis

From ancient in folk medicine the plants were used with lots of trust and efficiency. In time, people learn how to cultivate, to sample, and preserve different anatomical parts of the plant for medical purposes. Thus, also Tamus communis became an interesting plant, being used in different pharmaceutical formulations to treat different medical conditions. The extracts of root of T. communis is just one phyto-pharmaceutical form that demonstrated to have antiinflammatory and antioxidant effect. Different anatomical parts of T. communis, various extraction methods using various solvents, were used in experimental researches to test the efficiency as cytotoxic and antiviral activities, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Extracts of T. communis are used for preparation of poultice, ointments, and also for infusions, tincture preparation with very good pharmacologic activity. This paper only made a very succinct presentation of the possibilities to used Tamus communis as a main ingredient of different natural pharmacological preparation with applicability in human and veterinary medicine

Nutraceuticals: the Link Between Lifestyle and Medicine A review

Numerous studies have reported positive associations between certain biologically active compounds, with pharmacological properties, such as nutraceuticals, contained in some foods and various pathologies. The term "nutraceutical" currently varies from country to country, referring to a number of valuable molecules, derived from organic sources (plants) or foods such as polyphenols, essential amino acids, antioxidants, soluble fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFA), prebiotics, prebiotics, which act at the cellular level, in combating oxidative stress and inflammatory processes and / or in altering the expression of some genes. The discovery of the many benefits attributed to these products and the ever-changing lifestyle have contributed to increasing consumer confidence in nutraceutical and functional foods around the world, and there is a growing interest in improving the quality of life and adopting a healthy lifestyle. to prevent or reduce the risk of disease. Based on these considerations, this paper aims to review some scientific evidence obtained from in vitro / in vivo studies, which supports the beneficial effects of some nutraceuticals and their medical implications in various pathologies

The Influence of Soil Properties on Grain Production in Spring Forage Pea Crop

Forage pea (Pisum arvense f. aestivale), also known as field pea, is one of the important species cultivated in our country for the feed of several animal species, due to the remarkable content of the grains in proteins, calcium, vitamins, but also in other essential elements for animal nutrition. Also, together with oats, it forms the spring mash, which is well-known for its high fodder quality. The research carried out during three experimental years, in the climate and soil conditions of the Arad Plain, regarding the cultivation of spring forage pea, highlighted the importance of soil fertility, as well as the importance of the water from precipitation during winter and growth period. Among the three experimental years (2020, 2021 and 2022), the best results regarding grain production were recorded by the spring forage pea variety Salamanca with determined growth, in the year of 2021, on a cambic chernozem, low carbonate, medium loam/medium loam clay type of soil, when the grain production exceeded 4.800 kg/ha, STAS grains. The same genetic material (Salamanca variety), cultivated under identical technological conditions, on a weakly stagnoglazed vertosoil, medium loam clay/dusty-clay type of soil, achieved a significantly lower grain production, of less than 4.000 kg/ha. It is remarkable that, in the all three years of spring forage pea cultivation, the grain production obtained on the cambic chernozem type of soil exceeded, each time, the value of 4.000 kg/ha, while, in the case of the vertosoil, every year recorded a production below the value of 4.000 kg/ha, making soil fertility as one of the most determinant factors for production of this significant legume crop

Sustainability through Rural Tourism in Moieciu Area-Development Analysis and Future Proposals

In our days consumers are interested and visibly reoriented towards natural/local/organic products. Starting from this specificity, the development of rural tourism can come as a possible sustainable response to be implemented in many of the rural areas, such an example being the Moieciu area subject to our analysis. The main objective of this paper is to achieve an analysis of rural tourism activity’s development stage from Moieciu area, from the tourist’s perspective, using case study method and as “main tool of research” the questionnaire. Thus, several research-oriented goals followed are: establishing the arguments for practicing tourism in rural areas; describing the development of Bran-Moieciu area from economic, agricultural and tourist point of view; identifying the reasons for which Moieciu area is a place where tourism can ensure sustainable development. The measure of appreciation of this area by the tourist is analyzed through a face-to-face questionnaire, having as purpose to identify: the capitalization level of local resources through rural tourism activities; the extent to which local resources are present in the product consumed by tourists; the satisfaction degree and expectations regarding the tourist product; the connection between tourism and area development in terms of satisfaction. Based on the information obtained some proposals/possible directions will be proposed to transform the area into “a possible model of sustainable rural tourism development”

Sustainability of Agritourism Activity. Initiatives and Challenges in Romanian Mountain Rural Regions

Sustainability has become a priority in the last decades. If we consider rural regions, agritourism, an activity strongly related to local communities, represents an opportunity to ensure the sustainability of rural settlements and of the environment, and at the same time an innovative and diversifying possibility for the economic support of rural settlements. Many studies have shown that the sustainability trend of the current period can be achieved by combining rural and local resources and traditional products specific to the rural regions with tourist activities, the challenge being the revitalization of rural economy. A large number of Romanian mountain rural regions can provide opportunities for sustaining agritourism activity; some of them may succeed to capitalize on the niche characteristic of agritourism, and through appropriate and effective strategies to move from the pioneering stage to an economically and socially valuable chance for improving the living conditions from rural area and finally to ensure sustainable development of rural communities. This paper begins from the importance of agritourism for rural regions. It aims at identifying the current situation of the agritourism activity in three regions and at developing proposals that are based strictly on the specific needs of the regions. In our opinion, the implementation of these specific actions would represent future challenges and at the same time ways of supporting the sustainable development of agritourism activities and of local settlements

The ecologic products and the importance of their consumption for the human health

This study intends to analyze the perception of young people regarding the ecologic products, their consumption and implicitly the awareness of their effect on the human health. The geographic area where we realized the study wasTimisoaraby distributing a questionnaire in different places: universities, super-markets, mall. After analyzing the results, we noticed that 80% of the young people consider that the food is very important for a healthy life. The majority of the young people questioned, even knowing the characteristics of the bio products, consumed fruits and vegetables bought from stores specialized in ecologic products. From our study, we can say that the young people are interested in the ecologic products sold inTimisoaraand they are aware about their impact on the human health

Overview of Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance in <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. Livestock Isolates

Campylobacter remains the most prevalent foodborne pathogen bacterium responsible for causing gastroenteritis worldwide. Specifically, this pathogen colonises a ubiquitous range of environments, from poultry, companion pets and livestock animals to humans. The bacterium is uniquely adaptable to various niches, leading to complicated gastroenteritis and, in some cases, difficult to treat due to elevated resistance to certain antibiotics. This increased resistance is currently detected via genomic, clinical or epidemiological studies, with the results highlighting worrying multi-drug resistant (MDR) profiles in many food and clinical isolates. The Campylobacter genome encodes a rich inventory of virulence factors offering the bacterium the ability to influence host immune defences, survive antimicrobials, form biofilms and ultimately boost its infection-inducing potential. The virulence traits responsible for inducing clinical signs are not sufficiently defined because several populations have ample virulence genes with physiological functions that reflect their pathogenicity differences as well as a complement of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) systems. Therefore, exhaustive knowledge of the virulence factors associated with Campylobacter is crucial for collecting molecular insights into the infectivity processes, which could pave the way for new therapeutical targets to combat and control the infection and mitigate the spread of MDR bacteria. This review provides an overview of the spread and prevalence of genetic determinants associated with virulence and antibiotic resistance from studies performed on livestock animals. In addition, we have investigated the relevant coincidental associations between the prevalence of the genes responsible for pathogenic virulence, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and transmissibility of highly pathogenic Campylobacter strains