Therapeutic performance options in chronic dacryocystitis

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIntroducere. Dacriocistita este o afecțiune frecventă a sistemului de drenaj lacrimal, creând un mediu fertil pentru dezvoltarea infecției. Descifrarea spectrului microbiologic și sensibilității la antibiotice sunt importante în tratament, la obținerea tardivă a rezultatelor microbiologice și apariția consecințelor nefaste. Scopul lucrării. Ameliorarea funcției de drenaj lacrimal prin utilizarea concomitentă a antibioticilor cu spectru larg de acțiune si remediul imunomodulator. Material și metode. Au fost analizate 112 surse bibliografice pe marginea particularităților evolutive a dacriocistitei cronice, principiilor de tratament. Prin analiza retrospectivă a datelor au fost selectate combinațiile optimale a remediilor curative, utilizate in această patologie. Rezultate. Au fost selectate variantele posibile de optimizare a tratamentului dacriocistitei cronice, analiza variantelor de utilizare al antibioticelor cu spectru larg de acțiune (eritromicină, ciprofloxacină, ofloxacină) în asociere cu remedii imunotrope. Reieșind din posibilitatea dezvoltării rezistenței microbiene, diminuării imunității locale s-a ales necesar suplimentarea antibioterapiei cu remediul imunotrop Lactoferina Imună, cu eficacitatea antimicrobiană, capacitatea de a stimula imunitatea naturală cu producerea sIgA si lizozimelor. Astfel, potențialul bacteriostatic și bacteriolitic al antibioterapiei susținut de potențarea imunității locale de Lactoferina Imună ar fi un instrument eficace în performanța terapiei dacriocistitei cronice. Concluzie. A fost elaborată o nouă abordare terapeutică în tratamentul dacriocistitei cronice, bazată pe mecanismele de acțiune a diferitor remedii curative (antibioterapie si imunomodulare).Background. Dacryocystitis is a common condition of the lacrimal drainage system, creating a favorable environment for infection development. Deciphered microbiological spectrum and antibiotic sensitivity are important in treatment, delayed acquisition of microbiological results and the occurrence of adverse consequences. Objective of the study. Improving lacrimal drainage function by the concurrent use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and an immunomodulatory remedy. Material and methods. A total of 112 bibliographic sources were analyzed regarding the evolutionary characteristics of chronic dacryocystitis and treatment principles. Through retrospective data analysis, optimal combinations of therapeutic remedies used in this pathology were selected. Results. Possible optimization options for treatment of chronic dacryocystitis were selected, analyzing the broad-spectrum antibiotics (erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin) in combination with immunotropic remedies. Considering the potential for microbial resistance development and decreased local immunity, it was necessary to supplement antibiotic therapy with the immunotropic remedy Immune Lactoferine, which has antimicrobial effectiveness and stimulates natural immunity through the production of secretory IgA and lysozyme. Thus, the bacteriostatic and bactericidal potential of antibiotic therapy, supported by the enhancement of local immunity by Immune Lactoferine, could be an effective approach in the management of chronic dacryocystitis. Conclusion. A new therapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic dacryocystitis has been developed, based on the mechanisms of action of different therapeutic remedies (antibiotic therapy and immunomodulation)

Cee-16: A Cluster Analysis Based on Tourism Competitiveness and Correlations With Major Determinants

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main groups of CEE-16 countries in terms of tourism competitiveness. Competitiveness, as part of the supply side, is addressed in view of the supply-demand correlations, and we consider the attractiveness of tourist destinations from the tourists’ perspective as the link between the two sides. For the analysis are selected exactly the 16 countries participating in the 16+1 platform initiated by China in 2011, tourism being one of the components of sectoral cooperation in this framework. We demonstrate that tourism infrastructure (its upgrading and development) is one of the main determinants of tourism competitiveness, even surpassing in importance the tourism assets. In this context, the “China factor” might play a significant role for the CEE-16 in terms of spurring competitiveness, as it is not antagonistic, but complementary with other determinants of competitiveness, including the EU funds. From the perspective of attractiveness, 16+1 cooperation can boost Chinese tourists’ arrivals in the region. In order to test these hypotheses, as part of the methodology, the authors calculate a specific travel and tourism competitiveness index (STTCI), starting from the main objectives of the 16+1 cooperation platform, namely prioritization, openness, environmental sustainability, transport infrastructure and specific infrastructure for tourism services. The authors correlate this STTCI with other qualitative indicators and obtain two categories of clusters among the CEE-16 countries. In Romania’s case, one can remark the following paradox. The cumulative amount of investment in tourism during 2000-2017 is the largest among the CEE-16 countries, corresponding to its tourism assets and the necessity to connect them; however, Romania lags behind most of the analyzed countries in terms of qualitative indicators such as revealed comparative advantage, direct productivity and multiplier effect of GDP. Therefore, the cluster it belongs to does not reflect its real tourism asset

A Simplified Method for Patterning Graphene on Dielectric Layers

The large-scale formation of patterned, quasi-freestanding graphene structures supported on a dielectric has so far been limited by the need to transfer the graphene onto a suitable substrate and contamination from the associated processing steps. We report μm scale, few-layer graphene structures formed at moderate temperatures (600–700 °C) and supported directly on an interfacial dielectric formed by oxidizing Si layers at the graphene/substrate interface. We show that the thickness of this underlying dielectric support can be tailored further by an additional Si intercalation of the graphene prior to oxidation. This produces quasi-freestanding, patterned graphene on dielectric SiO2 with a tunable thickness on demand, thus facilitating a new pathway to integrated graphene microelectronics

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

Social Perception on the Image of the Civil Servant and His Duties

The status of civil servants both in Romania and in other countries is of great practical interest, but also of a theoretical interest, because for the fulfillment of obligations and rights, this depends to a large extent on respect for human rights in the relationship between administration and citizen.  In a society, where many of its component parts are always in a form of transformation, it is unfair to consider that, and the administrative system does not take part in this process, on the contrary, we can say that, as many other components, for a whole, a slowing down of activity until its disappearance, or simply its non-existence, would be the first steps toward a collapse of society.  With the implementation of new reforms in the public sector, the problem arises of increasing public confidence in the civil service in total and in its representatives - civil servants - in particular, this calls for ethical education measures for both existing and future officials. From the very beginning, future civil servants have the need to form and maintain a positive image as representatives of the state apparatus

Insights into Reaction Kinetics in Confined Space: Real Time Observation of Water Formation under a Silica Cover

We offer a comprehensive approach to determine how physical confinement can affect the water formation reaction. By using free-standing crystalline SiO2 bilayer supported on Ru(0001) as a model system, we studied the water formation reaction under confinement in situ and in real time. Low-energy electron microscopy reveals that the reaction proceeds via the formation of reaction fronts propagating across the Ru(0001) surface. The Arrhenius analyses of the front velocity yield apparent activation energies (Eaapp) of 0.32 eV for the confined and 0.59 eV for the nonconfined reaction. DFT simulations indicate that the rate-determining step remains unchanged upon confinement, therefore ruling out the widely accepted transition state effect. Additionally, H2O accumulation cannot explain the change in Eaapp for the confined cases studied because its concentration remains low. Instead, numerical simulations of the proposed kinetic model suggest that the H2 adsorption process plays a decisive role in reproducing the Arrhenius plots

Longitudinal 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2-Alpha and Angiogenic Profile Mediator Evaluation during Pregnancy in Women with Suspected or Confirmed Pre-eclampsia

Background: In this exploratory study, we aimed to evaluate the dynamics of angiogenic [soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble Endoglin (sEng), and sFlt-1/PlGF, PlGF/sFlt-1, and sEng/PlGF ratios] and oxidative stress [8-epi-prostaglandin F2 alpha (8-epi-PGF2α) and 8-epi-PGF2α/PlGF ratio] mediator levels in women with suspected or confirmed pre-eclampsia (PE) at least two times during pregnancy. We also wanted to identify the possible correlations between 8-epi-PGF2α and angiogenic mediator levels at the time of inclusion of pregnant women. Methods: We included 40 pregnant women with suspected or confirmed PE, with a mean age of 29 years (range between 18 and 41 years) and gestational age between 18 and 28 weeks at inclusion in this study. The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method to measure the levels of serum angiogenic and oxidative stress mediators was used. Results: The evaluation of baseline sFlt-1/PlGF ratios using a cut-off of 38 suggested that 25 pregnant women had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 (sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group) and 15 had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 (sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 group). The increases in sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group were caused by both an increase in sFlt-1 (2.04-fold) and a decrease in PlGF levels (2.55-fold). The 8-epi-PGF2α median levels were higher in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group (1.62-fold). During follow-up after pregnancy, we observed that the mean values of sFlt-1 and sEng and the median values of 8-epi-PGF2α and sFlt-1/PlGF, sEng/PlGF, and 8-epi-PGF2α/PlGF ratios increased directly proportional to gestational age for each measurement time until delivery in both groups. For five women who had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio ≤38 at inclusion, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was observed to increase to >38 later in pregnancy. We observed that, in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio >38 group, baseline 8-epi-PGF2α levels better correlated with angiogenic mediator levels. Conclusions: Our study shows that 33.33% of pregnant women evaluated for suspected or confirmed PE with a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 displayed a rise in sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in subsequent weeks. In addition, together with angiogenic mediators, 8-epi-PGF2 α can be utilized as an independent predictor factor to help clinicians identify or predict which pregnant women will develop PE