STUDY CONCERNING THE HONEY QUALITIES IN TRANSYLVANIA REGION

The sources of micro-organisms (yeasts and fungi) found in honey are nectar andpollen, honey processing areas, equipments that have not been properly cleaned or wrappings. There are few types of yeast in honey and the most common are Saccharomyces melis, whichgrows in media with water content over 20-25% and Saccharomyces rosei, which can ferment inmedia with 60% carbohydrates. Yeasts can produce microbiological faults in honey with more than102 cells /g honey, stored at temperatures over 15 0C (Sindilar, E., 2000). Fungi can come from dust contamination, from the water with which installations orcontainers are washed and to a smaller degree, they can come from the honeybees. If they arefound in honey in a vegetative state, they can metabolise carbohydrates, amino-acids and evenpollen, causing various organoleptic changes (taste and smell of mildew). The present paper is a comparative microbiological and physical-chemical analysis ofvarious types of honey (polyfloral, tilia, acacia, sunflower, and honeydew) collected frombeekeepers The results have enabled us to make correlations between moisture, acidity, pH and themicrobiological characteristics of the tested honey samples and processors.quality, product quality, honey quality

Sexual behaviour, attitudes and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections: A cross-sectional study in Romania

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are serious public health problems. Little is known about sex knowledge, attitudes, and sexual behaviors among young adults in Romania; an effective preventive campaigns should be based on an appropriate understanding of these factors. The aim of the present study was to obtain data about sexual behavior, attitudes, and knowledge about STIs among university students aged 18-25 in Romania. 3872 persons completed an internet-based questionnaire, advertised on Facebook, regarding sexual behavior, attitudes, and knowledge about STIs from January 28 to February 28, 2016. 6.01% of the respondents had no sexual experience; of the remaining (N=3639, 945 men and 2694 women) 94% were heterosexual, 1.5% homosexual, and 4.6% bisexual. 53.7% of the respondents started their sexual activity between 14 and 18 years of age; only 2.3% become sexually active before 14 years of age. 30% of both sexes reported multiple sexual partners during the previous year. 25.9% of men and 23.3% of women used no contraception at sexual onset, the proportion being higher among those with an early sexual debut. 98% of the respondents knew that HIV could be contracted sexually, 75.8% knew that gonorrhea and 61.1% that Chlamydia trachomatis were sexually transmitted, and approximately one third knew that trichomoniasis and hepatitis B or C were STIs. We found a relatively high proportion of students engaged in risky sexual behaviors and insufficient knowledge about STIs. The results are important in planning future sexual education campaigns and they call for new preventive strategies.</p

Sexual behaviour, attitudes and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections: A cross-sectional study in Romania

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are serious public health problems. Little is known about sex knowledge, attitudes, and sexual behaviors among young adults in Romania; an effective preventive campaigns should be based on an appropriate understanding of these factors. The aim of the present study was to obtain data about sexual behavior, attitudes, and knowledge about STIs among university students aged 18-25 in Romania. 3872 persons completed an internet-based questionnaire, advertised on Facebook, regarding sexual behavior, attitudes, and knowledge about STIs from January 28 to February 28, 2016. 6.01% of the respondents had no sexual experience; of the remaining (N=3639, 945 men and 2694 women) 94% were heterosexual, 1.5% homosexual, and 4.6% bisexual. 53.7% of the respondents started their sexual activity between 14 and 18 years of age; only 2.3% become sexually active before 14 years of age. 30% of both sexes reported multiple sexual partners during the previous year. 25.9% of men and 23.3% of women used no contraception at sexual onset, the proportion being higher among those with an early sexual debut. 98% of the respondents knew that HIV could be contracted sexually, 75.8% knew that gonorrhea and 61.1% that Chlamydia trachomatis were sexually transmitted, and approximately one third knew that trichomoniasis and hepatitis B or C were STIs. We found a relatively high proportion of students engaged in risky sexual behaviors and insufficient knowledge about STIs. The results are important in planning future sexual education campaigns and they call for new preventive strategies.</p

Molecular diagnostic of Ureaplasma urealyticum presence and tetracycline resistance in urine samples

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the most common infections in Romania. Infection with Ureaplasma urelyticum is one of the major causes of STIs and can cause serious complications. Although tetracycline is the drug commonly used to treat infections caused by U. urealyticum, several studies indicate the emergence and rapid development of strains resistant to these antibiotics in the United States or Europe. Tetracycline resistance in bacteria is encoded by a number of different genetic determinants but in mycoplasmas the only tetracycline resistance determinant that has been reported is the tetM gene. Tetracycline resistance among Ureaplasma spp. is associated with the presence of the horizontally acquired tetM resistance gene. Our study on bacterial DNA aimed to determine the presence of tetracycline-resistant U. urealyticum strains, by identifying the presence of the tetM gene. We used first void urine samples from 622 STI-suspected subjects. DNA was extracted, purified and amplified via PCR for the simultaneous detection of 6 STIs. 68 patients were diagnosed with U. urealyticum. DNA obtained from these samples was amplified using the tetM gene and U. urealyticum - specific urease gene primers. The urease gene was amplified in all samples, confirming the presence of U. urealyticum. The tetM gene was amplified in 2 samples considered tetracycline-resistant strains. The study confirmed the presence of U. urealyticum strains resistant to tetracycline in Romania. The employed technique can produce quick results both for U. urealyticum detection and determination of its resistance to tetracycline using a single easy-to-collect biological sample

Distribution of sexually transmitted diseases in a group of symptomatic male patients using urine samples and PCR technique / Distribuția bolilor cu transmitere sexuală într-un grup de barbați simptomatici utilizand probe de urina si tehnica PCR

Bolile cu transmitere sexuală (BTS) reprezintă o cauză foarte importantă a îmbolnăvirilor în lume, iar infecţiile prelungite şi netratate cu agenţii patogeni care provoacă BTS pot avea consecinţe serioase. Scopul studiului nostru a fost să evalueze distribuția a şase tipuri diferite de BTS (Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis şi Mycoplasma genitalium) în probe de urină recoltate de la bărbaţi. Intre aprilie 2014 şi aprilie 2015 s-a colectat primul jet de urină de la 52 de pacienţi simptomatici. S-a extras ADN-ul, s-a purificat şi s-a amplificat prin tehnica polymerase chain reaction (PCR) pentru detecţia simultană a agenţilor patogeni menţionaţi, iar pentru identificare s-a utilizat electoforeza în gel de agaroză 2% cu bromură de etidiu ca agent de colorare. Frecvența BTS în grupul luat în studiu a fost de 53.84% (28 de pacienţi), cei mai mulţi în grupa de vârstă 20-29 ani. Dintre pacienţii pozitivi, şase au prezentat infecţii multiple. S-au detectat 35 probe de ADN pozitive: 17 de C. trachomatis, 9 de U. urealyticum, 7 de N. gonorrhoeae şi 2 de M. genitalium. Aplicarea pe scară largă a sistemului bazat pe detecţia simultană a acestor şase agenţi patogeni care induc BTS poate să faciliteze diagnosticul, în special în infecţiile multiple

Determinants of Suicide Ideation in the Romanian Population

Background: Suicide ideation and behaviors are directly linked to the risk of death by suicide. In Romania, as well as worldwide, increased suicide rates were observed in the recent past, more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors, quality of life (QOL), and loneliness dimensions and adverse life antecedents on suicide ideation (SI) and prolonged sadness (PS). Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative research study used a CATI data gathering method to investigate 1102 randomly selected individuals over 18 years of age regarding various determinants of SI and PS. Data were collected in June 2021. Descriptive, inferential, and multivariate statistics were used for data analysis. Results: SI was negatively correlated with all the assessed psychosocial factors, more significantly with family relationships, wealth, health, social relationships, and affective life. Stronger correlations were observed when investigating the state of prolonged sadness, sex, and affective lives along with health and income, which were more influential. SI was negatively correlated with QOL and positively correlated with adverse life events and total loneliness scores. Lesser educated youngsters with reduced overall happiness and a history of depression, self-harm, and trauma were at greater risk of developing SI. Conclusions: This is the first national study exploring the suicide ideation and prolonged sadness in relation to psychosocial factors, quality of life, and adverse life events. These results have important implications for suicide prevention programs, which should be designed in accordance with similar studies

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in the Middle Ear of Deceased COVID-19 Patients

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the middle ear reveals the etiopathogenesis of otitis media in COVID-19, as well as an epidemiological risk during otologic examination and surgical procedures in COVID-19 patients. The study included 8 deceased patients with COVID-19. Tissue samples from the middle ear were subjected to virology, histopathology, scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy investigation. Ethmoidal mucosa samples were processed for virology analyses. qPCR resulted positive for 75% of nasal mucosa samples and 50% of middle ear samples. Ct values showed lower viral loads in middle ear samples. A proportion of 66.6% patients with positive results in the nasal mucosa showed positive results in the middle ear, and the subtype analysis of the complete genome sequences indicated B.1.1.7 lineage for all samples. In histopathological and SEM samples, no pathological aspects were identified. TEM revealed on the background of death critical alteration of cellular morphology, suggestive structures resembling SARS-CoV-2, goblet cells and immune cells. SARS-CoV-2 can be present in the middle ear of COVID-19 patients even if there is not clinical evidence of acute otitis media. Otolaryngologists could be particularly exposed to COVID-19 infection