The Liquidity Risk Management in the Reform Period of Romanian Banking System

The current economic and financial context on the international level has automaticallytriggered our interest in understanding the causes of the recent financial crisis. Liquidity is forsure a solution for saving the modern economy and therefore it needs to be efficiently managed. For these reasons we have selected this theme as a chapter in Romanian economic reform. Weexplore the hypothesis of prevalence of profit focus over liquidity risk management in Romanianbanking system in the reform economy period. Our study on seven Romanian banks in period 2011-2015 shows inconsistency and non-homogeneous results. We concluded there is a different focus ongoing concern in different banks and their banking management. This depend on historical profile,on kind of customers and recent development evolutions in this field

Byproducts from the Vegetable Oil Industry: The Challenges of Safety and Sustainability

Food loss and food waste are a global challenge as about one third of all food produced around the globe is lost or wasted at some point in the food supply chain, from the farm to the fork. Vegetable oils generate a considerable amount of waste and byproducts, and such byproducts represent valuable opportunities for the food industry. Given the obvious benefits of using byproducts, special attention should be paid to the safety issues, especially when it comes to reintroducing them into the food chain. In this study, the quality and safety of several vegetable oil industry byproducts were evaluated in order to further consider them as potential ingredients in functional foods. Microbiological tests, mycotoxin assessments, and a heavy metal analysis were performed. The microbiological analysis showed reduced contamination with spoilage microorganisms, and a lack of contamination with pathogenic bacteria. All of the samples noted levels of deoxynivalenol, and, with a few exceptions, the heavy metal levels were below the maximum allowed limits. This study also notes the lack of regulation for this category of products. This not only puts the possibility of capitalizing on many food byproducts at risk, but also their widespread use as ingredients for the production of new functional products and their safe consumption

Myocardial Fibrosis Assessment in Hypertensive Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial fibrosis which is a substrate for arrhythmia and heart failure. Myocardial fibrosis can be assessed non-invasively by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping or by circulating biomarkers; however, the performance of such biomarkers in the setting of impaired kidney function has not been rigorously tested. Methods:The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) enrolled 9,361 US participants aged ≥50 years, at increased cardiovascular risk, and randomized them to intensive (\u3c120mmHg) or standard (\u3c140mmHg) systolic blood pressure lowering. A subgroup of 337 SPRINT participants with and without CKD had CMR T1 mapping, and measured plasma biomarkers of myocardial fibrosis: C-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (CICP), N-terminal propeptide of procollagen type 3 (P3NP), and Galectin 3 (Gal-3) at study baseline. Results:Study participants had a mean age of 64.3 [SD 8.9] years, 44.8% were women, and 21% had CKD. The levels of Gal-3, PICP, and PIIINP were found inversely correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and positively correlated with log-transformed spot albumin/creatinine (p-value \u3c 0.001 for all). No correlation was found between the level of the three biomarkers and the CMR T1 times, a more precise measure of myocardial fibrosis. Conclusion:In individuals with and without CKD, Gal-3, PICP, and PIIINP levels were not associated with CMR T1 times. Elevated plasma biomarkers level in the context of CKD should be interpreted with caution as it may reflect their decreased urinary clearance, rather than true pathologic processes