Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai Biologia
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The Second Interdisciplinary Symposium “Biogeography of the Carpathians: Ecological and evolutionary facets of biodiversity”, 28-30 September 2017, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
No full textThe Second Interdisciplinary Symposium “Biogeography of the Carpathians: Ecological and evolutionary facets of biodiversity”, 28-30 September 2017, Cluj-Napoca, Romania: BOOK OF ABSTRACTS.
Studia UBB Biologia 62_SI_2017 (PDF
Has the Fluocinolon-acetonid N ointment any effect on the kidneys and the thyroid gland structure and function?
No full textBesides the naturally occurring glucocorticoids, there are many other synthetically produced glucocorticoids: dexamethasone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, triamcinolone acetonide, flumetazon, methyl prednisone and methylprednisolone. Corticosteroids are administered intravenously, orally, through inhalation directly onto the inflamed organ, eye drops and by applying skin ointments. Although long term use has its undesirable effects, e.g. high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes and renal failure. Fluocinolon-acetonid N ointment is a synthetic derivate of the adrenocortical hormone, which is used for medical treatment purposes in dermatology. We also use it in our homes, mostly due to its anti-inflammatory effect, in the treatment of itching, and also in the acute keratosis. It is highly effective in serious, non contagious, dry skin inflammations, such as atopic eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, dermatitis or even in allergic reactions. In prolonged usage due to its liposoluble properties, it is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, which increases the chances of having side effects. The main objective of this study is to analyze the side effects of glucocorticoid excess when treatment is done with Fluocinolon- acetonid N ointment, to see if it has any effect on organs which have an important role in maintaining basal metabolism such as kidneys and thyroid gland. Our results demonstrate that fluocinolon treatment affects the structure and the function of kidneys and thyroid gland.
Kis et Andras (PDF
The effects of antibiotics and antifungals added to plant culture media of Triticosecale wittmarck
No full textThe experiment aimed to study the antibiotics or antifungals effect to prevent the infection in Triticosecale wittmarck micropropagation, without affecting the inoculum. After identifying the pathogens, which are frequently affecting the in vitro culture media, respectively Clostridium sp. and Cladosporium sp., we made the antibiogram and antifungal susceptibility testing. Among antibiotics and antifungals, to which one of them were found to be sensitive, we chose to add the following to the culture media: V1-gentamicin (GEN) - 40 mg/L, V2-tetracycline (TET) - 10 mg/L, V3- ciprofloxacin (CIP) - 40 mg/L, V4- clotrimazole (CLO) - 50 mg/L, V5-fluconazole (FLU) - 50 mg/L, V6-terbinafine (TER) - 25 mg/L, having the culture medium, without anti-contaminants additions, as control lot. At the end of the experiment we concluded that anti-contaminants, used in concentrations recommended by literature, have prevented infections, but reduced the capacity for germination rate of triticale. Just terbinafine can be added in triticale culture media, but it is necessary to study other lower concentration that does not affect the growing of inoculum.
Cosma et Petrus-Vancea (PDF
Screening for phenotypic and genotypic resistance to antibiotics in Gram positive pathogens
No full textGram positive bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant enterococci or multidrug resistant Streptococcus spp. are increasingly involved in severe infections with serious clinical consequences. The aim of this study is to investigate phenotypic and genotypic resistance traits in Gram positive pathogens isolated from clinical specimens in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. A total number of 31 Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion, while the carriage of 26 antibiotic resistance genes and of class 1 integron was assessed by PCR. Bacterial pathogens included in this study were mostly susceptible to folate pathway inhibitors (100%), oxazolidinones (97%), fosfomycins (93%) and glycopeptides (92%). Enterococci, staphylococci and streptococci displayed high levels of phenotypic resistance to penicillins, tetracyclines and macrolides, a percentage of 42% being multidrug resistant. The strains under this study proved to be able to produce β-lactamase enzymes encoded by the TEM-1 gene and aminoglycoside modifying enzymes due to the carriage of aac(6’)-Ie-aph(2”) gene, to possess ribosomal protection mechanisms for macrolide and tetracycline resistance associated with ermB, ermC and tet(M) genes and to bear efflux genes tet(A), tet(B), tet(C) ant tet(L). Class 1 integron integrase was detected in 16% of the isolates, but no significant correlations were found between the carriage of intI1 gene and the phenotypic or genotypic resistance among the Gram positive pathogens investigated.
Farcas et al (PDF
Professor Emeritus Constantin Crăciun (15 September 1937 – 25 November 2016)
Get PDFCONSTANTIN CRĂCIUN was born on September 15, 1937, in Pîrscoveni (Olt County, former Romanați County), Romania. Teodor Crăciun, the father of Constantin, graduated Philosophy and Theology at the University of Bucharest and became a devoted priest. He married Eva Cunescu, the daughter of a Moldavian boyar. Tragically, Eva Crăciun passed away while all her four children were very young (Constantin himself being only 3-years-old). Following this suffering moment, Teodor Crăciun moved with his family to Corabia where he was appointed as bishop. Constantin went on a deprived childhood and teenage, graduating the secondary school (Corabia), and the Technical High School for Topography (Bucharest, 1957). Constantin was afterwards appointed a job in Transylvania (Bihor County). At that time, he could not enroll in academic studies because of his politically ‘unhealthy’ ascendance, by the communist standards. Soon, however, Constantin was formally adopted by the family that hosted him in Batar village (Bihor County). It was a crucial moment in Constantin’s fate, as he was now ‘eligible’ to become a student at the Faculty of Biology (Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj, 1961-1966). During his undergraduate studies in Biology, Constantin Crăciun was tutored by Professors Eugen A. Pora, Emil Pop, Oreste Marcu, Victor Pop, Ștefan Kiss and others that left their marks on the progress of biological sciences in Cluj-Napoca and Romania. As a student, Constantin was remarked by Professor V. Gh. Radu for his hardworking, sense of responsibility and keenness to take on technical and science challenges. Prof. V. Gh. Radu foresaw Constantin as a promising researcher and therefore, provided him a position at the Institute of Biological Research in Cluj-Napoca (1966-1978). The Romanian Nobel laureate Professor George E. Palade granted Constantin Crăciun a fellowship for attending a specialization at the Medical School of Yale University, but he was again denied to follow his dreams by the communist policy that restricted the travels in foreign countries. Following a specialization in electron microscopy at the University of Bucharest, Constantin Crăciun together with Professor V. Gh. Radu established the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy of the Babeș-Bolyai University starting in 1971. Since 2000, this Laboratory became the Electron Microscopy Center, which was continuously managed by Constantin Crăciun until his most regretted decease in 2016
Professor Gavril Ardelean (5 May 1942 – 3 October 2016)
Get PDFGAVRIL ARDELEAN was born on May 5, 1942 in Seini, Maramureș County, Romania. He graduated the elementary school in Seini (1956) and “Gh. Șincai” High School in Baia Mare (1960). During the next years, Gavril Ardelean attended the Faculty of Biology, Geography and Geology (Babeș-Bolyai University) in Cluj, graduating in 1965 with a major in Biology and Geography. Until 1990, he taught Biology and Geography in several high schools in Vișeu de Sus, Tășnad, and Satu Mare. In 1979, Gavril Ardelean came back to Alma Mater Napocensis as a doctoral student, under the prestigious supervision of Academician Eugen A. Pora, who cherished him as an eminent disciple. As Professor Pora passed away in October 1981, Gavril continued his research under the supervision of Professor Dumitru I. Roșca. The experimental part of his thesis was performed in the Biochemistry facilities of the Faculty of Biology, with the scientific help and kind assistance of Professor Ioan V. Deaciuc
Sources and mechanisms of combined heavy-metal and antibiotic resistance traits in bacteria
No full textNowadays, antibiotic resistance poses a great threat to the health of the individuals worldwide. In this context, scientific interest on how bacteria adapt in stress-related environmental conditions like those enriched in heavy metals and how the heavy-metal adaptive mechanism influence the antibiotic resistance is increasing. It was noted that the simultaneous use of heavy metals and antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture might positively impact the dissemination of the antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. Current knowledge on the sources of simultaneous pollution with heavy metals and antibiotics, the co-occurrence of heavy-metal and antibiotic resistance traits in bacteria altogether with physiological mechanism underlying this phenomenon are overviewed.
Tugui et al (PDF
Acute effects of electronic cigarette smoking on heart rate variability
No full textHeart rate variability (HRV) refers to a temporal variation between consecutive heart beats and is considered a measure of the balance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system. HRV is also one of the few methods which can evaluate the acute effects of smoking on the autonomous nervous system. The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare HRV parameters during regular cigarette and electronic cigarette smoking. The study was performed on 15 regular cigarette smokers and 15 electronic cigarette smokers, and time-domain, frequency-domain and nonlinear parameters of HRV were recorded. When smoking regular cigarettes, the subjects had lower values of HRV parameters than before smoking, whereas electronic cigarette smokers described higher HRV parameters values for all HRV parameters. Our results regarding the behavior of HRV parameters during regular cigarette smoking are consistent with the literature, but the evaluation of the sympathovagal balance during electronic cigarette smoking was performed for the first time in our study.
Mirescu et al sc (PDF
Nitrate, nitrite and microbial denitrification in drinking water from Ozun village (Covasna County, Romania) and the association between changes during water storage
No full textSevere groundwater contamination affects drinking water quality in many vulnerable zones across Romania. Ingestion of high levels of nitrate and nitrite can lead to the emergence of compounds with major toxicological effects. The present study was aimed to assess nitrate and nitrite concentrations in parallel with the activity of denitrifying bacteria, in different groundwater sources from Ozun village, Covasna County. Natural denitrification potential based on local microbiota was investigated during water storage for one month. Results indicate that tap water supplied from the public system complies with drinking water criteria, but most domestic wells are not safe. Nitrate concentrations exceeded the maximum limit allowed for drinking water in most of the samples collected from dug wells, while nitrite ions occurred within the mandatory limit. Denitrifying bacteria were detected in all groundwater samples, with the exception of one well. Regrowth of denitrifying bacteria was observed during water storage, but significant reduction of nitrate, nitrite or their sum of ratio did not occurred as a general rule. The association between percentage changes in bacterial counts, nitrate and nitrite concentrations was not statistically significant. In conclusion, enhancing the bioremediation potential of local microbiota by groundwater storage at household level is not an efficient strategy for nitrate/ nitrite removal.
Raduly et Farkas (PDF
Neighbours vs. strangers discrimination in Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
No full textWater Rail (Rallus aquaticus) manifest strongly intra- and interspecific aggressivity. In our study we test the Water Rail’s reaction to the calls of conspecifics neighbours and strangers, to conclude if they express the “neighbour-stranger discrimination” (NSD) and / or “the dear enemy effect” (DEE) behaviour as evolutionary attributes that would reduce the energy consumption. Ten points located 100 m apart inside the Sic Reedbeds wetland were selected. In each point the acoustic reactions to spontaneous and playback of territorial Water Rail’s call were counted for three days (18, 19 and 20 April 2011), between 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.. A statistically significant difference was found between the number of songs recorded after spontaneous activity and the number of calls recorded after playback. The results argues the hypothesis that individuals of this species recognize their neighbours and react less aggressively towards them. Moreover, our findings indicated that response to neighbours’ calls follows a constant trajectory during the first or second half of the minute while the reaction towards foreigners is significantly losing intensity during the second half of the minute. The results suggest that the NSD and DEE are expressed in the Water Rail behaviour.
Stermin et al (PDF