Search

The archaeozoological material discussed in this article came from one feature (Cpl. 2) located in the southern outer courtyard of the fortress investigated in the summer of 2020. The collected artefacts date mainly to the 18th and 19th centuries, therefore to the Austrian era, although some of them had been in use even earlier during the 17th century. The feature, most likely with the initial phase in the middle of the 17th century, has functioned as a latrine pit in which all sorts of remains were gradually thrown away, including faunal ones. Given that the faunal material analysed comes from a single archaeological feature, the conclusions are quite limited. Conclusions cannot be generalized, but they show a trend probably close to reality. We would like to make this clear because during the older or newer archaeological investigations, in various areas of the Făgăraș fortress, numerous animal bones were discovered, with or without a clear dating context, which could not be collected or analysed. The fauna studied in this article offers a glimpse on the diet of the human community that served the Făgăraș fortress, in general, during the Habsburg period. We observed that cattle hold an overwhelming ratio NR-wise, dominating the faunal spectrum. MNI-wise, although cattle hold second place after ovicaprids, they still have the highest importance in terms of the meat ratio, compared to other domestic animals. The game has an extremely low ratio, with medium-sized species (roe deer) and small species (hare) identified. The study of the slaughter ages and the distribution of the anatomical elements/ skeletal parts in the case of the domestic animals suggest the consumption of subadult and adult animals with less tender meat, some of the animals being at the age of reform (especially the old ones) suggesting that they were part of the daily food of the fortress staff (soldiers, civilians and administration). Although not very large in terms of quantity, the importance of the sample from the Făgăraș fortress is also given by the fact that such studies of archaeozoology dedicated to the Habsburg period are extremely rare in Romania. Future archaeozoological research will certainly help us to better understand the diet of the population in the Habsburg era

Acrylic bone cement reinforced with bioceramic was synthesized by mixing beads of PMMA (produced by suspension polymerization), methylmethacrylate (MMA) as monomer, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as free radical initiator and tetragonal stabilized ZrO2 powder as bioceramic. The latter was produced by the sol-gel method starting from a proper solution and stabilized in tetragonal phase by digestion treatment with 5M NaOH following heat treatment at 700 °C (tetragonal stabilized zirconia). The structure of PMMA, the structure of tetragonal stabilized zirconia and that of the acrylic bone cement reinforced or not with bioceramic was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the poly (ethylene) glycol (PEG) on the structure of calcium silicate bioactive glasses prepared by the sol-gel method was studied. PEG is a thermoplastic polymer having excellent properties i.e. biocompatibility, non-toxicity and watersolubility. The structure of the bioactive glasses prepared was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDX). The results reveal that the use of the PEG (as porogenic organic template) enables the synthesis of porous calcium silicate bioactive glasses [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF)-based nanocomposites containing Ce-bioglass, ZnO, and ZrO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized via in situ polymerization, targeting food packaging applications. The nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized, combining a range of techniques. The successful polymerization was confirmed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and the molecular weight values were determined indirectly by applying intrinsic viscosity measurements. The nanocomposites' structure was investigated by depth profiling using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), while color measurements showed a low-to-moderate increase in the color concentration of all the nanocomposites compared to neat PEF. The thermal properties and crystallinity behavior of the synthesized materials were also examined. The neat PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites show a crystalline fraction of 0-5%, and annealed samples of both PEF and PEF-based nanocomposites exhibit a crystallinity above 20%. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed that active agent nanoparticles are well dispersed in the PEF matrix. Contact angle measurements showed that incorporating nanoparticles into the PEF matrix significantly reduces the wetting angle due to increased roughness and introduction of the polar -OH groups. Antimicrobial studies indicated a significant increase in inhibition of bacterial strains of about 9-22% for Gram-positive bacterial strains and 5-16% for Gram-negative bacterial strains in PEF nanocomposite films, respectively. Finally, nanoindentation tests showed that the ZnO-based nanocomposite exhibits improved hardness and elastic modulus values compared to neat PEF.

Background and Objectives: College life is a time when students take more responsibility for health-related behaviors. Aim: To determine the oral health behaviors of dental students, to motivate their transformation into cyanogenic behaviors by applying the planned behavior model, and to determine the degree to which students can modify behavior for oral health. Material and Methods: The results of the initial and final assessment (4 months apart) of the bacterial plaque present by means of the Quigley Hein and API indexes were collected from the student files. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II -HPLP II and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) questionnaires were used to determine the variables with predictor values that influence the cognitive-perceptual factors. Results: For the "health responsibility" domain, the average total value was 2.53 ± 0.9 (SD). For the "interpersonal relationships" domain, the average value was 2.82 ± 0.79. In the case of the "nutrition" domain, the desire to change the behavior of the participants was moderate (2.53 ± 1.19). "Physical activity" represents an important field in the everyday life of young adults. The results of the study indicated a moderate desire for change (2.52 ± 0.97). In the case of "spiritual growth", in which self-esteem, the way the individual perceives the environment and the adaptation to it were evaluated, a great desire for change was observed (2.74 ± 0.82). Scale GSE questionnaire showed an α coefficient of 28.52 ± 0.82, a value that indicated a moderate to a high level of efficacy and self-confidence. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that students have a moderate tendency to change in all areas, except for interpersonal relationships, where the desire to change something is increased. The participants have a moderate to a high level of self-efficacy and self-confidence.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a bioresorbable synthetic polyester with numerous biomedical applications. PCL membranes show great potential in guided tissue regeneration because they are biocompatible, occlusive and space maintaining, but lack osteoconductivity. Therefore, two different types of mesoporous bioactive glasses (SiO 2 -CaO-P 2 O 5 and SiO 2 -SrO-P 2 O 5 ) were synthesized and incorporated in PCL thin membranes by spin coating. To enhance the osteogenic effect of resulting membranes, the bioglasses were loaded with the bisphosphonate drug ibandronate prior to their incorporation in the polymeric matrix. The effect of the composition of the bioglasses as well as the presence of absorbed ibandronate on the physicochemical, cell attachment and differentiation properties of the PCL membranes was evaluated. Both fillers led to a decrease of the crystallinity of PCL, along with an increase in its hydrophilicity and a noticeable increase in its bioactivity. Bioactivity was further increased in the presence of a Sr substituted bioglass loaded with ibandronate. The membranes exhibited excellent biocompatibility upon estimation of their cytotoxicity on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (WJ-SCs), while they presented higher osteogenic potential in comparison with neat PCL after WJ-SCs induced differentiation towards bone cells, which was enhanced by a possible synergistic effect of Sr and ibandronate.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a bioresorbable synthetic polyester widely studied as a biomaterial for tissue engineering and controlled release applications, but its low bioactivity and weak mechanical performance limits its applications. In this work, nanosized bioglasses with two different compositions (SiO₂⁻CaO and SiO₂⁻CaO⁻P₂O₅) were synthesized with a hydrothermal method, and each one was used as filler in the preparation of PCL nanocomposites via the in situ ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone. The effect of the addition of 0.5, 1 and 2.5 wt % of the nanofillers on the molecular weight, structural, mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer nanocomposites, as well as on their enzymatic hydrolysis rate, bioactivity and biocompatibility was systematically investigated. All nanocomposites exhibited higher molecular weight values in comparison with neat PCL, and mechanical properties were enhanced for the 0.5 and 1 wt % filler content, which was attributed to extensive interactions between the filler and the matrix, proving the superiority of in situ polymerization over solution mixing and melt compounding. Both bioglasses accelerated the enzymatic degradation of PCL and induced bioactivity, since apatite was formed on the surface of the nanocomposites after soaking in simulated body fluid. Finally, all samples were biocompatible as Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) attached and proliferated on their surfaces., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The authors carried out a retrospective study on the frequency, levels and relative and absolute mean values of sanguine eosinophily in children admitted with various parasitary diseases within the sanitary units in Craiova and in the Pediatric Clinic of Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, over a period of 12 years. The study group consisted of 2,198 children, aged 0-16 years: 1,226 with diseases caused by protozoa - 1,195 intestinal giardiasis and 31 acquired Toxoplasmosis; 754 with diseases caused by nematodes - 169 Ascaridiasis, 470 Oxyurasis, 23 Trichocephalosis and 92 Trichinellosis; 50 with diseases caused by cestodes - 23 Hydatidosis and 27 Himenolepidosis; 168 with different associated parasitoses. For processing the data we used statistical-mathematical methods: arithmetic mean (Am) and standard deviation (± Sd).

Objective: After rapid discontinuation of clozapine treatment rebound psychosis have been reported. Preexposure of D (2) receptors to clozapine may alter their affinity to endogenous dopamine. Clozapine withdrawal may also lead dysfunctional NMDA-receptors to cause dopamine release in the striatum., Method: We report a case of a schizophrenic patient treated with clozapine 200 mg and aripiprazole 15 mg per day. After rapid clozapine discontinuation we added quetiapine up to 700 mg daily., Results: No rebound psychosis occurred. Even ten weeks after switching to quetiapine the patient's condition remained stable in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale., Conclusions: The combination of aripiprazole and quetiapine seemed to control supersensitivity effects at the D (2) receptor after clozapin withdrawal in this case.