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In recent years, phytofunctionalized AgNPs have attracted great interest due to their remarkable biological activities. In the present study, AgNPs were synthesized using Abies alba and Pinus sylvestris bark extracts. The chemical profile of these bark extracts was analyzed by LC-HRMS/MS. As a first step, the synthesis parameters (pH, AgNO3 concentration, ratio of bark extract and AgNO3, temperature, and reaction time) were optimized. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, DLS, SEM, EDX, and TEM. Their antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antibacterial properties were evaluated by the DPPH, ABTS, MTT, and broth microdilution assays, respectively. Abies alba and Pinus sylvestris bark extract-derived AgNPs were well-dispersed, spherical, small (average particle size of 9.92 and 24.49 nm, respectively), stable (zeta potential values of −10.9 and −10.8 mV, respectively), and cytotoxic to A-375 human malignant melanoma cells (IC50 = 2.40 ± 0.21 and 6.02 ± 0.61 μg/mL, respectively). The phytosynthesized AgNPs also showed antioxidant and antibacterial effects.

H. pylori is a widespread pathogen, being the main culprit behind gastric and peptic ulcers with possible implications in the development of gastric cancers. In vitro studies have shown that ellagic acid and derivatives present in significant amounts in fruits and leaves have moderate bactericidal effects on H. pylori, while resveratrol was noted to inhibit urease enzyme as high as 90% in different strains of H. pylori. Quercetin seems to inhibit pathogen’s VacA enzyme and kaempferol may prevent translocation of CagA, both phytochemicals being found in significant amounts in berries. In one clinical study, allicin was found to act synergically with standard antibiotic regimens. Although in vitro results seem promising, in vivo studies did not underline significant clinical benefits of phytochemicals compared to standard therapy. Therefore, further studies are needed to accurately estimate any clinical benefit of dietary phytochemicals in H. pylori infection.

Aims: This study reports a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method to obtain silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using an aqueous extract of Quercus robur bark. Methods: AgNPs synthesis conditions such as silver nitrate concentration, extract: AgNO3 volume ratio, pH, temperature, and reaction time have been examined. After optimizing the synthesis, the obtained AgNPs were characterized by different methods such as UV-Vis, TEM, EDX, and FTIR. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using lipoxygenase inhibition capacity and inhibition of erythrocyte hemolysis mediated by peroxyl free radicals tests. The antimicrobial potential of the samples was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. Results: The AgNPs synthesis process is influenced by reaction conditions, the optimum established values being in this case: concentration of 3 mM AgNO3, 1:9 extract: AgNO3 volume ratio, pH value of 6, 60 ℃ temperature, and 90 minutes stirring time. The shape of the synthesized AgNPs was predominantly spherical, with an average size of 50 nm. The SPR band at 432 nm, the strong EDX signal at ~ 3keV and zeta potential of -13.88 mV revealed the formation of AgNPs and electrostatic stabilization of the colloidal solution. FTIR analysis confirmed the participation of molecules from the extract in the synthesis and stabilization of AgNPs. The obtained nanoparticles showed improved antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial activities compared to the extract. Conclusion: The results open the possibility of exploring new applications of nanoparticles obtained via green synthesis.

Electro-optical parameters of fluorescein molecule in the second excited electronic state and information on the interactions with solvents were obtained from a solvatochromic study. Parameters of the solvents such as the refractive index, electrical permittivity and Kamlet-Taft parameters (hydrogen bond acidity and basicity) were related with the experimentally recorded shifts of UV absorption spectral band of fluorescein dissolved in several solvents. Through a variational method, the electric dipole moment and polarizability in excited state of fluorescein molecule were estimated. The calculus requires some parameters of the fluorescein molecule in the ground electronic state, which were determined through a quantum-mechanical study.

HPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS metabolite profiling of Morus alba leaf extract led to the annotation of 25 constituents (two stilbene derivatives, 11 prenylflavonoids, five 2-arylbenzofurans, seven Diels–Alder type adducts). The extract was found to contain 57.83 mg/g flavonoids, 15.42 mg/g kuwanon G and 10.47 mg/g morusin. Despite its moderate antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 250 μg/mL against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591 and ATCC 43300, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) ATCC 6538 and S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, Morus alba leaf extract reversed oxacillin-resistance of MRSA ATCC 43300. In addition, the extract showed synergy with gentamicin against MRSA ATCC 33591 and ATCC 43300 and S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, oxacillin against MRSA ATCC 33591 and tetracycline against S. epidermidis ATCC 12228. In these synergistic combinations, MIC values of antibiotics were significantly decreased (4–32-fold). These findings might be valuable for the development of novel treatment strategies in infections caused by MRSA and S. epidermidis.

Silver nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts as reducing and capping agents showed various biological activities. In the present study, colloidal silver nanoparticle solutions were produced from the aqueous extracts of Picea abies and Pinus nigra bark. The phenolic profile of bark extracts was analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy by measuring the Surface Plasmon Resonance band. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and transmission electron microscopy analyses. The antimicrobial and cytogenotoxic effects of silver nanoparticles were evaluated by disk diffusion and Allium cepa assays, respectively. Picea abies and Pinus nigra bark extract derived silver nanoparticles were spherical (mean hydrodynamic diameters of 78.48 and 77.66 nm, respectively) and well dispersed, having a narrow particle size distribution (polydispersity index values of 0.334 and 0.224, respectively) and good stability (zeta potential values of −10.8 and −14.6 mV, respectively). Silver nanoparticles showed stronger antibacterial, antifungal, and antimitotic effects than the bark extracts used for their synthesis. Silver nanoparticles obtained in the present study are promising candidates for the development of novel formulations with various therapeutic applications.

Objectif. L’objectif de notre étude est d’évaluer la pression artérielle et la pression différentielle chez les patients atteints du syndrome métabolique (SM), afin de déceler et de prévenir les complications cardiovasculaires qui peuvent survenir chez ces patients. Matériels et méthodes. L’analyse des cas‑témoin a été faite sur un total de 1528 patients, dans un cabinet de médecine familiale, les sujets étant répartis en deux groupes: le lot avec SM et le groupe témoin (sans SM). Le groupe avec SM se composait de 388 patients diagnostiqués selon les critères harmonisés. Le groupe témoin sans SM était composé de 1140 patients n’ayant pas présenté au moins trois critères diagnostiques du syndrome métabolique. Résultats. La pression différentielle, les valeurs calculées pour les patients atteints de syndrome métabolique ont été généralement plus élevées que le taux moyen escompté à 40 mmHg, avec une valeur moyenne de 47,86 ± 12,02 mmHg. Le groupe de contrôle a une valeur moyenne (40,28 ±12.20 mmHg) du pouls, une pression significativement plus faible (p

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common diseases of gastro-enterology, associating abdominal pain, transit disorders and changes in the consistency of the stools. Material and method. The study included 200 patients suffering from IBS, selected from a total of 2,300 patients of a family medicine practice in urban area. For diagnosis and classification, Rome III criteria and Bristol scale were used. For a subgroup was applied a questionnaire for the evaluation of quality of life, QoL. Treatment was initiated on three levels. Results. The incidence of the disease during the 3 years of study (2013-2016) was 2.9%. The type of IBS most often encountered was the one with dominance of constipation (IBS-C 32.5%), followed by the alternating form (IBS-A 26%), mixed (IBS-M-24%) and the dominance of diarrhea (IBS-D 18.5%). Form with more severe impact on the quality of life is IBS-C – 52.24 score, and most easily tolerated IBS-A – 69 score. Treatment was initiated at the on level I at 33% of the patients at the on level II to 36 %, and on level III to 31% of the patients. Maximum efficiency of treatment scores were obtained from patients on treatment level III. Complete remission of symptoms is obtained only in 9.5% of total patients. Conclusions. SII is a common condition in family medicine practice, due to changes in the modern diet. The diagnosis can be facilitated by the application of questionnaires, and treatment is based on changes in lifestyle and on pharmacological agents.

COST Action IS1205 “Social psychological dynamics of historical representations in the enlarged European Union”.

This study focuses on the climate growth drivers of Quercus robur L. (pedunculate oak) and Q. robur subsp. pedunculiflora K. Koch. (greyish oak), occurring in the biodiversity of three sites in southern Romania. We determined the degree of tolerance of the greyish oak, between the tardive and praecox varieties, to environmental stress, between 1951 and 2016. Total tree ring-width (RW), and earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) measurements were subject of periodical and monthly climate-growth analysis. Our results revealed a moderate relationship between climate and tree-growth. A significant and positive relationship was observed between RW and previous growing season precipitation. Mean and minimum temperatures affected both positive and negative tree-rings during the growing season. We also observed that winter and spring represent key seasons for differentiating tardive from praecox varieties, affecting the intra-annual variability of ring-width, and EW and LW parameters. The correlation between the tree-ring measurements and daily climate data shows a clear offset of the starting growth between greyish oak varieties. A weak influence of stressors on tree-growth at the sites was observed through pointer year and resilience components analysis.

A polyphenol-rich diet protects against chronic pathologies by modulating numerous physiological processes, such as cellular redox potential, enzymatic activity, cell proliferation and signaling transduction pathways. However, polyphenols have a low oral bioavailability mainly due to an extensive biotransformation mediated by phase I and phase II reactions in enterocytes and liver but also by gut microbiota. Despite low oral bioavailability, most polyphenols proved significant biological effects which brought into attention the low bioavailability/high bioactivity paradox. In recent years, polyphenol metabolites have attracted great interest as many of them showed similar or higher intrinsic biological effects in comparison to the parent compounds. There is a huge body of literature reporting on the biological functions of polyphenol metabolites generated by phase I and phase II metabolic reactions and gut microbiota-mediated biotransformation. In this respect, the review highlights the pharmacokinetic fate of the major dietary polyphenols (resveratrol, curcumin, quercetin, rutin, genistein, daidzein, ellagitannins, proanthocyanidins) in order to further address the efficacy of biometabolites as compared to parent molecules. The present work strongly supports the contribution of metabolites to the health benefits of polyphenols, thus offering a better perspective in understanding the role played by dietary polyphenols in human health.

The present study examines current social representations associated with the origins of the Great War, a major event that has profoundly affected Europe. A survey conducted in 20 European countries (N = 1906 students in social sciences) shows a high consensus: The outbreak of the war is attributed to the warring nations’ leaders while the responsibility of the populations is minimized. Building on the concept of social representation of history (Liu and Hilton, 2005), we suggest that the social representations of the Great War fulfill social psychological functions in contemporary Europe. We suggest that WWI may function as a charter for European integration. Their content also suggests a desire to distinguish a positively valued ingroup ("the people") from powerful elites, construed as an outgroup., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Sustainable management of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is a European Union objective supported on multifunctional agri-environment measures. The effectiveness of specific practices implemented to reverse declines in farmland biodiversity should be monitored using straightforward methodologies and indicators. This work outlines an innovative hybrid framework to predict the response of biodiversity indicators to farm management options. We exemplify the framework application, integrating monitoring, statistics and spatio-temporal modelling procedures with a case study using flying vertebrates’ patterns for indicating biodiversity trends. The indicators considered depict significant divergences within contrasting on-farm implemented environmental management options. In fact, while birds’ abundance was expected to increase within environmentally friendly options, bats passes showed fluctuating patterns. Overall, the framework and indicators selected were considered relevant for biodiversity assessments in vineyard landscapes. This approach also provides a promising baseline to support sustainable management practices and options for other agroecosystems, derived from ecological models with increased predictive power and intuitiveness to decision makers and environmental managers.

The research aims to highlight how the forums of the Romanian online publications may often become spaces for right-wing extremist propaganda. The case study includes about 1.000 comments of the readers, expressed on the articles about a protest of several intellectuals against a TV program of the Romanian public Television (TVR), where Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the founder of the Iron Guard, a Nazi organization created in 1927, was presented as a romantic hero. The results of the content analysis of comments revealed the stigmatizing themes, the stereotypes and the extremist ideas identified on the forums of these articles. In addition, the comparison between the electronic platforms of the publications showed the importance of their features and of the characteristics of audiences regarding the content of the comments.

The present study addresses antecedents and consequences of collective victimhood in the context of World War I (WWI) across 15 European nations (N = 2423 social science students). Using multilevel analysis, we find evidence that collective victimhood is still present a hundred years after the onset of the war and can be predicted by WWI-related objective indicators of victimization at national and family levels. This suggests that collective victimhood is partly grounded in the actual experience of WWI. In addition, we show that sense of collective victimhood positively predicts acknowledgment of the suffering inflicted by one's nation on other countries during WWI. This is consistent with a social representation of WWI as involving a vast massacre in which nations were both victim and perpetrator. Finally, we find that objective indicators of victimization predict pacifism in divergent ways, with an indicator at the national level associated with more pacifist attitudes and an indicator at the family level being associated with less pacifist attitudes. This finding suggests that war-torn societies may have developed social representations favouring peaceful coexistence whereas, at the family level, victimization may still foster retaliatory tendencies., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The inverse opal structures present very good mechanical and optical properties, like high mechanical strength and Young modulus, important photoluminescence and stimulated Brillouin scattering. Enhancement of the optical properties of the metamaterials based on different types of inverse opal can be obtained by controlling the stopband of the 3D periodic structure. SiO2, TiO2 and CeO2 photonic crystals with inverse opal structures have been studied, presenting voids of 100 – 280 nm. The stopband dependence on the physical and geometrical parameters of the matrix has been analyzed (ions nature, voids diameter, photoelastic constant). The study was performed by structural simulation methods, using the HFSS program. The test configuration was set for the visible light domain. The effective refraction index n and the stimulated Brillouin scattering coefficient gP have been determined and represented on parametrical graphs. Results were compared with the theoretic calculated values. By varying different structural parameters and the stopband control, superior values of the optical parameters have been obtained, in comparison with the data given in literature. We report an increasing of the photoluminescence with about 7%, respectively and enhancement of the stimulated Brillouin scattering coefficient of 11 % when parameters are correlated.