Search

Considering that the EU's long-term environmental sustainability objective is among the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, this article examines how European horizontal legislation promotes products with a low environmental impact throughout their lifecycle and the provision to consumers of accurate, non-misleading and scientifically accurate information on their environmental impact. The article aims to present the legal instruments developed at European Union level to promote high-performance environmental products, through the use of the Ecolabel, as well as the tools aimed at improving the implementation of plans to ensure water quality in Europe. The EU's overall Environment Action Programme until 2020 provides a global approach to the environment, setting the foundations for a greener and more competitive economy that protects natural resources and health for the current and future generations. In the coming years, priority must be given to improving the implementation of the Union's environmental acquis at Member State level since, in addition to health and environmental benefits, it ensures the creation of a fair competition framework on the internal market and stimulates innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the fact that the production of 1 kg of output in the pharmaceutical sector has a higher environmental impact than the production of 1 kg of output in the chemical industry, this article examines the way in which the specific legislation of the EU regarding medicinal products is adapted to the legislative instruments for the assessment and control of the environmental risks posed by medicinal products for human use during their life cycle, from production and up to the end of their life cycle. The European Union is the second largest consumer of medicinal products for human use (24% of the world total), after the United States of America, while the consumption phase is considered to be the greatest factor contributing to the release of medicinal products to the environment, especially by way of excretions and the improper disposal of unused medicines through sinks and toilets. As the pollution of waters and soils with pharmaceutical residues is an emerging environmental problem, the article aims to present the legal measures taken at EU level to monitor and assess the risks posed by medicinal products for human use to the environment, including those that may affect public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the concerns of the European Union to implement an internal market for cosmetic products which ensures, at the same time, a high level of human health protection, and that the European cosmetics sector is one of the industrial activities affected by counterfeiting, which could lead to increased risks to human health, this article examines how European horizontal legislation is applied in national legislation. This article aims to present the legal instruments available at EU level for consolidating the safety of cosmetic products and strengthening the surveillance of the cosmetic products introduced to the market, and for consumer protection, taking into account that to ensure effective control on the market is required a high degree of administrative cooperation between the competent authorities of the Member States. This article also aims to present the active role undertaken by the cosmetics industry in developing alternative testing methods within the Horizon 2020 Programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the concerns of the European Union to implement an internal market for cosmetic products which ensures, at the same time, a high level of human health protection, and that the European cosmetics sector is one of the industrial activities affected by counterfeiting, which could lead to increased risks to human health, this article examines how European horizontal legislation is applied in national legislation. This article aims to present the legal instruments available at EU level for consolidating the safety of cosmetic products and strengthening the surveillance of the cosmetic products introduced to the market, and for consumer protection, taking into account that to ensure effective control on the market is required a high degree of administrative cooperation between the competent authorities of the Member States. This article also aims to present the active role undertaken by the cosmetics industry in developing alternative testing methods within the Horizon 2020 Programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The umbilical cord becomes coiled around portions of the foetus and this is more likely with longer cords. Those looped around the foetal neck are termed a nuchal cord. The paper presents a retrospective study performed in The Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of County Emergency Hospital "Sfântul Apostol Andrei" in Constanța-Romania during a period of 5 years, between 2010-2014. The methods of births were analyzed for a lot of 2752 patients with loop cord (nuchal cord) with ages ranging between 16-44 years old. The number of patients who gave birth through vaginal delivery was of 2238 amounting 81,32%of the total population sample. The number of patients that gave birth through caesarean-section was 514 which amounts to 18,68%. Vaginal birth is preferred by obstetricians if foetal distress is not present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence and the important role of vitamins was emphasized indirectly by studying illnesses caused by vitamin deficiency. In ancient times it's been observed that some illnesses like scorbut, pellagra, rickets or beriberi were caused by some factors of bad alimentation later named by Fletcher "vitamins". In healthcare research it is important to know the sources of natural vitamins. The clinical era of vitamins, marked at the beginning of the 20th century by the discovery of vitamin B1 also known as tiamin, was followed starting from 1930 by the metabolic era of vitamins initiated by the researches of O.Warburg. Studies made upon the structure, physico-chemical properties, the mechanism of action, the role of vitamins in alimentation, led to the foundation of an important field of biochemistry, named vitaminology. On the Romanian Black Sea coast an important source of bioactive principles are represented by the rich marine algae resources. In the studied marine algae hydrosoluble and lipid soluble vitamins were found. Physico-chemical methods were optimized in the recent studies for qualitative and quantitative identification of the lipid soluble and hydrosoluble vitamins necessary for life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in healthcare involves the use of natural resources in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Chito-oligosaccharides (CHOS) are described as homo- or heterooligomers of N-acetylglucosamine and D-glucosamine. As a starting material for CHOS production chitin or chitosan can be used. When it comes to the medical field, there are indications that CHOS may be developed and used as drugs against asthma, antibacterial agents, ingredients in wound-dressings and vectors in gene-therapy. The methods of production can rely on enzymatic conversions, chemical methods or combinations of these methods. There is ample literature concerning the biological effects of chitosans, but relatively little is known about the effects of CHOS, and the mechanisms behind observed bioactivities are generally poorly understood. This review is focused on the enzymatic production of CHOS, and on further separation and purification methods for producing well-defined mixtures and also provides an overview of some of the most promising applications of CHOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient safety has become a major concern in healthcare in many countries in recent years, as increasing quantities of evidence are generated that show the problems are far more serious than had normally been believed. Few of the interventions directed at improving patient safety have proved to be successful, and it was been argued that failures have largely been because they treated the symptoms rather then the underlying disease of inappropriate organizational and health professional cultures. There have been valid studies of patient safety in Romania, but the sparse evidence suggests the problems are more serious the in health systems that did not have the burden of centralized authority to overcome. This study was initial attempt to assess whether health professionals views reflected the apparently lower levels of patient safety in Romania. We replicated a questionnaire survey of health professionals opinions about patient safety that has been conducted in several other countries with presumed better performance and found that the results were almoust identical both overall and by health profession. This results support the hypothesis that health sector cultures differ little between countries and that opinions about patient safety are culturally determined rather then objective and value-free assessments of reality. The obvious immediate practical implication for Romania is that the focus should initially be on resolving weaknesses in culture rather then on (say) institutionalizing technical solutions such as routine reporting of adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the level of the European Union there are legislative initiatives designed to create a business environment favourable to research and innovation which promotes the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical sector. When examining the compatibility with EU law of the conditions for the retail supply of medicinal products, the Court of Justice of the European Union stated that the health and life of humans rank first among the values and interests protected by the TFEU and that Member States are responsible for deciding the level of public health protection they wish to provide and the means to be implemented to achieve this level. In this context, this article examines the evolution of the legislative process regulating the internal market for medicines to ensure a high level of protection of public health against falsified medicines. Because counterfeit medicines represent a global problem, the article aims to analyse the legislative initiatives which have been taken at EU level, taking account of the new risk profiles aimed to ensure, on the one hand, the functioning of the internal market for medicines and, on the other hand, the right of consumers to have access to safe, effective, high quality and innovative medicines. The fight against the entrance of falsified medicines in the legal supply chain without hampering the functioning of the internal market of medicines is a goal that cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but can be better achieved by the European Union, which is strongly committed to achieving a high level of protection, competitiveness and innovation in the public health field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary era, the right to health is a human right and is based on the natural rights of humans. Hence the obligation of the states to develop appropriate legislation and to implement this obligation. In other words, the social responsibility in health. Currently, in Europe there is a close collaboration between the World Health Organization, the European Union and the Council of Europe with the declared aim to support the implementation of coordinated strategies for the implementation of patient rights, the concerns in this field intensifying, mainly, with the development of Amsterdam Declaration on the Promotion of Patients' Rights in Europe, adopted in 1994. In this context, this article examines the national legal framework governing the rights, duties, responsibilities and penalties applied in the field of patient rights. This article aims to analyse how patients' rights in the European Union area are implemented and enforced in the national legislation and the role that patients play in the Romanian health system. To create a modern healthcare system, there is need for it to be cantered on patients' needs, to have dynamic and integrated structures, adaptable to the different and ever changing health needs of the society in general and of individuals in particular and which, not least, has to recognize the role of the patient as an active partner in health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety affects thinking, perception and learning and it can cause distortion of perception, reducing the power of concentration and the associative and evocative memory. Anxiety is one of the most common disorders encountered in clinical practice. Anxiety disorders have a significant impact on everyday life, causing the affected person to suffer greatly. Anxiety can be perceived as an inexplicable feeling of impending doom, as an unfounded and exaggerated concern related to everyday life or as an unjustified fear when faced with a certain situation. Benzodiazepines are medicines with the largest spectrum of action at the level of the CNS, and consequently, they are among the most prescribed medicines in this field. The dynamic evolution in the field of CNS medication led to the introduction in therapy of some groups of neuroleptics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives. A medicine can induce beneficial effects but it can also cause side effects, hence pharmacovigilance aims to monitor the safety of medicines throughout their lifecycle. Benzodiazepines are generally, well tolerated having the advantage of a high therapeutic index, but they can in some cases cause acute poisoning (suicide, accidental poisoning), drug dependence and adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the drug classes recently introduced into therapy in the second half of the 20th century, drugs with depressant action on the central nervous system are indisputably in the lead. Given the changes occurring in the daily lifestyle, as well as the stressful daily challenges and their impact on the functionality of the CNS, research and trials aimed towards combating nervous tension have led to the emergence of a drug class currently called anxiolytics. A major success in this regard was achieved by the introduction into therapy of a distinct structural group - the benzodiazepines - substances which have a specific heterocycle within their structure. Although the discovery of the first compound of this series, the chlordiazepoxide, happened accidently, a real explosion of compounds with distinct structural variety throughout the decades . Knowing the complex action range of the first compounds introduced into therapy, the results of therapeutic practice, combined with the studies of the action mechanism, made it possible to prospect a wide variety of compounds, both in terms of chemical structure and pharmacological action. The purpose of the present study is to systematize the data for the identification, dosage and analysis through modern physicochemical methods for the purpose of characterizing the structures of several benzodiazepines of pharmacological interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaloids (fr. alcali; gr eidos - aspect) has organic heterocyclic substances containing alcohol, with a vegetal origin and basic character, originating as a result of plant secondary metabolism. They give characteristic reactions and their effect on animal organisms is most often toxic. The objective of this study is represented by the systematization of data regarding natural compounds with an alkaloid structure. The paper presents the classification of alkaloids according to compound structure and the type of biosynthetic precursors. Alkaloids are obtained through extraction, identification, measurement, purification, through various physical and chemical methods. The paper also presents natural alkaloids and their actions on the human body. Through the study of pharmacologic and toxic actions, specific conclusions that limit the use of these compounds in therapy are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of the heath status of 1615 active subjects employed in the transportation network, and under periodic medical control, has revealed the presence in 6,7% of all those investigated, of digestive diseases with morphological signs, the employed in road transportation. The highest incidence was that of gastro-duodenal affections, including ulcers followed by biliary, intestinal and hepatic disturbances. With reference to the risk factors of digestive disease an important role is that of occupational stress, inadequate diets, excess alcohol use and smoking. Some preventive measures, aimed at the risk factors mentioned above, may contribute to an improvement of the health status considering the digestive disturbances of persons working in the transportation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stelian Paris11. Management of physician - patient communication One of the most important tools used in any profession is communication. Communication involves a better knowledge and use of the arts of conversation, a lot of goodwill and adaptation, it involves not only the spoken word but also what is transmitted through inflection, voice-timbre, facial expression, gestures, tics and other behavioral manifestations. The purpose of communication is understanding . 2. Research or studies on the prevalence and risk factors of digestive disorders in the transport sector. The legitimacy of patient satisfaction as an outcome measure of health care has grown considerably over the past decade. Satisfaction is considered an indicative of quality of care. Satisfaction is also being used to assess the performance of health care delivery at multiple levels - organizational (hospital, clinic, etc), unit (surgery, laboratory, radiology, etc.) and individual (physician, nurses, etc). Satisfaction might be characterized as the net result of patient expectations filtered through perceptions of the patient acquires during and after the service encounter. When a patient's health care experience exceeds his or her expectations the experience is satisfactory; when the experience falls short of expectations, the experience is unsatisfactory. One of the dimensions of patient satisfaction, that is most frequently assessed, refers at the interpersonal aspects of care. On the other hand, the most frequently studied aspect of medical care is the extent and accuracy of communication between physicians and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectopic pregnancy is a major cause of morbidity in reproductive age women. Surgical treatment was replaced recently by medical conservative treatment such as methotrexate therapy. Primary outcomes of conservative methotrexate treatment are evaluated through success and failure rates. We performed a retrospective study in two Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic Hospitals in Bucharest (Gheorghe Polizu Hospital) and Constanţa in order to compare the efficacy of methotrexate single-dose (Constanţa) versus multi-doses (Bucharest). A total of 238 patients admitted in both hospitals (137 in Bucharest and 101 in Constanţa) were treated with methotrexate. The success rate for Bucharest was 78.84%, while for Constanţa it was 76.23%. Secondary outcomes of conservative Methotrexate are represented by tubal permeability, subsequent fertility and HCG's return to a normal value. The subsequent fertility in our study is represented by intrauterine pregnancies and extrauterine pregnancies in patients treated with Methrotexate 1,6 years ago. In Bucharest intrauterine pregnancy rate was 75% and extrauterine pregnancy rate was 25%. In Constantza intrauterine pregnancy rate was 66,7% and extrauterine preganancy rate was 33,3. The subsequent fertility after Methotrexate treatment in tubal ectopic pregnancy is higher in Bucharest than in Constanţa, which suggests that multi-doses treatment is apparently superior to single dose treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the importance of the relation between a clean environment and human health in the context of the National Sustainable Development Strategy of Romania. By undertaking the national Strategy by means of the Government Decision adopted in this respect on 12 November 2008, Romania thereby responded the European objectives in the context of the processes of globalization, thus fulfilling an obligation undertaken as EU member state. The article aims to analyze Romania's long and medium term strategic vision in the field of public health, in order to reach the average performance indicators of the other EU countries and to organically integrate these concerns in the national strategies and sectoral or thematic operational programmes. For Romania, as EU member state, sustainable development is not one of the available options, but the only rational perspective of the national evolution, with the result of establishing a new paradigm of development by the conjunction of economic, social and environmental factors. In full accord with the imperatives of the exploitation of the natural capital and the improvement of the quality of people's lives, Romania must apply, simultaneously and completely, the new paradigm of sustainable development in public health as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the establishment of a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy by the adoption of Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 -- the "Marine Strategy Framework Directive", the present article examines the evolution of the development of the process of achieving sustainable development in the Black Sea Region. This article aims to present the legal instruments achieved through long-term regional cooperation, in view of the limitation of the continuous degradation of the marine environment and resources and of their sustainable use, as well as the process of harmonization of Romanian legislation with EU legislation. The legal document which aims to preserve the marine environment against pollution is the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution. Many provisions of the legislation in force only refer to pollution and do not cover other pressures exerted by the socio-economic system. The transposition of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the national legislations will provide the legal framework for the for achieving a good status of the marine environment by 2020, as well as the implementation of the community policy at the level of all the marine regions, including the Black Sea Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary age, when the right to health is part of human rights and is based on its natural rights, European countries and the European Community have addressed the rights of people who use health services. In this context, this article examines the evolution of the legislative process of affirmation of the rights of the European patient. The article aims to present the reconsideration of the patient's position in its interaction with the health system, which involves the promotion and application of new rights and obligations. Patients' rights are part of human rights and aim to promote long-term patient autonomy. These rights are often intertwined. European Charter of Patients' Rights, drafted in 2002 by the Active Citizenship Network, proclaims 14 rights. The affirmation of the patient's rights should particularly take into account citizens' right to mobility between EU countries and equal opportunities in the sense of receiving quality services in the countries of origin and in host countries and, in particular, the implementation of these rights in all countries in the European Community. In addition, the reaffirmation of these rights entails changes in everyday relations between patients and assembly consisting of specialists and health structures. At the 438th plenary session, held on 26 and 27 September 2007, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted on its own initiative an opinion on patients' rights, inviting the European Commission to take initiatives allowing the implementation of a health policy that respects patients' rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given its importance for health services, the pharmaceutical sector is subject to strict regulations. The existing regulatory framework in this area should not include unnecessary regulatory constraints restricting and limiting competition. Considering this fact, this article analyzes the existing control in competition law on the pharmaceutical market achieved at EU level. This paper aims to present the complex mechanisms of the pharmaceutical sector that have undergone a careful and consistent analysis both the European Commission and the Competition Council. The supervision of the rules governing and guaranteeing the free competition existent on the pharmaceutical market and the direct and unambiguous intervention where breaches of the regulatory framework are detected ensures the existence of a competitive environment in the pharmaceutical sector in the European Union. The regulatory framework in which economic agents in the pharmaceutical sector operate should not include constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]