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DNA damage accounts for most biological effects of ionizing radiation. Antioxidants are known for their protective effect by preventing DNA damage. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the potential radioprotective effect of Natural SOD®, a green barley juice rich in antioxidants, on DNA damage in the testes and lymphocytes of Wistar rats exposed to ionizing radiation. Male Wistar rats (n = 15) were selected and equally divided into three groups. Rats in one of the groups were pretreated orally with Natural SOD® for 14 days, while rats in another group were sham-pretreated with saline solution. Rats in both these groups were afterwards subjected to a single dose of 6 Gy X-ray whole-body irradiation. The control group did not receive any treatment and was not irradiated. Shortly after X-ray exposure, all rats were sacrificed and testes and blood were collected. Gamma-H2AX and histopathological assessment in the testes, along with comet assay of lymphocytes were performed. Histopathological examination of the testes showed no significant architectural alterations. Immunofluorescent staining of γ-H2AX revealed more DNA double-strand break sites in testicular cells from sham animals compared to Natural SOD® pretreated rats. Alkaline comet assay results showed increased DNA damage in lymphocytes of irradiated rats compared to the control group with little differences between the pretreated groups. Animals pretreated with Natural SOD showed slightly reduced DNA damage compared to sham-pretreated rats. These findings suggest a potential protective effect of Natural SOD® against radiation-induced DNA damage. Natural SOD® exhibited a potential prophylactic radioprotective effect in rats, particularly in testes. Further investigations to determine medium and long-term effects of X-ray in animals administered Natural SOD® are needed to better estimate the radioprotective effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pandemia COVID-19, determinată de noul coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, demonstrează variabilitatea evolutivă, atât din punct de vedere al severităţii, cât și al formelor de manifestare clinică. Prezentăm cazul unui pacient tânăr, fără comorbidităţi cronice, cu o infecţie respiratorie febrilă și modificări imagistice compatibile cu infecţia COVID-19, asociată cu manifestări dermatologice și neurologice. Testul RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 a rămas negativ la două determinări succesive, dar testele serologice efectuate în convalescenţă au evidenţiat IgG anticoronavirus, indicând această etiologie. În concluzie, imagistica pulmonară, coroborată cu manifestările clinice și datele epidemiologice, poate susţine diagnosticul infecţiei COVID-19, deși confirmarea necesită RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2. Utilizarea testelor serologice pentru diagnostic, în cazurile cu suspiciune clinică ridicată și rezultate RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 negative, permite creșterea ratei de identificare a infecţiilor acute, contribuind și la limitarea răspândirii infecţiei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic COVID-19, consecutive of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, reveals large variability, both in terms of severity and forms of clinical manifestation. We present the case of a young patient, with respiratory syndrome associated with fever, dermatological and neurological manifestations, related to imaging features compatible with COVID-19 infection. The test RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 remained negative in two distinct samples, but convalescent serological tests were positive for IgG-coronavirus, suggesting this etiology. In conclusion, pulmonary imaging, corroborated with clinical manifestations and epidemiological data, could disclose the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, although RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 is the standard test for confirmation. The use of serological tests for diagnosis should be used in cases with high clinical suspicion and negative RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 results, in order to increase the identification rate of acute infections and to limit the spread of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at identifying species of fresh water fish that could be used for creating locally innovated technological recipes. Therefore, 6 new technological recipes were obtained, which were subjected to analysis for the gravimetric composition of the fish species used, the nutrient composition and microbiology of the locally obtained cans and their preservation over time, depending on the preservation factors that were used. The test results show that the recipes that used lemon sauce, lemon, white wine sauce, mustard sauce, as well as the recipe subsequently preserved by smoking, were most appreciated from sensory point of view. In terms of preservation, all the recipes are kept in refrigeration conditions at 0...2°C for 15 days, and the recipes subject to the smoking treatment were kept up to 30 days under optimal conditions. The cans produced were extremely appreciated by consumers due to the fact that scientific nutrition currently recommends a high use of fish products. The research was conducted with the support of a fishing company (certified natural person) under the Research/consultancy agreement entitled "Research on the study of fresh and canned fish-based food products and the influence of the nutrients on the consumers' health in the North-Eastern Region". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased contribution of vegetable fibres limits the indirect carcinogenic action of other nutrition principles. The research carried out in 17 world countries revealed that colon neoplasm is reversely proportionate to the use of cereals and their derivatives. The mechanisms via which the low use of vegetable fibres favours colon cancer are manifold: it decreases the speed of the intestinal transit, it increases the ratio of anaerobic microbial flora, it reduces the capacity to metabolise biliary acids. Therefore, the use of flours with high-degree of extraction, rich in insoluble fibres and containing less soluble fibres, facilitates consumer's digestion by producing an extended state of satiation; due to the reduction of the food intakes, the risk of obesity also decreases. Flours with a lower extraction degree and farinaceous products obtained from them negatively impact digestion by hydrating fibres, creating short-chain fatty acids in the colon, which ferment soluble fibres. This generates the low ratio of mineral salts and vitamins, the farinaceous products being food partially devitalised of valuable nutrients. The experiments carried out revealed the following results: the total vegetable fibres in wheat and wheat grits (for samples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) was between 10.6% and 44%, for rye and rye cake the values ranged from 11.5% to 11.73%, and for oat the value was 4.15%. For flours obtained from wheat, the total content of vegetable was: 3.25% for white wheat flour T650, 9.57% for whole-wheat flour. Regarding the types of white bread, the ratio of vegetable fibres was 2.51%, and, respectively, 8.47% for whole-wheat bread. The experiments conducted reveal that the sample 6, with grit granulation, has a high content of dietary fibres, namely 10.6%, of which non-cellulosic polysaccharides 6.27%, cellulose 3.48%, and lignin 0.85%, and that it can be used with good results in the technological process, having a hydration capacity of 84.46%. Therefore, by increasing the content of vegetable fibres from 3.25% in the white flour to 10.6% in the flour with dietary fibres obtained, we can optimise the quality of the farinaceous products with no added exogenous substances (food additives), and also improve the anti-carcinogenic potential of these farinaceous products. The research was conducted by using the resources of the processing company under the Research/consultancy agreement entitled "Research on the innovation of new farinaceous products rich in nutrients and recommended in the diets for preventing and fighting against certain metabolic disorders". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]