Invasive Fungal Infection in Romania: Changing Incidence and Epidemiology During Six Years of Surveillance in a Tertiary Hospital

The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence of candidemia, the trend of species distribution and the antifungal susceptibility patterns of all invasive strains of Candida spp. isolated over a 6-year period in an Eastern European University hospital. A total number of 156 isolates were reidentified by MALDI-TOF and tested for susceptibility by Sensititre^TM YeastOne?. Isolates were assigned as non-susceptible or belonging to the wild type according to the new CLSI (2017, 2018) break points and epidemiological cut-off values. C. parapsilosis (37.82%) was the most frequently isolated yeast, followed by C. albicans (26.28%). The general tendency of the species distribution during the surveyed period shifted towards an increase in C. parapsilosis and C. lusitaniae isolates. Fluconazole resistance was present in 23.52% of C. glabrata, 5.08% of C. parapsilosis and in none of the C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. lusitaniae isolates. Echinocandin resistance was present only in 1(5.88%) C. glabrata isolate. The study emphasises the importance of monitoring local epidemiologic data and antifungal susceptibility trends due to the diversity of affected patient groups in our hospital.     

Are semi-aquatic bugs (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) indicators of hydrological stability of permanent ponds?

The composition of semi-aquatic bug communities from eight permanent ponds from southern Transylvania was investigated between 2001 and 2004. Three of the ponds were sampled repeatedly throughout the active period of the year, while the other five were sampled only once. Microvelia reticulata (Burmeister, 1835) and Gerris argentatus Schummel, 1832 were the dominant species from the thoroughly investigated habitats. Statistical analysis proved that each of the sampled species has specific habitat preferences in relation to the modifications of the hydrological regime of the ponds (reflected by the modifications of open water areas, station sizes, and percentages of vegetation coverage). The results, obtained from the three habitats investigated throughout the active period, were confirmed by the samples taken from the other five habitats opening the discussion about the use of semi-aquatic bug communities as bioindicators of the hydrological regime for permanent ponds.     

XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and risk of acute myeloid leukemia in a Romanian population

Background

DNA repair systems have a critical role in maintaining the genome integrity and stability. DNA repair gene polymorphisms may influence the capacity to repair DNA damage, and thus lead to an increased cancer susceptibility. X-ray repair cross-complementing groups 3 (XRCC3), a DNA repair gene, may be involved in acute myeloid leukemia susceptibility. The objective of the current study was to investigate the association of Thr241Met polymorphism of XRCC3 gene with the risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Methods

This study included 78 AML patients and 121 healthy individuals without cancer. We used polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay to determine XRCC3 genotypes.

Results

The XRCC3 variant genotype (Thr/Met+Met/Met) was more frequent in AML patients than in healthy controls (OR = 2.76, 95% CI: 1.52-4.98, P = 0.001). Our study revealed a statistically significant association between variant genotype (Thr/Met+Met/Met) and AML de novo compared to secondary AML (P = 0.007). No significant associations were found between any genotype and age at diagnosis, number of white blood cells and subtype of AML. Overall survival of patients with Thr/Thr genotype was better than those of variant Thr/Met and Met/Met genotypes.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism may be a genetic risk factor for AML, particularly in male patients with de novo AML from the central part of Romania.     

Similarities between predator mite populations (Acari: Gamasina) from natural forests in the Bucegi Massif,Romania

Ecological research of gamasid mites was carried out in three natural forest ecosystems with Picea abies (1350 m a.s.l.), Abies alba (950–1000 m a.s.l.) and Fagus sylvatica (1200 m a.s.l.) situated in the Bucegi Massif, Southern Carpathians, Romania during 2001–2003. In the studied forest ecosystems, the taxonomic structure of gamasids was represented by 11 families (Epicriidae, Parasitidae, Veigaiidae, Ameroseiidae, Aceosejidae, Rhodacaridae, Macrochelidae, Pachylaelapidae, Laelapidae, Eviphididae and Zerconidae), with 39 genera and 97 species. The maximum number of species was recorded in the ecosystem with Abies alba (80), followed by the ecosystem with Fagus sylvatica (73), while the minimum in the ecosystem with Picea abies (68). 2,016 samples, 97 species with 23,441 individuals were analysed. In order to show similarities between predator mite populations from these areas, the vegetation and some abiotic parameters of the soil (temperature, humidity, pH) were analysed and described. Similarities between gamasid mite populations from the investigated ecosystems were analysed using the Jaccard index (q). The highest similarity index (q = 0.706) was recorded between gamasids identified in Picea abies and Abies alba forests, at soil level, in comparison with those from Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica forests (q = 0.656). Based on the similarity index, it is discussed that the gamasid population structure was influenced by the type of soil, the specific composition of the herbaceous, shrub and tree layers, the microclimatic factors, all characteristic for each studied ecosystem.     

Early Cell Fate Decisions of Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells Are Controlled by the Same Signalling Pathways

Human embryonic stem cells have unique value for regenerative medicine, as they are capable of differentiating into a broad variety of cell types. Therefore, defining the signalling pathways that control early cell fate decisions of pluripotent stem cells represents a major task. Moreover, modelling the early steps of embryonic development in vitro may provide the best approach to produce cell types with native properties. Here, we analysed the function of key developmental growth factors such as Activin, FGF and BMP in the control of early cell fate decisions of human pluripotent stem cells. This analysis resulted in the development and validation of chemically defined culture conditions for achieving specification of human embryonic stem cells into neuroectoderm, mesendoderm and into extra-embryonic tissues. Importantly, these defined culture conditions are devoid of factors that could obscure analysis of developmental mechanisms or render the resulting tissues incompatible with future clinical applications. Importantly, the growth factor roles defined using these culture conditions similarly drove differentiation of mouse epiblast stem cells derived from post implantation embryos, thereby reinforcing the hypothesis that epiblast stem cells share a common embryonic identity with human pluripotent stem cells. Therefore the defined growth factor conditions described here represent an essential step toward the production of mature cell types from pluripotent stem cells in conditions fully compatible with clinical use ant also provide a general approach for modelling the early steps of mammalian embryonic development.