Rahela Carpa

Babeş-Bolyai University | UBB · Faculty of Biology and Geology

Composites based on polylactic acid (PLA) and copper for food packaging applications were obtained. Copper clusters were synthesized in polyethylene glycols 400 and 600, respectively, using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent, by reactive milling. Copper clusters were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT...

Considered as the most frequent contaminations that do not require hospitalization, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are largely known to cause significant personal burdens on patients. Although UTIs overall are highly preventable health issues, the recourse to antibiotics as drug treatments for these infections is a worryingly spread approach that...

The study evaluated the impact of graphene powders used as additives in the recipe of the experimental lime mortar to a mixture ratio of 1:2.5 of NHL3.5 hydraulic lime:fine sand. The content of binder, aggregate and water was kept constant, varying only the amount and the type of the added additives in relation to the amount of natural hydraulic li...

The species Salix alba L. and Salix purpurea L. are medicinal herbs, frequently used in the pharmaceutical industry. This study performs phytochemical and antibacterial analysis of ethanolic extracts from the bark of these two species. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses were performed by thin-layer chromatography identifying th...

As a consequence of global demographic challenges, both the artificial and the natural environment are increasingly impacted by contaminants of emerging concern, such as bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which anthropogenic contamination contributes to the spread o...

Chemoautotroph bacteria have evolved symbiosis with different organisms, invertebrates in particular, allowing them, among other, to colonize new habitats that are extreme for most animals. In this work we aim to detect if a symbiosis occurs between sulfur-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Thiothrix and microcrustaceans especially groundwater cyclopo...

Despite being promoted as ‘green’ energy, hydropower plants have a strong negative impact on the environment mainly due to irreversible habitat alterations and species loss. The situation is even worse when small and medium plants are constructed in nature protected areas, established with the goal to safeguard species and habitats of community imp...

Plant genome editing tools as Zinc-Finger Nucleases (ZFNs), Trans Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) associated with Cas proteins are offering new possibilities for crop improvement and new insights for functional genomics. In this review, we discuss (i) the new findin...

Plant genome editing tools as Zinc-Finger Nucleases (ZFNs), Trans Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) associated with Cas proteins are offering new possibilities for crop improvement and new insights for functional genomics. In this review, we discuss (i) the new finding...

This review proposes a comparative effectiveness analysis of the benefits and harms of alternative technologies applied in oral health care. Many innovative technologies have been introduced in oral hygiene oriented to personalize brushing routines and provide brushing feedback. Built-in smart sensors enhance the performance of toothbrushes in term...

By-products from the meat and dairy industries are important sources of high biological value proteins. This paper explores possibilities for improving the swelling and integrity of a cross-linked whey and gelatin hydrogel with different amounts of CuSO4 × 5H2O. Overall, swelling tests demonstrate that cross-linked samples show a better hydration c...

The expanding antibiotic resistance is becoming a global health and environmental phenomenon. Multiple technologies have been advanced to help to control this phenomenon. One of these, hydrogel production, could prove to be particularly useful in these biological challenges through the development of antimicrobial hydrogels. The most promising stra...

In this study, the biological activities of four extracts from Vitis vinifera by-products: two pomace extracts, white (WPE) and red (RPE), a canes extract (CE), and their combination (CoE), were evaluated, to be included in freeze-drying mouthwashes formulations. The cytocompatibility and anticancerous potential of the four extracts were tested on...

Antibiotic resistance has increased significantly in the recent years, and has become a global problem for human health and the environment. As a result, several technologies for the controlling of health-care associated infections have been developed over the years. Thus, the most recent findings in hydrogel fabrication, particularly antimicrobial...

The use of PDT in prosthodontics as a disinfection protocol can eradicate bacteria from tooth surfaces by causing the death of the microorganisms to which the photosensitizer binds, absorbing the energy of laser light during irradiation. The aim of the study was to investigate the capacity of PDT to increase the bond strength of full ceramic restor...

Various powders of graphene oxide (GO), GO with silver (GO-Ag) and zinc oxide (GO-ZnO) were obtained. The powders were silanized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) aiming to be used, in a future stage, as additives in the hydraulic lime mortars composition. The powders were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) a...

Mud volcanoes (MVs) are naturally occurring hydrocarbon hotbeds with continuous methane discharge, contributing to global warming. They host microbial communities adapted to hydrocarbon oxidation. Given their research value, MVs still represent a niche topic in microbiology and are neglected by hydrocarbon-oriented research. All the data regarding...

The growing interest in the appearance and color of teeth has led to the emergence of a wide range of teeth whitening methods, both in dental offices and in patients’ homes. Concerns about the possible side effects or toxic effects of peroxide-based whitening gels leads to the identification of alternative whitening methods, based on natural compou...

In recent years, the development of solid cosmetics, as part of sustainable cosmetics strategy, is generating increasing interest. In addition, novel approaches such as Quality by Design concept allowed the development of high-quality products together with a decrease in waste generation. The present study aimed the development of freeze-dried mout...

Being frequently exposed to foreign nucleic acids, bacteria and archaea have developed an ingenious adaptive defense system, called CRISPR-Cas. The system is composed of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) array, together with CRISPR (cas)-associated genes. This system consists of a complex machinery that integrat...

There is a plurality of studies highlighting the beneficial properties of blackcurrant, especially the anti-oxidant ones. These are mainly due to phenols, of which anthocyanins and flavonoids stand out, yet the mechanisms by which the active substances in blackcurrant act are not fully understood. Blackcurrant extract has a complex biochemical comp...

(1) Background: Poor hygiene and denture presence in the oral cavity are factors that favor bacterial accumulation, the cause of halitosis and of various oral and general diseases. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of inactivating bacteria associated with halitosis in acrylic denture wearers using polymethyl methacrylate resin enhan...

The phytochemical analysis of Vinca minor, V. herbacea, V. major, and V. major var. variegata leaf extracts showed species-dependent antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects correlated with the identified phytoconstituents. Vincamine was present in V. minor, V. major, and V. major var. variegata, while V. minor had the richest alkaloid con...

Choosing appropriate designs and methods for monitoring crop growth is a challenging process of major importance. Remote sensing from space and manned or unmanned airborne operations are used to measure crop reflectance and a wide variety of other agricultural parameters. While some experiments use only a few, specific methods and designs and organ...

Selection and dissemination of resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) require a deeper understanding since antibiotics are permanently released to the environment. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the phenotypic resistance of 499 isolates of Pseudomonas spp. from urban water sources, and the prevalence of 20 ARGs withi...

Physical alterations across the Romanian Carpathians have resulted in an ecocide in the form of the hydromophological disruption of n early every river. The primary cause has been two historical waves of hydropower development. Collectively, these projects were undertaken without consideration for their cumulative impact. Only one, small, ecologica...

Chapter 5 — Rivers in Romania are affected by hydropower development. Hydropower building yards have a negative ecological impact, although projects have been abandoned and have never reached the operational stage. The most famous example is the hydropower project in the Jiu Gorge National Park. Apart from this site, the study describes the impact...

In the near past the use of herbs for health enhanced and scientists are studying new anti-microbial phytochemicals. Although plants have a wide variety of secondary metabolites, very few are still used as antimicrobial. This study performes phytochemical and antibacterial analysis of ethanolic extracts from Berberis vulgaris and Berberis aquifoliu...

The aim of this study was characterization of some dairy drinks based on Milk Serum regarding major whey proteins (WP) and free amino acids (FAAs) using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) methods. The studied WP, -lactalbumin (-La), bovine serum albumin (BSA), -lactoglobulin A (-Lg A) and -lactoglobulin B (-Lg B) were...

The blackcurrant is known as a crop plant in Europe from the 16th century. Its fruits, rich in carbohydrates, fatty acids, proteins and mineral substances, are used to prepare juice, syrup, jelly or marmalade. The fruits have a general tonic, vitaminizing and remineralizing effect, being recommended in cases of overwork, in anemic conditions, in ca...

Objective The study evaluates the effect of adding graphene-Ag nanoparticles (G-AgNp) to a PMMA auto-polymerizing resin, with focus on antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, monomer release, and mechanical properties. Materials and methods Auto-polymerizing acrylic resin (M) was loaded with 1 wt% G-AgNp (P1) and 2 wt% G-AgNp (P2). Methyl methacryla...

The novelty of this study consists on the formulation and evaluation of five complex experimental natural photosensitizers (PS): gel with oregano essential oil (O), gel with methylene blue (AM), gel with a mixture of essential oils (Thieves-H), gel with arnica oil and curcuma extract (CU) and gel with frankincense essential oil (T), used as photose...

In this study, the comparative testing of the antimicrobial efficacy of 2 experimental photosensitizers (PS-H; PS-T) based on natural compounds with a commercial one based on toluidine blue O (TBO) FotoSan® was performed, by antimicrobial tests with G- and G+ bacterial strains and through SEM microscopy on dental enamel, using LED phototherapy. For...

In the present study it was investigated the chemical and microbiological quality of eight private wells located in Lazuri village (Satu Mare County – NW of Romania). A total of 48 samples were collected during six sampling campaigns (April, June, July, October, November and December 2018). The investigated physicochemical parameters were pH, redox...

Winery industry by-products have a great reuse potential in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields due to their bioactive compounds. This study investigates the phytochemical profile and the bioactivity ofVitis vinifera variety Feteasca neagra tendrils extract (TE) and leaves extract (LE), intended to be used in oral hygiene products recommended in...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Microbiological analyses are performed to check the quality of reprocessing procedures and represent a regular instrument of quality control in gastrointestinal endoscopy. They help detecting and redressing the possible flaws of the reprocessing procedure, thus preventing the transmission of germs through endoscopy. In this paper the effectiveness...

A mud volcano (MV) is a naturally hydrocarbon-spiked environment, as indicated by the presence of various quantities of PAHs and aromatic isotopic shifts in its sediments. Recurrent expulsion of various hydrocarbons consolidates the growth of hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial communities in the areas around MVs. In addition to the widely-known availabi...

The aim of this paper was to assess the microbial activity and detection of some enzymes from soils of mountain zones in order to understand the complex processes that occur in these habitats. The sampling sites are located in three zones from the Făgăraș Mountains (woodside, forest and grassland). Six soil samples from these zones were subjected t...

Salt tolerance mechanisms of halophyte Petrosimonia triandra, growing in its natural habitat in Cluj County, Romania, were investigated via biomass, growth parameters, water status, ion content, photosynthetic and antioxidative system efficiency, proline accumulation and lipid degradation. Two sampling sites with different soil electrical conductiv...

Different soil samples from five tilled areas of Jibou (Salaj County, Romania) have been physico-chemically and enzymologically studied. Several physico-chemical parameters of tilled soil from these sulphurous areas were determined: pH, conductivity, humus and different mineral ion contents. Also, in the soil samples, the following enzymatic activi...

Microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, archaea and cyanobacteria, are capable of colonizing on surfaces of a wide range of materials and could cause the biodeterioration of these, particularly the walls of historical buildings exposed to changing environmental conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity, pH and sunlight. The deterioration...

In 2016, out of 1207 hemocultures from patients at Sibiu county emergency hospital, 7% were infected with Staphylococcus, identifying more cases in the months with higher temperatures. Elderly people were mostly affected, regardless of gender. Due to nosocomial infections, 64% of staphylococci were MRS and they came from the surgical section of the...

Cellulases production involving alternative substrates has been intensely researched, because it offers perspectives for falling the production costs of enzyme production, cost which are a major obstacle for the development of this field. The concentration, turnout, effectiveness of the enzyme production depends on what the culture medium consists...

In the near past the use of herbs for health enhanced and scientists are studying new anti-microbial phytochemicals. Although plants have a wide variety of secondary metabolites, very few are still used as antimicrobial. This study performes phytochemical and antibacterial analysis of ethanolic extracts from Berberis vulgaris and Berberis aquifoliu...

Mud volcanoes represent related formations, which have structural and functional similarities and can be found on land and in undersea zones. Mud volcanoes are different from other geological forms by their capacity to expell different forms of materia (gas, water and sediment) and the relatively violent kind of performing it. The sizes of mud volc...

It is well-known that the most frequent cause of the degradation of heritage buildings is related to the presence of water because all the traditional materials used, are more or less porous and constitute the support of water migration in the form of salt solutions. In order to establish the technological solution for control humidity, it is extre...

Sulphur is the fourth major essential nutrient element, after nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, involved in biogeochemical cycles in nature. Sulphur is essential in all organisms because it is an integral part of major metabolic compounds, such as amino acids (methionine and cysteine), and it is an active component of numerous co-factors and pros...

Silicate-based biomaterials play an important role in formulations applied in medicine. Graphene oxide-SiO2 (GO-SiO2) and reduced graphene oxide-SiO2 (rGO-SiO2) composites were prepared by a two-step (chemical and thermal) method. Hydroxyapatite-SiO2 (HA-SiO2) and thermally treated (900 °C) hydroxyapatite-SiO2 (tHA-SiO2) composites were obtained by...

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrates producing Azotobacter strains were isolated from zones with heterogenous environmental conditions from Romanian Carpathians and Transylvanian Plateau: alpine, karstic and xeric meadows and flood plain. These strains were grown on Azotobacter specific media with different carbon sources (mannitol and sucrose). In order to ass...

Galium verum essential oil (EO) loaded gelatin hydrogel was prepared by microwave-assisted polymerization method. FT-IR analysis indicated no chemical interaction between the hydrogel matrix and EO. Good swelling behavior, increased thermo- and mechanical- properties was attributed to the synergistic effects of the secondary structure of gelatin af...

Salvia officinalis essential oil loaded gelatin hydrogels with improved antibacterial activity and enhanced stability was prepared by microwave-assisted polymerization method. FT-IR spectra indicated no chemical interaction between the hydrogel matrix and the essential oil functional groups. According to the swelling studies, enhanced stability in...

Salty soil samples from three zones of Cojocna (Cluj county, Romania) have been investigated physico-chemically and enzymologically. Rizosphere of some halophytes were investigated in order to assess saline stress on bacterial enzyme activities and halophytes adaptation mechanisms to enhanced salt content. Several physico-chemical parameters of sal...

Datura stramonium is an annual plant which belongs to the Solanaceae family. Datura stramonium is also a toxic plant, with toxicity given by the presence of alkaloids hyoscyamine, atropine and scopolamine.This study performs phytochemical and antibacterial analysis of ethanolic extracts from Datura stramonium. Fresh plants have been used in order t...

The occurrence and spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance are subjects of great interest, and the role of wastewater treatment plants has been attracting particular interest. These stations are a reservoir of bacteria, have a large range of organic and inorganic substances, and the amount of bacteria released into the environment is very high. T...