Publications by authors named "Alexandra Dreanca"

Article Synopsis
  • Zootoxins, from venomous and poisonous species, are a significant concern for companion animals and livestock in Europe, though data on incidence is scarce.
  • The review highlights key zootoxins from native European species like the common toad and vipers, noting their clinical effects and the challenges in tracking poisoning cases due to a lack of centralized reporting.
  • Climate change and human influence are increasing the emergence of zootoxin-related poisonings, making it essential for veterinary professionals and pet owners to stay informed as new and native species continue to pose risks.
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In spite of its well-known nephrotoxicity, gentamicin is nonetheless routinely used in humans and animals. However, no adjuvant treatments have been implemented to mitigate this harmful effect. Given this concern, medicinal plants represent a significant reservoir of natural antioxidants that could potentially reduce the renal oxidative stress induced by gentamicin.

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Exposure to phytotoxins that are present in imported ornamental or native plants is an important cause of animal disease. Factors such as animal behaviors (especially indoor pets), climate change, and an increase in the global market for household and ornamental plants led to the appearance of new, previously unreported plant poisonings in Europe. This has resulted in an increase in the incidence of rarely reported intoxications.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bone scaffolds must be biocompatible and possess properties such as osteoinduction, osteoconductivity, angiogenesis, and mechanical support to enhance cell growth while avoiding inflammation.
  • Gold and silver nanoparticles integrated into bioactive glasses within biopolymer composites have shown promise in promoting bone regeneration through successful testing on cell lines and in a Sprague-Dawley rat model.
  • The composites demonstrated positive biological effects on fibroblast and osteoblast cells without causing cell death, promoting new bone formation after 60 days, with the presence of an apatite layer indicating their bioactivity.
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Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, and due to the numerous limitations of current treatment methods, there is an urgent need to develop novel approaches for both the prevention and treatment of malignant melanoma, with research-oriented bioactive substances representing a notable first step. The current study decided to expand on previous rhodoxanthin research by investigating the possible anti-tumor effect as well as the effect on the antioxidant status in the case of murine melanoma in an experimental model. The 21-day study was carried out on female C57BL/6J mice.

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This study aims to investigate the effect of new natural photosensitizers (PS) (based on oregano essential oil, curcuma extract, and arnica oil) through in vitro cytotoxicity and biological tests in rat-induced periodontal disease, treated with photodynamic therapy (aPDT). The cytotoxicity of PS was performed on human dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells (dMSCs) and human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines. Periodontal disease was induced by ligation of the first mandibular molar of 25 rats, which were divided into 5 groups: control group, periodontitis group, Curcuma and aPDT-treated group, oregano and aPDT-treated group, and aPDT group.

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Wound healing is a highly dynamic process and innovative therapeutic approaches are currently developed to address challenges of providing optimal wound care. In this study, phosphate-based glasses in the (CuO) ·(KPO ) ·(ZnO) ·(Ag O) system (CuKPO ZnAg), with different CuO/ KPO ratios were prepared by melt-quenching technique. Constant Cu concentrations were released from the samples during immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF), while Zn concentrations were slightly decreased over time.

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Biomaterials based on bioactive glass with gold nanoparticle composites have many applications in tissue engineering due to their tissue regeneration and angiogenesis capacities. The objectives of the study were to develop new composites using bioactive glass with gold nanospheres (BGAuSP) and gold nanocages (BGAuIND), individually introduced in alginate-pullulan (Alg-Pll) polymer, to evaluate their biocompatibility potential, and to compare the obtained results with those achieved when β-tricalcium phosphate-hydroxyapatite (βTCP/HA) replaced the BG. The novel composites underwent structural and morphological characterization followed by in vitro viability testing on fibroblast and osteoblast cell lines.

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The main objective of this research is to demonstrate the biocompatibility of two experimental graphene dental materials by in vitro and in vivo tests for applications in dentistry. The novel graphene dental materials, including one restorative composite and one dental cement, were subjected to cytotoxicity and implantation tests by using a rat model of a non-critical mandibular defect. In vitro cytotoxicity induced by materials on human dental follicle stem cells (restorative composite) and dysplastic oral keratinocytes (dental cement) was investigated at 37 °C for 24 h.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study tested scaffolds made of alginate-pullulan-bioactive glass-ceramic with different amounts of copper oxide in rats to see how well they could heal bone defects.
  • - Results showed significant bone healing after 5 weeks, with the best results (37% new bone formation) coming from the scaffolds with 1.5 mol % copper oxide.
  • - Overall, both scaffold types promoted new bone growth, indicating that these composite materials have strong potential for use in tissue engineering.
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Composites based on sodium alginate, pullulan, and bioactive SiO -CaO-P O glass-ceramics with copper oxide were prepared as capsules. The obtained samples were structurally characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their bioactivity and biocompatibility properties were also tested both in vitro and in vivo by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The fibroblast and osteoblast cell viability assays have shown good proliferation rates for all investigated samples, whereas all composites exhibited a good in vivo tolerance.

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