Moderate exercise may prevent the development of severe forms of COVID-19, whereas high-intensity exercise may result in the opposite.

Sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 independently of other factors. There is enough statistics to show that exercise prevents severe forms of COVID-19, but current recommendations do not set an upper limit for exercise intensity. The hypothesis presented in the paper states that intense exercise, through blood hypoxia, increases the expression of transmembrane angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (tACE2) in the vascular endothelium, increasing the risk of developing serious forms of disease, especially in the untrained. On the other hand, moderate-intensity exercise increases the blood concentration of soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) which has a protective role for SARS-CoV-2 infection and may prevent complications. The importance of this hypothesis consists in the revision of COVID-19 prophylaxis programs through physical exercises, with the possibility of administration of antioxidants to speed up the adaptation of vascular endothelial cells to exertion.

MITOCHONDRIAL MYOPATHY: A NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACH.

Restoration of deoxyribonucleic acid in mitochondrial myopathies may occur after a mechanical or chemical injury of striated muscle or by endurance training. Therapies with enzymes, gene therapies, or treatments with substances that stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis are used at the moment. Genesis of mitochondria may also come from myonuclei by releasing the nuclear respiratory factor-1/2 during muscle contractions. Multiplying of myonuclei depends on muscle satellite cell activation. Since the electromyostimulation increase the number of circulating stem cells that may participate in the genesis of new muscle fibers (adding to the deposit of specific stem cells of the muscle), and intermittent hypoxia stimulates the proliferation of muscle satellite cells, we propose to combine the two processes for the treatment of mitochondrial myopathies. Respective combined therapy may be useful for restoring damaged mitochondria by drug side effects.

Hair follicles stimulation effects of gelatin nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles.

In the present work we studied gelatin nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles of 14 +/- 6 nm mean diameter, prepared by electrospinning. The electrospinnable solution was obtained by drop-wise adding a AgNO3/acetic acid solution to gelatin which had previously been dissolved in a mixture of formic acid and acetic acid. The silver metallic nanoparticles were formed due to the reducing action of the formic acid. The resulted material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Subcutaneous implants in rabbits demonstrated that the gelatin nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles were resorbed with no inflammatory reactions. An increased number of secondary hair follicles developed in tissue regions close to implants, suggesting the existence of a stimulation effect of silver nanoparticles on hair follicles.

[Food intake patterns in a mentally disabled children's community]. / Aspecte ale aportului alimentar intr-o colectivitate de copii cu handicap mental.

AIM: To asses the food intake in a closed community of mentally disabled school children. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The dietary survey was performed according to the ongoing romanian regulations, taking into account 11 food groups. RESULTS: Each of the four dietary surveys showed that certain food groups are present in the diet in very small quantities (such as fish, milk, animal fat, eggs, fruits) and other are present in excess (potatoes, cereals, oils, dry vegetables), not regarding the season of the dietary survey. Even if the energy requirements are met, there is no interest in providing the children with a balanced diet. CONCLUSION: Changes are needed in order to improve the food intake patterns and a more carefully menu planning is required.