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Staphylococcus (S.) aureus and Pseudomonas (Ps.) aeruginosa are two of the most frequently opportunistic pathogens isolated in nosocomial infections, responsible for severe infections in immunocompromised hosts. The frequent emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains has determined the development of new strategies in order to elucidate the different mechanisms used by these bacteria at different stages of the infectious process, providing the scientists with new procedures for preventing, or at least improving, the control of S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa infections. The purpose of this study was to characterize the molecular markers of virulence in S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains isolated from different clinical specimens. We used multiplex and uniplex PCR assays to detect the genes encoding different cell-wall associated and extracellular virulence factors, in order to evaluate potential associations between the presence of putative virulence genes and the outcome of infections caused by these bacteria. Our results demonstrate that all the studied S. aureus and Ps. aeruginosa strains synthesize the majority of the investigated virulence determinants, probably responsible for different types of infections.

The present study focuses on dental education in the Accession Countries to the European Union. Comparisons were made with data from EU dental schools [Eur J Dent Educ 1 (1997) 35]. The findings show a large variation in the hours allocated to individual subjects, medical and dental, both within and between AC and EU dental schools. Stomatology derived from General Medicine and the stomatologist is viewed as a doctor responsible for one part of the body. This was explained by the large proportion of time dedicated to medical subjects, especially in the first 2/3 years of the undergraduate curriculum. The percentage of hours for dental sciences varied inversely to those for bio-medical sciences and increase continuously from the first year to the final year. Curricula in the Stomatological schools tend to have a discipline-structured approach, generally utilising a large number of individual departments, resulting in a multitude of subjects being taught. Curricular extensions from 5 to 6 years were introduced in some schools from 1990 onwards in order to accommodate new dental subjects.

Inequalities within dentistry are common and are reflected in wide differences in the levels of oral health and the standard of care available both within and between countries and communities. Furthermore there are patients, particularly those with special treatment needs, who do not have the same access to dental services as the general public. The dental school should aim to recruit students from varied backgrounds into all areas covered by the oral healthcare team and to train students to treat the full spectrum of patients including those with special needs. It is essential, however, that the dental student achieves a high standard of clinical competence and this cannot be gained by treating only those patients with low expectations for care. Balancing these aspects of clinical education is difficult. Research is an important stimulus to better teaching and better clinical care. It is recognized that dental school staff should be active in research, teaching, clinical work and frequently administration. Maintaining a balance between the commitments to clinical care, teaching and research while also taking account of underserved areas in each of these categories is a difficult challenge but one that has to be met to a high degree in a successful, modern dental school.

Microbial and opportunistic pathogens cause serious problem to human host by releasing different compounds which are involved in colonization, invasion or in alteration of immune process. In this study we propose ourselves to analyze the virulence profile of microorganisms involved in urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis in order to compare the virulence mechanisms developed by these microorganisms. We assessed the virulence profile (motility, adhesion to HeLa cell line, biofilm formation, production of enzymes, antibiotic susceptibility) using phenotypic methods. The microbial strains isolated from urinary tract infections present a high ability to release amylases, caseinase, siderophore-like, half of them have present high motility and also were highly resistant to antibiotics, while the microbial strains isolated from bacterial vaginosis present a high ability to bind human epithelial cells and to release hemolyzin and DN-ase.

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Background and Objectives: Oral health values are an indicator of how people decide their priorities for oral health—an integral part of general health. The purpose of the study was the validation of the Oral Health Values Scale (OHVS), which measures the extent to which individuals invest in their oral health and which includes four factors: Professional dental care, Appearance, Flossing, and Retention of teeth. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of adults (n = 869; Mean age = 32.98) who completed the online questionnaire set. The OHVS was translated into Romanian through the forward-backward translation procedure. The construct validity was assessed through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) based on the maximum likelihood estimation method. The convergent validity was assessed by associating the OHVS with scales that evaluate the oral health quality of life (OHIP-14), the attitude towards one’s dentist (R-DBS), oral self-care (DNS), and general health literacy (GHL). The internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω. Results: The CFA supports the four-factor model of the scale. The OHVS total score and its subscales are negatively associated with the impact of oral health on the quality of life (except for the Appearance subscale) and with a distrust in the dentist’s treatments; they are positively associated with oral self-care and general health literacy. The gender difference shows females have higher scores on all four subscales. The internal consistency is good for Appearance, Flossing, and the OHVS total score, but weak for Professional dental care and Retention. Conclusions: OHVS is a valid instrument in the Romanian context that can enrich the set of tools that contribute to oral health research, especially in epidemiological studies.