BANCASSURANCE – MAIN INSURANCE DISTRIBUTION AND SALE CHANNEL IN EUROPE

Before the emergence of the crisis, banks’ incomes were preponderantly oriented towards the lending activity, which activity is unsustainable in these circumstances. With the financial crisis, banks have diversified revenues and identified the benefits of sustainable partnerships with insurance institutions (the bancassurance), achieving convergence towards common platforms. The driving factor of the bancassurance system must also be sought in the common need of banks and insurance companies to optimize the structure and efficiency of the distribution channels. Thus, if credit institutions seek to obtain additional revenue by capitalizing the potential of regional networks, initially configured based on own marketing policies, insurance companies are interested in diversifying without significant capital investment, the traditional distribution methods, so that the products and services offered have access to a large number of potential customer

The Romanians’ Ideals of Liberalism and Nationality in 1918

The goal of the present paper is to show how both in the autumn of 1918 and before the Union of Transylvania with Romania on 1 December 1918, liberalism and nationalism steered the course of the Romanian nation in Transylvania as it entered the modern era. Romanians had accumulated democratic experience over several decades, with effective results in managing ecclesiastical, educational, cultural, social and economic problems. In the autumn of 1918, when the Great War was nearing its end and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was on the brink of breaking apart, they were able to assume the responsibility of detaching Transylvania from Hungary and providing fair and efficient governance in a province that had been devastated by 4 years of war and was now on the verge of collapse. Our attempt at reconstructing the destiny of the church and of Romanian civil society in the process of laying the democratic foundations of the Union of 1918 has revealed the complex political, economic and social transformations of the Habsburg monarchy from the 1848 revolution to the First World War. Rezumat: Liberalism şi naţionalitate la români în anul 1918. Scopul acestui articol este acela de arăta cum în toamna anului 1918, dar şi în deceniile anterioare Unirii, liberalismul şi naţionalismul au jalonat parcursul naţiunii române din Transilvania în epoca modernă. Prin urmare, românii au acumulat o experienţă democratică pe parcursul mai multor decenii, cu rezultate eficiente în gestionarea problemelor bisericeşti, şcolare, culturale, sociale şi economice. Ei au fost capabili în toamna anului 1918, când Marele Război era spre final iar Imperiul Austro-Ungar la un pas de dezmembrare, să îşi asume responsabilitatea desprinderii Transilvaniei de Ungaria şi a guvernării eficiente şi corecte a unei provincii devastate de patru ani de război şi aflată în pragul colapsului. Demersul nostru de a restitui, într-o încercare sintetică, destinul bisericii şi al societăţii civile în prepararea democratică a societăţii româneşti pentru Unirea de la 1918 a relevat complexitatea transformărilor politice, economice şi sociale din monarhia habsburgică între revoluţia de la 1848 şi Primul Război Mondial. Cuvinte-cheie: Imperiul Austro-Ungar, Transilvania, societate civilă românească, liberalism şi naţionalism

The Origins of Avram Iancu’s High Brow “Heroization”: Iosif Vulcan and the Journal “Familia” (1867–1872)

The present article relies on two papers by the two different authors. The former paper was a talk given in Alba Iulia, at the National Congress of Romanian Historians, in September 2022, by Floarea Pop, the latter was a speech held during the Cluj Academic Days, in October 2022 by Ioan Bolovan. In our opinion, Avram Iancu’s “heroization” was initiated by the Romanian intellectual milieus of the second half of the nineteenth century. Iosif Vulcan and the journal Familia greatly contributed to the creation of the revolutionary leader’s image as a National Hero. Rezumat: Acest articol se bazează pe două lucrări ale celor doi autori diferiţi. Prima lucrare a fost o intervenţie susţinută la Alba Iulia, la Congresul Naţional al Istoricilor din România, în septembrie 2022, de Floarea Pop, cea din urmă a fost o intervenţie în cadrul Zilelor Academice ale Clujului, în octombrie 2022 de Ioan Bolovan. În opinia noastră, „eroizarea” lui Avram Iancu a fost iniţiată de mediile intelectuale româneşti din a doua jumătate a secolului al XIX-lea. Iosif Vulcan şi revista Familia au contribuit foarte mult la crearea imaginii liderului revoluţionar de Erou Naţional. Cuvinte-cheie: Avram Iancu, erou naţional, Iosif Vulcan, revista Familia Article: history; Received: 29.09.2023; Revised: 03.11.2023 Accepted: 16.12.2023; Available online: 30.01.202

Permissive and Restricted Virus Infection of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells

Recent RNA interference (RNAi) studies have identified many host proteins that modulate virus infection, but small interfering RNA 'off-target' effects and the use of transformed cell lines limit their conclusiveness. As murine embryonic stem (mES) cells can be genetically modified and resources exist where many and eventually all known mouse genes are insertionally inactivated, it was reasoned that mES cells would provide a useful alternative to RNAi screens. Beyond allowing investigation of host-pathogen interactions in vitro, mES cells have the potential to differentiate into other primary cell types, as well as being used to generate knockout mice for in vivo studies. However, mES cells are poorly characterized for virus infection. To investigate whether ES cells can be used to explore host-virus interactions, this study characterized the responses of mES cells following infection by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and influenza A virus. HSV-1 replicated lytically in mES cells, although mES cells were less permissive than most other cell types tested. Influenza virus was able to enter mES cells and express some viral proteins, but the replication cycle was incomplete and no infectious virus was produced. Knockdown of the host protein AHCYL1 in mES cells reduced HSV-1 replication, showing the potential for using mES cells to study host-virus interactions. Transcriptional profiling, however, indicated the lack of an efficient innate immune response in these cells. mES cells may thus be useful to identify host proteins that play a role in virus replication, but they are not suitable to determine factors that are involved in innate host defence

SPORTS ACTIVITIES SPONSORSHIP

Sports and economy have discovered each other, hoping to serve common interests. In view of transferring in a more efficient way the information about their products or services to consumers, the business operator finances sports activities for advertising purposes. A company involved in sports sponsorship can instantly transmit the message about its products to millions of potential buyers, thus increasing the market share and hence the profit that it generates. By sponsoring sport it is meant any agreement / convention, under which one party the sponsor makes available to the beneficiary the material resources, financial and / or other benefits in exchange for its association with a sport or sportsman and especially the promise to use this association with sport or sportsman for the purpose of advertising, especially TV advertising. The growing use of athletes as spokespersons for a product is largely due to the ability of athletes to attract public attention and the credibility they enjoy

The relationship between myotonometry parameters and spinal mobility in ankylosing spondylitis patients included in a physical exercise program

Studies showed that the mechanical properties of spinal muscles in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) differ from healthy controls; the continued disease duration alters elasticity and stiffness. Our research focused on analyzing the myotonometry parameters of the longissimus capitis and lumbar erector spinae muscles and spinal mobility in AS patients who followed an 8-week physical exercise program. 34 AS patients were evaluatedevaluated at the beginning of the physical exercise program and after 8 weeks by MyotonPRO (the device measures frequency, stiffness, decrement, relaxation time, and creep) and cervical and lumbar spine assessments. Significantly higher frequency was noted for right and left longissimus capitis muscle after rehabilitation. We recorded statistically significant decreasedstiffness and higher decrement for the right lumbar erector spinae muscle at the second assessment. After the physical exercise program, the cervical spine range of motionmotion improved significantly for all the tested movements. The Schober test had significantly increased values, while the finger-to-floor test decreased significantly. Significant correlations were noted between stiffness and right lumbar rotation and right lumbar lateral flexion at both baseline and 8-week assessments. Improvements in cervical and lumbar spinal motions can be analyzed in relation to mechanical muscles properties in AS pa-tients who have followed a physical exercise program

Asymptomatic CMV infections in long-term renal transplant recipients are associated with the loss of FcRγ from LIR-1+ NK cells

While it is established that cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease affects NK-cell profiles, the functional consequences of asymptomatic CMV replication are unclear. Here, we characterize NK cells in clinically stable renal transplant recipients (RTRs; n = 48) >2 years after transplantation. RTRs and age-matched controls (n = 32) were stratified by their CMV serostatus and the presence of measurable CMV DNA. CMV antibody or CMV DNA influenced expression of NKG2C, LIR-1, NKp30, NKp46, and FcRγ, a signaling adaptor molecule, on CD56dim NK cells. Phenotypic changes ascribed to CMV were clearer in RTRs than in control subjects and affected NK-cell function as assessed by TNF-α and CD107a expression. The most active NK cells were FcRγ–LIR-1+NKG2C– and displayed high antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity responses in the presence of immobilized CMV glycoprotein B reactive antibody. However, perforin levels in supernatants from RTRs with active CMV replication were low. Overall we demonstrate that CMV can be reactivated in symptom-free renal transplant recipients, affecting the phenotypic, and functional profiles of NK cells. Continuous exposure to CMV may maintain and expand NK cells that lack FcRγ but express LIR-1

The Role of Nitric Oxide in Mycobacterial Infections

Although tuberculosis poses a significant health threat to the global population, it is a challenge to develop new and effective therapeutic strategies. Nitric oxide (NO) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) are important in innate immune responses to various intracellular bacterial infections, including mycobacterial infections. It is generally recognized that reactive nitrogen intermediates play an effective role in host defense mechanisms against tuberculosis. In a murine model of tuberculosis, NO plays a crucial role in antimycobacterial activity; however, it is controversial whether NO is critically involved in host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans. Here, we review the roles of NO in host defense against murine and human tuberculosis. We also discuss the specific roles of NO in the central nervous system and lung epithelial cells during mycobacterial infection. A greater understanding of these defense mechanisms in human tuberculosis will aid in the development of new strategies for the treatment of disease

Human cytomegalovirus elicits fetal γδ T cell responses in utero

The fetus and infant are highly susceptible to viral infections. Several viruses, including human cytomegalovirus (CMV), cause more severe disease in early life compared with later life. It is generally accepted that this is a result of the immaturity of the immune system. γδ T cells are unconventional T cells that can react rapidly upon activation and show major histocompatibility complex–unrestricted activity. We show that upon CMV infection in utero, fetal γδ T cells expand and become differentiated. The expansion was restricted to Vγ9-negative γδ T cells, irrespective of their Vδ chain expression. Differentiated γδ T cells expressed high levels of IFN-γ, transcription factors T-bet and eomes, natural killer receptors, and cytotoxic mediators. CMV infection induced a striking enrichment of a public Vγ8Vδ1-TCR, containing the germline-encoded complementary-determining-region-3 (CDR3) δ1–CALGELGDDKLIF/CDR3γ8–CATWDTTGWFKIF. Public Vγ8Vδ1-TCR–expressing cell clones produced IFN-γ upon coincubation with CMV-infected target cells in a TCR/CD3-dependent manner and showed antiviral activity. Differentiated γδ T cells and public Vγ8Vδ1-TCR were detected as early as after 21 wk of gestation. Our results indicate that functional fetal γδ T cell responses can be generated during development in utero and suggest that this T cell subset could participate in antiviral defense in early life

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is a Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial neural invasion, but is subsequently dispensable for transmission within and between neurons of the mammalian nervous system. These findings indicate that the deubiquitinase contributes to neurovirulence by participating in a previously unrecognized initial step in neuroinvasion