Balneotherapy, treating diseases by bathing in mineral-rich waters and mud, has a long historical application across various cultures. Despite its widespread use, comprehensive studies on its biological impacts are scant, particularly in quantifying effects at the cellular and systemic levels. This study aims to rigorously investigate the biological effects of therapeutic mud and mineral waters, providing a scientific basis for their clinical application. We focused on elucidating the mechanisms behind the observed therapeutic effects and determining these natural resources' safety profiles. Employing a dual approach, we conducted both in vitro and in vivo studies. For the in vitro experiments, human fibroblast cells were treated with different concentrations of mud extracts to assess cytotoxicity, proliferation, and apoptosis pathways. For the in vivo assessments, Wistar rats were exposed to mud and mineral water treatments, with subsequent evaluations of biochemical markers in blood and urine indicative of systemic physiological changes. Our findings reveal that mud extracts exert a dose-dependent influence on cell viability, with low concentrations promoting cellular proliferation while higher concentrations induce apoptosis. In vivo treatments demonstrated significant modulation of inflammatory markers and oxidative stress parameters without evident systemic toxicity. The therapeutic mud and mineral waters demonstrate pronounced biological effects, enhancing cellular health and modulating systemic physiological responses without adverse side effects.

Primary fibroblast cultures obtained from Wistar rats were investigated with a focus on two vital physiological mechanisms: inflammatory processes and oxidative stress balance. These are believed to be affected by mud and sulfurous natural mineral waters, forming the fundamental biological basis for understanding the therapeutic effects of these substances. Existing scientific research highlights that various cell types, including fibroblasts, are recruited during inflammation. These cells respond to a wide array of intercellular and microenvironmental signals, leading to a regulated production of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. Examples include cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, as well as chemokines and enzymes like cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. Together, these play vital roles in modulating the inflammatory response.

In this study, we investigated mineral water's therapeutic and prophylactic effects from springs 1 and 1 bis in Slanic Moldova, focusing on identifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for these effects. We collected water samples from these springs and analyzed their chemical composition using various analytical techniques. In addition, we tested the effects of water on cell viability using primary fibroblasts in culture and performed MTT assays to assess the metabolic activity of the cells. Our results indicate that water from both springs has beneficial properties on cells, including improving cell viability and stimulating metabolic activity. This suggests that the mineral water from springs 1 and 1 bis could have therapeutic and prophylactic potential due to its unique chemical composition. Our study could contribute to developing new mineral water-based therapies for various health conditions.

Background. An active molecule in sulfurous mineral - therapeutic waters and also in sapropelic mud is H2S, a hormetic gaseous molecule that can actively penetrate the skin. While high levels of H2S are extremely toxic, low levels are tolerated and have potential cytoprotective effects, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant applications. Objective. This systematic review aims to rigorously select related articles and identify within their content the main possible uses of hydrogen sulfide from balneary sources and to explain its physiological mechanisms and therapeutic properties. Methods. To elaborate our systematic review, we have searched for relevant open access articles in 6 international databases: Cochrane , Elsevier , NCBI/PubMed , NCBI/PMC , PEDro , and ISI Web of Knowledge/Science , published from January 2016 until July 2021. The contextually quested keywords combinations/ syntaxes used are specified on this page. The eligible articles were analyzed in detail regarding pathologies addressed by hydrogen sulfide. All articles with any design (reviews, randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies), if eligible according to the above-mentioned selection methodology, containing in the title the selected combinations, were included in the analysis. Articles were excluded in the second phase if they did not reach the relevance criterion.Results. Our search identified, first, 291 articles. After eliminating the duplicates and non-ISI articles, remained 121 papers. In the second phase, we applied a PEDro selection filter, resulting in 108 articles that passed the relevance criterion and were included in this systematic review.Conclusions. H2S biology and medical relevance are not fully understood and used adequately for sanogenic or medical purposes. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and importance of this therapeutic gase. The link between balneotherapy and medical rehabilitation regarding the usage of hydrogen sulfide emphasises the unity for this medical speciality.

Thematic Areas Balneology - Natural Therapeutic Factors Mineral waters - food and therapeutic factor Peloids Climate Thalassa Gases (Mofettes, Solphatares) Salt mines and caves Healthy Lifestyle · Healthy ageing · Balneoclimatology, Fitness and Wellness Ethical and Legal issues Public Health and Health Management / in RMFB Balneo Tourism Destinations Marketing Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine in: Neurological & Communicational pathology Musculoskeletal pathology Pediatric pathology Geriatric pathology Respiratory pathology Cardiovascular pathology Physio - / Kinesiotherapy Mechatronic / Robotic interventions for medical rehabilitation Holistic Integrative Interventions Education and Scientific Research Miscellaneous

Introduction. Thalassotherapy has many aspects in common with thermalism or balneotherapy but also some distinctive characteristics. Balneology has a long European and Asian tradition and Romania can be the cornerstone of international bridges in this area due to its geographical position, legendary tradition and extraordinary natural resources of all kind. Each Balneary Resort begins its story with the discovery of natural factors whose therapeutical value has been clinically and experimentally proven by scientific personalities of that time. (1). Material and method. This article is a systematic and summarizing review of all published articles related to the thalassotherapy and thermal medicine subject found in Web of Science Core Collection. The methodological work is focused on the development of a bibliometric study of the literature generated regarding “thalassotherapy” therm. The analysis process followed integrates the use of descriptive-quantitative statistical techniques, which constitute a series of bibiliometric indicators that allow explore the research dynamics followed so far by the scientific community. These bibliometric indicators are numerical data that enable the analysis of diverse features of the scientific activity, linked both to the production and consumption of information and are based on the so-called “bibliometric laws”. Results and discussions. Analyzing an article database can be of real impact on the development of the field of Thalassotherapy but also can drive the future implications in the scientific arena. Conclusions. In balneary tourism, the importance of researching natural resources is essential for the development of a balneary resort promotion plan, thus providing information on the therapeutic properties of natural factors, their contribution to our health and the biological mechanisms by which they act on our body.

Introduction. Balneology has a long European and Asian tradition and Romania can be the cornerstone of international bridges in this area due to its geographical position, legendary tradition and extraordinary natural resources of all kind. The use of thermal and mineral springs on the territory of the country for health and treatment purposes is a tradition with a history of more than two thousand years. Unique spa resources, such as thermal and mineral springs, mud, mofettes, saline microclimate and bioclimate (sedative or relaxing, exciting of marine seaside or plains, stimulant or tonic), are used successfully in the sphere of health care services, preventive medical actions, rehabilitation and wellness. Legend of Hercule bathing in Cerna's waters is a proof of the use of thermal waters long before the Roman conquest. This tradition exists in almost all civilizations. Today it maintains its usefulness and is spread across all continents, mainly in the Middle East and South and East Europe, Asia (Middle East, Japan, China, Turkey), South America (Argentina, Mexico, Colombia) and North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia) (244-249). Material and method. This article is a sistematic and summarizing review of all published articles by Balneo Research Journal in its ten years of existence, from november 2010 until September 2019. All the ten volumes and more than 250 articles were analized in order to understand the main thematic of the articles, the more usefull scientific concepts, the realistic benefits of the published articles for the development of Balneology. Results and discussions. Analizing an article database of about 250 publised articles in Balneo Research Journal can be of real impact on the development of the field of Balneology but also can drive the future of the jurnal to better understand its implications in the scientific arena. Conclusions. Main scientific concepts with which Balneology is operating, interdisciplinary connections and interests were focused on ideas to have in mind by the authors and readers of this article.

The new criteria of evaluation show the impressive leap registered on the therapy with natural cure factors, from the crisis periods when there were no solid scientific substantiation, the methodology used being based more likely on the empiricism, to the multiple studies and scientific examinations which proved the efficiency of therapeutic and rehabilitation cures for different groups of diseases, based on a complex methodology. The modern evaluation of the health, the welfare, and the quality of life imposes the continuation and development of scientific study for the establishment of action mechanisms and curative effects of the natural therapeutic factors. There are considered as a priority the studies on the methodology and effects of "health cures", which represent the most important domain of the primary prophylaxis of the major diseases from the pathology related to the life style of civilization from the new millennium. The experimental study design on cell cultures allows the direct biological evaluation at the cellular level, of the therapeutic effect that natural factors can play over the organism. Techniques for obtaining cell cultures requires a complex and laborious task that starts from live tissue sampling, continuous with isolation of cells and their preparation for sowing a culture plate. This preparation involves mechanical and enzymatic action from the researcher on biological material. Derived cell cultures are monitored morphologically by high-performance inverted biological microscope, with video camera for image acquisition. In the final stage, the cells are scraped, and through biochemical and molecular techniques, the therapeutic efficiency hypothesis of the investigated natural factor is verified experimentally. The cell cultures can be crioconservated in special containers with liquid nitrogen.

"To be forever young doesn't mean to be 20. It means to be optimist, to feel good, to have an ideal to fight for and to achieve it" said Prof. Ana Aslan. Human ageing and longevity are complex and multi-factorial traits that result from a combination of environmental, genetic, epigenetic and stochastic factors. Ageing refers to the time sequential deterioration - including weaness, susceptibility to disease, loss of mobility and agility.

Demographic imbalance pyramids and strong growth of the population aged over 65 years are a serious challenge for the humankind [1,2,5,9] and the scientific community is called to respond to these challenges by maintaining the health of the elderly population to benefit from the positive role and experience that these people may have as emphasized also in the Healthy People 2020 program [4]. In this context, the development of bio-medical social programs for the elderly should be a priority of the government sector. In scientific terms is impetuous necessary to identify the relevant biomarkers of aging, to reveal biological targets upon which the medical act to be possible, resulting in a favorable adjustment of these mechanisms for decreasing aging rate, preventing the development of pathological processes or aging complications and giving individuals a positive social role [2]. Currently, health is understood as the removal of diseases in a defensive manner to the pathological process and with higher costs. Would be more effective the maintenance of health through prevention mechanisms identified by modern science [2,6]. The study of the mechanisms by which various natural or health factors can influence positively or negatively the aging process opens the path to design and obtain new products for the benefit of elderly people to maintain health for a long time and so to have socially active and positive role for others. Modern biotechnology allows today obtaining effective geroprotectors with medical use by which we can achieve the searched healthy-aging effect [2.12]. Analysis of numerous theories of aging [2,3] highlights several paradigm shifts of the researchers concerned with this area as a consequence of gradually scientific and technological development of the process [2]. Scientific research proposed for evaluation of the new therapeutic products will help to increase the knowledge in the field of geriatrics and gerontology, areas where Romania has played an essential role in the discovery of Gerovital by Professor Ana Aslan. If early theories of aging were centered at the level of organ dysfunction or systemic level of the body, the current theories see dysfunction of the cellular and molecular mechanisms [10]. Such modern approach reduced the differences between the existing theories on the mechanism of aging, emphasizing their complementary elements, but at the moment there is no integrative theory for post-reproductive ontogenetic development that can explain all the processes involved in the multiplicity aspects of aging [10] Post-reproductive ontogenetic concept based on synergistic and antagonistic interactions of genetic and phylogenetic processes involved in reproduction and development involves a reorganization of the regulatory developed evolutionary processes and ensures the body adaptation to internal and external factors, after reproductive function consumption. Thus, correction and rescheduling particular functions comes as a compensation to loss or damage of other

Demographic imbalance pyramids and strong growth of the population aged over 65 years are a serious challenge for the humankind [1,2,5,9] and the scientific community is called to respond to these challenges by maintaining the health of the elderly population to benefit from the positive role and experience that these people may have as emphasized also in the Healthy People 2020 program [4]. In this context, the development of bio-medical social programs for the elderly should be a priority of the government sector. In scientific terms is impetuous necessary to identify the relevant biomarkers of aging, to reveal biological targets upon which the medical act to be possible, resulting in a favorable adjustment of these mechanisms for decreasing aging rate, preventing the development of pathological processes or aging complications and giving individuals a positive social role [2].

Metabolic syndrome (syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome) is a complex of metabolic disturbances that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Entity includes: dyslipidemia (altered lipid profile, with increasing levels of serum triglycerides and low serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, which promotes the development of atherosclerosis), high blood sugar (diabetes type II) or increased insulin resistance, hypertension, abdominal obesity syndrome, proinflammatory, prothrombotic syndrome. In the last 20 years, there was a continuous increase in individuals suffering from this syndrome, the cause remains unknown, but several studies also claim that it is a complex interaction between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors. Of environmental factors, diet low in micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium seems to be an essential contributor element (Feldsein et al, 2007, Cidalia Pereira et al, 2011). Decreased intake of sodium and increased intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium, proposed by Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - DASH diet (Van Leer et al 1995, Meigl et al 2008) leads to optimized blood pressure. Even in the absence of increased sodium intake, low levels of magnesium in the blood and cells can induce in some conditions, hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance or completely metabolic syndrom.Among the methods proposed to correct dietary intake of micronutrients, natural mineral water, often very complex in terms of chemical composition and versatile in terms of the intended effect is one handy, safe and simple.Although used in order to preserve the health from ancient times, scientific studies proving natural mineral water effects on the human body takes place only since the twentieth century. Carbonated mineral waters are the result of deep water filtering through volcanic soils, which contain CO2, carbon dioxide, thus obtained, will help dissolve other elements contained in the soil layers through which water, like calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, chlorides, ATC bromides, so finally carbonated water will have a complex and varied composition.

Demographic imbalance pyramids and strong growth of the population aged over 65 years are a serious challenge for the humankind [1,2,5,9] and the scientific community is called to respond to these challenges by maintaining the health of the elderly population to benefit from the positive role and experience that these people may have as emphasized also in the Healthy People 2020 program [4]. In this context, the development of bio-medical social programs for the elderly should be a priority of the government sector. In scientific terms is impetuous necessary to identify the relevant biomarkers of aging, to reveal biological targets upon which the medical act to be possible, resulting in a favorable adjustment of these mechanisms for decreasing aging rate, preventing the development of pathological processes or aging complications and giving individuals a positive social role [2].

Speleotherapy – a special kind of climatotherapy, uses the certain conditions of caves and salt mines to cure several diseases, especially respiratory and skin diseases. Atmospheric dust could cause allergic reactions or asthmatic attacks.The cave air is very low on dust. This fact reduces any kind of irritation. In this way, the symptoms of the diseases are reduced or eliminated completely, while the patient is in the cave. But that does not explain how it should have a longer lasting effect. Curing asthma involves spending 2-3 hours a day underground in subterranean caves or salt mines over a 1-2 month period. An old study describes a speleotherapy course, which was 4 hours a day for 6-8 weeks, with 100 COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and asthma patients and reported improvement that lasted 6 months to 7 years (Skulimowski, 1965). Our objectives were to explore the effects of speleotherapy on cellular morphology and physiology of pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts obtained from tissues of Wistar rats, in normal and Ovalbumin challenged, “asthmatic” conditions. 60 Wistar rats of 75-100 g weight were divided in two lots: control and ovalbumin challenged animals. Ten animals of each lot were send to Cacica, Turda and Dej Salt Mine for 14 days and maintained in the salt mine medium, as in speleotherapy treatment. Pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts cultures were prepared from Wistar rat lung and respectively dermal tissue. Trying to identify the biological mechanisms of speleotherapy, our experimental design was made for cell morphology, physiology and biochemical evaluation of cells in cultures obtained from animals that were treated by speleotherapy. The complex picture of results was analysed and explained through biological mechanisms comparing to the control cell cultures obtained from healthy, untreated Wistar rats. In this article we describe the supposed biological mechanisms that explain the protective effects of speleotherapy. Conclusion: Speleotherapy induces changes on the morphology and protein expression of pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts in vitro, and these changes by comparing with ovalbumin sensitised animals, supports the beneficial effects of speleotherapy.

This article is the initial step of a new project oriented to develop new strategies of evaluating the functional status of an organism in connection with age and discovering new remedies to reduce the rate of aging. Evaluating 38 parameters from 100 patients ranging in age from 20 to 80 years permits to see that the average value of all parameters is correlated with age. This finding will be translated in a new modeling methodology for aging based on an index constructed with this value.

Demographic imbalance pyramids and strong growth of the population aged over 65 years are a serious challenge for the humankind [1,2,5,9] and the scientific community is called to respond to these challenges by maintaining the health of the elderly population to benefit from the positive role and experience that these people may have as emphasized also in the Healthy People 2020 program [4].In this context, the development of bio-medical social programs for the elderly should be a priority of the government sector.In scientific terms is impetuous necessary to identify the relevant biomarkers of aging, to reveal biological targets upon which the medical act to be possible, resulting in a favorable adjustment of these mechanisms for decreasing aging rate, preventing the development of pathological processes or aging complications and giving individuals a positive social role [2].

Research in balneology must be connected to diagnostic tools and paraclinical evaluation of biological status of an organism treated by balneotherapy for various diseases. Using a natural therapeutic factor to treat a certain medical problem has to be substantiated by positive changes in biological parameters of the organism that stand as arguments for the therapeutic property of that natural therapeutic factor. Looking to the results of a study, which evaluates paraclinical parameters as terms for a mathematical matrix, and interpreting the global picture as a mathematic function helps to be objective in recommending a natural therapeutic factor in a specific pathology. Within the system biology framework, using an array of paraclinical parameters changes to evaluate the biological status is of great importance in our research regarding the role in our health status of natural mineral waters. For disease diagnostic and monitoring purposes, using a tool system that gives probabilistic outcomes and quantitative results that could be readily interpreted in biological terms represent an ideally methodical system to argue the effects of mineral water ingestion (Ellis et all, 2007). Experiments can be performed on samples from laboratory animals of the species Wistar rats bred under standard conditions, the cage groups were in adequate numbers so as not to disturb the observation of each animal, temperature 21 - 22oC, humidity: minimum 30% - maximum 70%, delighting, conventional diet.