Northeastern Bulgaria Research Articles

Surnames and nicknames of the Bulgarians from village Katarjyno (Znamenka) in the Odessa region

The article examines the official and non-official surnames of the village Bulgarians Katarjyno (Znamenka). The authors, based on empirical data collected, analyzed origin surnames and nicknames and use this material as a historical source. In particular, it clarifies the origin of the ancestors of the Bulgarians Katarjyno and establishes that some of them belonged to the Ottoman Empire to the military class. The populous and famous village of Katarzhino (Stalino, Krasnoznamenka, Chervonoznamenka, Znamenka) is located north of Odessa at the confluence of the Sredny and Maly Kuyalnik rivers. The extremely favorable geographic location at the intersection of the main routes from the Black Sea coast to the north of Ukraine (now the Odessa-Kiev route) and from Tavria to Moldova, bypassing the estuaries of the Podolsk (Kherson-Tiraspol), predetermined the rapid development of the village and its environs over the past two hundred years. The first Bulgarian immigrants to Parcani were close in origin to the “old” Catharians, but representatives of the second wave, who eventually began to prevail here, were already from North-EasternBulgaria. Thus, the Catharians, like the Parcanians, mainly formed from two groups of Bulgarians, but if the Catharzhans were dominated by migrants from southeastern (the subethnic group of thrones and partly rupets), then by the second − from north-eastern Bulgaria. Urrently in everyday communication nicknames are used much less frequently than in the past. Young people most often do not know their hereditarynicknames. Some Catharzhians believe that they do not have street names, but in reality, the villagers easily call the nicknames of those who live nearby. We set ourselves the task of interviewing to collect the existing street names of the village, thereby preserving this unique material for history and comparing them with the official names of their speakers. Accordingly, the corps of the official names of the Bulgarians of the villagewas assembled. An initial analysis of the collected material was also conducted.

Red deer on the move: home range size and mobility in Bulgaria

The red deer is a main game species in Bulgaria, as well as in large parts of Europe. However, its behaviour has not been studied in depth on a local scale, especially on the Balkans. This study presents the first GPS telemetry data for red deer in Bulgaria –in the Central and Eastern Balkan Mountains, the Rhodopi Mountains and the lowlands of North-eastern Bulgaria. 18 individuals (2 subadult stags, 12 adult stags and 4 adult hinds) were tracked, accumulating a total of 1159 (for males) and 1464 (for females) GPS fixes. In spite of the pronounced individual differences, all stags were more mobile (average step length/12 h = 857 m) and had larger home ranges (average HR = 7393 ha) than hinds (average HR = 2085 ha, average step length/12 h = 448 m). Three of the individuals (1 hind and 2 stags) dispersed, forming two distinct home ranges. The results from this study outline the need for detailed studies on the behavior of the species, as a vital part of its management and conservation.

Comparative analysis of the study of microclimate parameters in wooden houses in North-Eastern Bulgaria

The subject of this study are some parameters of the microclimate in wooden houses in North-Eastern Bulgaria. This is necessary to identify the most influential parameters that affect human health and effectively improve energy efficiency in modern wooden residential buildings. Internal temperature, relative humidity and air speed and fine particulate matter were measured. External temperature and relative air humidity were also measured. The research results confirm that wood is a natural thermo-protective and moisture-regulating material. The analysis proposed can be applied to all energy efficiency projects in areas with similar climatic conditions.

Famennian carbonate microfacies from the Preslavtsi-2 well (Moesian Platform, north-eastern Bulgaria)

The most representative subsurface section of the Famennian carbonate succession from the Moesian Platform in Bulgaria occurs in the R-2 Preslavtsi well. Nine microfacies types (MFTs 1–9) have been distinguished and described in the intraclastic and peloidal limestone unit and the organogenic limestone unit. They are grouped in four microfacies associations: 1) protected shallow subtidal (lagoon) (MFT 1, bioclastic-peloidal packstone/grainstone; and MFT 2, oncoidal wackestone); 2) wave-dominated shallow subtidal (MFT 3, intraclastic-peloidal grainstone and rudstone; MFT 4, oncoidal rudstone; MFT 5, peloidal-bioclastic packstone and grainstone); 3) reef (MFT 6, solenoporacean-calcimicrobial-stromatoporoid boundstone; MFT 7, crinoid-stromatoporoid floatstone); and 4) open-marine (MFT 8, bioclastic wackestone/packstone with intraclasts and peloids; and MFT 9, bioclastic wackestone and packstone). The carbonate deposits are interpreted as formed in various shallow- to open-marine environments at or above the fair-weather wave base (MFTs 1–7) and below it (MFTs 8 and 9). Most of the described microfacies are comparable with Wilson’s (1975) Standard Microfacies Types.

Seroprevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in horses: first report from Northern Bulgaria - Short communication.

Lyme borreliosis, granulocytic anaplasmosis and monocytic ehrlichiosis are well studied in humans and dogs. In horses, these diseases are not widely investigated and limited information is available about their occurrence. The purpose of this study was to present the first ELISA-based report on the seroprevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi in horses from Northern Bulgaria. A total of 192 horses were investigated from three regions in Northern Bulgaria (Northwestern, North-Central and Northeastern Bulgaria). All equine sera were tested for A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and B. burgdorferi antibodies by a commercial rapid ELISA test. Antibodies against A. phagocytophilum were found in all the three regions at a mean frequency of 12% (23/192), ranging from 9.38 to 15.63% by region. Antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. were found in horses from one region (Northeastern) at a rate of 0.5% (1/192). Anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies were detected in all the three regions with a mean frequency of 15.1% (29/192), ranging from 14.06 to 17.19% by region. A co-exposure to A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi was observed in 6.3% of the cases (12/192). This is the first report on the natural exposure of horses to these bacteria (A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and B. burgdorferi) in Northern Bulgaria.

Contribution to the taxonomy and distribution of Bupleurum boissieri, B. aequiradiatum and B. gerardi (Apiaceae) in the Balkans

Bupleurum uechtritzianum, recently described from Bulgaria, is synonymized with B. boissieri. Bupleurum boissieri, so far known for Georgia, Syria, and Turkey (Asia Minor), first becomes recognized for the Balkans (Northeastern Bulgaria and Romanian Dobrogea) and the Crimea. Bupleurum aequiradiatum, endemic to the Balkans, is reported from Romania for the first time, and is excluded from Albania and Croatia. Bupleurum gerardi does not occur in the Balkans and its records in Bulgaria belong to B. commutatum. The lectotype of B. aequiradiatum is also designated here. A dichotomous key to the Balkan representatives of Bupleurum section Juncea and close-up photographs of their diagnostic characters are provided.

The first record of genus Gryllomorpha Fieber in Romania (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllomorphinae).

Although the fauna of Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania and north-eastern Bulgaria) is relatively well studied, the discovery of a crevice cricket was quite unexpected. Described from Ukraine and known to occur in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan and possibly Uzbekistan, Gryllomorpha miramae is now recorded for the first time in Romania.

Hepatitis C virus genotype analysis in patients with chronic hepatitis in North Eastern Bulgaria

Background: The main objective of this study was to analyse the spread of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype in patients with chronic liver disease; commenting on the molecular characterization of HCV and gender and age in Varna, Bulgaria. Across Europe and the world, HCV is a significant economic concern and public health crisis. Defined by genotype variations, HCV is the leading cause of chronic liver disease, liver related morbidity, and mortality worldwide. Active examination for asymptomatic patients is essential, initiating early treatment aimed at the specific HCV genotype, effective outcomes, and reducing transmission and mortality in Bulgaria.Methods and materials: Nucleic acid extraction and amplification were performed with commercially available test kits on 115 patients blood samples collected from March 2018 to October 2018. Male (n = 58) (50.43%, 95% CI = 41.29%–59.57%) and female (n = 57) (49.57%, 95% CI = 41.29%–59.57%) samples were equally distributed (mean age = 51.4 years; SD = ±16.5 years; range = 17–87 years old).Results: Genotype 1b predominated (73%, 95% CI = 64.89%–81.11%), followed by high prevalence of 1a (13.9%, 95% CI = 7.58%–20.22%) and 3 genotypes (11.3%, 95% CI = 5.51%–17.09%). Genotypes 2 and 4 were equally the least prevalent (0.9%, 95% CI = −0.83%–2.63%). In genotype 1b, 60.7% were women and 39.3% were men; in genotype 1a, 25% were women and 75% were men; and in genotype 3, only 7.7% were women and 92.3% were men. Males were most prevalent in genotypes 1a (75%) and 3 (92.3%), while women were most prevalent in genotype 1b (60.7%).Conclusions: HCV genotype lb is the predominant variant within the epidemiological pattern of HCV genotypes in patients with chronic liver diseases in North Eastern Bulgaria.

Archaeological Evidences for the Spread of The Cause of Cyril and Methodius in North-Eastern Bulgaria

Archaeological Evidences for the Spread of The Cause of Cyril and Methodius in North-Eastern Bulgaria

Diversity and distribution of testate amoebae (Amoebozoa, Rhizaria) in reservoirs, Northeastern Bulgaria

Abstract The aim of the study is to describe the testate amoebae fauna in seven reservoirs in the Northeastern Bulgaria and to investigate the relationship of taxonomic diversity and abundance of these organisms to the some characteristics of the reservoirs. A total of 52 species, varieties and forms belonging to 15 genera were identified in the benthal of the coastal zone. There are significant differences in species richness and abundance between the testacea of different reservoirs. Number of taxa was significantly higher in the Beli Lom (29 species and 12 genera) and Loznitsa (22 species and 13 genera). Most of the reservoirs - Kara Michal, Bogdantsi, Isperih, Lipnik and Brestovene have extremely poor fauna compared to other similar reservoirs. This is confirmed by the low values of the Shannon-Weaver diversity index, which varied between 1.04 and 2.396, as well as by the other indices used to assess the environmental conditions in the reservoirs. The data of the regression analysis showed that a relation between age, surface area and water volume of the reservoirs and the species richness and abundance of testacea is not established.

Researching the Possibilities and Attitudes Towards Expanding the Professional Competences of Radiographers in North-Eastern Bulgaria

The radiographer`s profession holds a significant place among the healthcare professionals in Bulgaria. Applying the medical imaging methods and techniques, performing the nuclear medicine tests and the radiotherapy procedures would be unthinkable without the participation of highly competent radiographers. The introduction of new high-tech equipment and technologies as well as of diagnosing and treating methods pose new challenges to the radiographers who now have to adopt new knowledge and skills and to perfect their competences in order to respond to the challenges of modern healthcare. This study aims at establishing the attitudes and tendency of practicing radiographers towards expanding their professional competences in their field of practice. Documentary, sociological and statistical methods have been used. Sources related to the topic have been researched. The study presents the opinion of 182 radiographers practicing in the North-Eastern region of Bulgaria regarding the attitudes and the tendency to expand the professional competences of radiographers. The interviewees have been distributed as follows: 137 radiographers (75.27%) practicing in the field of medical imaging, 42 (23.08%) – in radiotherapy and 3 (1.65%) in the field of nuclear medicine. The data has been processed mathematically and statistically and the results have been presented as graphs. The study showed that the radiographers from all three fields of practice and within the age group 22-40 years (professional experience up to 15 years) are more willing to expand their professional competences in the field of practice but after additional training compared to the age group 40-60 years (professional experience more than 15 years) who consider the competence they already possess allows them to perform the assigned tasks and that adopting new competences would increase their work load. The data obtained from the study in terms of the field of practice is quite interesting. The radiographers practicing in the field of radiotherapy are more willing to adopt new competences compared to those practicing in the field of medical imaging and nuclear medicine. This is due to some extent to the fact that radiographers working in the field of medical imaging have to deal with more work load, often in emergency situations and this would make difficult assuming new responsibilities.

The Balkan endemics Moehringia Jankae Griseb. ex Janka and Moehringia Grisebachii Janka in Bulgaria

The aim of the study is to establish the current distribution оf Balkan endemics Moehringia jankae Griseb. ex Janka and Moehringia grisebachii Janka in Bulgaria. The routing method was used. All areas which the species inhabit according to literary sources were visited. Established were 12 populations of M. jankae and 32 populations of M. grisebachii. All established populations of M. jankae were from the Eastern Balkan Range on the territory of Sinite Kamani Natural Park. Three of the registered populations of M. grisebachii were from North-Eastern Bulgaria (Shumen region, near village Madara). Thirteen were from Sredna Gora Mts (nine on the territory of village Rozovets, two between village Rozovets and Bratan peak, two on peak Orlite and one between peak Orlite and the megalith Popova turla, rock formation along the road from village Rozovets to the rock formation Pravite kamani, the rock formation Pravite kamani, rock formations west of the megalith Pravite kamani, and one above village Pesnopoy in the area Usoykata). Nineteen were from the Eastern Balkan Range on the territory of Sinite Kamani Natural Park. Each population was assessed and the factors with negative influence were indicated.

Rubrapterus bavius from north-eastern Bulgaria and new data on its conservation status in Romania

Rubrapterus bavius from north-eastern Bulgaria and new data on its conservation status in Romania

The Role of Cytomegalovirus in Congenital and Early Postnatal Infections in Northeastern Bulgaria.

Human cytomegalovirus is a ubiquitous, large enveloped DNA β-herpesvirus that, like other herpesviruses, establishes lifelong latency following primary infection. It is the most frequent cause of congenital, neonatal and early postnatal infections with long lasting sequelae. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of cytomegalovirus among a cohort of newborns and 1-3-month-old children with neurological symptoms, physical retardation, prolonged jaundice, thrombocytopenic purpura and other disabilities. The study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of serological screening data for detection of specific anti-cytomegalovirus IgM and IgG in children from Northeastern Bulgaria. Between 2003 and 2015, average prevalences of 18.8% (95% CI: 15.4 to 22.2) for anti-CMV IgM antibodies (suggesting acute infection) and 84.7% (95% CI: 81.6 to 87.8) for anti-CMV IgG antibodies were measured in a total number of 517 samples. The prevalence rate of anti-CMV IgM in 1-3-month-old children was 4-fold higher than that in newborns [25.8% (95% CI: 21.1 to 30.5) and 6.4% (95% CI: 2.9 to 9.9, respectively]. In contrast, no significant difference was found for anti- CMV IgG positivity between newborns and 1-3-month-old infants (84% and 85%, respectively). The data obtained strongly encourage screening of pregnant women for anti-CMV IgG and IgM to avoid transmission of the infection and severe complications of congenital infection.

Work overload of nurses and midwives in Bulgarian hospitals and the need for provision of supporting care by health assistants

INTRODUCTION : Medical professionals face big problems in providing supporting care. Currently it is delivered by nurses and midwives, a huge challenge in terms of the constant work overload this kind of med­ical professionals face in Bulgaria. AIM : The aim is to explore the work overload among nurses and midwives in Bulgarian hospitals and the need for the recruitment of a separate group of additional staff - health assistants for the delivery of sup­porting care. MATERIALS AND METHODS : The study was conducted among the medical staff in nine hospitals in five cities of Northeastern Bulgaria. The total number of respondents was 463 including physicians, nurses and midwives. Data about the work overload of nurses and midwives, as well as the need for additional per­sonnel for supporting care was collected by a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS v. 19 - descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests (the Chi-square test was used for analyzing the independence of two categorical data). RESULTS : Results show that according to the medical staff, nurses and midwives are `permanently` and `frequently` overloaded with work due to the provision of supporting care for patients. There was no statistically significant relationship between `profession` and `work overload` (I‡2=9.188, p=0.163), i.e. - both nurses and midwives are considered as overloaded with work. Almost all respondents notify that med­ical orderlies also take part in delivering supporting care. Two thirds of the respondents acknowledge the need for hiring health assistants. CONCLUSION : There is an essential need for health assistants in Bulgarian health care. The new health professionals would be fully involved in providing supporting care which would improve quality of care and reduce the work overload of nurses and midwives.

Research on the sources of risk for agricultural cooperatives in Northeastern Bulgaria

Research on the sources of risk for agricultural cooperatives in Northeastern Bulgaria

Inequalities in the access to medical-diagnostic services in outpatient medical practice in Northeastern Bulgaria

Introduction Territorial inequality in health-care services is an important problem worldwide. A complete study of the correlation between the inequalities and the territorial disproportion of the health services is required, as this will ensure a scientifically based model for improvement of the access to health services. The aim of the current work is to analyze the patients` satisfaction with the territorial distribution of medical-diagnostic services and to prepare a cartogram of the observed differences in the northeastern region of Bulgaria. Material and methods Between July and September 2015 we studied 502 patients from 30 municipalities situated in Northeastern Bulgaria about their opinion for the number of accessible medical diagnostic laboratories. We also drew a visual presentation of the spatial distribution of medical diagnostic laboratories in the region. Results Laboratories in Northeastern Bulgaria are unequally distributed and mainly concentrated in the regional centers and larger towns. Accordingly, most of the patients living up to 3 km from a medical diagnostic laboratory were satisfied from the number of available labs, while people living 3-10 km apart thought that laboratories are not enough. Conclusion The main reason for health inequalities in Bulgaria is the territorial imbalance between health care units. The increased need of health care and social assistance requires new resources to provide laboratory services via mobile lab offices and home visits. A better infrastructure of the outpatient health care in Northeastern Bulgaria and new players in the lab service market will assure equal access and favorable concurrent environment.

Preference for laboratory test results notification among different healthcare players in Northeastern Bulgaria

Introduction As continuously growing number of people is using online sources for health information and services, the concept of e Health is progressively developing and is a high-priority topic for the European Union. The absence of centralized internet-based e Health platform in Bulgaria results in deficiency in the information exchange among physicians and other healthcare providers. The question about the readiness and the attitude towards e Health concept among all participants in the health care system in Bulgaria still remains to be clarified and the purpose of the current study is to assess the opinion of health care providers and consumers about the electronic way of receiving laboratory test results. We also try to explore the existing preference trend in relation to the socio-demographic characteristics of the studied population. Material and methods In the current work, we investigated the needs and recommendations of 1039 patients, laboratory stuff and out-of-hospital general practitioners in the Northeastern Bulgaria (regions Varna, Dobrich and Shumen). Results The results show that laboratory results are preferred in electronic form and there is a significant need for better online communication between different participants in the healthcare system. In this context, we also summarize a model for improvement in the interaction among healthcare providers. Conclusion The actual opportunities for online communication provoke active participation of all players in the health service market and require a novel model of communication among healthcare providers.

Epidemiological study of premature extraction of 5-6-year-old children from Northeastern Bulgaria

Primary teeth lost one or more years before the time of their physiological exfoliation are prematurely lost. The aim of this study is to show the percentage of prematurely extracted teeth of urban and rural children, the types of the prematurely lost teeth and the reasons for their early lost. Subject of monitoring of the epidemiological research were 1200 children (half of them are from urban regions and the other half are from rural areas) examined by strictly calibrated teams of dental specialists. The DMF (T+t) index is used to measure the dental health. We calculate the missing teeth associated with the age of the children. The teeth we considered as a prematurely lost, were extracted one and more years before the time of their physiological exfoliation. The percentage of the prematurely extracted teeth is 4,6. There was a statistically significant difference in the relative shares of the prematurely extracted teeth of the urban (3,67 %) and the rural children (5%). The second molars are the most often extracted primary teeth both of the rural children (61,67%) and the urban children (57,7%), followed by the first molars - 35,29% for the rural and 34,41% for the urban children. The canines are the most rarely prematurely extracted teeth - 2,49% (rural children), 7,7% (urban children). The main reason for the early teeth loss is the carious lesions - in 94,12% and only 5,89% - other reasons. This results demonstrates the connection between premature extraction of the primary teeth, carious activity and the need of prophylaxis.

The prehistoric salt-production and urban center of Provadia-Solnitsata, Northeastern Bulgaria

This contribution summarizes the main results of 10 years of archaeological research in Solnitsata, located in Northeastern Bulgaria close to the modern city of Provadia. It constitutes the first prehistoric urban center in Europe (4700‑4200 BC). Its development is closely connected with the exploitation of the so-called Mirovsko salt deposit which underlies the ancient settlement. This latter is articulated around a salt-production center, a fortified stonewall settlement (citadel), a sacrificial pit and a necropolis covering a total area of approximately 13 ha.