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The social role of peri-urban forests is diversifying, and this implies that peri-urban forests are redesigned to meet and shape social demands. A key challenge is the integration of the social demands for green spaces with the maintenance of key ecosystem structures and processes as well as the biodiversity of the green spaces. In this study, we report our experience and insights gathered through the implementation of a project targeting a peri-urban forest development near the city of Cluj-Napoca. One key particularity of the project was that it was designed by the city hall in cooperation with a major NGO, and the academic sector joined the project in its second stage, with the aim of mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity within a well-established design concept. After comprehensively assessing the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the targeted forest, we found that the ecosystem supply was strongly related to the tree stand structure and the forestry management from the past decades. The public expressed concerns related to the parts of the established development design, which included built structures, artificial lights, toilets, and paved roads, perceiving that these actions will negatively influence the natural environment. We present the modifications undertaken in the project design after the public consultation and deliberation within the implementation team. An anonymous internal evaluation of the implementation team shows appreciation for the human and professional interactions and the resulting innovation and learning opportunities. To improve interdisciplinary collaborations, there is a need for a good institutional support and financial reward, transparency, and good communication within the team. At the end of the “Discussion” section, we present the insights gathered from this interdisciplinary experience in order to guide further similar projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

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Ovarian cancer is responsible for 1-2% of all childhood malignancies, in children up to 85% of ovarian malignancies are histologically found to be germ cell tumors. Yolk sac tumors are the second most common subtype of germ cell tumors, they are aggressive rapidly growing and with frequent metastasis to other organs, and associated with elevated levels of alpha-fetoprotein. We present the case of an 11-year-old girl that was admitted to our hospital for abdominal pain, and a large abdominal tumor that occupied the whole hypogastric region of the abdomen. MRI showed a right ovarian tumor; tumor markers were obtained prior to surgery. Histological diagnosis of ovarian Yolk Sac Tumor was made and the patient was scheduled for chemotherapy. The patient and family interrupted all medical treatment and follow-up, presenting 5 months later, with recurrence on the contralateral ovary. Even if the ovarian yolk sac tumor has a good survival rate, the delay in starting chemotherapy and lack of compliance to treatment can give it a poor prognosis, and lead to recurrence or metastasis.

" The presence of the Izvorul Crisului local territorial administrative unit (commune), in the western part of the Transylvanian Depression, not far from its border with the Apuseni Mountains, implies the existence of various natural hazardous processes. Their manifestation, in the presence of anthropic components and their activities and goods, determines their hazard attributes. Of the possible natural hazards (geological, geomorphological, atmospheric, hydrological, biological, etc.), only the geomorphological, hydrological, and meteorological ones will be addressed in this paper. The presence of these natural processes may cause material damage and victims, for this it is necessary to know their magnitude. Thus, the present study aims to identify the potential hazards which exist in the Izvorul Crisului administrative unit and to assess the susceptibility to these natural processes. To achieve this objective, specific maps will be made, which finally, beside the supporting role for the analysis of natural processes, will become tools for the management of these conditions, tools to reduce the induced risks."