The Main Changes in Pregnancy—Therapeutic Approach to Musculoskeletal Pain

Background and Objectives: During pregnancy, women undergo various physiological and anatomical changes that are accentuated as the pregnancy progresses, but return to their previous state a few weeks/months after the pregnancy. However, a targeted therapeutic approach is needed. Most of the time, during this period, these changes precipitate the appearance of pain, musculoskeletal pain being the most common. Pregnant women should avoid treating musculoskeletal pain with medication and should choose alternative and complementary methods. Exercise along with rest is the basis for treating chronic musculoskeletal pain. Side effects of physical therapy are rare and, in addition, it is not contraindicated in pregnant women. The benefits of this type of treatment in combating pain far outweigh the risks, being an easy way to improve quality of life. The objective of this article is to discuss the management of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, to identify the main musculoskeletal pain encountered in pregnant women along with drug treatment, and to expose the beneficial effects of alternative and complementary methods in combating pain. Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted using medical databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, using the keywords “changes of pregnancy”, “musculoskeletal pain”, “pregnancy pain”, “pain management”, “pharmacological approach”, “alternative and complementary treatment” and specific sites. Information was collected from studies whose target population included pregnant women who complained of musculoskeletal pain during the 9 months of pregnancy; pregnant women with other pathologies that could increase their pain were not included in this review. Results: The articles related to the most common non-obstetric musculoskeletal pain in pregnancy along with pharmacological treatment options and alternative and complementary methods for musculoskeletal pain management during pregnancy were selected. Conclusions: The results were used to guide information towards the safest methods of therapy but also to raise awareness of the treatment criteria in order to compare the effectiveness of existing methods. Treatment must consider the implications for the mother and fetus, optimizing non-pharmacological therapeutic options

The “Invisible Enemy” SARS-CoV-2: Viral Spread and Drug Treatment

Nowadays, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has become the main subject of the scientific medical world and all World Organizations, causing millions of deaths worldwide. In this review, we have highlighted the context of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, how the virus spreads, the symptoms and complications that may occur, and, especially, the drug treatment of viral infection, with emphasis on monoclonal antibodies. While well-known strains such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and, especially, Delta have shown an accelerated transmission among the population, the new Omicron variant (discovered on 24 November 2021) indicates more significant infectiousness and the poor efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapy due to mutations on the spike protein receptor-binding domain. With these discoveries, the experiments began, the first being in silico and in vitro, but these are not enough, and in vivo experiments are needed to see exactly the cause of neutralization of the action of these drugs. Following the documentation of the latest medical and scientific research, it has been concluded that there are many chemical molecules that have the potential to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection, but more detailed clinical trials are needed for their use in therapy. In addition, it is important to consider the structure of the viral strain in the administration of treatment

The Biological Effects of Ozone Gas on Soft and Hard Dental Tissues and the Impact on Human Gingival Fibroblasts and Gingival Keratinocytes

Ozone is an allotropic form of oxygen, so in the medical field ozone therapy has special effects. Starting from the premise that bio-oxidative ozone therapy reduces the number of bacteria, in the present study two approaches were proposed: to evaluate the biological effects of ozone gas on the tooth enamel remineralization process and to demonstrate its impact on the morphology and confluence of human primary gingival cells, namely keratinocytes (PGK) and fibroblasts (HGF). The ozone produced by HealOzone was applied in vivo to 68 M1s (first permanent molars), both maxillary and mandibular, on the occlusal surfaces at pit and fissure. The molars included in the study recorded values between 13 and 24 according to the DIAGNOdent Pen 2190 scale, this being the main inclusion/exclusion criterion for the investigated molars. Because the gas can make contact with primary gingival cells during the ozonation process, both human gingival fibroblasts and keratinocytes were exposed to different doses of ozone (20 s, 40 s, 60 s), and its effects were observed with the Olympus IX73 inverted microscope. The contact of ozone with the human primary gingival cells demonstrates cell sensitivity to the action of ozone, this being higher in fibroblasts compared to keratinocytes, but it is not considered toxic because all the changes are reversible at 48 h after exposure