The pregnancy rate among Romanian adolescents: an eleven years (2009-–2020) observational, retrospective study from a single center

Objectives: It has been recently documented that Romania has the highest prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in Europe. Material and methods: Therefore, the present study aims to offer a conclusive view of the current situation by assessing a series of parameters in the last 11 years. Results: Throughout the present manuscript, we showed that 1788 pregnancies occurred in the last 11 years in just one center from the northeastern region of Romania. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (p < 0.05) performed suggests that gestational age does not follow a normal distribution; an interval during which 899 (50.27%) male and 889 (49.72%) female babies were born. There were a total of 1383 (86.00%) deliveries at full-term and 225 (13.99%) were under 37 weeks. Of 1788 teenage girls, 1467 (82.04%) were from the rural area, whereas 321 (17.95%) from the urban area. Conclusions: Fortunately, one common feature that we observed was that starting from 2017 there was a significant reduction within the last 2 studied parameters, the situation being much more fluctuating until 2014

The impact of reneging in processor sharing queues

We investigate an overloaded processor sharing queue with renewal arrivals and generally distributed service times. Impatient customers may abandon the queue, or renege, before completing service. The random time representing a customer’s patience has a general distribution and may be dependent on his initial service time requirement. We propose a scaling procedure that gives rise to a fluid model, with nontrivial yet tractable steady state behavior. This fluid model captures many essential features of the underlying stochastic model, and we use it to analyze the impact of impatience in processor sharing queues. We show that this impact can be substantial compared with FCFS, and we propose a simple admission control policy to overcome these negative impacts

Connections between Orthopedic Conditions and Oxidative Stress: Current Perspective and the Possible Relevance of Other Factors, Such as Metabolic Implications, Antibiotic Resistance, and COVID-19

The general opinion in the literature is that these topics remain clearly understudied and underrated, with many unknown aspects and with controversial results in the respective areas of research. Based on the previous experience of our groups regarding such matters investigated separately, here we attempt a short overview upon their links. Thus, we summarize here the current state of knowledge regarding the connections between oxidative stress and: (a) orthopedic conditions; (b) COVID-19. We also present the reciprocal interferences among them. Oxidative stress is, of course, an interesting and continuously growing area, but what exactly is the impact of COVID-19 in orthopedic patients? In the current paper we also approached some theories on how oxidative stress, metabolism involvement, and even antibiotic resistance might be influenced by either orthopedic conditions or COVID-19. These manifestations could be relevant and of great interest in the context of this current global health threat; therefore, we summarize the current knowledge and/or the lack of sufficient evidence to support the interactions between these conditions

Pain Intensity and Degree of Disability after Fragility Fractures of the Pelvis

Background and objectives: Fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP) are of increasing interest lately, being associated with a loss of mobility and affecting the quality of life. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of FFP on disability and pain in patients, after one year since injury. Materials and Methods: In the study, we included 76 patients diagnosed with FFP, who were admitted to our trauma department between January 2016 and January 2019, and were above 65 years of age. The Von Korff pain intensity and disability scores were calculated in the hospital at 6 months and after 1 year. Results: Fifty-four patients were female (71%), with an average age of 75.9 ± 7.19 years. Twenty-two patients were male (29%) and had a mean age of 77.22 ± 7.33 years. We did not record significant differences regarding age between the men and women (p > 0.05). Significant improvements appeared between the baseline and the 6 month follow-up; the average pain intensity score at 6 months was 44.94 (SD 21.20) (p < 0.001), and the disability score was 54.30 (SD 21.62). The following average pain intensity and disability scores after 12 months were similar to the values at6 months: 44.48 (SD 21.74) for pain intensity and 52.36 (SD 24.53) for disability. The Von Korff pain score at 6 months and after 1 year depends on gender and on the initial Von Korff pain score (p = 0.02). The Von Korff disability score at 6 months depends on gender, the baseline pain score and the baseline disability score (p = 0.001). Conclusions: our patients reported long-lasting pain that had a severe effect on their daily routines, and they could not return to their normal status prior to injury

Pain Intensity and Degree of Disability after Fragility Fractures of the Pelvis

Background and objectives: Fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP) are of increasing interest lately, being associated with a loss of mobility and affecting the quality of life. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of FFP on disability and pain in patients, after one year since injury. Materials and Methods: In the study, we included 76 patients diagnosed with FFP, who were admitted to our trauma department between January 2016 and January 2019, and were above 65 years of age. The Von Korff pain intensity and disability scores were calculated in the hospital at 6 months and after 1 year. Results: Fifty-four patients were female (71%), with an average age of 75.9 ± 7.19 years. Twenty-two patients were male (29%) and had a mean age of 77.22 ± 7.33 years. We did not record significant differences regarding age between the men and women (p > 0.05). Significant improvements appeared between the baseline and the 6 month follow-up; the average pain intensity score at 6 months was 44.94 (SD 21.20) (p p = 0.02). The Von Korff disability score at 6 months depends on gender, the baseline pain score and the baseline disability score (p = 0.001). Conclusions: our patients reported long-lasting pain that had a severe effect on their daily routines, and they could not return to their normal status prior to injury

Treatment of Bone Defects Resulted after Excision of Enchondroma of the Hand in 15 Patients, Comparing the Techniques of Autologous Bone Graft, Injectable Bone Substitute and Spontaneous Healing

Background: Enchondroma is the most common benign bone tumor of the hand. Surgical excision of the tumor using curettage is the treatment of choice. The management of the resulting defects is still a controversial topic in the literature. Methods: This retrospective study includes 15 patients diagnosed with solitary enchondroma in the hand bones: eight cases with type A, three cases with type B and four cases with type D according to Takigawa classification. The aim of this study was to compare the course and outcome in the three patient groups treated by curettage associated with natural consolidation of the bone defect, autologous bone graft or injectable synthetic bone substitute in association with plate and screw osteosynthesis. Results: Outcomes were assessed using the DASH score (mean score 2.5) and TAM score (excellent in all patients) with no significant functional differences between the three groups. Defects managed with k-IBS® injectable bone substitute were associated with shorter operating time, simpler surgical technique and less postoperative pain assessed by VAS score. Conclusion: The use of k-IBS® bone substitute is efficient and less technically demanding than autologous bone grafting. The Takigawa classification could be a good indicator for treatment choice

Treatment of Bone Defects Resulted after Excision of Enchondroma of the Hand in 15 Patients, Comparing the Techniques of Autologous Bone Graft, Injectable Bone Substitute and Spontaneous Healing

Background: Enchondroma is the most common benign bone tumor of the hand. Surgical excision of the tumor using curettage is the treatment of choice. The management of the resulting defects is still a controversial topic in the literature. Methods: This retrospective study includes 15 patients diagnosed with solitary enchondroma in the hand bones: eight cases with type A, three cases with type B and four cases with type D according to Takigawa classification. The aim of this study was to compare the course and outcome in the three patient groups treated by curettage associated with natural consolidation of the bone defect, autologous bone graft or injectable synthetic bone substitute in association with plate and screw osteosynthesis. Results: Outcomes were assessed using the DASH score (mean score 2.5) and TAM score (excellent in all patients) with no significant functional differences between the three groups. Defects managed with k-IBS® injectable bone substitute were associated with shorter operating time, simpler surgical technique and less postoperative pain assessed by VAS score. Conclusion: The use of k-IBS® bone substitute is efficient and less technically demanding than autologous bone grafting. The Takigawa classification could be a good indicator for treatment choice