ABSTRACT
Introduction: Obstetric emergencies that occur during labor, often present as a major indication for prompt completion of labor by instrumental methods or emergency cesarean section. The purpose of this study was to present the clinical features of emergencies, the evolution of labor, maternal and fetal or neonatal complications at patients with SARS-COV-2 infection. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective study that included 150 pregnant women who gave birth in Bucur Maternity, St John Hospital, Bucharest, between 2018-2020 that fulfilled the features of obstetrical emergency during labor and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study group was divided in patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 and negative for SARS-CoV-2. Results: Following PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 were 26.67% of patients positive and 73.33% had a negative result. Analyzing the data obtained from this group of patients, it resulted that the average hospitalization is higher in the positive group (7.05 days) versus the negative group (5.47 days). The average gestational age at birth of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients was 37.26 weeks, lower than the gestational age of neonates from uninfected mothers (38.41 weeks). The average of the APGAR scores in the COVID group is 8.41, and for the negative group is 8.90. Conclusions: The associated SARS-CoV-2 infection played a significant role in terms of the APGAR score and the early peripartum outcomes of new-borns, negatively influencing the value of the APGAR index. Gestational age was considerably lower in patients diagnosed with the infection. The SARS-CoV-2 virus infection has a significant influence in unsatisfactory neonatal outcomes compared to new-borns of healthy mothers.
ABSTRACT
A 64-year-old never-smoker man, with professional exposure, presented to Marius Nasta Pneumophtisiology Institute for fatigability to effort, in the context of severe SARS-COV2 infection one month previously. His medical history includes pulmonary tuberculosis (55 years ago) and newly diagnosed type II diabetes (261 mg/dL glycemia). The thoracic tomography computer in the immediate post-COVID period (Fig. 1A) revealed the presence of glass ground lesions and a 3 cm nodule with cystic degeneration in the upper left lobe. A gross examination of the specimen identified a condensation area of 2.5 cm diameter, brown-grey colored, with necrosis and central ulceration. Microscopic examination showed the presence of bronchiectasis with squamous metaplasia of the epithelium, which appears ulcerated;numerous calcium oxalate crystals with adjacent foreign body granulomatous reaction;endobronchial are present fibrinous and inflammatory debris, brown-black pigment, and septate, dichotomous branching hyphae, suggestive of Aspergillus spp. A periodic acid-Schiff stain was performed, identifying the fungal hyphae. The histopathological diagnosis was bronchiectasis supra-infected and colonized with fungal filaments (Aspergillus niger).
ABSTRACT
Oral health professionals' knowledge of sustainability is essential for promoting environmental protection in dental healthcare. This pilot study involved an online survey addressed to 70 dental private practitioners from Bucharest, Romania, to evaluate their awareness of the concept of sustainability in dentistry. The performed statistical analysis revealed that 41.4% of the participants were well aware of sustainability in dentistry, with older participants demonstrating significantly higher levels of such awareness (p = 0.001). Sustainability awareness among participants correlates positively with their knowledge of the negative environmental impacts of dental activity (p < 0.001) and with the concern for sustainable dentistry implementation in their workplace (p = 0.037). Improper biohazardous waste disposal was identified as the primary cause of negative environmental impact of dental practices by 87.1% of participants. Installing high energy-efficient dental equipment was selected as the most important action to implement sustainability in participants' dental practices (64.3%). Overall, 51.4% of the participants reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had a medium impact on their dental activity in terms of sustainability. Our study found that participants have a moderate level of awareness regarding sustainability in dentistry, highlighting the need for education on sustainability for oral health professionals.
ABSTRACT
Low wages of health professionals are widely recognized as one of the drivers of informal payments in Romania's healthcare system. In January 2018, the government increased wages by an average of 70% to 172% in the public healthcare sector. This study examined the trends in patient-reported informal healthcare payments, discussing the effect of a one-time wage increase in 2018 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. It draws on monthly survey data of patient-reported informal payments collected between January 2017 and December 2021. We analyzed three periods: before the wage rise ("low pay"), between the wage rise and the COVID-19 pandemic ("high pay"), and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that patient-reported informal payments decreased between the "low pay" and "high pay" period but with a sharper decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The share of respondents willing to report informal payments increased during the "high pay" period, indicating a stronger willingness to voice dissatisfaction with health services and informal payments, but slowed down during the first lockdown in 2020. Informal payments were more frequently reported in larger hospitals and the poorest geographical areas. While the 2018 wage increase may have contributed to less prevalent informal payments, survey coverage and design must be improved to draw robust, system-level conclusions to inform tailored policy actions.