Injury
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Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a significant cause of paediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a disproportionate number of these injuries occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Adult data from LMICs suggest that weekends are particularly high-risk for RTIs, but whether children are at increased risk of RTI on weekends has not previously been investigated in any setting. This study sought to assess patterns in paediatric RTI presentations using hospital-based trauma surveillance data in Cape Town, South Africa. ⋯ In a LMIC-setting, paediatric RTI patients are more frequently brought to medical attention, sustain more severe injuries and more frequently require hospital admission during the weekend. Weekends during the last annual quarter were particularly high-risk for paediatric RTIs. These findings highlight the importance of trauma surveillance data to inform targeted community prevention strategies for improving child road safety.
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Short-segment posterior spinal instrumentation for thoracolumbar burst fracture provides superior correction of kyphosis by an indirect reduction technique, but it has a high failure rate. We investigated the clinical and radiological results of temporary short-segment pedicle screw fixation without augmentation performed for thoracolumbar burst fractures with the goal of avoiding treatment failure by waiting to see if anterior reconstruction was necessary. ⋯ Temporary short-segment fixation without augmentation yielded satisfactory results in reduction and maintenance of fractured vertebrae, and maintenance was independent of load-sharing classification. Kyphotic change was caused by loss of disc height mostly after implant removal. Such change might have been inevitable because adjacent endplates can be injured during the original spinal trauma. Kyphotic change after implant removal may thus be a limitation of this surgical procedure.
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This study tests the hypothesis that there are no factors associated with removal or revision of a radial head prosthesis. A secondary analysis addressed the time to removal or revision. ⋯ Level III Prognostic.
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The study aimed to compare the oral health variables, general, and oral health-related quality of life (QoL), depression, and anxiety between spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and healthy controls and also to determine the key factors related to the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the SCI patients. ⋯ SCI patients had poor oral hygiene practices, greater levels of plaque, gingival bleeding, and caries experience than the healthy controls. In addition, more number of SCI patients had periodontal pockets and dry mouth than the comparative group. SCI patients experienced more depression and anxiety, poor GHRQoL, and OHRQoL than the healthy control group. The factors that influenced OHRQoL in SCI patients were age, toothbrushing frequency, smoking, oral clinical status, depression, physical component of GHRQoL, and level of lesion.