In the field of orthopedics, competitive progress is growing faster because new technologies used to facilitate the work of physicians are continuously developing. Based on the issues generated in the pandemic era in this field, a research study was developed to identify the intention of orthopedic doctors to integrate new medical technologies. The survey was based on a questionnaire that was used for data collection. The quantitative study registered a sample of 145 orthopedic doctors. The data analysis was performed based on the IBM SPSS program. A multiple linear regression model was applied, which analyzed how the independent variables can influence the dependent variables. After analyzing the data, it was observed that the intention of orthopedic doctors to use new medical technologies is influenced by the advantages and disadvantages perceived by them, the perceived risks, the quality of the medical technologies, the experience of physicians in their use, and their receptivity to other digital tools. The obtained results are highly important both for hospital managers and authorities, illustrating the main factors that influence doctors to use emergent technologies in their clinical work.

Titanium is considered to be a biocompatible material and is used to a great extent in the pharmaceutical and oral implantology fields. While initially, specialists considered that its use does not cause adverse effects on the human body, as time has gone by, it has become clear that its use can lead to the development of certain diseases. The objective of this study was to identify the way in which digital technologies have the capacity to facilitate information regarding the potential long-term harm caused by titanium device toxicity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, a regression model was developed to identify how a series of independent variables have the ability to influence the dependent variable (respondents’ perceptions of how new web technologies have the ability to help future physicians to facilitate information absorption with regard to potential titanium toxicity). The results illustrated that new technologies have the potential to support both the learning process on this topic and the innovation activity by discovering new solutions that will gradually lead to the reduction of the side effects of titanium used in the pharmaceutical and oral implantology fields.

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) are rare tumoral suppressor syndromes, triggered by an abnormal mutation in a tumour suppressor gene (TSG) (1). Each of these syndromes represents an orphan disease (by itself), but the tumours encountered in these patients are the most frequent lesions of the nervous system. Between the two of these diseases, NF1 presents a greater risk of malignancy, hence the importance of an accurate diagnosis and distinction between the two pathological entities. The purpose of this paper is to describe our department's practice protocol with neurofibromatosis and review the current literature regarding clinical diagnosis and management of these complex diseases. Methods: Our paper is a retrospective study that comprehends 25 patients with neurofibromatosis treated in our clinic between 2011 and 2018. Results: Our study included 16 female patients (64%) and 9 male patients (36%). The mean age at presentation was 48,7 (range 14-72 years). There were 7 cases (28%) of NF1 and 18 cases (72%) of NF2. Seven cases (28%) had a positive family history and 18 patients did not (72%). The most common symptoms at presentation were hearing loss, vertigo, and headache. Conclusions: Neurofibromatosis is a very complex disease in which the tumours may have an unforeseeable growth pattern. New tumours can grow over the years and the symptoms are unpredictable. Surgical treatment is best to be reserved for symptomatic tumours. Non-surgical procedures are also an important step of the treatment, but further studies are required to decide their effectiveness.

Background. Even in the 21st century, infections of the central nervous system and their secondary damage still represents a high mortality condition. Furthermore, brain abscesses (BA) are huge public health issues due to their high mortality and morbidity with high financial implications for the health care system. Material and methods. In this article, we want to present our clinic`s experience in the management of brain abscesses between 2012 and 2021. A 10 years retrospective study was performed in the 4th Neurosurgery Department of “Bagdasar-Arseni” Clinical Emergency Hospital in Bucharest Results. In the last 10 years, our clinic admitted 46 patients, 10 women and 36 men. The mean age was 47 years old. The most common symptom was headache (42 cases). In 39 cases, patients had solitary abscesses while seven patients presented multiple abscesses. The therapeutic approach was classic surgery in 37 cases. In four cases abscess drainage was performed and in five cases conservative treatment was used. At discharge, 31 patients were healed and seven patients died. Discussions. In BA management, antimicrobial therapy is crucial. Thus, identifying the pathogen is crucial for accurate antimicrobial treatment. Unfortunately, in too many cases, the agent remains unknown and empiric treatment is required. Aspiration of the abscesses proved to be safe and with similar results compared to classic surgery. Conclusions. Brain abscesses remain a high challenge to manage even in the 21st century. Broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment should be applied as soon as possible until the pathogen is identified and specific treatment will be used.

Background: Diffuse gliomas are the most frequent primary central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms, originating from the parenchyma itself, oligodendrogliomas accounting for approximately 10% of cerebral gliomas. For the past 20 years, the study of genetic/molecular mechanisms of gliomagenesis and progression has gradually come into focus. However, the biological and clinical significance of these mutations is still to be completely characterized. The purpose of this article is to describe our clinical experience with oligodendrogliomas and to review the current literature, in order to better describe the characteristics of the molecular/genetic oligodendroglioma subgroups. Methods: We performed a single-institution retrospective study that included 66 patients with oligodendrogliomas operated in our department between January 2011 and December 2018. Results: Our study included 26 female patients (39%) and 40 male patients (59%). The mean age at presentation was 39.9year-old (range 26-59year-old). The tumours were located predominantly in the right hemisphere (53%), the majority being situated in the frontal lobe (59%). 64% of the patients had signs of mass effect on the imaging studies, 13% presented with brain herniation syndromes, 16 % of the surgically treated patients had a relapse with regrowth and malignant transformation of the tumour. The most common complaint that the patients had at admission was headaches. Seizures were the second most common symptom that determined the patients to seek medical attention. Conclusion: The expanding knowledge regarding the genetic alterations of oligodendroglial tumours could lead to significant changes in treatment strategies. However, the utility of each particular marker in planning the treatment has yet to be established. Emerging data will, most likely, improve outcome prediction and adjuvant therapy strategies through identifying the patients most likely to benefit from a particular treatment.

Glomus jugulare tumours are extremely rare, slow-growing, hypervascular tumours that arise within the jugular foramen of the temporal bone and frequently involve the lower cranial nerves. We performed a retrospective study for patients treated between January 2005 and December 2019, reviewing clinical and radiological data for 91 cases of glomus jugulare tumours. Data were available for 91 patients presenting with 96 tumours. Surgery was 1st intention of treatment for 13 cases, the endovascular approach was 1st intention for 6 cases and GKRS was primarily performed in 72 cases. Combined treatment options were used in 19 cases. The median age at the time of treatment was of 57 years. The tumour volume varied between 0.5 and 73.4 cm3 with a median value of 8.3 cm3. For the cases treated with GKRS, the peripheral dose ranged between 8 and 35 Gy on the 35% to 65% isodose, with a median of 14 Gy on the 45% isodose. The average follow-up was 38 months with a maximum of 94 and consisted of contrast-enhanced MRI every six months in the first year after the procedure and every 1 to 2 years afterwards. The overall tumour control rate was 95.6% using multimodal treatment options for glomus jugulare tumours. Multimodal treatment for glomus jugulare tumours offers the patient the chance for the best possible outcome and long-term survivability. An individual treatment approach for this kind of very rare head and neck tumour (0,6% of all head and neck tumours) is recommended to choose the best risk-versus-benefit treatment option.