Health-related quality of life in Romanian postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and fragility fractures.

OBJECTIVES: Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder characterized by decreased bone mass and increased susceptibility to fractures, which are associated with pain and decrease in physical function, social function, and well-being, which are all aspects of quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the burden of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in Romanian postmenopausal women from Cluj County using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Quality of life questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO-41) questionnaires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study on 364 postmenopausal women was carried out between June 2016 and August 2017 in the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, Romania. Data were collected by interview and from the medical documents: clinical and demographic data, personal medical history, risk factors for osteoporosis, and bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femur. The patients included in the study were asked to complete the Romanian versions of the SF-36 and QUALEFFO-41 questionnaires. RESULTS: Women with osteoporosis had significantly lower scores in the SF-36 domains (P<0.001) than healthy controls. In the osteoporosis group, a significant association was found in the SF-36 pain domain, where women with a history of fracture had higher scores (P=0.035). As for QUALEFFO-41, a statistical significance was found in the total score (P<0.05), revealing a significantly lower QoL in osteoporotic women with a history of fracture. CONCLUSION: The SF-36 scores registered a loss of QoL in women with osteoporosis. The QUALEFFO-41 total score was significantly lower in the osteoporosis associated with fracture, revealing a lower health-related QoL in these patients.

Chondroprotective effects of pulsed shortwave therapy in rabbits with experimental osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a public health challenge since the pathogenic treatment, able to induce cartilage regeneration, still remains unknown. Ageing of the population and increasing OA prevalence have led to a lot of research, aiming to identify treatments acting on chondrocytes that play a determinant role in cartilage degeneration÷regeneration balance. Pulsed shortwave therapy (with the classical application form - Diapulse) is a physiotherapy method with anabolic effects demonstrated on nervous, conjunctive and vascular tissues, but its effects on OA cartilage are not known. AIM: Our aim was to demonstrate the effects of Diapulse on the cartilage in experimental induced OA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental OA was induced in 10 mature female rabbits by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Ten weeks after ACLT, rabbits were randomized in a treatment group and a control group. Treatment group was exposed to Diapulse at a frequency of 27.12 MHz, pulse length of 65 µs, pulse frequency of 300 pulses÷s (300 Hz) for 10 minutes÷day. Control group was exposed to sham therapy. After treatment, rabbits were sacrificed and the cartilage was evaluated by histopathological examinations with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: OA characteristic changes were found in both groups. In the treatment group, we found that Diapulse influenced the degenerative process in the OA cartilage by improving the chondrocyte viability and the capacity to maintain cellular matrix integrity and structure. CONCLUSIONS: Diapulse can be considered a disease modifying therapeutic procedure and could be a reliable option for treatment of OA patients.