[The Importance of Anatomy in the Training of the Vascular Surgeon]. / Der Stellenwert der Anatomie in der Weiterbildung des Gefäßchirurgen.

Vascular surgery has developed very dynamically in recent years, especially with the introduction of endovascular techniques. However, this has also changed surgeons' requirements. Classical surgical procedures have been almost completely displaced by endovascular techniques; new hybrid interventions have emerged while complex operations are concentrated in few centres. Therefore, developing expertise in open aortic surgery is increasingly challenging in vascular surgical training programs.Cadaver models provide an opportunity for exposure and repetitive training of individual surgical steps without endangering patients.As part of the training of highly complex vascular surgery operations, we carried out and evaluated the thoracoabdominal aortic replacement with 13 participants in 6 ethanol-preserved corpses.A simulation of surgical procedures on human cadaveric models cannot fully replace real experiences, but allows surgeons in training to practice and achieve dexterity in performing procedures in a safe and reproducible way.

Biological and psychological correlates of exceptional performance in development.

The issue of exceptional performance is discussed from four perspectives: genetic distribution of high giftedness, gene-environment interaction, neurobiological findings, and the role of deliberate practice as well as environment in general. The genetic perspective is illustrated mainly by the emergenic and epigenetic model of Simonton, followed by the three types of gene-environment interaction (Scarr and McCartney). The neurological perspective focuses on the role of early practice for neurological representation and on hormonal changes during development. The perspective of deliberate practice summarizes the present state of affairs within this field of research. Finally, a distinction between different levels of excellent performance is proposed, arguing against the neglect of genius as a specific phenomenon among excellent performance.

Aspects of meaning of life in different subcultures in Peru.

The categorization system for perceptions of meaning of life developed by Ebersole, et al. was applied in four different Peruvian subsamples (middle/upper-class university students, lower-class night students, slum dwellers who had emigrated from the South Andes and settled in the capital, and Highland Indians), totaling 168 participants. Analysis showed most answers could be satisfactorily fitted into the eight categories, although slight modifications had to be made and two more categories had to be created. For middle/upper-class students, lower-class night students, and slum dwellers, Growth was the most important category followed by Relationships. In contrast, the major topic within the Indian sample of the South Andes was Relationships, whereas Growth turned out to be irrelevant. More educated subjects described meaning of life in a more abstract way than less educated subjects. The discrepancies between the subsamples suggest that individual concepts of meaning of life contain culture-specific as well as universal elements.