Poverty and other correlates of obesity and underweight among 7-year-olds from Croatia and Montenegro.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at investigating poverty and other correlates of childhood underweight and obesity in two urban regions with lower (Podgorica, Montenegro) and higher economic development (Osijek, Croatia). STUDY DESIGN: Comparative study. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted on 693 children (52% boys), aged 7 years old (224 from Podgorica and 469 from Osijek). Parents completed the study-specific questionnaire on relevant factors for children's nutritional status. We measured children's height and weight and calculated their body mass index (BMI). International Obesity Task Force cut-off values of BMI were used to assess children's nutritional status. Subjective social position was assessed by the Mac Arthur scale. RESULTS: There were more underweight children in Osijek compared with Podgorica, both among boys (5.5% vs. 1.6%) and girls (6.9% vs. 1.0%). Obesity was more frequent in Podgorica than Osijek, both among boys (11.3% vs. 5.9%) and girls (10.0% vs. 4.3%). However, poverty in two cities diminished observed differences in children's nutritional status. The odds for child underweight decreased by 12.2%, while the odds for obesity increased by 3.6% per each paternal BMI unit. The frequency of child obesity was lowered per each step higher on the Mac Arthur scale and with breastfeeding by 23.2% and 68.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We show that a higher economic development is related to less obese children but more underweight children. However, poverty seems to impact nutritionally all children equally, regardless of the regional economic development. Paternal and not maternal BMI is relevant for both extremes in children's nutritional status. Breastfeeding and higher social position independently protect from child obesity.

Hypertension and correlates among Montenegrin schoolchildren-a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: In one of the few national studies of children in a former Eastern bloc country emerging as a Western democracy and the first such study ever in Montenegro, this study establishes the prevalence and correlates of childhood hypertension (CH). STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional national study. METHODS: The study was conducted with 3254 children aged 7-13 years (50.3% male) from 39 elementary schools. We used a structured questionnaire to gather sociodemographic information as well as data on factors potentially related to CH. Children's nutritional status was assessed using the criteria of the International Obesity Task Force. Waist circumference was also measured. Blood pressure was measured in schools using an oscillometric monitor. CH was defined as an average systolic blood pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for sex, age, and height. RESULTS: The prevalence of CH was 10.4% with no differences between boys and girls. Multiple regression revealed that the odds for child hypertension were lowered by 10% for each year of age. On the other hand, rural environment and child obesity raised the odds of hypertension by 38% and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found hypertension in one out of ten Montenegrin schoolchildren, with no gender differences. Obesity and rural areas may be unfriendly to children's blood pressure.

Treatment of pregnant patient with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) due to placental abruption--a case report.

A primigravid woman at 29th gestational week with placental abruption causing fetal death, that underwent instant cesarean section, developed a disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), revealed by hemoperitoneum and hematoma of the abdominal wall. After re-laparotomy and transfusion of blood, fresh plasma, and platelets, the patient was discharged from hospital on the 14th postoperative day completely recovered. To conclude, conservative surgical approach for DIC treatment is possible and safe. Novel antifibrinolitic drugs are recommended for obstetrical patients with DIC to enable a healthy subsequent pregnancy.

Spindle-cell epithelioma of the vagina diagnosed during pregnancy--a case report.

Spindle-cell epithelioma or "mixed tumor" of the vagina is an unusual and intriguing vaginal tumor consisting of both epithelial and mesenchymal components. A case of spindle-cell epithelioma of the vagina diagnosed at delivery of a 31-year-old primiparous woman is described. The excision of the mass was performed immediately after the delivery, which was uneventful. The patient was regularly followed up and no evidence of local recurrence or dissemination was found 40 months after surgery. The presentation and the diagnosis of this kind of tumor in pregnancy, and its effect on the pregnancy and delivery are still largely unknown. Since it is unlikely that any institution will have a large number of patients with this rare disease, case reports add further information to this entity. As the number of cases studied is small, close follow-up is recommended although there has been no report in the literature of metastasis so far.

Malignant disease as a risk factor for surgical site infection.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Postoperative infections are a great constituent of surgical complications. The most common one is surgical site infection (SSI), as well as vaginal and/or urinary tract infections, infections affecting distant organs and systems and systemic circulation leading to sepsis and septic shock. Our aim was to emphasize the effect of malignant disease on postoperative infection and to establish malignant disease as a risk factor for SSI, per se. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We designed a retrospective study in which 538 women who underwent surgery in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Center of Serbia during a six-month period in 2009 were analyzed. We collected relevant data regarding SSI incidence (CDC definitions), malignant disease (primary site, type and stage) and other potential risk factors for SSI. We used descriptive statistics, chi-square and Student's t test for comparison of variables with statistical significance atp < 0.05. We also used univariate, multivariate logistic regression and ROC analysis. RESULTS: Surgical site infection was present in 40 patients (7.5%). Univariate analysis revealed that the following factors were significantly related to SSI: age, malignant disease, stage of malignant disease, surgery longer than 120 min, postmenopause, diabetes mellitus, positive preoperative vaginal culture, ASA score and intraoperative blood loss. Multivariate analysis showed that the most important risk factors that contribute to SSI with RR of 4 and 5 are, respectively, FIGO II and FIGO III/IV stage of malignant disease (FIGO II p < 0.05 RR = 4.097; FIGO III/IV < 0.01 RR = 5.061). CONCLUSION: In our study malignant disease erupted as the most important risk factor for SSI. This brings us to question the pathophysiological mechanisms and systemic effects associated with malignant disease. There are few studies discussing the issue of malignancy as an isolated risk factor that 4-5 fold increases the risk of SSIs. It is of utmost interest to define protocols of antimicrobial prophylaxis for gynecological malignancy surgery as are suggested for some other malignancies.

The mathematical analysis of the heart rate and blood lactate curves during incremental exercise testing.

This paper describes a new mathematical approach for the analysis of HR (heart rate) and BL (blood lactate) curves during incremental exercise testing using a HR/BL curve and its derivatives, taking into account the native shape of all curves, without any linear approximation. Using this approach the results indicate the appearance of three characteristic points (A, B and C) on the HR/BL curve. The point A on the HR/BL curve which is the value that corresponds to the load (12.73 ± 0.46 km h-1) at which BL starts to increase above the resting levels (0.9 ± 0.06 mM), and is analogous to Lactate Turn Point 1 (LTP1). The point C on the HR/BL curve which corresponds to a BL of approximately 4mM, and is analogous to LTP2. The point B on the HR/BL curve, which corresponds to the load (16.32 ± 0.49 km h-1) at which the moderate increase turns into a more pronounced increase in BL. This point has not been previously recognized in literature. We speculate this point represents attenuation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increase, accompanied by the decrease in diastolic time duration during incremental exercise testing. Proposed mathematical approach allows precise determination of lactate turnpoints during incremental exercise testing.

Mathematical analysis of the heart rate performance curve during incremental exercise testing.

In this study we performed laboratory treadmill protocols of increasing load. Heart rate was continuously recorded and blood lactate concentration was measured for determination of lactate threshold by means of LTD-max and LT4.0 methods.Our results indicate that the shape of heart rate performance curve (HRPC) during incremental testing depends on the applied exercise protocol (change of initial speed and the step of running speed increase, with the constant stage duration). Depending on the applied protocol, the HRPC can be described by linear, polynomial (S-shaped), and exponential mathematical expression.We presented mathematical procedure for estimation of heart rate threshold points at the level of LTD-max and LT4.0, by means of exponential curve and its relative deflection from the initial trend line (tangent line to exponential curve at the point of starting heart rate). The relative deflection of exponential curve from the initial trend line at the level of LTD-max and/or LT4.0 can be defined, based on the slope of the initial trend line. Using originally developed software that allows mathematical analysis of heart rate-load relation, LTD-max and/or LT4.0 can be estimated without direct measurement of blood lactate concentration.

[Transvaginal sacrospinal colposcopy in treatment of uterovaginal and vaginal wall prolapse]. / Transvaginalna sakrospinalna kolpopeksija u resavanju uterovaginalnog prolapsa i prolapsa vaginalnih zidova.

Investigation has been performed upon 29 patients of average age of 62.7 years who have undergone sacrospinous colpopexy because of different degree of uterovaginal prolapse (26 patients) and vaginal vault prolapse (3 patients) after having abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy. In patients with uterovaginal prolapse, 23 of them have vaginal hysterectomy with high ligation of the enterocele sac, anterior et posterior vaginal repair and sacrospinous colpopexy, while 3 patients had conservation of uterus following previous reparation of vaginal walls and cervicosacrocolpopexy. Only in one patient we had intraoperative lession of the bladder with no other intraoperative complications so far. Aveage time duration of the operation was 112 minutes. All patients were scheduled to be seen at 4 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after operation and then yearly therafter. The mean follow-up period was 16.8 months (6-27). We have achieved satisfactory results in 25 patients while 4 patients have bladder instability, 3 patients suffered from urinary infection, 2 have febrile morbidity and 2 bottock pain. Sacrospinous colpopexy can be performed together with vaginal hysterectomy and anterior and posterior vaginal wall repair in patients with marked uterovaginal prolapse because of its high success in avoiding possible vault prolapse and low intra and post-operative complication rates.

Kinetics of thyroxine (T(4)) and triiodothyronine (T(3)) transport in the isolated rat heart.

The dynamics and kinetics of thyroid hormone transport in the isolated rat heart were examined using the modified unidirectional paired tracer dilution method. The uptake of (125)I-thyroxine ((125)I-T(4)) and (125)I-triiodothyronine ((125)I-T(3)) from the extracellular space into heart cells was measured relative to the extracellular space marker (3)H-mannitol. The thyroid hormone maximal uptake was 54.4 % for (125)I-T(4) and 52.15 % for (125)I-T(3). The thyroid hormone net uptake was 25.69 % for (125)I-T(4) and 25.49 % for (125)I-T(3). Backflux from the intracellular space was 53.17 % for (125)I-T(4) and 61.59 % for (125)I-T(3). In the presence of unlabelled thyroid hormones, (125)I-T(4) and (125)I-T(3) maximal uptakes were reduced from 10.1 to 59.74 % and from 34.6 to 65.3 %, respectively, depending on the concentration of the unlabelled hormone, suggesting a saturable mechanism of the thyroid hormone uptake by the heart cells, with K(m(T4))= 105.46 microM and the maximal rate of (125)I-thyroid hormone flux from the extracellular space to heart cells (V(max(T4))) = 177.84 nM min(-1) for (125)I-T(4) uptake, and K(m(T3)) = 80.0 microM and V(max(T3)) = 118.5 nM min(-1) for (125)I-T(3) uptake. Experimental Physiology (2001) 86.1, 13-18.