Central type of chondrosarcoma with a fulminant course--a case report.

Primary chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. The five types of chondrosarcomas are: central, peripheral, mesenchymal, differentiated and clear cell. The classic chondrosarcomas are central (arising within a bone) or peripheral (arising from the surface of a bone).

Association of early menarche age and overweight/obesity.

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the association of overweight/obesity and early menarcheal age.

Patients And Methods: The study comprised 2127 healthy girls aged 9 to 16 years. Menarcheal age was estimated by status quo method.

Lower lobe pulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent male.

We present a case of 23-year-old student misdiagnosed for two months. Radiological finding showed a pneumonial infiltrate of left lung lower lobe. Antibiotical therapy was not resulting in a radiological regression.

Differences in eating and lifestyle habits between first- and sixth-year medical students from Zagreb.

Eating and lifestyle habits of first (n=169) and sixth (n=272) year students, aged 18 to 26 years, attending a Medical School in Zagreb, were compared related to the years of study. A self-administered questionnaire created for this study incorporated a food frequency questionnaire. Both year students reported similar number of meals per day, irregular consumption of meals, skipping breakfast, frequency of vegetables, fruits, cereals, sweets, milk and dairy products consumption, body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported weight and height and alcohol consumption.

Growth and obesity in 7-year-old Croatian children: secular changes from 1991 to 2008.

The study analyses secular changes in body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) in children in the Splitsko-dalmatinska County, Croatia, in the period from 1991 to 2008. The overweight/obesity trends from 1991 to 1999 and from 2000 to 2008 are assessed. The study included three cohorts of healthy 7-year-old children, measured during their regular medical examination before enrolment at school: 1991 (n = 514), 1999 (n = 428) and 2008 (n = 452), in a total of 1,394 children, 686 (49.

Neonatal birth weight variations between inland and littoral Croatia.

The aim of the study was to assess neonatal birth weight (BW) differences between inland and littoral Croatia, to identify BW groups with most pronounced differences, and possible variations in the rate of BW > or = 4000 g between Sibenik area and the rest of littoral (counties with access to the Adriatic Sea) and inland Croatia. The study included data on 99.42% of 200,740 live births recorded in 37 Croatian maternity hospitals during the 2001-2005 period.

Effect of preoperative feeding on gastric emptying following spinal anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Preoperative fasting is associated with various untoward postoperative health problems. Previous studies have stressed the advantages of preoperative feeding with a carbohydrate-rich drink 2 hours before surgery; this protocol does not increase the risk of gastric-content aspiration but reduces the level of anxiety and thirstiness during the perioperative period. Spinal anesthesia with the local anesthetic bupivacaine can decrease gastric emptying in the early postoperative period.

Multiple recurrence of hydatid disease lasted 19 years.

Hydatid disease (echinococcosis) is a potentially fatal parasitosis caused by tapeworm larvae of the genus Echinococcus which affects primarily the liver and the lungs. However, despite effective medical and surgical treatment, risk of recurrence remains the main problem in the treatment of the disease. We describe here a rare case of multiple recurrence of hydatid disease that lasted more than 19 years.

Primary lung cancer and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms: a case-control study in a Croatian population.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a multifunctional cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory and malignant diseases. Previous studies investigating the role of the TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in lung cancer have generated contradictory results. The present study investigated whether the TNF-alpha-308 and TNF-alpha-238 polymorphisms are associated with risk and/or severity of disease in Croatian lung cancer patients.

Influence of urbanization level and gross domestic product of counties in Croatia on access to health care.

Aim: To examine the association of counties' urbanization level and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita on the access to health care.

Methods: Counties were divided in two groups according to the urbanization level and GDP per capita in purchasing power standards. The number of physicians per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of physicians in hospitals in four basic specialties, physicians' workload, average duration of working week, the average number of insurants per general practice (GP) team, and the number of inhabitants covered by one internal medicine outpatient clinic were compared between predominantly urban and predominantly rural counties and between richer and poorer counties.

[Guidelines for diagnosis and management of asthma in adults of the Croatian Respiratory Society].

The global use of guidelines for proper diagnosis and management of asthma was worldwide aimed toward obtaining effective control of asthma. Until now, the most often used guidelines in Croatia were the ones issued by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Their implementation significantly improved and uniformed the diagnosis and management of asthma at different levels of the national health system.

Dietary habits and folate status in women of childbearing age in Croatia.

Folic acid and folates have an important role in prevention of neural tube defect that appears in the first weeks of pregnancy, when women are still not aware of their pregnancy, especially when pregnancy is not planned. Since ensuring sufficient quantities of folates and folic acid in this period is essential, dietary habits of childbearing age women are very important. In line with that the intake of folates and folic acid in nutrition of women age group 20-30 years is examined, as well as the frequency of consumption of foodstuffs rich in vitamins and folic acid supplements.

Education about pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of anxiety among primary care physicians in Croatia: Balint group approach.

Aim: Balint groups help general practitioners to be sensitive to the psychological needs of anxiety patients and cope with their stress and mental health. We evaluated knowledge about pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of anxiety among Croatian primary care physicians before and after a course based on Balint group methodology.

Methods: There were 111 primary care physicians (general practitioners and specialists in general practice) who attended the Balint course as a part of their continuous education during 2003.

[Growth in macrosomic neonates during the first year].

Growth of macrosomic newborns (birth weight 4000 grams and more) and control group newborns (birth weight from 2500 to 3999 grams) in the course of their first year of life has been compared. Although the absolute growth in weight and length is higher in macrosomic boys and girls, the relativity in their growth in the course of the first year of their life is higher among the control group infants. Boys from the control group have increased their birth weight for 203%, while macrosomic infants for 177% (control group girls 196% against macrosomic 159%).