[Cesarean section on request because of labor pain--bioethical and legal views].

Non-medical reasons that influence the decision to perform cesarean section are the subject of numerous medical and bioethical debates. The questions to be answered are: can a pregnant woman demand cesarean section based on her right to make decisions, i.e.

[Medical Association of the Croatian Coast and Gorski kotar].

In the Province Hospital Susak the Medical Association of the Croatian Coast and Gorski kotar was founded on October 2nd, 1936. At that time on the territory of the former District of Susak there were 59 physicians. The inauguration meeting was attended by 41 physicians and 26 of them voted for the autonomous Association rather than for one within the Croatian Medical Association of Zagreb.

[Bioethical and legal aspects of patient education].

In the last 35 years, patient education has started to gradually develop at hospitals as well as in primary health care. Now, it is an integral part of communication in health care. Due to the expanding application of technology in the field of medicine, it is difficult to achieve appropriate and extensive patient education.

[Palliative care as a response to dysthanasia].

Palliative care is frequently discussed as an alternative or a counter-balance to euthanasia. In this paper, palliative care is considered as a response to dysthanasia or therapeutic persistence. First, the main features of dysthanasia are mentioned: the accent is put on different questions: until when to implement therapeutic persistence? When does the treatment become useless? What is a permanent vegetative condition? Then, palliative care, the scope of which is to achieve the best life quality for the patient and his family is discussed.

Plasma copper concentrations in pathological pregnancies.

Copper is an essential element required for the formation of many enzymes with important roles in the human body. During pregnancy, the maternal serum copper concentration is increased due to the higher levels of ceruloplasmin that are the result of elevated oestrogen levels. The aim of this work was to investigate maternal plasma copper concentrations in relation to various pathological conditions during pregnancy.

[Role of physicians in violence against women in family].

Health protection of every individual is the main goal of health activity and because of that violence against women in family is important everyday health issue in Croatia. The principles of medical science and the principles of professional ethics oblige us to search the real causes of illness, even if causes are not of biological basis. Physicians and the rest of health workers have duty to have knowledge about signs of violence on women, denounce to competent authorities every case of violence against women in family and give adequate medical treatment and healing.

Technical note: simple vibroacoustic foetal stimulator.

Primary Objective: To build and test a simple vibroacoustic foetal stimulator.

Research Design: A vibroacoustic foetal stimulator was constructed and subjected to bench testing. Clinical trial was carried out in comparison to an electro laynx.

Prevalence of anencephaly in the region of Rijeka, Croatia.

This retrospective study determines the prevalence of anencephaly in the region of Rijeka, Croatia. Records of all spontaneous and therapeutic abortions terminated in medical institutions, all fetuses weighing more than 500 g or more than 22 weeks gestation (whether the product of abortion, therapeutic termination, stillborn or liveborn) and infants who died in the first year of life in the region of Rijeka, Croatia, during the 1963-2000 period were reviewed. There were 135,451 births; 22 of them were anencephalics (19 stillborn), which comprises 0.

[The effect of maternal smoking on pregnancy outcome].

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of smoking on the pregnancy outcome. The retrospective study was based on the original database made at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical School, University of Rijeka, in the period between 1987 and 1997. In the mentioned period we analysed 37,417 total singleton births out of which there were 1,685 (4.

Zinc levels in human milk and umbilical cord blood.

Zinc levels were determined in human milk and umbilical cord blood samples collected in the Rijeka Clinical Hospital during the period from September 1995 to January 1996. The average concentrations of zinc were 4.98 +/- 2.

Fetal biophysical profile and vibratory acoustic stimulation in high-risk pregnancies.

Objectives: To determine the influence of the non-stress test (NST) on the efficiency of the fetal biophysical profile (FBP) and to test the clinical usefulness of the FBP and its combination with vibratory acoustic stimulation (VAS) in managing high-risk pregnancies.

Methods: One hundred twenty fetuses of preeclamptic patients were included in a prospective study. Five standard variables of the FBP were observed ultrasonically following NST.

[Evaluation of the quality of life of disabled workers based on the most frequently used type of health care].

An investigation was conducted among the dock workers from the port of Rijeka, where disabled workers made 13.1% of the total number of the employed. The most common causes of disablement were musculo-skeletal and connective tissue diseases (27%), injuries (20%) and diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems (13%).

[Fetal death in the 20th to the 36th week of pregnancy].

In the period from 1986 to 1988, intrauterine fetal deaths from 20-36 weeks of gestation and 500 gm and more birth weight were analysed in a prospective study from the clinical and pathomorphological point of view. There were 57 such fetal deaths or 7.96% of the total number of 716 births till the 36th week of gestation, while 42.

[Changes in the anterior segment of the eye in workers in the coke manufacturing industry].

An investigation carried out of eye disorders in workers employed in the manufacture of coke demonstrated a high percentage of changes in the anterior segment of the eye. Registered symptoms such as conjunctival hyperemia, pinguecula, pigmentation and conjunctivitis were most probably connected with specific work and exposure to coal dust and irritants. In workers exposed for less than two years there were no changes in lacrimal secretion.

[Lacrimal hyposecretion in women working with video terminals].

Tests of vision and lacrimal secretion were performed as part of a general medical check-up among women employed at video-terminals in a bank. The tests were taken by three groups of 100 employees each. The first group consisted of full-time (eight hours) employees, the second of those working part-time (the time spent at a video-terminal daily was never less than two hours of continuous work) and a third group of control subjects having different clerical jobs but working in the premises with video-terminals.

[Potassium diffusion potentials in fetal erythrocytes and leukocytes in umbilical cord blood].

The potential of the membrane erythrocytes and leucocytes from the fetal umbilical cord blood was studied in order to determine the vitality of cells. The membrane erythrocytes potential was analysed in 11 blood samples of normal deliveries and 3 blood samples of deliveries with the meconium amniotic fluid; the membrane leucocyte potential was examined in 16 blood samples of normal deliveries and 5 blood samples of deliveries with the meconium amniotic fluid. The method used was the indirect fluorescence spectroscopy and the cyanin dye DIO-C5-(3) as the extrinsic fluorescent probe.

[The effect of histamine and histamine H1 and H2 receptor blockers on the tone of the longitudinal muscles in the human appendix].

The aims of this study were to determine whether the effect of histamine on a smooth musculature of the human appendix is mediated by histamine H1-receptors only or whether histamine H2-receptors are involved, as well. The obtained results indicate histamine increases tonus in musculature; however, histamine H1-receptor antagonist (promethazine) decreases tonus. Histamine H2-receptor antagonist (cimetidine) has caused a mild increase in tonus of musculature what indicates that it has a certain intrinsic activity.

[The effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha and indomethacin on the musculature of the human appendix].

In their research, the authors have tried to determine possible differences in effects of prostaglandin F2 alpha on longitudinal musculature tonus in normal and inflamed human appendix and the extent to which it is possible to react on prostaglandin effect by indomethacin. The obtained results indicate that PGF2 alpha increases tonus in human appendix musculature; however, the change is more pronounced in a normal appendix musculature. Even more, indomethacin prevents spasms caused by PGF2 alpha in musculature of both normal and inflamed appendix significantly.

[Analysis of cardiotocographic curve and pH values of foetal blood during delivery].

The article deals with 140 cardiotocographic curves during opening and 147 curves during expulsion in puerpera in whom delivery was performed under cardiotocography and pH-metry. During different changes of foetal heart frequency pH values of foetal blood were determined. On the basis of cardiotocographic changes the examined group was divided into several subgroups.