Implementation and Assessment of a Laparotomy-Assisted Three-Port Fetoscopic Spina Bifida Repair Program.

Open spina bifida (OSB) is a congenital, non-lethal malformation with multifactorial etiology. Fetal therapy can be offered under certain conditions to parents after accurate prenatal diagnostic and interdisciplinary counseling. Since the advent of prenatal OSB surgery, various modifications of the original surgical techniques have evolved, including laparotomy-assisted fetoscopic repair.

[Patient-controlled Analgesia (PCA): an Overview About Methods, Handling and New Modalities].

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is one of the well established methods for the treatment of postoperative pain. A cochrane-review concluded that PCA is associated with better postoperative pain ratings and improved patient-satifaction compared to traditional way of administering opioids. Some prerequisites concerning patient selection, education of the patient and the medical staff, and supervision during PCA therapy are mandatory for a safe use of PCA.

Obesity in adolescents from urban and rural areas--a comparison of physical fitness and markers of inflammation.

Objectives: Obesity entails serious health consequences associated with the development of inflammation in the body and it has an impact on physical fitness. Obesity is not only related to the development of inflammation in the body, but it is a condition involving the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Aim of this paper was the comparison of parameters of physical fitness and inflammatory condition in overweight and obese adolescents from urban and rural areas.

The evaluation of selected serum mineral concentrations and their association with insulin resistance in obese adolescents.

Background: In obesity, elevated insulin resistance is observed, which may be associated with disturbances in mineral status in the body. The few studies concerning the status of minerals and their relationships with insulin resistance and body composition in adolescent populations have brought inconclusive results.

Aim: of this study is, thus, to assess serum mineral concentration in obese adolescents, and to evaluate their potential association with insulin resistance.