Current Surgical Methods in Local Rectal Excision.

Background: The treatment of rectal cancer has evolved with the advancement of surgical techniques. Less invasive approaches are becoming more accepted as the primary treatment method.

Summary: Such methods as transanal excision, transanal endoscopic microsurgery, and transanal minimally invasive surgery can reduce morbidity and mortality rates.

VALIDATION OF THE CROATIAN VERSION OF THE SURGICAL FEAR QUESTIONNAIRE (SFQ) IN ADULT PATIENTS WAITING FOR ELECTIVE SURGERY.

The Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) is an instrument for self-assessment of surgical fear and consists of two subscales, one assessing the fear of short-term consequences (SFQ-s) and another one of long-term consequences (SFQ-l) of surgery. The aim of this study was to test the Croatian version of the SFQ with regard to its psychometric properties. This prospective cohort study included patients who presented to the Department of Surgery for elective surgery in the inpatient setting at a tertiary health care facility in Croatia between April 1 and May 31, 2019.

Sexual dimorphism of the extraorbital lacrimal glands in SF-1 knockout mice.

Sexual dimorphism (SD) represents all the differences between males and females of the same species. SD of the murine lacrimal gland and the major effect of testosterone on its formation are well documented. Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1, NR5a1) is a nuclear receptor essential for the fetal development of steroid hormones producing organs and SF-1 knockout mice (Sf-1 KO) are therefore born without gonads and adrenal glands.

[Video-assisted extirpation of breast fibroadenoma with immediate bilateral breast augmentation--a case report].

Background: Since mid 1990s video-assisted breast surgery (VABS) has been developed in the treatment of benign and malignant breast diseases. According to studies that are conducted mainly in Japan, this tehnique is safe, easy to learn and his main advantage is excellent cosmetic results on postoperative appearance of breasts that cannot be achived with standard surgical procedures.

Objective: To present a first case of video assisted breast surgery in Croatia applied to treatment of breast fibroadenoma and immediate bilateral breast augmentation.

Foetal Leydig cells and the neuroendocrine system.

It has been shown that adult human Leydig cells express a number of neuroendocrine markers, and, therefore, could be considered as a part of the neuroendocrine system in the adult. A limited number of studies have dealt with the dynamics of development of human foetal Leydig cells, whereas studies on their neuroendocrine nature are still extremely rare. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the development of human foetal Leydig cells in different weeks of gestation (wg) and to check if these cells express certain markers characteristic of the diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNS).