Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Regional and sociodemographic determinants of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged 7-9 years in Croatia.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and analyze the determinants of overweight and obesity among Croatian schoolchildren aged 7-9 years in relation to sociodemographic factors. This study used data that were gathered as part of the WHO Europe Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative in 2015/2016. The sample for the study was nationally representative. ⋯ The risk of overweight and obesity was increased in boys living in the Adriatic region (ORadj=1.33; 95% CI 1.03-1.71) and in girls with high-school educated mothers (ORadj=1.36; 95% CI 1.11-1.66). Girls with unemployed mothers had a lower risk of overweight and obesity (ORadj=0.73; 95% CI 0.58-0.92). The observed prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity warrants national and local time-bound targets for reduction of childhood obesity, accompanied by detailed action plans and monitoring mechanisms.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Skip Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma - Prevalence, Predictive and Clinicopathological Factors.
Cervical lymph node metastases are frequently found in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and occur in a stepwise fashion. Skip metastases that omit the central compartment and spread initially in lateral neck levels are present in a certain share of patients, and their significance is poorly understood. The aim of this prospective study was to identify their possible predictors and clinicopathological factors in a group of patients with PTC with lateral lymph node (LLN) metastases. ⋯ Skip metastases occur more frequently in older patients and display certain clinicopathological features like smaller size of the primary tumor and dissemination in less lateral neck levels. In the view of the fact that they are found rather frequently, lateral neck regions should be meticulously investigated in patients with PTC without central lymph node (CLL) metastases.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Localization and shape of stenoses in central lung carcinoma - Sensitivity and precision of MDCT VB and FB.
The objective is to present diagnostic capabilities of virtual bronchoscopy (VB) and fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FB) for determining the localization and shape of stenoses in patients with central lung carcinoma. A systematic study was performed on 220 patients aged 11-83 (54.36±17.24) years with endobronchial disease using the FB and VB methods during the 2013-2017 period. Central carcinoma of the lung was found on VB in 130 patients and on FB in 120 patients. ⋯ A significant difference in the localization criterion was found in female patients examined by VB (U-test, p=0.01). VB and FB yielded 86.5% vs. 91.60% precision and 85% vs. 94.5% sensitivity. In conclusion, VB was found to be a successful noninvasive method for determining the localization of lung tumors and shape of stenoses, which are essential in the diagnosis of malignant processes.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Autologous Fat Augmentation in the Treatment of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis - A 15-year Experience in a Single Institution.
Autologous fat vocal fold augmentation is a widespread surgical procedure that aims to repair glottal incompetence in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). However, there are some concerns in the literature about the long-term results of this technique. At the ENT Department of the Zagreb University Hospital Centre, this technique has been in use for more than 15 years, and a retrospective medical chart review was conducted from June 2005 to November 2019. ⋯ All tested voice outcome parameters (maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR)) significantly improved after surgery, both early and late postoperatively (p<0.001). The reoperation rate was only 10.3% (8/78), with the majority of patients in our series experiencing long-term benefits from this surgical procedure. According to the results of our study, autologous fat vocal fold augmentation appears to be a highly useful and effective surgical technique with long-lasting results in the majority of patients suffering from UVFP.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Jun 2020
Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery Program After Bariatric Surgery: clinical and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs are perioperative evidence-based interventions that have the purpose of making the perioperative pathway more efficient in safeguarding patient safety and quality of care. Recently, several ERAS components have been introduced in the setting of bariatric surgery (Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery, ERABS). The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the implementation of an ERABS program. ⋯ Economic analysis revealed a different cost distribution between the two groups. On the whole, there were significant savings for almost all the variables taken into consideration, mainly driven by exclusion of using intensive care unit, which is by far more expensive than the average cost of post-anesthesia care unit. Our study confirmed the implementation of an ERABS protocol to have shortened hospital stay and was cost-saving while safeguarding patient safety.