Oxfordshire Women and Their Children's Health (OxWATCH): protocol for a prospective cohort feasibility study.

INTRODUCTION: Some specific pregnancy disorders are known to be associated with increased incidence of long-term maternal ill health (eg, gestational diabetes with late onset type 2 diabetes; pre-eclampsia with arterial disease). To what degree these later health conditions are a consequence of the woman's constitution prior to pregnancy rather than pregnancy itself triggering changes in a woman's health is unknown. Additionally, there is little prospective evidence for the impact of pre-pregnancy risk factors on the outcome of pregnancy. To understand the importance of pre-pregnancy health requires the recruitment of women into a long-term cohort study before their first successful pregnancy. The aim of this feasibility study is to test recruitment procedures and acceptability of participation to inform the planning of a future large-scale cohort study. METHODS: The prospective cohort feasibility study will recruit nulliparous women aged 18-40 years. Women will be asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the acceptability of our recruitment and data collection procedures. Baseline biophysical, genetic, socioeconomic, behavioural and psychological assessments will be conducted and samples of blood, urine, saliva and DNA will be collected. Recruitment feasibility and retention rates will be assessed. Women who become pregnant will be recalled for pregnancy and postpregnancy assessments. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by South Central Portsmouth REC (Ref: 12/SC/0492). The findings from the study will be disseminated through peer reviewed journals, national and international conference presentations and public events. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02419898.

[Endoscopic balloon dilatation of achalasia under fluoroscopic guidance]. / Endoskopska balon-dilatacija ahalazija kod fluoroskopskom kontrolom.

In 41 patients, aged 17-81 years, with confirmed achalasia, endoscopic balloon-dilatation was performed under fluoroscopic control. Favorable results were achieved in 39 patients--in 36 patients balloon dilatation was successful after the first intervention, and in the other 3 patients dilatation had to be repeated twice, with favorable outcome. Two patients were surgically treated, one for unsuccessful dilatation, and the other for the complication that occurred during dilatation.

[Ear acupuncture has a hypotonic effect on the gastrointestinal tract]. / Hipotoni efekat aurikuloakupunkture na gastrointestinalni trakt.

The effect of auricular acupuncture (AAP) on the motility and tone of gastrointestinal tract was investigated in 60 patients, by comparison of the width of corpus and antrum of the stomach, as well as duodenum before and after the application of AAP. The obtained results showed that the effects of AAP and usual drugs were equal. The fact that AAP was applied without any side effects and contraindications pointed to the possibility of its wider application in clinical practice.

[Diagnosis of periorbital diseases by means of ultrasound]. / Dijagnostika paraorbitalnih oboljenja ultrazvukom.

The ophthalmology was one of the first medical branches which used ultrasound in diagnostical purposes. The structure of the eye, with the large vitreous body, through which the ultrasound waves pass without attenuation, is highly appreciated in ultrasound examination, thus the diagnostical results of ocular diseases are extremely good. On the base of our rich ophthalmological experience we left the scope of the eye and the orbit, and made ultrasound examinations of the head and the face. The echograms of two patients presented original patterns: one was malignant melanoma of the skin with typical echograms performed by A and B scannings, and the other case was the Mikulicz disease with typical echograms. Original echograms of these patients can be considered as a contribution to ultrasound diagnosis of paraorbital diseases.