Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Jul 2003
Review[Neuromonitoring of patients following severe brain trauma].
To a considerable extent, the neurological outcome of patients with severe brain trauma is determined by the primary injury caused by the accident. Substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the pathophysiological processes resulting in secondary brain damage after brain trauma, partly as a result of the introduction of advanced techniques of neuromonitoring. ⋯ Methods that are also reliable and readily applicable, but less relevant clinically, include cerebral microdialysis of fluid from the extracellular space, determination of the parenchymal oxygen tension, and determination of the venous oxygen saturation. Other techniques that are not clinically applicable include: determination of the cerebral blood flow, the cortical tissue perfusion or the regional cerebral oxygenation.
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Jul 2003
Case Reports[Testicular torsion can also be present in adult men].
Five adult men, aged 34, 33, 31, 56 and 52 years respectively, were admitted with acute scrotal pain. Testicular torsion was eventually diagnosed in all the patients. Two of the patients were initially treated with antibiotics due to a suspected epididymitis. ⋯ Using a physical examination to distinguish epididymitis from testicular torsion can be difficult. Doppler ultrasound is a reliable diagnostic tool for confirming testicular ischaemia. If the intratesticular flow is diminished or absent, then testicular torsion should be considered and this should be followed by immediate surgical exploration.
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Jul 2003
Review[Nutrition and health--potential health benefits and risks of vegetarianism and limited consumption of meat in the Netherlands].
In the latest Dutch national food consumption survey (1998) just over 1% of subjects (about 150,000 persons) claimed to be vegetarians; however, a much larger group (6% or approximately 1 million persons) ate meat < or = once a week. Vegetarianism can be subdivided into lacto-vegetarianism (a diet without meat and fish) and veganism (a diet without any animal foods whatsoever, including dairy products and eggs). A recent meta-analysis showed that vegetarians had a lower mortality from ischaemic heart disease than omniovorous subjects; however, cancer mortality and total mortality did not differ. ⋯ In medical practice, the possibility of vitamin B12 deficiency in subjects consuming meat or fish < or = once a week deserves serious consideration. In case of doubt, evaluation is indicated using sensitive and specific deficiency markers such as the levels of methylmalonic acid in plasma or urine. Alternative dietary sources of vitamin B12 instead of meat are fish (especially fatty fish is a good source of vitamin B12), or a vitamin-B12-supplement.