Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Several techniques are available for the provision of enteral nutritional support. Nasal tubes, gastrostomy tubes and jejunostomy tubes can be distinguised. ⋯ It should further be noted that the quantity of enteral nutrition prescribed and that actually administered may differ substantially so that patients with a feeding device may even become malnourished. With proper patient selection and secure control of the energy balance, feeding tubes are simple (temporary) devices that improve the patient's health and quality of life.
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Mar 1998
[Cognitive and psychotic effects after cessation of chronic cannabis use].
Establishment of residual cognitive and psychotic effects (effects present at the time that all active cannabinoids are eliminated from the body) putatively produced by prolonged heavy cannabis use is difficult, because of many confounding variables like slow elimination of active cannabinoids, lack of supervision during abstinence, poor use of well-matched control groups and the presence of withdrawal symptoms. Residual cognitive effects were observed in some but not in all tests after prolonged heavy cannabis use. The effects were mostly mild. The relationship of cannabis use, psychotic effects and schizophrenia was unclear; the cannabis conceivably gave relief, but it also appeared that cannabis caused schizophrenia in young people and (or) enhanced the symptoms, especially in young people poorly able to cope with stress or in whom the antipsychotic therapy was unsuccessful.
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The history of wound suturing reflects that of surgery itself. In wound treatment, which encloses the technique of suturing as well as suturing materials, wound suturing plays a prominent role. In ancient India, Egypt and the Greek and Roman societies wound treatments as well as suturing techniques and instruments were developed that strongly resemble those in our days. ⋯ They were introduced into clinical practice in the early decades of the 20th century. The greatest progress in wound suturing started after World War II with the introduction of advanced semiautomatic stapler machinery and with the manufacture of synthetic non-resorbable and resorbable fibres. They have revolutionized surgery and were instrumental in developing new fields (microsurgery).
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Jan 1998
[Tuberculosis in HIV-positive and HIV-negative drug users in Amsterdam].
To determine and to compare the incidences of active tuberculosis in HIV positive and HIV negative drug users and to describe the main characteristics of the tuberculosis cases. ⋯ HIV infection increases the risk of active tuberculosis in Amsterdam drug users 13-fold. The incidence of tuberculosis in HIV negative drug users in 6 times higher than that in the overall Amsterdam population. Periodic chest X-ray screening contributes substantially to case-finding of active tuberculosis in Amsterdam drug users.