[Physicians and the danger of nuclear war].

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize winners, are active in some sixty different countries. Their action is based on the outlook that any nuclear war would cause not only millions of deaths, but also millions of severely injured or burnt victims for whom the medical profession, decimated as well, would be most helpless. They strive to obtain that governments, in agreement with treaties that almost all countries have signed, ascertain that nuclear weapons, which are internationally illegal, be globally abolished.

Wars of the 1990s.

The 40 wars of the past decade, all 'minor', have resulted in a total of more than two million deaths and 20 million refugees or displaced persons. Few have been the international wars typical of previous periods. Nine out of ten began as internal or civil wars, foreign intervention--when it occurred--being always secondary.

[Nuclear arms and medical responsibility].

The medical profession would be unable to cope with the millions of simultaneous casualities of a nuclear war. Such a war between developed countries becomes less likely, but new countries equip themselves, with nuclear weapons, using the violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty by the great powers as an excuse. The danger of nuclear war is spreading with the consequences one can imagine.

[Analysis by computer simulation of cell kinetics of the liver].

A computer simulation model of cell kinetics is established to represent the variations of rat hepatocyte populations in several circumstances: normal growth, circadian rythms, response to partial hepatectomy under different conditions. This model differs from usual mathematical models-sets of equations--by the use of digital simulation techniques. Each cell in the population is represented by a set of variables in the computer memory.

Student population changes and progress in Belgian medical schools.

The present study was designed to analyse the evolution of student populations--undergraduates and graduates--in the 11 Belgian medical schools from 1969 to 1982. During this period, an overall 44% drop in the number of entrants was observed, while the number of medical graduates continued to rise until 1977, when it stabilized. French- and Flemish-speaking universities followed a similar trend.