[Convulsions due to an interaction between anti-epileptic drugs and rifampicin].

Background: Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have a small therapeutic window, so it is important to monitor plasma levels. Inadequate plasma levels may lead to convulsions. Many AEDs are cleared hepatically, and there are many drug interactions that are known to lead to changes in plasma levels.

[Ethnicity in pharmacogenetics].

Individuals originating from different ethnic groups can respond differently to certain medicines. In this article, we differentiated persons with a European, African and Asian origin into three main groups. The combination of a fixed dose of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine (known as BiDil) was marketed specifically in the US for Afro-Americans with heart failure, as patients from this group respond less well to ACE inhibitors.

[Patent ductus arteriosus in the dog: a retrospective study of clinical presentation, diagnostics and comparison of interventional techniques in 102 dogs (2003-2011)].

A left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect in dogs. If it is left uncorrected, life expectancy in most cases is decreased due to the development of left-sided congestive heart failure. The aim of this study was to describe the dogs diagnosed with PDA in the Utrecht University Companion Animal Clinic from 2003 to 2011.

[Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for depression].

Background: The high incidence of depressive disorder in the Netherlands calls for additional forms of therapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that has been investigated in the last 15 years in order to find out whether this form of stimulation is effective in the treatment of depression.

Aim: To discover whether TMS has proved effective in the treatment of depressed patients.

[The contribution of general practice medicine to undergraduate medical education].

The Blueprint 1994. Objectives of undergraduate medical education, was issued in 1994 and has since been used as a guideline by the eight medical faculties in the Netherlands. This prompted a team of representatives of all eight Institutes for General Practice Medicine of the country to describe the contribution of general practice medicine to undergraduate medical education.

Autism and autistic-like disorders: the hypothalamic-pituita-ry-adrenal system as a model for research.

In this article an overview is given of the differential diagnosis of autism and autistic-like disorders. The diagnosis of the so-called 'Multiple Complex Developmental Disorders' (MCDD) as a distinct entity is discussed in relation to autism and schizophrenia. Biological research and the relevance of results until recently are discussed.

[Oncology, pathology and companion animal practice].

A review of research in veterinary oncology, as executed in Amsterdam and Utrecht, is presented. Also an inquiry into the cooperation between oncologist, pathologist and practitioner is discussed. It is concluded that microscopic tumour diagnosis is practized at too low a scale (+/- 30%).