[Dutch study on the optimal treatment strategy for patients with a first or second occurrence of gastro-oesophageal variceal bleeding: the TIPS-TRUE trial]. / Nederlandse studie naar de beste behandelstrategie bij patiënten met een eerste of tweede oesofagus- of maagvaricesbloeding: de TIPS-TRUE-trial.

The main options for secondary prevention of gastrooesophageal variceal bleeding are endoscopic therapy and treatment with propranolol. Creation ofa transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is currently considered a valuable secondary 'rescue' treatment when other therapies fail. Recent data suggest that the use of covered stents markedly increases the efficacy of TIPS, compared with conventional uncovered stents. Therefore, a multicentre randomised trial was designed to compare the effects of TIPS using covered stents with those of endoscopic therapy plus propranolol in patients with a first or second episode ofgastro-oesophageal variceal bleeding. TIPS will be performed in 4 university centres with relevant expertise. The trial will hopefully gain nationwide support, and all centres in The Netherlands are cordially invited to participate.

East-West migration in Europe: can migration theories help estimate the numbers?

"In this article, we discuss the types of scientific knowledge that could be used to estimate migration flows." Theories from the disciplines of economics, geography, geopolitics, sociology, demography, econometrics, and history are reviewed. The authors find that "each field provides a partial explanation of...migration flows." The geographical focus is on Europe.

Varieties of independent living: older women in the Netherlands, 1982.

"In this paper we examine the living arrangements of older unmarried women--that is, single, divorced, or widowed women--in The Netherlands....[The] paper analyzes the distribution of [such] women across several types of living arrangements, including an institutionalized category ('residential homes'). The factors influencing this distribution that are examined include indices of functional limitations, kin availability, and sociodemographic background factors. The most important variables appear to be the measures of functional limitations, and the results are indicative of effective targeting of housing resources on those who appear to need them, judged by our measures of physical capacity." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND ITA)

Period and cohort effects on divorce rates.

The author analyzes the demographic dimensions of divorce. A model is developed to estimate "the isolated effects of marriage duration, marriage cohort, and divorce period...on divorce probabilities over time [using data for Austria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland].... Crude divorce rates (divorces per 1,000 married couples) in the six countries for the period 1946-1984 are reviewed, followed by a very brief review of some of the literature on period and cohort effects in general, and divorce in particular. The [second] section describes the data. The third section presents and discusses the results."

AIDS costs more "years of potential life" before age 65 than diabetes, TBC, or viral hepatitis] Patterns of premature mortality in Switzerland, Austria, and the Federal Republic of Germany.

An attempt is made to estimate the present and future extent of AIDS mortality in Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Switzerland. The results indicate an increase in premature mortality attributable to AIDS in these countries in 1984. The authors conclude that "it must be expected that during the 1990s AIDS will be one of the major causes of years of potential life lost among young adults, next to suicides and car accidents."