Assistance for the prescription of nutritional support must be required in nonexperienced nutritional teams.

The aim of the study was to determine the current practices of nutritional support among hospitalized patients in nonspecialized hospital departments. Materials and Methods. During an observation period of 2 months, a surgeon and a gastroenterologist designated in each of the two departments concerned, not "specialized" in nutritional assistance, have treated patients in which nutritional support seemed necessary. Assessing the degree of malnutrition of the patient, the therapeutic decision and the type of product prescribed by the doctors were secondarily compared to the proposals of a structured computer program according to the criteria and standards established by the institutions currently recognized. Results. The study included 120 patients bearing a surgical disease in 86.7% of cases and 10% of medical cases. 50% of the patients had cancer. Nutritional status was correctly evaluated in 38.3% by the initial doctors' diagnosis-consistent with the software's evaluation. The strategy of nutrition was concordant with the proposals of the software in 79.2% of cases. Conclusions. Despite an erroneous assessment of the nutritional status in more than two-thirds of cases the strategy of nutritional management was correct in 80% of cases. Malnutrition and its consequences can be prevented in nonexperienced nutritional teams by adequate nutritional support strategies coming from modern techniques including computerized programs.

The medical mystery of Napoleon Bonaparte: an interdisciplinary exposé.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 to 1821) is one of the most studied historical figures in European history. Not surprisingly, amongst the many mysteries still surrounding his person is the cause of his death, and particularly the suspicion that he was poisoned, continue to intrigue medical historians. After the defeat of the Napoleonic Army at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the small island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died 6 years later. Although his personal physician, Dr François Carlo Antommarchi, stated in his autopsy report that stomach cancer was the cause of death, this diagnosis was challenged in 1961 by the finding of an elevated arsenic concentration in one of Napoleon's hair samples. At that time it was suggested that Napoleon had been poisoned by one of his companions in exile who was allegedly supported by the British Government. Since then Napoleon's cause of death continues to be a topic of debate. The aim of this review is to use a multidisciplinary approach to provide a systematic and critical assessment of Napoleon's cause of death.

Gastrointestinal diseases of Napoleon in Saint Helena: causes of death.

The fact that Napoleon Ist died from gastric cancer seems to be well established. Arguments for the hypothesis of chronic arsenic poisoning have recently been developed in the literature. This study, focused on the gastrointestinal diseases of Napoleon in Saint Helena, is based on a confrontation between the clinical semiological anamnesis and the anatomical data in the autopsy report by F. Antommarchi. Napoleon presented several gastrointestinal diseases: gall-bladder lithiasis complicated with angiocholitis, chronic colitis and certainly a gastric cancer. Death was consecutive to perforation of the gastric lesion leading to haemorrhagic vomitis and multiorgan failure. The description of the gastric lesions during autopsy is consistent with the diagnosis of cancer. The course of the clinical events is closely correlated with the anatomic lesions. There is strong evidence that Napoleon died from an acute complication of his gastric disease.