Diet Quality of Elite Australian Athletes Evaluated Using the Athlete Diet Index

While athletes’ nutrient intakes have been widely reported, few studies have assessed the diet quality of athletes. This is the first study to evaluate the diet quality of athletes using the purpose-built Athlete Diet Index (ADI). A convenience sample of 165 elite athletes from Australian sporting institutions completed the ADI online, with subsequent automated results provided to their respective accredited sports dietitians (ASDs). At the completion of athlete participation, ASDs (n = 12) responded to a range of survey items using a Likert scale (i.e., 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree) to determine the suitability of the ADI in practice. Differences in ADI scores for demographics and sport-specific variables were investigated using independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni multiple comparisons. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the association between total scores and demographics. The mean total ADI score was 91.4 ± 12.2 (range 53–117, out of a possible 125). While there was no difference in total scores based on demographics or sport-specific variables; team sport athletes scored higher than individual sport athletes (92.7 vs. 88.5, p < 0.05). Athletes training fewer hours (i.e., 0–11 h/week) scored higher on Dietary Habits sub-scores compared with athletes training more hours (≥12 h/week; p < 0.05), suggesting that athletes who train longer may be at risk of a compromised dietary pattern or less than optimal nutrition practices that support training. Most (75%) ASDs surveyed strongly agreed with the perceived utility of the ADI for screening athletes and identifying areas for nutrition support, confirming its suitability for use in practice.     

Territorywide Study of Early Coronavirus Disease Outbreak,Hong Kong,China

Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community. We collected demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data from 50 patients, who accounted for 53.8% of total reported case-patients as of February 28, 2020. We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine phylogenetic relationship and transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. By using phylogenetic analysis, we attributed the community outbreak to 2 lineages; 1 harbored a common mutation, Orf3a-G251V, and accounted for 88.0% of the cases in our study. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of local coronavirus disease outbreak was December 24, 2019, with an evolutionary rate of 3.04 × 10⁻³ substitutions/site/year. The reproduction number was 1.84, indicating ongoing community spread.     

Tumoral calcinosis in infancy

The most frequent form of idiopathic calcinosis is tumoral calcinosis (TC) which rarely occurs at young ages. We describe here a TC case of a young boy with its light microscopy completed with electron microscopic examinations. X-ray microanalysis revealed in the intracellular crystals CaCl₂ besides the previously described hydroxyapatite. The significance of this finding is unknown at the moment.     

Detection of antibodies against pancreatic islet cells in clinical practice

Development of diabetes mellitus caused by pancreatic beta-cell destruction of autoimmune origin is the result of a long lasting process. The most easily examinable feature of this stage is the occurrence of the islet cell antibodies. The sera which are positive for islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies (ICA), examined by indirect immunofluorescence, contain a mixture of antibodies. The glutamic acid decarbocylase (GAD), the tyrosin phosphatase (IA2), the insulin, and the GM2-1 glycolipid can be the targets of these antibodies. One can routinely examine the ICA, the GADA, the IA2 antibodies. The detection of antibodies against insulin (IAA) and GM-2-1 glycolipid is not invented in the routine laboratory work. The aim of the authors was the evaluation of clinical significance of occurrence of islet cell antibodies: one hundred and eighteen nondiabetic children an adult human being without known diabetic first degree relatives and 366 type 1 diabetic children and adult patients served as controls. The authors evaluated the predictive value of the different islet cell antibodies to the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus in 596 nondiabetic children with type 1 diabetic first degree relatives. The authors looked for markers of beta-cell destruction among sera of 320 diabetics manifested after 30 years of age with at least half a year of non-insulin-dependency and in the sera of 68 females suffered from gestational diabetes after 0-14 years of the index pregnancy. Finally the authors report 7 cases in which the examination of islet cell antibodies helped the diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Indirect immunofluorescence method was used for the detection of ICA, radioimmunoassay for that of GADA and IA2 antibodies. There was no positive reaction for ICA and GADA in the nondiabetic population without diabetic first degree relatives. Among the freshly diagnosed type 1 diabetic children 39% were positive for only ICA, 44% for only GADA and 80% for any antibodies. Among the freshly manifested type 1 diabetic adults ICA positivity only was observed in 21%, GADA positivity only in 7.1% and 93% for any antibodies. From the 595 nondiabetic children with type 1 diabetic first degree relatives 23 were positive for ICA, from whom 5 became diabetic during a two years observation period. These diabetic children had multiplex autoantibodies besides ICA. One child from this group, who was negative for ICA became diabetic, too. Among type 2 diabetic patients 13% were positive for ICA alone, 17% were positive for GADA alone and 27% were positive for any antibodies. The insulin dependency manifested in a short time was associated with antibody positivity. Among the gestational diabetics 10 were found positive for ICA. From them, 7 were type 1 diabetics, and 3 were type 2 diabetics at the time of the detection of antibodies. The authors suggest the need of determination of islet cell antibodies in the group of nondiabetic first degree relatives of type 1 diabetic patients (ICA, GADA, IA2 and IAA), in the group of non-insulin-dependent diabetics (ICA and GADA) as a screening for later insulin dependency, and in gestational diabetes after delivery (ICA) as screening for type 1 diabetes mellitus.     

"Folie a deux hallucinatoire"--a new case of induced hallucinatory psychosis. A new entity?]

The authors in their case report show a case of induced hallucinatory psychosis induced in a wife of a patient with alcoholic hallucinosis. They deal with the nosological position of "folie a deux hallucinatoire" (induced hallucinatory psychosis) and integrate the consequences of the case to the general psychopathological theory of hallucinations.     

Effects of methoxyflurane anesthesia on the pharmacokinetics of 125I-IAZA in Sprague-Dawley rats

Effects of methoxyflurane anesthesia on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous 125I-IAZA in rats are reported. No significant differences in t(1/2alpha), t(1/2beta), V(SS), and ClTB for total radioactivity (125I-IAZA and metabolites) were observed between the anesthetized (Group 1, n = 4) and nonanesthetized (Group 2, n = 3) animals. For 125I-IAZA, ClTB increased from 646 +/- 52 mL/h/kg to 2250 +/- 351 mL/h/kg and t(1/2beta) decreased from 97.7 +/- 17.5 min to 35.6 +/- 5.4 min, for Groups 1 and 2, respectively. There were no differences in V(SS) or t(1/2alpha) between the two groups. These findings support literature reports of anesthetic effects on xenobiotic pharmacokinetics, and indicate a need for caution in the evaluation of preclinical imaging studies in which animals are immobilized with anesthetics.     

Y-appendicoplasty: a technique to minimize stomal complications in antegrade continence enema

PURPOSE: The antegrade continence enema (ACE) is an effective method of treatment of fecal incontinence and constipation. However, the original procedure described is not easy to perform and is associated with a high complication rate, especially stomal stenosis-necrosis (55%). Even with introduction of orthotopic appendicostomy, composite series still report an incidence of 30% with stomal problems. The authors report a virtually complication-free simple modification, the Y-appendicoplasty. METHODS: The base of the appendix is imbricated into cecum by 2 successive rows of interrupted seromuscular stitches. A small Y-shaped incision is made on the abdominal wall at McBurney's point, and 3 triangular skin flaps are raised. The appendix is brought out of the skin incision. The tip is excised, and 3 vertical cuts are made 120 degrees apart. The 3 appendiceal flaps thus created are interdigitated with the skin flaps using interrupted sutures. RESULTS: Twelve children underwent Y-appendicoplasty and orthotopic appendicostomy. Mean operating time was 1 hour. None experienced stomal complications that required intervention. Control of fecal continence with ACE ranged from excellent to good. CONCLUSION: Y-appendicoplasty and orthotopic appendicostomy minimizes complications for ACE and is easy to perform.     

Comparison of morbidity of lumbar flank approach and transperitoneal approach for radical nephrectomy

PURPOSE: This is a retrospective study comparing the clinical data and morbidity of transperitoneal radical nephrectomy (TRN) and simple nephrectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From 1st January, 1989 to 1st January, 1996 a total of 90 simple nephrectomies and from 1st January, 1996 to 1st August, 1999 a number of 85 TRN were performed at the Department of Urology of the Saint Stephen Hospital. The analysis of clinical data included operative time, length of analgesics, postoperative hospital stay and blood loss, as well as morbidity. RESULTS: The mean operative time for TRN was 170 min., being 95 min. for simple nephrectomy. The mean blood loss for TRN was 250 ml, and 400 ml for simple nephrectomy. There were different types of morbidity for TRN and simple nephrectomy. The complications of TRN mean minimal risk and easy correctibility. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate an overall clear advantage of TRN when compared to simple nephrectomy.