The Influence of Vitamin A Supplementation on Iron Status

Vitamin A (VA) and iron deficiencies are important nutritional problems, affecting particularly preschool children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. A PubMed (National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) literature review was carried out to search for clinical trials published from 1992 to 2013 that assessed the influence of vitamin A supplementation on iron status. Simultaneous use of iron and vitamin A supplements seemed to be more effective to prevent iron deficiency anemia than the use of these micronutrients alone. Some studies did not include a placebo group and only a few of them assessed vitamin A status of the individuals at baseline. Moreover, the studies did not consider any inflammatory marker and a reasonable number of iron parameters. Another important limitation was the lack of assessment of hemoglobin variants, especially in regions with a high prevalence of anemia. Assessment of hemoglobin variants, inflammatory markers and anemia of chronic inflammation would be important to the studies investigated. Studies involving different populations are necessary to elucidate the interaction between the two micronutrients, especially regarding iron absorption and modulation of erythropoiesis.     

Laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy in achalasia

Background: Inappropriate length of the myotomy incision along the stomach, the most common technical fault during Heller's cardiomyotomy, is related to the difficulty of identifying the gastro-esophageal junction, in particular during laparoscopic surgery. The goal of this study was to evaluate the contribution of endoscopy to gastro-esophageal junction identification during laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy. Methods: In a group of 19 patients with intraoperative endoscopy with laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy, surgical and endoscopic criteria for gastro-esophageal junction identification have been assessed. Then postoperative results of this group were compared with those of another group of 16 patients previously operated on without intraoperative endoscopy. Results: Endoscopic and laparoscopic criteria for gastro-esophageal junction identification were discordant in 11 patients (11/19, 58%). The cardia was in all these cases at a more distal site with endoscopic criteria. Complications ascribable to suboptimal technique were more frequent in the group without intraoperative endoscopy (7/16 patients) than in the other group (2/19 patients). Conclusions: Endoscopy during laparoscopic Heller's cardiomyotomy is of great assistance in identifying the cardia, and thereby could improve surgical outcomes. Received: 20 October 1998/Accepted: 20 January 1999     

Perceived barriers to physical activity during the 2nd lockdown in a northeastern state of Brazil

Sport Sciences for Health - The practice of physical activity has been recommended during the pandemic period of COVID-19 as a way of preventing the worsening of physical and mental health. After...     

Nitric oxide in the exhaled breath condensate of healthy volunteers collected with a reusable device

BackgroundThe analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive technique that enables the determination of several volatile and nonvolatile substances produced in the respiratory tract, whose measurement may be useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of several respiratory diseases.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to produce a low-cost reusable device in order to sample exhaled breath condensate in healthy adult volunteers, and to determine the concentration of nitric oxide in the sample collected.Material and methodsThe apparatus was made with a U-shaped tube of borosilicate glass. The tube was placed in a container with ice, and unidirectional respiratory valves were fitted to the distal end. Afterwards, nitric oxide was measured in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) by chemiluminescence.ResultsThe total cost of the device was $120.20. EBC samples were obtained from 116 volunteers of both sexes, aged between 20 and 70. The mean volume of exhaled breath condensate collected during 10 minutes was 1.0±0.6 mL, and the mean level of nitric oxide was 12.99±14.38 μM (median 8.72 μM). There was no correlation between the nitric oxide levels in the exhaled breath condensate and age or gender.ConclusionWe demonstrate that it is possible to fabricate a low-cost, efficient, reusable device in order to collect and determine nitric oxide levels in EBC. We have identified no correlation between the nitric oxide levels present in the EBC obtained with this method with either age or sex.     

Increased Distance of Shooting on Basketball Jump Shot

The present study analyzed the effect of increased distance on basketball jump shot outcome and performance. Ten male expert basketball players were filmed and a number of kinematic variables analyzed during jump shot that were performed from three conditions to represent close, intermediate and far distances (2.8, 4.6, and 6.4m, respectively). Shot accuracy decreased from 59% (close) to 37% (far), in function of the task constraints (p < 0.05). Ball release height decreased (p < 0.05) from 2.46 m (close) to 2.38m (intermediate) and to 2.33m (long). Release angle also decreased (p < 0.05) when shot was performed from close (78.92°) in comparison to intermediate distances (65.60°). While, ball release velocity increased (p < 0.05) from 4.39 m/s (close) to 5.75 m·s^-1 (intermediate) to 6.89 m·s^-1 (far). These changes in ball release height, angle and velocity, related to movement performance adaptations were suggested as the main factors that influence jump shot accuracy when distance is augmented.

Key points

• The increased distance leads to greater spatial con-straint over shot movement that demands an adapta-tion of the movement for the regulation of the accu-racy and the impulse generation to release the ball.
• The reduction in balls release height and release angle, in addition to the increase in balls release ve-locity, were suggested as the main factors that de-creased shot accuracy with the distance increased.
• Players should look for release angles of shooting that provide an optimal balls release velocity to im-prove accuracy.

Key words: Jump shot, distance of shooting, basketball, motor control, biomechanics     

Alcohol acute intoxication before sepsis impairs the wound healing of intestinal anastomosis: rat model of the abdominal trauma patient

Introduction

Most trauma patients are drunk at the time of injury. Up to 2% of traumatized patients develop sepsis, which considerably increases their mortality. Inadequate wound healing of the colonic repair can lead to postoperative complications such as leakage and sepsis.

Objective

To assess the effects of acute alcohol intoxication on colonic anastomosis wound healing in septic rats.

Methods

Thirty six Wistar rats were allocated into two groups: S (induction of sepsis) and AS (alcohol intake before sepsis induction). A colonic anastomosis was performed in all groups. After 1, 3 or 7 days the animals were killed. Weight variations, mortality rate, histopathology and tensile breaking strength of the colonic anastomosis were evaluated.

Results

There was an overall mortality of 4 animals (11.1%), three in the group AS (16.6%) and one in the S group (5.5%). Weight loss occurred in all groups. The colon anastomosis of the AS group didn’t gain strength from the first to the seventh postoperative day. On the histopathological analysis there were no differences in the deposition of collagen or fibroblasts between the groups AS and S.

Conclusion

Alcohol intake increased the mortality rate three times in septic animals. Acute alcohol intoxication delays the acquisition of tensile strength of colonic anastomosis in septic rats. Therefore, acute alcohol intoxication before sepsis leads to worse prognosis in animal models of the abdominal trauma patients.

     

Patient‐Specific Orthopaedic Implants

Patient‐specific orthopaedic implants are emerging as a clinically promising treatment option for a growing number of conditions to better match an individual's anatomy. Patient‐specific implant (PSI) technology aims to reduce overall procedural costs, minimize surgical time, and maximize patient outcomes by achieving better biomechanical implant fit. With this commercially‐available technology, computed tomography or magnetic resonance images can be used in conjunction with specialized computer programs to create preoperative patient‐specific surgical plans and to develop custom cutting guides from 3‐D reconstructed images of patient anatomy. Surgeons can then place these temporary guides or “jigs” during the procedure, allowing them to better recreate the exact resections of the computer‐generated surgical plan. Over the past decade, patient‐specific implants have seen increased use in orthopaedics and they have been widely indicated in total knee arthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, and corrective osteotomies. Patient‐specific implants have also been explored for use in total shoulder arthroplasty and spinal surgery. Despite their increasing popularity, significant support for PSI use in orthopaedics has been lacking in the literature and it is currently uncertain whether the theoretical biomechanical advantages of patient‐specific orthopaedic implants carry true advantages in surgical outcomes when compared to standard procedures. The purpose of this review was to assess the current status of patient‐specific orthopaedic implants, to explore their future direction, and to summarize any comparative published studies that measure definitive surgical characteristics of patient‐specific orthopaedic implant use such as patient outcomes, biomechanical implant alignment, surgical cost, patient blood loss, or patient recovery.