The Thompson Test for Ruptured Achilles Tendon

Active plantar flexion at the ankle does not rule out an Achilles tendon rupture. The authors review an easy way to diagnose this injury promptly.     

Predictors of Total Calories Purchased at Fast-food Restaurants: Restaurant Characteristics,Calorie Awareness,and Use of Calorie Information

ObjectiveTo examine purchase patterns at fast-food restaurants and their relation to restaurant characteristics, customer characteristics, and use of calorie information.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingFast-food restaurants in New York State.ParticipantsAdult fast-food restaurant customers (n = 1,094).Variables MeasuredRestaurant characteristics (fast-food chain type, presence of calorie labels, and poverty of location), participant characteristics (demographics, calorie knowledge, awareness, and use), and customer purchasing patterns (ordering low-calorie or no beverage, small or no fries, or < 3 items) were used as predictors of total calories purchased.AnalysisMultiple regression.ResultsIn a regression model including restaurant and customer characteristics, fast-food chain customer age, sex, calorie use, and calorie awareness were independently associated with total calories purchased (all P < .05; model R² = .19). When 3 purchasing patterns were added to the model, calorie use (P = .005), but not calorie awareness, remained associated with total calories purchased. The 3 purchase patterns collectively accounted for the majority of variance in calorie totals (Δ model R² = .40).Conclusions and ImplicationsPromoting use of calorie information, purchase strategies, and calorie awareness represents complementary ways to support lower-calorie choices at fast-food chains.     

Morphological assessment of pancreatic islet hormone content following aerobic exercise training in rats with poorly controlled Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Regular exercise has been shown to improve many complications of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) including enhanced glucose tolerance and increased cardiac function. While exercise training has been shown to increase insulin content in pancreatic islets of rats with T1DM, experimental models were severely hyperglycemic and not undergoing insulin treatment. Further, research to date has yet to determine how exercise training alters glucagon content in pancreatic islets. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the impact of a 10-week aerobic training program on pancreatic islet composition in insulin-treated rats with T1DM. Second, it was determined whether the acute, exercise-mediated reduction in blood glucose experienced in rats with T1DM would become larger in magnitude following aerobic exercise training. Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by multiple low dose injections of streptozotocin (20mg/kg i.p.) and moderate intensity aerobic exercise training was performed on a motorized treadmill for one hour per day for a total of 10 weeks. Rats with T1DM demonstrated significantly less islet insulin, and significantly more islet glucagon hormone content compared with non-T1DM rats, which did not significantly change following aerobic training. The reduction in blood glucose in response to a single exercise bout was similar across 10 weeks of training. Results also support the view that different subpopulations of islets exist, as small islets (<50 μm diameter) had significantly more insulin and glucagon in rats with and without T1DM.