Resting Electrocardiogram and Blood Pressure in Young Endurance and Nonendurance Athletes and Nonathletes

ContextMuch information is available on electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure (BP) changes in senior athletes. However, corresponding data on adolescent athletes are scarce.ObjectiveTo study the differences in resting ECG and BP values among adolescent endurance athletes, nonendurance athletes, and nonathletes.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingA total of 154 youth sports clubs in Finland and 100 secondary schools for comparison data.Patients or Other ParticipantsWe recruited young athletes (n = 410) aged 14 to 16 years in 10 popular sport disciplines, including winter and summer as well as team and individual sports, and categorized them as endurance or nonendurance sports. Comparison data for age-matched, non–sports club participants (n = 164) were collected via secondary schools.Main Outcome Measure(s)Resting ECG, including heart rate, PR interval, QRS duration, QRS axis, QRS amplitude, T axis, and QT interval as well as systolic and diastolic BPs.ResultsNo differences in any ECG variable of interest were found between the endurance and nonendurance athletes. The PR interval was longer in endurance athletes than in nonathletes (P = .05). The QRS amplitude (P = .03) was higher among nonendurance athletes than among nonathletes. Diastolic BP was lower among endurance (P = .002) and nonendurance (P = .02) athletes than among nonathletes. Endurance athletes (odds ratio [OR] = 2.85; 95% CI = 1.81, 4.50) and nonendurance athletes (OR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.43, 3.35) were more likely to have sinus bradycardia than were nonathletes. Nonendurance athletes were more likely to have elevated systolic BP than were endurance athletes (OR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.07, 2.72) and nonathletes (OR = 1.73; 95% CI = 1.04, 2.87).ConclusionsYoung athletes had similar ECG and BP findings independent of their sports. Physiological adaptations including sinus bradycardia, higher QRS amplitude, and lower diastolic BP, which are commonly seen in adult athletes, were also present in adolescent athletes.     

Inflammation,hippocampal volume,and cognition in schizophrenia: results from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience - Increased blood interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are a replicated abnormality in schizophrenia, and may be associated with smaller hippocampal...     

MRI-guided brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: Program initiation,learning curve and dose delivery results in Kuopio University Hospital

Background and purposeImage guided adaptive brachytherapy, the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), is a complex medical procedure that requires an experienced multidisciplinary team. The aims of this analysis were to assess (1) the learning curve of brachytherapy team, (2) dose-volume parameters, (3) the use of an interstitial component, and (4) the overall treatment time (OTT).Materials and methodsOur study cohort comprised 117 LACC patients treated in Kuopio University Hospital with magnetic resonance imaging guided intracavitary (IC) or combined intracavitary/interstitial (IC/IS) high dose rate brachytherapy during 2009-2018. Target volumes and organs at risk (OAR) were contoured according to ICRU/GEC-ESTRO recommendations. Treatment plans were optimized individually without using standard loading patterns.ResultsMean dose to 90% of the high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV D90) improved after the first 15 patients, however the team's learning curve to reliably fulfill the main planning aim (PA) of 85 Gy required a total 43 patients and more than 10 patients annually. Significant difference was detected between IC and IC/IS brachytherapy in achieving the PA of HR-CTV D90. Especially, HR-CTV volumes >30 cm³ benefitted from IS needles. Needle insertion did not cause serious complications. With the brachytherapy program, the OTT of patients from outside institutions was reduced to the same level as our own patients.ConclusionBrachytherapy requires good experience of multidisciplinary team and the continuous development of the program to fulfill PA and to avoid OTT prolongation. The use of IS needles is safe and improves the fulfillment of PA to target volume.     

The changing epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection: a multinational population-based surveillance study

Although the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (BSI) has been changing, international comparisons are lacking. We sought to determine the incidence of S. aureus BSI and assess trends over time and by region. Population-based surveillance was conducted nationally in Finland and regionally in Canberra, Australia, western Sweden, and three areas in each of Canada and Denmark during 2000–2008. Incidence rates were age-standardized and gender-standardized to the EU 27-country 2007 population. During 83 million person-years of surveillance, 18 430 episodes of S. aureus BSI were identified. The overall annual incidence rate for S. aureus BSI was 26.1 per 100 000 population, and those for methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were 24.2 and 1.9 per 100 000, respectively. Although the overall incidence of community-onset MSSA BSI (15.0 per 100 000) was relatively similar across regions, the incidence rates of hospital-onset MSSA (9.2 per 100 000), community-onset MRSA (1.0 per 100 000) and hospital-onset MRSA (0.8 per 100 000) BSI varied substantially. Whereas the overall incidence of S. aureus BSI did not increase over the study period, there was an increase in the incidence of MRSA BSI. Major changes in the occurrence of community-onset and hospital-onset MSSA and MRSA BSI occurred, but these varied significantly among regions, even within the same country. Although major changes in the epidemiology of community-onset and hospital-onset MSSA and MRSA BSIs are occurring, this multinational population-based study did not find that the overall incidence of S. aureus BSI is increasing.     

The Two Part Picture in Detection of Visuospatial Neglect

Thirty-four patients with right hemispheric cerebrovascular accident and 31 control subjects were examined with a new picture scanning task, the Two Part Picture, as well as with two picture scanning tasks and conventional tests from the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT). The sensitivity of these tasks in detecting visuospatial neglect was evaluated, and compared to conventional neglect tests. The three pictures varied markedly in their ability to identify neglect. The Two Part Picture was clearly the most sensitive picture scanning task, also showing high agreement with the conventional tests of the BIT. The Two Part Picture is recommended as a useful detector for screening of visuospatial neglect.     

Young people at risk for psychosis: case finding and sample characteristics of the Oulu Brain and Mind Study

Aim: Set within the general population‐based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, the Oulu Brain and Mind Study aims to explore the causes and pathogenesis of psychotic illness by following young people at risk for psychosis due to having a first‐degree relative with psychotic illness or due to having experienced psychotic‐like symptoms themselves. We report the study methods and explore the relationship between these definitions of high risk for psychosis and operational criteria for a prodromal psychosis syndrome based on interview. Methods: Prospectively collected data from earlier follow‐ups of this cohort were combined with health register data to categorize subjects as those with familial risk (n = 272), symptomatic risk (n = 117), psychosis (n = 78), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 103) and a sample of controls (n = 193) drawn randomly from the remaining cohort. The Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) was applied to all, 295 participants together with questionnaires measuring psychosis vulnerability and schizotypal traits. Results: There were 29 (10%) current prodromal cases. Criteria for the current prodromal syndrome were fulfilled by 12% of the familial risk group and 19% of the symptomatic risk group, compared with 5% of the ADHD group and 4% of controls. Conclusion: We successfully detected young people with a prodromal psychosis syndrome although relatively few subjects deemed to be at high risk met the full operational criteria according to the SIPS interview. Combining methods from familial, clinical and psychometric high‐risk approaches provides a tractable method for studying risk of psychosis in the general population.