Effect of intense physical activity on the bone-mineral content in the lower limbs of young adults

The effect of intense physical training on the bone-mineral content of young adults who are unaccustomed to physical activity has not yet been established. In this study, 268 male recruits, eighteen to twenty-one years old, were evaluated before and after fourteen weeks of strenuous physical training. The bone-mineral content of both legs at the level of the distal third of the tibia in each individual was measured using single-beam photon absorptiometry. The subjects started their training with equal values for bone-mineral content in both legs. During the training period, the average bone-mineral content of the left leg increased by 11.1 per cent and that of the right leg, by 5.2 per cent. In the group of subjects who did not complete the training course, mainly because they incurred stress fractures, the increase in bone-mineral content was significantly less than the increase in those who completed the program. This study indicated that in young adults a high level of loading of bone results in either a stress fracture or a rapid increase in bone-mineral content.     

Dietary mucilage promotes regression of atheromatous lesions in hypercholesterolemic rabbits

The antihypercholesterolemic and antiatherogenic effect of the mucilage galactomannan isolated from fenugreek seeds was studied in experimental rabbits maintained on a high cholesterol diet for 3 months. Changes in the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in serum and tissues and aortic fatty lesions were analysed in animals receiving mucilage (40 mg/kg body weight) daily and compared with the control. A significant decrease in serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and cholesterol and triglycerides in liver and aorta and a decrease in Sudan IV staining of aorta indicated antihypercholesterolemic and antiatherogenic effects of the mucilage. Regression studies showed that administration of mucilage for 3 months caused a significant decrease in serum total and LDL cholesterol and aortic cholesterol. Mucilage accelerated the regression of atheromatous lesions in the aorta as evidenced by significantly low sudanophilic staining. Recovery from inflammation in hypercholesterolemic animals receiving mucilage was evidenced by a faster decrease in C‐reactive protein (CRP) in serum to basal levels. The lipid lowering and antiatherogenic effects of mucilage from fenugreek which is used as a food flavoring spice highlights the importance of dietary intervention in the regression of atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Clinical and research applications of ambulatory Holter ST-segment and heart rate monitoring

Monitoring of the electrocardiogram during normal daily activity yields data regarding silent myocardial ischemia and its relation to heart rate in addition to the detection of cardiac arrhythmias. In recent years various techniques have been developed to quantify the frequency and duration of ischemic episodes in patients with ischemic heart disease. Of particular importance are the newer frequency-modulated recording techniques, which ensure adequate low frequency response, and the computerized digital analysis used to define the role of ST-segment monitoring in the clinical and research setting. The techniques used for acquiring artifact-free signals, the methods of data analysis and the clinical role of ambulatory Holter monitoring of ST-segment changes in the diagnosis of Prinzmetal's angina, in chronic stable angina and in the detection of calcium antagonist withdrawal syndrome in angina are discussed. The data indicate the particular utility of Holter monitoring to analyze the variability of heart rate in defining the effects of calcium-channel blockers, beta-adrenergic blocking agents and their combined use in pharmacologic therapy of ischemic myocardial syndromes.     

Methods for trustworthy nutritional recommendations NutriRECS (Nutritional Recommendations and accessible Evidence summaries Composed of Systematic reviews): a protocol

Background

Recent systematic reviews and editorials suggest that many organizations that produce nutritional guideline recommendations do not adhere to internationally recognized standards set forth by the Institute of Medicine (IoM), Guidelines International Network (GIN), Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE), and Grading Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

Methods

The potential solution is an independent group with content expertise and skilled in the methodology of systematic reviews and practice guidelines to produce trustworthy guideline recommendations, recommendations that are supported by publication in a top tier journal. The BMJ Rapid Recommendations project has recently demonstrated the feasibility and utility of this approach. Here, we are proposing trustworthy nutritional guideline recommendations based on internationally accepted guideline development standards, recommendations that will be informed by rigorous and novel systematic reviews of the benefits and harms associated with nutritional exposures, as well as studies on the values and preferences related to dietary behaviors among members of the international community.

Discussion

Adhering to international guideline standards, conducting high quality systematic reviews, and actively assessing the values and preferences of key stakeholders is expected to improve the quality of nutritional guidelines and their relevance to end-users, particularly patients and community members. We will send our work for peer review, and if found acceptable, we will publish our nutritional recommendations in top-tier general medicine journals.

     

Chemical Degradation of Sulfosulfuron in Aqueous Suspension of Rice and Wheat Straw Ashes

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Burning of wheat and rice straw on field, after crop harvest, is a quick, cheap and an easy way for land clearing. The ashes generated after...     

Benign metastasising leiomyoma after hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy

Benign metastasising leiomyomatosis is a rare condition affecting women in the reproductive age-group with a history of uterine fibroids, who have undergone treatment by myomectomy or hysterectomy. It is characterised by development of multiple, indolent, smooth muscle tumours outside the uterus, most commonly in the lungs, and manifests several years after the uterine surgery. We describe the case of a young woman, who had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for multiple fibroids and a right ovarian cyst. After 5 years of being on oestrogen replacement therapy, she was detected to have benign metastasising leiomyoma, for which an additional laparotomy was performed. At laparotomy, removal of the pelvic mass was associated with several complications. The metastatic lesions in the lung responded well to progestogens (megestrol acetate) alone as evidenced by regression of the lesions detected at follow-up after 6 months and 1 year.