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The antibacterial activity of date syrup polyphenols against S. aureus and E. coli
Get PDFPlant-derived products such as date syrup have demonstrated antibacterial activity and can inhibit bacteria through numerous different mechanisms, which may be attributed to bioactive compounds including plant-derived phenolic molecules. Date syrup is rich in polyphenols and this study hypothesized that date syrup polyphenols demonstrate inherent antimicrobial activity, which cause oxidative damage. This investigation revealed that date syrup has a high content of total polyphenols (605 mg/100g), and is rich in tannins (357 mg/100g), flavonoids (40.5 mg/100g) and flavanols (31.7 mg/100g) that are known potent antioxidants. Furthermore, date syrup, and polyphenols extracted from date syrup, the most abundant bioactive constituent of date syrup are bacteriostatic to both Gram positive and Gram negative Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. It has further been shown that the extracted polyphenols independently suppress the growth of bacteria at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 30 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL for E. coli and S. aureus, and have observed that date syrup behaves as a prooxidant by generating hydrogen peroxide that mediates bacterial growth inhibition as a result of oxidative stress. At sub-lethal MIC concentrations date syrup demonstrated antioxidative activity by reducing hydrogen peroxide, and at lethal concentrations date syrup demonstrated prooxidant activity that inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. The high sugar content naturally present in date syrup did not significantly contribute to this effect. These findings highlight that date syrup’s antimicrobial activity is mediated through hydrogen peroxide generation in inducing oxidative stress in bacteria
A Review of UK Food Safety Information Provision for Chemotherapy Patients
Get PDFIntroduction: Chemotherapy patients have an increased risk of foodborne illnesses as a result of immunosuppression, and are reported to have a five-times greater risk of listeriosis. To enable chemotherapy patients/carers to minimise risk of illness by implementation of risk-reducing behaviours is essential. Provision of food safety information prior to and during treatment is needed to raise awareness of the potential risks relating to foodborne illness by informing patients/carers of control measures and responsibilities of reducing critical risk factors.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to review food-related information available to chemotherapy patients/carers in the UK and evaluate the inclusion of risk-reducing food-safety behaviours.
Methods: Food-related information available to chemotherapy patients/carers in the UK were collected from health care providers including UK NHS trusts. Sources were reviewed and analysed using a content analysis approach. Findings were summarized according to key topics critical to food safety and listeriosis, (e.g. refrigeration practices, cross-contamination, consumption of at-risk food products).
Results: Overall, food-related information for cancer patients was obtained from 42 of 141 NHS chemotherapy providers and three UK cancer charities. Although 64% explained why patients are at an increased risk of developing infection during treatment, many failed to highlight the importance of food safety to prevent infection. Recommendations to ensure thorough cooking were most frequently included, although 42% recommended the avoidance of raw meat, poultry and fish, only 9% recommended the use of a thermometer to achieve a core temperature of 75°C. Practices relating to avoiding listeriosis were particularly lacking.
Significance: Although information is available, considerable gaps exist and information provided varies greatly between sources. There is a need to establish the potential impact of such food-related information sources on cancer patient/carer food safety knowledge, attitudes towards reducing the risks of foodborne disease during chemotherapy treatment and implementation of risk-reducing food safety practices in the home during chemotherapy. Such data will inform the development of food safety education interventions targeting patients/carers
Freestyle race pacing strategies (400 m) of elite able-bodied swimmers and swimmers with disability at major international championships
Get PDFFreestyle race pacing strategies (400 m) were compared between elite able-bodied swimmers and those with minimal physical (International Paralympic Committee S10 classification) and visual disabilities (International Paralympic Committee S13 classification). Data comprised 50-m lap splits and overall race times from 1176 400-m freestyle swims from World Championships, European Championships and Olympic/Paralympic Games between 2006 and 2012. Five pacing strategies were identified across groups (even, fast start, negative, parabolic and parabolic fast start), with negative and even strategies the most commonly adopted. The negative pacing strategy produced the fastest race times for all groups except for female S13 swimmers where an even strategy was most effective. Able-bodied groups swam faster than their S10 and S13 counterparts, with no differences between S10 and S13 groups. The results suggest adoption of multiple pacing strategies across groups, and even where impairments are considered minimal they are still associated with performance detriments in comparison to their able-bodied counterparts. The findings have implications for the planning and implementation of training related to pacing strategies to ensure optimal swimmer preparation for competition. Analogous performance levels in S10 and S13 swimmers also suggest a case for integrated competition of these classifications in 400-m freestyle swimming
Reverse left ventricular remodeling: effect of cardiac rehabilitation exercise training in myocardial infarction patients with preserved ejection fraction.
No full textBACKGROUND:
In the increasingly prevalent population of postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients with preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (>45%), the effect of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) exercise training on LV structure and function is unknown.
AIM:
To examine the reverse LV remodeling effect of CR exercise training in post-MI patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (>45%).
DESIGN:
Prospective, longitudinal, controlled trial.
SETTING:
Outpatient CR programme.
POPULATION:
Fifty six asymptomatic, post-MI patients without residual myocardial ischemia and LV ejection fraction >45%.
METHODS:
Within 3-6 weeks of MI, and 10 weeks later, echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed. An exercise training group (N.=36) completed twice weekly gym based cardiovascular exercise (60-80% VO2 peak) and a resistance training programme, whilst a non-exercise group (N.=20) did not.
RESULTS:
In comparison to the non-exercise group, in which there was no change, 10 weeks of CR exercise training resulted in increased VO2peak and reduced LV end diastolic and systolic volumes (all P<0.05 vs. non-exercise group).
CONCLUSIONS:
In post-MI patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (>45%), CR exercise training is effective in improving functional capacity and reducing LV volumes.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT:
In this previously unstudied population, the measurement of reverse LV volumetric remodeling may prove useful as an indicator of CR exercise programme efficacy. To maximize the potential clinical benefit from reverse LV remodeling, this patient group, should be actively encouraged to engage in CR exercise training
The Effects of Perfectionism in Elite Sport: Experiences of Unhealthy Perfectionists
Get PDFThis study examined the perfectionism experiences of 10 elite perfectionist athletes (5 male and 5 female). Following completion of the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 (Gotwals & Dunn, 2009), a purposeful sample of unhealthy perfectionists were interviewed in relation to the study aims. Several themes emerged from the data that related to: effects of perfectionism and its antecedents on sporting experiences, specificity and level of perfectionism, and the coping skills and techniques used to counter the potentially detrimental effects of perfectionism. The findings highlighted the multidimensional nature of perfectionism and the need for future research to further explore the efficacy of techniques athletes use to promote healthy and reduce unhealthy facets of perfectionism
The influence of hand positions on biomechanical injury risk factors at the wrist joint during the round-off skills in female gymnastics
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to examine the biomechanical injury risk factors at the wrist, including joint kinetics, kinematics and stiffness in the first and second contact limb for parallel and T-shape round-off (RO) techniques. Seven international-level female gymnasts performed 10 trials of the RO to back handspring with parallel and T-shape hand positions. Synchronised kinematic (3D motion analysis system; 247 Hz) and kinetic (two force plates; 1235 Hz) data were collected for each trial. A two-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) assessed differences in the kinematic and kinetic parameters between the techniques for each contact limb. The main findings highlighted that in both the RO techniques, the second contact limb wrist joint is exposed to higher mechanical loads than the first contact limb demonstrated by increased axial compression force and loading rate. In the parallel technique, the second contact limb wrist joint is exposed to higher axial compression load. Differences between wrist joint kinetics highlight that the T-shape technique may potentially lead to reducing these bio-physical loads and consequently protect the second contact limb wrist joint from overload and biological failure. Highlighting the biomechanical risk factors facilitates the process of technique selection making more objective and safe
Actovegin equal to performance enhancing drug doping: fact or fiction?
Get PDFActovegin is a biological drug that has been used for the treatment of sports muscle injuries. Several in vitro studies have shed light on potential mechanisms of action and the drug has consistently demonstrated its potential to reduce return from injury time for muscle tears in elite athletes. Yet it was banned for a time under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a blood doping agent, this ban was based on presumptuous conclusions and subsequently lifted after no indisputable evidence could be provided. This editorial aims to provide readers with some of the key, objective facts relating to Actovegin and then based on this, will offer an informed opinion on its role in sports medicine. We also hope to highlight the importance of evidence-based medicine, particularly in the volatile field of Sports Medicine, and the need for facts, not fiction
Should we treat soft tissue injuries with Actovegin?
Get PDFActovegin is a biological drug produced from deproteinised hemodialysate of calf serum with over 50 years of history for its clinical
use. There have been many in vitro studies to speculate its potential role and mechanism of action in cells; due to the nature of this drug and serum based culture techniques for most in vitro experiments, presumptuous conclusions and claims from these studies on performance enhancement should be cautiously interpreted. There have been well-designed human in vivo studies suggesting it does not enhance human performance, and has potentially good clinical applications to treat injuries, strokes and diabetes. Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting Actovegin has anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects on injured tissues; further clinical research is needed to define these effects. This article also provides a narrative review of Actovegin summarizing outcomes from recent publications
Assessing Manufacturing SMEs’ Readiness to Implement Service Design
Get PDFThis paper presents the initial results of a wider research project that investigates how service design might positively contribute to the development of product-service systems within manufacturing small to medium sized enterprises. The paper presents the results of interviews with three firms that have begun to embrace service design. The analysis of these results is used to produce a conceptual framework with nine dimensions that aims to aid understanding of a company's potential readiness for servitization through service design
The Effects of Temperature on Clot Microstructure and Strength in Healthy Volunteers
No full textBACKGROUND: Anesthesia, critical illness, and trauma are known to alter thermoregulation, which can potentially affect coagulation and clinical outcome. This in vitro preclinical study explores the relationship between temperature change and hemostasis using a recently validated viscoelastic technique. We hypothesize that temperature change will cause significant alterations in the microstructural properties of clot. METHODS: We used a novel viscoelastic technique to identify the gel point of the blood. The gel point identifies the transition of the blood from a viscoelastic liquid to a viscoelastic solid state. Furthermore, identification of the gel point provides 3 related biomarkers: the elastic modulus at the gel point, which is a measure of clot elasticity; the time to the gel point (TGP), which is a measure of the time required to form the clot; and the fractal dimension of the clot at the gel point, df, which quantifies the microstructure of the clot. The gel point measurements were performed in vitro on whole blood samples from 136 healthy volunteers over a temperature range of 27°C to 43°C. RESULTS: There was a significant negative correlation between increases in temperature, from 27°C to 43°C, and TGP (r = −0.641, P 37°C. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the gel point technique can identify alterations in clot microstructure because of changes in temperature. This was demonstrated in slower-forming clots with less structural complexity as temperature is decreased. We also found that significant changes in clot microstructure occurred when the temperature was ≤32°C