Thursday, April 25, 2019

Bone Structure Variation And Injury Risk

Does anatomical variation from person to person male some individuals more susceptible for particular kinds of injuries? Here is a study that says that glenoid bone structure can contribute to the risk of having anterior shoulder dislocation, abstract:

BACKGROUND:
Although increased retroversion of the glenoid has been shown to be an important factor in posterior instability of the shoulder, there are few studies reporting glenoid bone structure as a risk factor in anterior dislocation of the shoulder. This study aimed to compare glenoid version in patients with anterior dislocation of the shoulder and individuals in a control group with no shoulder problems before undergoing computed tomography and to assess a possible relationship between demographic characteristics and glenoid version angle.
METHODS:
The study group comprised 63 patients (12 women and 51 men; mean age, 35.71 years) with 1 or multiple unilateral anterior dislocations of the shoulder (dislocated group), whereas 63 individuals (11 women and 52 men; mean age, 35.38 years) with no history of shoulder complaints and no signs of instability constituted the control group. The glenoid version angle was measured on an axial cut of the computed tomography scan.
RESULTS:
The glenoid version angles on the dislocated side in the study group were significantly more anteverted than those of the dominant (P < .001) and nondominant (P = .023) shoulders of the control group. The version angles of dislocated shoulders significantly differed from those of nondislocated shoulders of both men (P = .041) and women (P = .049). There was no significant relationship between the glenoid version angle on the dislocated side and dislocation mechanism (P = .883), age group (P = .356), or number of dislocations (P = .971).
CONCLUSIONS:
Glenoid version is an important factor for the development of anterior dislocation of the shoulder.

You cannot change your inherent bone structure, but if you are aware of it – something that may be important particularly in athletes with a higher risk of certain injuries – you may take precautions to try and prevent those injuries for which you are particularly susceptible.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Dietary Supplements For The Athlete

A review of dietary supplements for the athlete can be found here. Abstract:


Some dietary supplements are recommended to athletes based on data that supports improved exercise performance. Other dietary supplements are not ergogenic per se, but may improve health, adaptation to exercise, or recovery from injury, and so could help athletes to train and/or compete more effectively. In this review, we describe several dietary supplements that may improve health, exercise adaptation, or recovery. Creatine monohydrate may improve: recovery from and adaptation to intense training, recovery from periods of injury with extreme inactivity, cognitive processing, and reduce severity of or enhance recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Omega 3-fatty acid supplementation may also reduce severity of or enhance recovery from mTBI. Replenishment of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency will likely improve some aspects of immune, bone, and muscle health. Probiotic supplementation can reduce the incidence, duration, and severity of upper respiratory tract infection, which may indirectly improve training or competitive performance. Preliminary data show that gelatin and/or collagen may improve connective tissue health. Some anti-inflammatory supplements, such as curcumin or tart cherry juice, may reduce inflammation and possibly delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyrate (HMB) does not consistently increase strength and/or lean mass or reduce markers of muscle damage, but more research on recovery from injury that includes periods of extreme inactivity is needed. Several dietary supplements, including creatine monohydrate, omega 3-fatty acids, vitamin D, probiotics, gelatin, and curcumin/tart cherry juice could help athletes train and/or compete more effectively.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Prognostic Genes For Colon Cancer

Determining prognostic genes for colon cancer; abstract:

PROPOSE:
We aimed to explore the potential molecular mechanism and independent prognostic genes for colon cancer (CC).
METHODS:
Microarray datasets GSE17536 and GSE39582 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Meanwhile, the whole CC-related dataset were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differentially expressed mRNA (DEMs) were identified between cancer tissue samples and para-carcinoma tissue samples in TCGA dataset, followed by the KEGG pathway and GO function analyses. Furthermore, the clinical prognostic analysis including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were performed in all three datasets.
RESULTS:
A total of 633 up- and 321 down-regulated mRNAs were revealed in TCGA dataset. The up-regulated mRNAs were mainly assembled in functions including extracellular matrix and pathways including Wnt signaling. The down-regulated mRNAs were mainly assembled in functions like Digestion and pathways like Drug metabolism. Furthermore, up-regulation of UL16-binding protein 2 (ULBP2) was associated with OS in CC patients. A total of 12 DEMs including Surfactant Associated 2 (SFTA2) were potential DFS prognostic genes in CC patients. Meanwhile, the GRP and Transmembrane Protein 37 (TMEM37) were two outstanding independent DFS prognostic genes in CC.
CONCLUSIONS:
ULBP2 might be a potential novel OS prognostic biomarker in CC, while GRP and TMEM37 could be served as the independent DFS prognostic genes in CC. Furthermore, functions including extracellular matrix and digestion, as well as pathways including Wnt signaling and drug metabolism might play important roles in the process of CC.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

The poor man spinach pie

This recipe reminds one of the recipes for spanakopita. However, the ingredients for this pie are cheaper and therefore, I named it "the poor man spinach pie".

Spinach pie

 

Ingredients
2 cups of plain yogurt (low fat)
2 packages frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
¾ tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3-4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup olive oil
 

Directions
Prepare the filling by thawing the spinach and squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Add the eggs, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. For the dough, mix 1 tsp salt, baking soda and 1 cup of yogurt. Add the oil and incorporate the flour cup by cup. The dough should be soft. Divide it into two balls and roll each batch into a flat layer to cover the surface of a pan (I used a 9x12 inch pan). Spray the pan with oil and put the lower layer of dough. Press with palms if the layer breaks in places. Raise the dough on the side of the pan. Spread the spinach filling and cover with the upper layer of dough. This type of dough tends to break easily; however, this is not a problem. Just arrange the pieces of the dough to cover the filling completely. Bake at 395°F for 40-45 minutes. Cut into small squares and enjoy cold or warm. If dill is in season, adding some to the filling would add additional taste.