Posts

Showing posts from April, 2018

URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS (UTI)

Image
What is a Urinary Tract Infection? Most common ascending infection caused by bacteria and more prevalent in females than males. Due to a females, short urethral length allowing bacteria to enter the bladder more easily than a male. One in five women will have at least one UTI in a lifetime, with 20% of these women experiencing reoccurrences. There is a very high prevalence among the long-term care population due to polypharmacy, frequent catheterization, and incontinence. Current Research on Medical Nutrition Therapy 2016 – Largest study to date evaluated the influence on cranberry product consumption on UTI incidence 39% reduction of clinical UTI episodes – 24-week consumption of cranberry beverage 37% reduction of UTI with pyuria episodes – 24-week consumption of cranberry beverage Recurrent UTI Management and prevention – eliminating risk factors that increase incidence of recurrent UTI Antibiotic prophylaxis – most effective medical treatment Possibl

Effect of cold exposure on fuel utilization in humans: plasma glucose, muscle glycogen, and lipids

Image
Haman, F., Péronnet, F., Kenny, G. P., Massicotte, D., Lavoie, C., Scott, C., & Weber, J. M. (2002). Effect of cold exposure on fuel utilization in humans: plasma glucose, muscle glycogen, and lipids.  Journal of Applied Physiology ,  93 (1), 77-84. Given the recent weather and elite finishing times of the 2018 Boston Marathon; runners question how the conditions on race day affected their performance. Let’s recap the conditions and stats of Marathon Monday. 2018 faced grueling conditions on Monday as heavy rain poured and wind gusts hit twenty-to-30-mile-an-hour headwinds with a wind-chill in the 20s. Being reported as the coldest Boston Marathon temperatures in three decades. Experts anticipated the harsh Boston Marathon conditions would result in slower finish times for both elites and amateurs. There were 2,220 did not finish (DNF), the dropout rate this year was 50.0% higher (4.5% v 3.0%) than in 2017, a higher percentage of men dropped out this year than women (5.0%

Can Alcohol Cause Cancer?

Alcohol and Cancer Risk Many people have heard that alcohol can help prevent cardiovascular disease, however, it can also have a harmful effect in increasing cancer risk. Risk of cancer depends on the type of cancer and the amount of alcohol consumed. Many studies define daily alcohol consumption as one of multiple categories: light drinking (1-2 beverages), moderate drinking (1-4 beverages), and heavy drinking (more than 4 drinks). It is important to remember that the recommended alcohol limit is 2 drinks per day for men, and 1 drink per day for women. For women, this is especially concerning because the risk of breast cancer increases with just 10 grams of ethanol (12.5 grams of ethanol is a standard drink). There is also no safe limit established for alcohol and the risk of cancer in tissues in the upper gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, etc.). Moderate alcohol consumption may also increase the risk of other cancers, such as those in the larynx, liver, and colorectum. Binge d

Urea Cycle Disorders: Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase 1 Deficiency

Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency is a urea cycle disorder. The urea cycle is extremely important in that it rids the body of nitrogenous waste. CPS1 is the first rate-limiting step in the cycle and it combines ammonia and bicarbonate into carbamoyl phosphate. Carbamoyl phosphate then combines with ornithine to enter the urea cycle.  There are 2 types of CPS1 deficiencies. The primary deficiency, which is due to a mutation of the CPS1 gene; and the secondary deficiency, which is a lack of coenzyme NAG. CPS1 requires NAG to catalyze the entry of ammonia and bicarbonate into the urea cycle. Without NAG, there is a build up of ammonia. When a patient completely lacks the CPS1 gene, symptoms start immediately at birth. These symptoms include refusal to eat, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, and irritability. If the condition goes untreated, the baby can experience seizures, respiratory distress, and abnormal movements. These symptoms are caused by encephalopathy (swe