Eagle Ridge Hospital

Female athletes, or those in arduous occupations, lack objective guidance on effective and safe rigorous training postpartum. We examined the effectiveness and tolerability of early postpartum sprint interval training (SIT) in healthy recreationally active to international-level female athletes. Ten new mothers (7.9±2.4 weeks postpartum, parity 1.6±0.7 children) completed postpartum laboratory testing pre-intervention (PPpre) and post-intervention (PPpost). We measured maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max; metabolic cart), peak cardiac output (Qpeak, inert gas rebreathing), blood volume (BV), plasma volume (PV), and hemoglobin mass (Hbmass, carbon monoxide rebreathing). Between visits, participants completed six weeks of home-based thrice- weekly progressive SIT at 130% of VO2max peak power output (PPO). No adverse events occurred, and 173/180 sessions were completed. Participants breastfed without difficulty throughout the study. VO2max (2.39±0.35 vs 2.75±0.28 L/min p<0.0001) and PPO (233±26 vs 264±23 watts p<0.0001) increased from PPpre to PPpost, whereas Qpeak remained stable (14.6±1.9 vs 14.5±2.0 L/min). Hbmass (611±73 vs 629±79 g), BV (4684±592 vs 4863±573 mL) and PV (2898±416 vs 3005±367 mL) did not increase significantly at PPpost. As both Qpeak and Hbmass remained stable the increased VO2max likely stems from other physiological adaptations. Additionally, variability in study entry time, combined with cardio-haematological transitions from pregnancy, could account for the nonsignificant changes in haematological and Qpeak results. Breastfeeding may have influenced Q and PV. Six weeks of SIT rapidly improves cardiovascular fitness in previously trained women. Furthermore, in recreational and elite athletes, ergometer cycling SIT is well tolerated, can be started early postpartum, and does not impede breastfeeding.

Abstract Objective Hatcheries are used to help supplement populations of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. for conservation and fisheries purposes and to provide stewardship opportunities. In British Columbia, small community-run hatcheries typically focus on the latter and generally do not know the efficacy of their release approaches, unlike larger production hatcheries. Methods We used acoustic telemetry to track the survival and behavior of 90 hatchery-reared Coho Salmon O. kisutch smolts, released from a community hatchery, through Burrard Inlet and into the Strait of Georgia. This is the first study to track Coho Salmon smolts released directly into a marine environment and one of very few studies to track them in an oceanic setting. Result Smolt survival was lowest through the first 3 km of the migration at 37%, and the estimated cumulative survival to the final array (~20 km from release) was 10–23%. The presence of numerous predators in the region suggests that predation is a possible explanation for poor survival over the relatively short migration distance. Travel rates ranged from ~4 to 18 km/day, depending on the migration segment, which is slower than the marine migration of smolts from other species, likely increasing exposure to predators. However, we found potential evidence of “predator swamping,” as survival estimates across migration segments were highest for the final of our three release groups and poorest for the first release group, with intergroup survival estimates increasing by 7–12% in the final three migration segments. Releasing smolts at high densities and at night, as our partner hatchery currently does, likely improves smolt survival. Conclusion Our work demonstrates how acoustic telemetry can be used to examine hatchery practices and propose potential improvements. Saltwater readiness and the release location are factors that our results suggest may warrant future attention to potentially improve marine survival of Coho Salmon smolts.

PSA is an enzyme that helps liquefy semen after a man ejaculates. Liquifying the semen frees sperm cells so they can swim to an egg and fertilize it. PSA's function is so essential for mammalian reproduction-for continuing life from one generating to the next-that prostate cancer has evolved a multitude of ways of avoiding the body's own defenses against cancerous prostate cells. As a testimonial to how important PSA is to reproduction, highly mutated prostate cells still produce PSA. This makes the PSA test a good clinical tool for tracking the progresion of the disease. However, at the same time it is an ominous sign as to how hard it will be to find a simple cure for prostate cancer.

Spironolactone is used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, but is contraindicated in renal dysfunction due to the risk of hyperkalemia. It is not known if patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis are at the same risk for hyperkalemia. The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence evaluating the incidence of hyperkalemia with spironolactone use in ESRD patients on hemodialysis. Spironolactone use in ESRD patients on hemodialysis may not lead to greater incidence of hyperkalemia. We searched the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, and PubMed databases up to January 2010 for English-language, human-subject clinical trials that evaluated the rate of hyperkalemia with spironolactone use in ESRD patients on hemodialysis. Search terms included were "spironolactone," "eplerenone," "aldosterone antagonist," "heart failure," "kidney failure," "hemodialysis," "dialysis," and "renal replacement therapy." Six prospective trials demonstrated that spironolactone use was safe in ESRD patients on hemodialysis. The incidence of hyperkalemia with spironolactone treatment in these studies was similar to control groups. The studies involved a small population of compliant subjects who were at low risk for hyperkalemia. Small pilot studies demonstrated that spironolactone treatment in ESRD patients on hemodialysis did not result in higher hyperkalemia rates. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results before spironolactone is routinely considered in hemodialysis patients.

To determine the effect of intravenous porcine secretin on autistic behaviours in children aged 2 to 7 years, the effects of secretin on (1) performance on a standardized language measure, and (2) autistic behaviours, as rated by parents and child development professionals was examined. Employing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 95 participants were assigned to one of two groups and administered a single dose of either secretin or placebo. A follow-up assessment was conducted 3 weeks after the injection. No significant differences in language or autistic behaviour measures were observed at the 3-week follow-up between the groups. Also, there was no significant difference in the proportion of individuals who improved by > or = 6 points on the language measure at follow-up. This study showed no significant effects of secretin on children with autism. Our results are consistent with a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of secretin in children with autism.