Rehabilitation of a cellist whose vibrato was affected by focal dystonia.

Focal dystonia can result in a variety of technical problems in the performing musician, most often affecting control of finger movement, and embouchure. Less common is the effect of focal dystonia on the vibrato of string players. The professional cellist in our study presented with difficulty controlling her vibrato, which fluctuated both in speed and amplitude, causing an inconsistency of sound.

Pianism retraining via video conferencing as a means of assisting recovery from focal dystonia: a case study.

Focal dystonia (FD) is a devastating neurological condition which causes involuntary muscle contractions and often results in the loss of a musician's playing ability. Our study investigated whether retraining via video conferencing could be helpful in the treatment of a professional pianist with a 5-year history of FD. Although full recovery was not seen, improvement was observed at slow tempi, and his hand was visibly less cramped as training sessions progressed.

Osmotic and nonosmotic regulation of arginine vasopressin during prolonged endurance exercise.

Context: Although the primary cause of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) is relative overconsumption of fluids beyond the kidneys' ability to excrete excess fluid, the mechanisms limiting maximum renal excretory ability during exercise remain to be elucidated.

Objective: The objective of the study was to: 1) perform a comprehensive evaluation of the endocrine secretion of pituitary, natriuretic and adrenal steroid hormones, and cytokines immediately before and after running an ultramarathon; and 2) evaluate the relationship between osmotic and nonosmotic stimuli to arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion within the overall context of assessing the hormonal regulation of fluid balance during prolonged endurance exercise.

Design: This was an observational study.

NSAID use increases the risk of developing hyponatremia during an Ironman triathlon.

Purpose: Exertional hyponatremia ((Na) < 135 mmol x L(-1)) is a potentially serious condition associated with endurance sports. It has been postulated that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) use may be a risk factor. This observational cohort study aimed to determine whether NSAID use is a risk factor for exertional hyponatremia and altered renal function during endurance exercise.

Study of hematological and biochemical parameters in runners completing a standard marathon.

Objective: To study hematological and biochemical parameters prospectively in runners completing a standard 42.2-km marathon run. To determine the incidence of hyponatremia in runners, and whether consumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) was associated with alterations in serum biochemical parameters.

Exercise-associated collapse: postural hypotension, or something deadlier?

Exercise-associated collapse (EAC) is the most common reason that athletes are treated in the medical tent following an endurance event. The pathophysiology of EAC is postural hypotension that results when the loss of muscle pumping action caused by the cessation of exercise is combined with cutaneous vasodilation. EAC usually occurs after an athlete crosses the finish line.

Oral salt supplementation during ultradistance exercise.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether sodium supplementation 1) influences changes in body weight, serum sodium [Na], and plasma volume (PV), and 2) prevents hyponatremia in Ironman triathletes.

Setting: The study was carried out at the South African Ironman triathlon.

Participants: Thirty-eight athletes competing in the triathlon were given salt tablets to ingest during the race.

Energy balance during an ironman triathlon in male and female triathletes.

Energy balance of 10 male and 8 female triathletes participating in an Ironman event (3.8-km swim, 180-km cycle, 42.2-km run) was investigated.