Association of Serum Vitamin D Levels and Stress Fractures in Collegiate Athletes.

Background: Low vitamin D levels along with high-intensity athletic training may put an athlete at increased risk for a stress fracture.

Purpose: To assess whether supplementation with vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of stress fractures in college athletes. We also assessed differences in vitamin D levels among athletes participating in outdoor versus indoor sports.

Phylogenetic and environmental context of a Tournaisian tetrapod fauna.

The end-Devonian to mid-Mississippian time interval has long been known for its depauperate palaeontological record, especially for tetrapods. This interval encapsulates the time of increasing terrestriality among tetrapods, but only two Tournaisian localities previously produced tetrapod fossils. Here we describe five new Tournaisian tetrapods (Perittodus apsconditus, Koilops herma, Ossirarus kierani, Diploradus austiumensis and Aytonerpeton microps) from two localities in their environmental context.

Treatment options for the management of exercise-induced asthma and bronchoconstriction.

Treatment for exercise-induced bronchospasm and exercise-induced asthma includes both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options. Pharmacologic agents that have been proven to be effective for treating these conditions include short- and long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists, mast cell-stabilizing agents, anticholinergics, leukotriene receptor antagonists, and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). When selecting the most appropriate medication, factors to consider include the effectiveness of each, the duration of action, frequency of administration, potential side effects, and tolerance level.

The diagnosis of asthma and exercise-induced bronchospasm in division I athletes.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of clinically diagnosed exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) and asthma among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student athletes.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Division I university athletic department and primary care sports medicine clinic/athletic training room.

Arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis.

Arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis provides the foot and ankle surgeon with an alternative to traditional open techniques. Advancements in arthroscopic techniques and instrumentation have made the procedure easier to perform. Advantages include faster rates of union, decreased complications, reduced postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, minimal loss of length of the lower limb, and minimal clinical deformity or shapechanges to the ankle.