The Radical-Scavenging Activity of a Purified and Sequenced Peptide from Lactic Acid Fermentation of Thunnus albacares By-Products.

Yellowfin tuna by-products (Thunnus albacares) were processed to produce radical-scavenging peptides from hydrolysis by lactic acid fermentation (LAF) with Lactobacillus plantarum, papaya fruit (Carica papaya), and molasses as a carbon source for 72 h. A 15-kDa peptide was purified; after de novo sequencing, it was determined that fragments are rich in hydrophobic and neutral amino acids. The results suggest this effect is mainly to the hydrophobicity of the amino acids in their sequence.

The impact of glycaemic variability on the surgical patient.

Purpose Of Review: Diabetes is the most prevalent long-term metabolic condition and its incidence continues to increase unabated. Patients with diabetes are overrepresented in the surgical population. It has been well recognized that poor perioperative diabetes control is associated with poor surgical outcomes.

Patient evaluation of early discharge after hip arthroplasty: development of a measure and comparison of three centres with differing durations of stay.

Objective: We compared patients' evaluation of care between a surgical unit with a rapid discharge policy and two comparison units to test the hypothesis that the centre with rapid discharge has outcomes that are not inferior to those of the comparison sites.

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Subjects: Consecutive consenting patients undergoing primary hip arthroplasty during 12 months in: a unit that had reduced postoperative stay to median three days; a specialised orthopaedic surgery treatment centre with median stay of five days; a traditional unit with median stay of six days (N = 316, 125, 119, respectively).

Different responses of selected hormones to three types of exercise in young men.

Exercise is a potent stimulus for release of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, testosterone and prolactin, and prolonged exercise inhibits insulin secretion. These responses seem to be specific to the type of exercise but this has been poorly characterised primarily because they have not been compared during exercise performed by the same individuals. We investigated hormone responses to resistance, sprint and endurance exercise in young men using a repeated measures design in which each subject served as their own control.

Effects of anaesthesia on the inflammatory response to injury.

Purpose Of Review: The systemic inflammatory response to injury is essential for wound healing and recovery in concert with other endocrinological, metabolic and immunological changes. However, recent studies suggest that a hyperinflammatory state is associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. Therefore interventions that modulate the inflammatory response, surgical, anaesthetic and pharmacological, may enhance recovery with fewer complications.

The consequences of early discharge after hip arthroplasty for patient outcomes and health care costs: comparison of three centres with differing durations of stay.

Objective: To compare outcomes from hip arthroplasty between a surgical unit with a rapid discharge policy and two comparison units to test the hypothesis that the centre with rapid discharge has outcomes that are not inferior to the comparison sites.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Subjects: Consecutive consenting patients receiving primary hip arthroplasty during 12 months beginning July 2006 in three UK National Health Service surgical units.

Early discharge following hip arthroplasty: patients' acceptance masks doubts and concerns.

Objective: To describe patients' experience of accelerated discharge after hip arthroplasty in order to test the acceptability to patients of economically driven shortening of post-operative stay.

Methods: Patients (n = 35) who had received primary total hip replacement up to 12 weeks previously were recruited from two UK orthopaedic units, one of which has pioneered short post-operative stay (3-4 days), and another one of which retains a traditional regimen of discharge after 6-7 days. Patients were interviewed about their experience of care, focusing particularly on their views related to length of stay and with particular attention to patients' well-known tendency to mask critical views of their care.

Growth hormone responses to 3 different exercise bouts in 18- to 25- and 40- to 50-year-old men.

Exercise is a potent stimulus for growth hormone (GH) release, although aging appears to attenuate this response. The aim of this study was to investigate GH responses to different exercise stimuli in young and early middle-aged men. Eight men aged 18-25 y and 8 men aged 40-50 y completed 3 trials, at least 7 days apart, in a random order: 30 s cycle-ergometer sprint (sprint), 30 min resistance exercise bout (resistance), 30 min cycle at 70% maximal oxygen consumption (endurance).

Surgical stress response.

Recent advances in molecular medicine have allowed the characterization and quantification of inflammatory cascades following surgery and trauma. Activation of immune cells is followed by the release of various cytokines as well as by migration of leukocytes into inflamed tissues. Various methods have been developed in order to modulate the immune-inflammatory system and at the same time to prevent overreaction and unexpected complications.

Effect of creatine supplementation on training for competition in elite swimmers.

Purpose: The study was conducted to examine the effects of oral creatine supplementation on training for competition in 20 elite swimmers.

Methods: Subjects performed a maximal sprint test (8 x 50 yd (45.72 m), T1) before loading with creatine (Cr, 20 g.

Anaesthesia in elderly patients with neurodegenerative disorders: special considerations.

Neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly common in elderly patients, who present a particular anaesthetic challenge. The majority of people over the age of 70 years have some degree of cerebral atrophy. The pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases is due to alterations in the transport, degradation and aggregation of proteins.

Effect of 6 weeks of sprint training on growth hormone responses to sprinting.

This study examined the effect of 6 weeks of prescribed sprint training on the human growth hormone (hGH) response to cycle ergometer sprinting. Sixteen male subjects were randomly assigned to a training (n=8) or a control (n=8) group. Each subject completed two main trials, consisting of two all-out 30-s cycle-ergometer sprints separated by 60 min of passive recovery, once before, and once after a 6-week training period.

Reproducibility of the growth hormone response to sprint exercise.

Objective: There is a large inter-individual variation in the growth hormone (GH) response to exercise, but within-individual variation is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the reproducibility of the GH response to a single 30 s sprint on a cycle ergometer.

Design: Eleven non-obese male volunteers completed two trials separated by at least seven days during which they completed a single all-out 30 s sprint on a cycle ergometer followed by 60 min of rest.

Patient empowerment and control: a psychological discourse in the service of medicine.

The discourse of the patient as an active agent in managing illness and health care has become very important in medicine. It is seen in the significance attached to patient empowerment and participation, and in the burgeoning research into patients' coping with illness. The discourse cannot be fully understood from within conventional scientific frameworks because it is part of those frameworks.

Physiological and psychological influences on postoperative fatigue.

Unlabelled: Fatigue is common after major surgery and delays recovery. We studied the role of physiological and psychological factors in determining fatigue and physical well being after surgery in 102 patients undergoing primary hip arthroplasty. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure the intensity of feelings of fatigue, vigor, depression, and subjective physical well being on the day before surgery, on the third and seventh postoperative days, and 1 and 6 mo after surgery.

Patient-controlled analgesia: what information does the patient want?

Aims Of The Study: To formulate and evaluate an information leaflet for patients using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), incorporating information thought to be important by patients.

Rationale: The benefit of current information leaflets, written by professionals, has not been studied and their value to patients is unknown.

Background: Previous studies have shown that information leaflets were poorly designed and written in language too difficult for patients to understand.