High-dose short-term creatine supplementation without beneficial effects in professional cyclists: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Growing evidence supports the ergogenic effects of creatine supplementation on muscle power/strength, but its effects on endurance performance remain unclear. We assessed the effects of high-dose short-term creatine supplementation in professional cyclists during a training camp.

Methods: The study followed a double-blind, randomized parallel design.

Pre-sleep protein supplementation in professional cyclists during a training camp: a three-arm randomized controlled trial.

Background: The effects of pre-sleep protein supplementation on endurance athletes remain unclear, particularly whether its potential benefits are due to the timing of protein intake or solely to an increased total protein intake. We assessed the effects of pre-sleep protein supplementation in professional cyclists during a training camp accounting for the influence of protein timing.

Methods: Twenty-four professional U23 cyclists (19 ± 1 years, peak oxygen uptake: 79.

Household plastic waste habits and attitudes: A pilot study in the city of Valencia.

Bearing in mind that only 42% of plastic packaging post-consumer waste is recycled in Europe, the European Directive 2018/852 established the key target of a 55% plastic packaging waste recycling rate by 2030. For this reason, PlastiCircle, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project, aims to foster the recycling of packaging, improve all stages of the waste collection, and promote responsible consumption. Three European cities have been selected as locations for pilot implementation: Valencia (Spain), Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Alba Iulia (Romania).

Effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in reducing health resources use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary, outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program in patients with severe and very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PR is recommended in advanced COPD, but there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of PR in reducing health care resources when applied in outpatients.

Design: Before and after intervention, a prospective research trial of patients enrolled in a PR program.

Prognosis of COPD patients requiring frequent hospitalization: role of airway infection.

Rationale: A subgroup of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease require frequent hospitalization because of exacerbations of the disease. We hypothesized that airway infection by non-usual pathogens is a major factor driving hospitalization needs in these patients.

Objectives: 1) To describe the clinical and functional characteristics of a cohort of COPD patients requiring > or =2 hospitalizations per year; 2) to determine prospectively their microbiological pattern during exacerbations; and, 3) to analyze the prognostic value of several clinical, functional and microbiological variables with respect to hospitalizations and mortality.

Slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry as screening method for chromium in compost.

Ultrasonic slurry sample introduction was applied to the determination of total chromium in composted materials by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The effect of grinding on the heterogeneity of the test samples and on the attainable precision was studied. The repeatability was influenced by the heterogeneity of the test samples at the mug-level, the R.

A speciation methodology to study the contributions of humic-like and fulvic-like acids to the mobilization of metals from compost using size exclusion chromatography-ultraviolet absorption-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and deconvolution analysis.

High performance size-exclusion chromatography (HP-SEC) with UV absorption for organic matter detection and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for elemental detection have been used to study the mobilization of metals from compost as a function of pH and the molecular mass of their complexes with dissolved organic matter (DOM). Due to its heterogeneous nature, organic matter mobilized from compost shows a continuous distribution of molecular masses in the range studied (up to 80kDa). In order to differentiate between the contribution of humic and fulvic acids (FA) to the organic matter mobilized in the pH range 5-10, their UV absorption chromatographic profiles have been deconvoluted with respect to the adjusted gaussian profiles of the humic and fulvic acids isolated from compost.

Mobilization and speciation of chromium in compost: a methodological approach.

An integral approach to study the mobility of chromium in compost is presented. The approach is based on batch pH dependence leaching tests and the analysis of the leachates for total chromium, chromium(VI) and complexes of chromium(III) with natural organic matter. As leachings are performed with no aggressive reagents (ultrapure water with added nitric acid or potassium hydroxide), the method can be considered a good approach to simulate natural scenarios.

Multielement characterization of metal-humic substances complexation by size exclusion chromatography, asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation, ultrafiltration and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry detection: a comparative approach.

The use of three different separation techniques, ultrafiltration (UF), high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF), for the characterization of a compost leachate is described. The possible interaction of about 30 elements with different size fractions of humic substances (HS) has been investigated coupling these separation techniques with UV-vis absorption spectrophotometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as detection techniques. The organic matter is constituted by a polydisperse mixture of humic substances ranging from low molecular weights (around 1kDa) to significantly larger entities.

Using the EuroQol-5D to measure changes in quality of life 12 months after discharge from an intensive care unit.

Objective: To compare changes in the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of critical care patients by diagnostic category.

Design: Prospective, cohort study. HRQOL assessed 3 months before admission and 1 year after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU).

Proxy-perceived prior health status and hospital outcome among the critically ill: is there any relationship?

Objectives: To measure the health status of critically ill patients prior to hospital admission and to study the relationship between prior health status (PHS) and hospital mortality.

Design: 523 patients admitted to the intensive care department from October 1994 to June 1995 were included consecutively in the study. Health status 3 months prior to admission was assessed retrospectively by proxies using the EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) and the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KF).