Acupuncture in human performance.

To this point in time, acupuncture has been used primarily as an analgesic, a therapeutic intervention that controls pain under pathological conditions. Although some of the mechanisms of acupuncture as it applies to pain relief have been studied, little is known of the positive and/or negative effects of this procedure on the physical performance parameters of healthy people, particularly highly trained athletes. After introducing acupuncture from historical and technique viewpoints, preliminary studies of the effects of acupuncture on strength, aerobic conditioning, flexibility, and sport performance are discussed, as well as concerns regarding the direction of research investigating the potential benefit and/ or adverse effects of this practice.

A comparison of three "interventions" on pretreatment dropout rates in an outpatient substance abuse clinic.

Studies examining pretreatment dropout in outpatient substance abuse clinics have consistently demonstrated that fewer days between phone contact and scheduled intake appointment result in higher client show rates. To compare time to intake with two other interventions hypothesized to increase show rates, individuals (N = 128) seeking treatment were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Individuals in Group 1 were scheduled within 48 hours of the telephone intake.

Subject-collateral reports of drinking in inpatient alcoholics with comorbid cocaine dependence.

Greater substance abuse severity has been associated with less reliable self-reports of drinking in individuals with only an alcohol use disorder. In addition, individuals with multiple substance use disorders often report greater substance abuse severity. Therefore, it is important to be confident in the self-reports of substance use in individuals with multiple substance use disorders.

The etiology of paddler's shoulder.

Training methods used in competitive flatwater paddling often lead to a common pattern of soft tissue injuries that affect the upper limb. Of particular frequency is paddler's shoulder, a condition that can become chronic and may result in permanent damage. The authors suggest that the cumulative effect of poorly structured resistance training initiates the deteriorative process and together with the repetitiveness of on-water training results in the pathologies referred to as paddler's shoulder.

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with a swimming pool.

In August 1988 an increase was noted in the number of cases of cryptosporidiosis identified by the microbiology laboratory at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. By 31 October, 67 cases had been reported. Preliminary investigations implicated the use of one of two swimming pools at a local sports centre and oocysts were identified in the pool water.