Journal of internal medicine
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The rules of fair play in sport generally prohibit the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) oversees global antidoping regulations and testing for elite athletes participating in Olympic sports. ⋯ Then, we review the major PED classes with a focus on pathophysiology, complexities of antidoping testing, and relevant toxicities. Providers from diverse practice environments are likely to care for patients using PEDs for a variety of reasons and levels of sport; these providers should be aware of common PED classes and their risks.
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Observational studies have suggested associations of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) with respiratory tract infections, impaired bone health, and myriad chronic diseases. ⋯ Current evidence from RCTs and meta-analyses of RCTs is inconsistent regarding the effects of vitamin D supplementation on respiratory infections and chronic diseases. Individuals most likely to benefit are those with baseline VDD or with selected high-risk conditions. Public health initiatives are needed to eliminate VDD globally, and future research will be enhanced by a 'precision prevention' approach to identify those most likely to benefit from vitamin D supplementation.
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Alterations in cerebral blood flow are common in several neurological diseases among the elderly including stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a relatively new technique to investigate cerebrovascular disease, and makes it possible to obtain time-resolved blood flow measurements of the entire cerebral arterial venous vasculature and can be used to derive a repertoire of hemodynamic biomarkers indicative of cerebrovascular health. The information that can be obtained from one single 4D flow MRI scan allows both the investigation of aberrant flow patterns at a focal location in the vasculature as well as estimations of brain-wide disturbances in blood flow. ⋯ We then survey key hemodynamic biomarkers that can be reliably assessed using the technique. Finally, we highlight cerebrovascular diseases where one or multiple hemodynamic biomarkers are of central interest.