Role Commitment and Acceptance in a Sport Context.

The objectives of this study were to (a) develop a conceptualization of role acceptance, later situated within the broader concept of role commitment, pertinent to the sport environment; (b) develop a measure integrating direct perceptions of role commitment and the bases of this variable; and (c) determine if role commitment could predict athletes' intentions to return. To accomplish these objectives, multiple methods were used across 4 projects that leveraged the extant literature on acceptance and commitment perceptions from sport and organizational psychology, engaged athletes in focus groups in a think-aloud protocol, and obtained responses on iterative versions of a new role-commitment questionnaire from over 700 athletes from a variety of competitive and developmental levels. Overall, this approach captured the bases of role commitment (affective, normative, and continuance perspectives), as well as direct perceptions of role commitment, and demonstrated an important link to intentions to return to sport.

Black Tea Source, Production, and Consumption: Assessment of Health Risks of Fluoride Intake in New Zealand.

In countries with fluoridation of public water, it is imperative to determine other dietary sources of fluoride intake to reduce the public health risk of chronic exposure. New Zealand has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of black tea internationally and is one of the few countries to artificially fluoridate public water; yet no information is available to consumers on the fluoride levels in tea products. In this study, we determined the contribution of black tea as a source of dietary fluoride intake by measuring the fluoride content in 18 brands of commercially available products in New Zealand. Fluoride concentrations were measured by potentiometric method with a fluoride ion-selective electrode and the contribution of black tea to Adequate Intake (AI) and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) was calculated for a range of consumption scenarios. We examined factors that influence the fluoride content in manufactured tea and tea infusions, as well as temporal changes in fluoride exposure from black tea. We review the international evidence regarding chronic fluoride intake and its association with chronic pain, arthritic disease, and musculoskeletal disorders and provide insights into possible association between fluoride intake and the high prevalence of these disorders in New Zealand.

Risk Assessment of Fluoride Intake from Tea in the Republic of Ireland and its Implications for Public Health and Water Fluoridation.

The Republic of Ireland (RoI) is the only European Country with a mandatory national legislation requiring artificial fluoridation of drinking water and has the highest per capita consumption of black tea in the world. Tea is a hyperaccumulator of fluoride and chronic fluoride intake is associated with multiple negative health outcomes. In this study, fifty four brands of the commercially available black tea bag products were purchased and the fluoride level in tea infusions tested by an ion-selective electrode method. The fluoride content in all brands tested ranged from 1.6 to 6.1 mg/L, with a mean value of 3.3 mg/L. According to our risk assessment it is evident that the general population in the RoI is at a high risk of chronic fluoride exposure and associated adverse health effects based on established reference values. We conclude that the culture of habitual tea drinking in the RoI indicates that the total cumulative dietary fluoride intake in the general population could readily exceed the levels known to cause chronic fluoride intoxication. Evidence suggests that excessive fluoride intake may be contributing to a wide range of adverse health effects. Therefore from a public health perspective, it would seem prudent and sensible that risk reduction measures be implemented to reduce the total body burden of fluoride in the population.

Metal exposure in the physically and mentally challenged children of Punjab, India.

UNLABELLED: We collected 149 hair samples at the Baba Farid Centre at Faridkot in Punjab, India to evaluate the trace and toxic metal concentration via ICP-MS. A total of 53 elements were tested. The hair of the children tested showed high values for Ba, Cd, Mn, Pb and U, signifying long-term exposure. Urine baseline testing supported hair analysis findings for all the elements listed above; a DMSA (Dimercapto Succinic Acid) challenge test raised urinary values for lead. Testing of six randomly selected water samples showed concentrations above the European maximum contaminant level for uranium (U) in three samples and lead (Pb) in one.Research aim:To evaluate if hair analysis and/or urine provocation confirm or refute long term metal intoxication. To support or refute that hair mineral analysis confirms urine challenge test results. To support or refute that a DMSA urine challenge test provides a valuable treatment option for metal exposure in children. CONCLUSION: Our results documented that hair and urine mineral analysis results are supportive of each other, and are both useful diagnostic tools in chelation therapy. We also documented that a DMSA challenge test confirms long term exposure as detected through hair mineral analysis. This indicates that the chelating agent DMSA (Dimercapto succinic acid) provides a safe and valuable treatment option for lead overexposure.

Initial experience with the Cardiva Boomerang vascular closure device in diagnostic catheterization.

OBJECTIVES: The authors studied the safety and efficacy of the Cardiva Boomerang vascular closure device in patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization. BACKGROUND: Conventional vascular closure devices (sutures, collagen plugs, or metal clips) have been associated with catastrophic complications including arterial occlusion and foreign body infections; furthermore, they cannot be utilized in patients with peripheral vascular disease or vascular access site in a vessel other than the common femoral artery. The Cardiva Boomerang device facilitates vascular hemostasis without leaving any foreign body behind at the access site, can be used in peripheral vascular disease, and can be used in vessels other than the common femoral artery METHODS: A total of 96 patients undergoing transfemoral diagnostic cardiac catheterization were included in this study, including 25 (26%) patients with contraindications to conventional closure devices. Femoral angiography was performed prior to deployment of the Cardiva Boomerang closure device. Patients were ambulated at 1 hr after hemostasis was achieved. RESULTS: The device was successfully deployed and hemostasis achieved with the device alone in 95 (99%) patients. The device failed to deploy in 1 (1%) patient and required conversion to standard manual compression. Minor complications were observed in 5 (5%) patients. No patients experienced major complications including femoral hematoma > 4 cm, red blood cell transfusion, retroperitoneal bleed, arteriovenous fistula, pseudoaneurysm, infection, arterial occlusion, or vascular surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The Cardiva Boomerang device is safe and effective in patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization using the transfemoral approach, facilitating early ambulation with low rates of vascular complications.

Mercury toxicity presenting as chronic fatigue, memory impairment and depression: diagnosis, treatment, susceptibility, and outcomes in a New Zealand general practice setting (1994-2006).

In a group of 465 patients diagnosed as having chronic mercury toxicity (CMT), 32.3% had severe fatigue, 88.8% had memory loss, and 27.5% had depression. A significant correlation was found between CMT and the Apo-lipoprotein E4 genotype (p=0.001). An investigation into an additional 864 consecutively seen general practice patients, resulted in 30.3% having evidence consistent with CMT, and once again a significant correlation was found with the APO-E4 genotype (p=0.001). Removal of amalgam mercury fillings when combined with appropriate treatment resulted in a significant symptom reduction (p<0.001) to levels reported by healthy subjects.

Apolipoprotein E genotyping as a potential biomarker for mercury neurotoxicity.

Apolipoprotein-E (apo-E) genotyping has been investigated as an indicator of susceptibility to heavy metal (i.e., lead) neurotoxicity. Moreover, the apo-E epsilon (epsilon)4 allele is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). A theoretical biochemical basis for this risk factor is discussed herein, supported by data from 400 patients with presumptive mercury-related neuro-psychiatric symptoms and in whom apo-E determinations were made. A statistically relevant shift toward the at-risk apo-E epsilon4 groups was found in the patients p<0.001). The patients possessed a mean of 13.7 dental amalgam fillings and 31.5 amalgam surfaces. This far exceeds the number capable of producing the maximum identified tolerable daily intake of mercury from amalgam. The clinical diagnosis and proof of chronic low-level mercury toxicity has been difficult due to the non-specific nature of the symptoms and signs. Dental amalgam is the greatest source of mercury in the general population and brain, blood and urine mercury levels increase correspondingly with the number of amalgams and amalgam surfaces in the mouth. Confirmation of an elevated body burden of mercury can be made by measuring urinary mercury, after provocation with 2,3,-dimercapto-propane sulfonate (DMPS) and this was measured in 150 patients. Apo-E genotyping warrants investigation as a clinically useful biomarker for those at increased risk of neuropathology, including AD, when subjected to long-term mercury exposures. Additionally, when clinical findings suggest adverse effects of chronic mercury exposure, a DMPS urine mercury challenge appears to be a simple, inexpensive procedure that provides objective confirmatory evidence. An opportunity could now exist for primary health practitioners to help identify those at greater risk and possibly forestall subsequent neurological deterioration.