Measured and perceived indices of fluid balance in professional athletes. The use and impact of hydration assessment strategies.

BACKGROUND: To determine athletes perceived and measured indices of fluid balance during training and the influence of hydration strategy use on these parameters. METHODS: Thirty-three professional rugby union players completed a 120 minute training session in hot conditions (35°C, 40% relative humidity). Pre-training hydration status, sweat loss, fluid intake and changes in body mass (BM) were obtained. The use of hydration assessment techniques and players perceptions of fluid intake and sweat loss were obtained via a questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of players (78%) used urine colour to determine pre-training hydration status but the use of hydration assessment techniques did not influence pre-training hydration status (1.025 ± 0.005 vs. 1.023 ± 0.013 g.ml-1, P = .811). Players underestimated sweat loss (73 ± 17%) to a greater extent than fluid intake (37 ± 28%) which resulted in players perceiving they were in positive fluid balance (0.5 ± 0.8% BM) rather than the measured negative fluid balance (-1.0 ± 0.7% BM). Forty-eight percent of players used hydration monitoring strategies during exercise but no player used changes in BM to help guide fluid replacement. CONCLUSION: Players have difficulty perceiving fluid intake and sweat loss during training. However, the use of hydration monitoring techniques did not affect fluid balance before or during training.

The effects of age, death period and birth cohort on asthma mortality rates in Australia.

SETTING AND OBJECTIVE: We assessed the relative effects of age, gender, period of death and birth cohort on asthma mortality rates in Australia from 1907 to 2000. DESIGN: Asthma mortality data obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare were adjusted for changes to the International Classification of Diseases and examined for changes over time and age, period and cohort effects. RESULTS: Age-adjusted period asthma mortality rates indicated epidemics during the mid 1960s and 1980s, predominantly affecting those aged 5-34 years. The main 1960s epidemic coincided with the introduction of high-dose, non-selective beta-sympathomimetic amines. There was a gradual rise in mortality rates in younger age groups, with rates rising from 0.5/100 000 males and 0.9/100 000 females in the 1940s to a peak of 3/100 000 for both sexes in 1966. Fluctuations in mortality rates were influenced by period of death and birth cohort. There was an increased risk of death from asthma with increasing age. CONCLUSION: There was no overall trend in asthma mortality rates in any age group. The 1960s epidemic was probably treatment related. Other increases in mortality occurring despite therapeutic advances may reflect increasing prevalence and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance.

Perceived ideological differences, job satisfaction and organizational commitment among psychiatrists in a community mental health center.

Physician turnover has long been a problem in community mental health centers. While explanations for the problem have been offered, there have been no systematic studies of factors associated with the high turnover. In this study, the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire were given to psychiatrists employed by a community mental health center. Subjects were also asked to identify their treatment ideology, and to rate their perception of the ideology of other clinicians and administrators with whom they work. Psychiatrists perceived significant differences in many ideological areas. Analysis demonstrated a correlation between these differences and the commitment of the psychiatrists to the organization.

A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella bredeney food poisoning: a case control study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella bredeney. DESIGN: Case interviews followed by an age and neighbourhood matched case control study. PARTICIPANTS: People with laboratory-confirmed S. bredeney and controls matched on age and geographical location in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria. RESULTS: We identified 157 persons with S. bredeney spread throughout the eastern states and the ACT. In the matched analysis, cold meat and chicken demonstrated a significant odds ratio of 4.4 (p = 0.017) and 4.2 (p = 0.02) respectively. Among primary cases, the odds ratio for chicken was 6.0 (p = 0.01) and for ground pepper was 3.75 (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The most likely source of this outbreak was a product contaminated at the point of manufacture and distributed widely within NSW and the ACT and, to a lesser extent, Queensland (Brisbane) and Melbourne. The most probable food is a meat or chicken product, followed by substantial cross contamination of other meat products at retail outlets, which served to amplify the outbreak.