Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise When an adolescent female patient comes to Nationwide Childrens Hospitals Sports Medicine clinic, not only are these young women treated for their sports-related injury, but their sports medicine physician will also ask if theyve missed any periods, because of a growing concern among female athletes.

Anastasia Fischer, MD, a physician in Sports Medicine at Nationwide Childrens, says that is because female athlete triad syndrome is more prevalent than previously realized. The female athlete triad has three interrelated components: disordered eating low energy availability (often caused by not eating appropriately), dysmenorrhea (change in a girl's period), and low bone mineral density.

Regan, a high-school track and cross-country athlete from Columbus, Ohio, said she didnt realize how serious the symptoms she was experiencing were until she suffered a stress fracture. The sports medicine team at Nationwide Childrens helped her realize that this injury, and her loss of bone density, was due to the fact that she needed several hundred more calories a day than she realized because of how many she burns as a busy high school athlete.

Many girls are so active they need 3,500 calories a day because they are competing at a high-level, said Dr. Fischer. Some girls who have this syndrome do have serious eating disorders, but most do not. Rather, most adolescents just do not realize how important eating the appropriate amount of calories and proper nutrition is for their athletic performance and general wellbeing. Girls underestimate that food is fuel.

Dr. Fischer, also a faculty member with The Ohio State University College of Medicine, says the triad is a continuum and when it is broken down, you can see how the three elements are interrelated and that many girls fall along this scale. She suggests this might not just be an athlete problem, but an adolescent American problem. New research is even showing that early hormonal detection could help these adolescent females even before they start missing periods, when they could first be at risk for problems the female athlete triad.

It may be uncomfortable for a young female athlete to let her coach, or even her parent, know that she is missing periods, said Dr. Fischer, so she is currently researching how school physicals, required to play school sports in the state of Ohio, could help address this problem early on.

Jessica Buschmann, RD, a dietitian in Sports Medicine at Nationwide Childrens, consults with female athlete triad patients like Regan when they are first diagnosed. She sees not only female athletes who suffer from the female athlete triad who benefit in their sport from being lean, like rowing and track, but also patients in aesthetic sports where athletes are partly judged by their appearance, wear more revealing attire, or may be judged, like gymnastics and dance.

Buschmanns advice to the female adolescents she works with is that they should be tracking their menstrual cycle, which can now be done easily and privately using an app for their smartphone. Girls should talk to their parent or doctor if they are going more than 35 days in between periods, skipping occasional periods, if their periods have stopped, or if they are 15 years old and have not yet experienced a menstrual cycle. By eating meals with their children, parents can assess their attitudes about eating. All athletes should have a nutrition plan that consists of getting enough calories throughout the day.

Follow this link:

Sports Medicine Experts Say Female Athlete Triad Syndrome a Growing Concern

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Feb-2014

Contact: Megan Hanks mhanks@acponline.org 215-351-2656 American College of Physicians

1. Aortic valve replacement improves function but may not improve quality of life

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) improves functional status but may not improve overall quality of life, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in developing countries and it affects up to 3 percent of adults older than 75. In recent years, TAVR has emerged as an alternative treatment to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for high-risk or inoperable patients with symptomatic severe AS. Researchers reviewed 62 published studies to evaluate the changes in functional status and quality of life after TAVR. The research suggested that TAVR improved symptoms, physical function, and disease-specific measures of quality of life compared with conservative treatment. However, the benefits in psychological dimension and general health measures were often small and inconsistent, which may be an important consideration for older patients looking to improve quality of remaining life.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview an author, please contact Kelly Lawman at klawman@bidmc.harvard.edu or 617-667-7305.

2. Rituximab may not benefit patients with primary Sjgren syndrome

Rituximab appears to offer no long term benefit to patients with primary Sjgren syndrome (pSS), according to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine. pSS is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by dryness of the eyes and mouth. Up to half of patients have systemic involvement, with fatigue being a symptom associated with significant disability. No systemic treatment has been proved to significantly improve symptoms. Mounting evidence on B cell involvement in pSS suggests that B-cell depletion could be an effective treatment for pSS. The CD20 antigen, a transmembrane protein found on pre-B and mature B cells, is the most widely studied target for achieving B-cell depletion. Rituximab is an anti-CD20 antibody. Researchers conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy and harms of rituximab in adults with recent-onset or systemic pSS. They found that rituximab given in two infusions over two weeks alleviated some symptoms, particularly fatigue, early in the trial but did not alleviate symptoms or disease activity at 24 months. More infusion reactions occurred with rituximab than placebo. The data do not support use of rituximab for treating pSS.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. Dr. Alain Saraux can be contacted directly at alain.saraux@chu-brest.fr.

3. Microsporidiosis a possible cause of infection in transplant patients

See more here:

Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Feb. 18, 2014

PHILADELPHIA Penn Medicine, in partnership with the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, today announced a new opportunity for photographers to have their work displayed in a unique setting. Up to 25 images depicting the theme Impressions of Philadelphia will be selected for a large format wall display (approximately 19x19 feet) in public concourse areas of the new Pavilion for Advanced Care (PAC) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Installations will be a permanent element to the interior design of the Pavilion, which is scheduled for completion in January 2015, and are anticipated to be displayed for the life of the building. In addition, prizes will be awarded for Best in Show ($5,000) and Top 5 ($1,000 each).

Were thrilled to invite members of the Penn Medicine community, Philadelphia and beyond to take part in helping to design the interior of our new Pavilion, said Michele Volpe, executive director and CEO of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the work of some very talented artists professional or amateur and were excited to see Philadelphia through their eyes.

Submissions should reflect the theme Impressions of Philadelphia, and should capture elements of local landscape, architecture, or objects with artistic composition. Preference will be given to unique, not necessarily iconic images. Winning submissions will be printed on laminate panels in black and white with post processing modification made by a design team to add a highlighted color pop which will correspond to the PAC interior color palette. Possible locations for display include waiting rooms, imaging suites, and elevator lobby walls throughout the hospital Pavilion.

We want the new Pavilion to feel inviting and soothing for our patients and guests, and we recognize that images of home can serve as a source of comfort in difficult times, said Alyson Cole, assistant executive director of Penn Presbyterian and PAC project executive. We draw inspiration from our community, so it makes sense for us to involve them in this process.

Judging will consist of two rounds of evaluation. A panel of judges will review submissions based on the quality of the images and consistency with the desired theme. Selected entries will be chosen for the Finalist Review Round. Artists will be notified of the panel's decision by email. Those artists whose images are accepted to the Finalist Review Round will be given further instructions at that time.

The deadline for submissions if May 15, 2014. For more information on the contest, guidelines and submission criteria, please visit PennMedicine.org/PhotographyContest

About Penn Presbyterian Medical Centers Pavilion for Advanced Care The new 178,000 square foot Pavilion for Advanced Care will feature overall upgrades and enhanced capacity for emergency, surgical, trauma and critical care patients at PPMC. This will be coupled with a second helipad, ensuring rapid access to state of the art resources for all critically ill patients. The project also includes an expansion and significant renovations to the current structure. In addition, the expansion will provide the infrastructure and programmatic support needed to become Penn Medicines Level-I Regional Resource Trauma Center. In addition to added emergency bay and operating room capacity, a new state-of-the art trauma resuscitation area will be dedicated to the evaluation and stabilization of critically injured patients.

Go here to read the rest:

Penn Medicine Launches Nationwide "Impressions of Philadelphia" Photography Contest