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Biomedical subjects

A Eliakim

Publications and source records attributed to A Eliakim.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Eosinophilic cystitis in a 4-year-old boy: successful long-term treatment with cyclosporin A.

A 4-year-old Jewish boy presented with dysuria, urinary dribbling, increased urinary frequency, and new onset of diurnal enuresis. An infiltrating solid mass involving the entire bladder wall was found. Biopsy revealed "tumor-forming" eosinophilic cystitis, a rare bladder lesion of unclear cause. Antitoxocariasis treatment was unsuccessful. High-dose corticosteroids failed. The child's clinical condition and bladder sonographic findings continued to deteriorate. Treatment with cyclosporin A was given for 8 months, with a complete clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic cure and no side effects. Two years of follow-up showed a complete recovery.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2001

[Vaccinations in sports and recommendations for immunization against flu, hepatitis A and hepatitis B].

Intensive physical training in elite athletes can have an adverse effect on the immune system, and can increase the susceptibility to infectious diseases. The insult to the immune system includes the cellular, humoral and phagocitic pathways. The increased incidence of viral infections (in particularly of the upper respiratory tract) occurs mainly during periods of intense exercise training and competitions due to the combination of physiological and psychological stress. Other factors that may contribute to the decreased immunity and increased susceptibility to infections include eating disorders and nutritional deficiencies, jet lag, sleep deprivation, and lack of proper hygiene in shared food and sleeping quarters. For elite athletes, even a mild viral infection can be devastating due to loss of important training hours and/or compromise of competitive performance. Therefore, in addition to the goal of improving the athletes performance, another important responsibility/obligation of the staff working with athletes (physicians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and psychologists), is to emphasize preventive medicine and maintenance of good health. In this article we define athletes, and especially elite athletes, as a population at risk of various infections, and recommend immunization against hepatitis A and B and a yearly immunization against influenza.

Hepatitis A↗
PubMed2000

Adiposity, lipid levels, and brief endurance training in nonobese adolescent males.

Physical activity during childhood and adolescence may influence the development of childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life. Research focused prospectively on the effects of training on lipid levels in nonobese subjects, and studies using noninvasive measurements of subcutaneous and intraabdominal fat are lacking. It was hypothesized in nonobese sedentary adolescent males that a brief endurance-type exercise training intervention would reduce body fat and improve lipid profiles. Thirty-eight healthy, nonobese sedentary adolescent males (mean age 16 +/- 0.7 years old; 18 controls, 20 trained) completed a 5-week prospective, randomized, controlled study. Adiposity was measured using magnetic resonance images of the thigh and abdomen (subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue [SAAT] and intraabdominal adipose tissue [IAAT]). Lipid measurements included serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL and LDL cholesterol. There was no change in body weight in either control or training groups. Training led to small but significant reductions in thigh fat (-4.6 +/- 1.5%, p < 0.03) and SAAT% (1.7 +/- 0.8%, p < 0.02). There was no change in IAAT%. Unexpectedly in the control group there were significant increases in thigh fat (5.2 +/- 1.7%, p<0.01), SAAT% (1.8 +/- 0.6, p < 0.007) and IAAT% (4.5 +/- 1.1, p < 0.0007). Training-induced changes in adiposity were not accompanied by changes in circulating lipids. In nonobese adolescent males a brief period of endurance training led to reductions in body fat depots without weight change while body fat increased rapidly in the control group. Exercise training did not change lipid levels, the latter may require more sustained alterations in patterns of physical activity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2000

Assessment of body composition in ballett dancers: correlation among anthropometric measurements, bio-electrical impedance analysis, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Ballet dancers tend to restrict caloric intake and/or to use inappropriate compensatory behavior (e.g. self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives) in order to maintain a low body weight. Therefore careful assessment of body composition and determination of minimal body weight for maintenance of a desirable percent fat may reduce unnecessary weight loss and decrease the use of a potentially dangerous weight-control behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine body fat in a homogenous group of 59 adolescent, female ballet dancers (age range 14-17 y). Body composition was assessed using three different techniques: skinfold thickness measurements, bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA), and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Percent body fat and the sum of skinfold thickness were calculated from measurements of four sites (i.e. triceps, biceps, subscapular, and suprailiac). All eumenorrheic dancers were examined in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle whereas amenorrheic dancers (or pre-menarcheal) at random. Significant positive correlations were found between skinfold measurements and assessments of body fat by BIA (r=0.48, p<0.001); and between skinfold measurements and assessments of body fat by DXA (r=0.80, p<0.00001). Assessment of body fat by BIA was significantly correlated with assessment of body fat by DXA (r=0.63, p<0.001). The correlation coefficient of percent body fat by skinfolds with DXA (r=0.8, p<0.00001) was significantly higher than the correlation coefficient of body fat by BIA with body fat DXA (p<0.01). In addition the agreement between measurements of body fat by DXA and skinfolds was higher than measurements of body fat by DXA and BIA. This study demonstrates that a simple, inexpensive, field-based method such as skinfold measurements can be successfully used to determine body fat in a homogeneous group of female ballet dancers. This may help to determine a minimal body weight of female dancers based on their percent body fat and as a result may reduce excessive weight loss and prevent the use of a risky weight-reducing behavior.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2000

Iron status of highly active adolescents: evidence of depleted iron stores in gymnasts.

Much attention has focused on the nutrition and hematological profile of female athletes, especially gymnasts. The few studies on iron status of male adolescent athletes found a low incidence of iron deficiency. The present studies investigated the iron status of male and female gymnasts (G) and compared it with athletes of other sports. Subjects were 68 elite athletes (43 M, 25F) ages 12-18, of four sports: gymnasts (11M,12F), swimmers (11M,6F), tennis players (10M,4F), and table tennis players (11M,3F). All lived in the national center for gifted athletes, trained over 25 hr a week, ate in the same dining room, and shared a similar life style. Mean levels of hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell indexes, serum ferritin, serum iron, and transferrin were measured in venous blood. There was no difference in mean Rb among gymnasts (G) and nongymnasts (NG). However Hb was less than 14g/dL in 45% of MG vs. only 25% in NG, and less than 13g/dL in 25% of premenarcheal FG vs. 15% in NG. Low transferrin saturation (<20%) was detected in 18% of MG and 25% of FG vs. 6% and 8% in male and female NG, respectively (p<.05). The percentage of males suffering from low ferritin level (<20 ng/ml) was twice as high in G (36%) vs. NG(19%), and about 30% in all females. In summary, iron stores were consistently lower in MG vs. NG. Adolescent athletes of both genders, G in particular, are prone to nonanemic iron deficiency, which might compromise their health and athletic performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Neutrophil function response to aerobic and anaerobic exercise in female judoka and untrained subjects.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have indicated reduced immunity in trained athletes. AIM: To assess the effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on the phagocytic process in 18-26 year old trained female judoka (n = 8) and untrained controls (n = 7). METHODS: Each subject participated randomly in two different testing sessions (aerobic, 20 minutes of treadmill running at 70-80% of maximal heart rate; anaerobic, Wingate anaerobic test). Venous blood samples were drawn before, immediately after, and 24 hours after each session. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in basal values of net chemotaxis (chemotaxis--random migration), bactericidal activity, and superoxide anion release between the judoka and the untrained women. There was a significant decrease in net chemotaxis 24 hours after the aerobic exercise in both the judoka (from 64 (19) to 39 (13) cells/field, p < 0.02) and the untrained controls (from 60 (7) to 47 (12) cells/field, p < 0.05). Bactericidal activity and superoxide anion release did not change significantly after aerobic exercise in either group. There were no significant changes in net chemotaxis, bactericidal activity, and superoxide anion release after anaerobic exercise in either the judoka or untrained women. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in net chemotaxis after aerobic, but not after anaerobic, exercise, suggests that net chemotaxis is affected by the combination of exercise intensity and duration, and not by the exercise intensity itself. Similar effects of both exercise sessions in the judoka and the untrained women suggest that training had no effect on neutrophil function response to aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Effect of single wrist exercise on fibroblast growth factor-2, insulin-like growth factor, and growth hormone.

Anabolic effects of exercise are mediated, in part, by fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and growth hormone (GH). To identify local vs. systemic modification of these mediators, 10 male subjects performed 10 min of unilateral wrist-flexion exercise. Blood was sampled from catheters placed in basilic veins of both arms. Lactate was significantly increased only in the exercising arm. FGF-2 decreased dramatically (P < 0.01) in both the resting (from 1.49 +/- 0.32 to nadir at 0.11 +/- 0.11 pg/ml) and exercising arm (1.80 +/- 0.60 to 0.29 +/- 0.14 pg/ml). Small but significant increases were found in both the resting and exercising arm for IGF-I and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). GH was elevated in blood sampled from both the resting (from 1.04 +/- 0.68 to a peak of 2.57 +/- 0.53 ng/ml) and exercising arm (1.04 +/- 0.66 to 2.43 +/- 0.42 ng/ml, P < 0.05). Unilateral wrist exercise was not sufficiently intense to increase circulating lactate or heart rate, but it led to systemic changes in GH, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and FGF-2. Low-intensity exercise involving small muscle groups can influence the circulating levels of growth factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Effect of exercise training on erythrocyte insulin-like growth factor-I receptor binding in adolescent males.

Exercise training leads to tissue anabolism by acting through the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) axis, but the role of tissue IGF-I receptors in this process is not known. Erythrocyte IGF-I receptor binding is known to be affected by circulating levels of IGF-I. We hypothesized that training would lead to alterations in erythrocyte IGF-I binding. Thirty-eight adolescent males (mean age 16+/-0.7 yr) were randomized to a control (n=18) or endurance training intervention lasting 5 weeks. Erythrocyte IGF-I binding was measured by standard techniques. Quantity of receptor binding sites (R), binding affinity constant (Kaff), and nonspecific binding (NS) were calculated. Training led to increases (p<0.05) in 1) Kaff x R - an index of overall binding capacity (control, 7.3 +/-8.0%; trained, 60+/-21%); and 2) NS (control, 1.5+/-6.6%; trained 23.2+/-7.5%). Kaff, R, and R/erythrocyte increased in trained subjects, but not significantly so. These results suggest a training-associated upregulation of IGF-I binding. Finally, the unexpected increase in NS may reflect IGF binding protein activity, rather than changes in the erythrocyte IGF-I receptors themselves.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Drug testing in elite athletes--the Israeli perspective.

BACKGROUND: The use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, in particular anabolic steroids, is probably one of the major problems in sports today. During the early 1990s the Israeli Sports Federation and Olympic Committee established the Israeli Sports Anti-Doping Committee. OBJECTIVES: To present a follow-up on tests for use of performance-enhancing drugs among elite Israeli athletes from 1993 until the present. METHODS: Since 1993, 273 drug tests (urine samples) were performed in elite Israeli athletes. These tests were done during major competitions, and at random during the regular training season without prior notice to the athletes. The urine samples were sent for analysis to an official drug laboratory of the Olympic Committee in Cologne, Germany. RESULTS: Since 1993, seven (2.7%) male Israeli elite athletes (5 weight lifters, a javelin thrower, and a sprinter) tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs--all of them for anabolic steroids, and two for diuretics as well. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the phenomenon of performance-enhancing drug use by elite athletes has also entered Israeli sports, and probably represent the tip of the iceberg among Israeli sportsmen. Therefore, more drug tests should be performed, especially at random without prior notice and during the regular season. Athletes in the most popular sports such as soccer and basketball should also be tested. The concern over the use of these agents is both medical and ethical.

Anabolic Agents↗
PubMed1998

Fitness and the effect of exercise training on the dietary intake of healthy adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: In healthy, nonobese, adolescent males and females to: (1) Determine the relationship between fitness and energy intake; (2) assess the effect of five-weeks endurance training on energy intake and food choice and (3) compare food record assessments of energy intake with doubly-labeled water (DLW) measurement of total energy expenditure (TEE). DESIGN: (1) Cross sectional analysis of fitness and food intake and (2) Prospective, randomized, controlled interventional study of endurance-type exercise training in 44 females and 44 males (age range, 15-17 y). MEASUREMENTS: Pre and end interventional three day food records were successfully collected from 32 females (15 controls, 17 trained) and 39 males (19 controls, 20 trained). Fitness was assessed from cycle ergometry as peak oxygen uptake normalized both to thigh muscle mass and body weight. Thigh muscle mass was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. TEE using the DLW technique was measured in 12 females (6 controls, 6 trained) and 20 males (10 controls, 10 trained) during weeks 4-5 of the exercise training program (simultaneously with the second assessment of food records). Food record data were analyzed using the Minnesota Nutrition Data System. RESULTS: Fitness was correlated with self reported total caloric intake in males but not females. In females, there was a significant increase in fat intake (19.8+/-9%, P < 0.05) and a significant decrease in carbohydrate intake (-9.8+/-4%) in the trained subjects. No changes were observed in the control subjects. Energy expenditure (2072+/-52 kcal/d) was significantly greater than the estimated energy intake (1520+/-112 kcal/d, P < 0.007) during the intervention in the trained, but not control, subjects. However, there was no weight change in either control or trained subjects. In males, no changes were observed in food choice in either control or trained subjects. Similar to the females, energy expenditure (2425+/-22 kcal/d) was significantly greater than the estimated energy intake (2168+/-117 kcal/d, P < 0.05) during the intervention in the trained, but not control, subjects. No weight changes were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Fitness is associated with increased self-reported energy intake in males but not females, while exercise training led to alterations in food selection (greater fat and reduced carbohydrate) only in females. These observations could reflect specific gender differences, or, alternatively, the generally lower levels of fitness in the females. The apparent negative energy balance without evidence for weight loss in both the trained males and females suggests a systematic under reporting of food intake during exercise programs in adolescents, and indicates the possibility that errors in self reported food intake might be greater during transitions from one level of energy expenditure to another.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Peak oxygen uptake, muscle volume, and the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-I axis in adolescent males.

PURPOSE: The growth effects of exercise appear to be mediated in part by central neuroendocrine control reflected in circulating levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and their binding proteins (BP). In previous studies positive correlations between peak VO2 and circulating IGF-I have been demonstrated. The relationship between peak oxygen uptake and these potential regulating factors has not been examined in adolescent males where patterns of GH pulsatility and levels of IGF-I are rapidly changing. METHODS: Forty-three healthy adolescent males (age 16 +/- 0.7 yr, 70% at Tanner V) performed cycle ergometry to determine p oxygen uptake (peak VO2), and magnetic resonance images to determine the thigh muscle volume. Baseline blood samples were collected for GHBP, the extracellular portion of the GH tissue receptor (by ligand mediated immunofunctional assay), IGF-I (by RIA), and IGFBPs 1-5 (by RIA). Mean GH was determined from samples obtained every 20 min overnight. RESULTS: Peak VO2/kg was positively correlated with mean overnight GH levels (r = 0.41, P < 0.005). Both peak VO2/kg and thigh muscle volume/kg were negatively correlated with GHBP (r = -0.33, P < 0.02) and IGFBP-4 (r = -0.52, P < 0.005). There were no correlations between peak VO2/kg and IGF-I or IGFBPs 1-3, and 5. CONCLUSIONS: GH pulsatility is increased adolescent males who have higher peak VO2, but this did not translate into increases in IGF-I. We speculate that in the fitter males, lower GHBP levels may reduce hepatic sensitivity to GH. Thus, circulating IGF-I was unchanged despite higher mean GH in subjects with higher peak VO2. IGFBP-4 which is known to inhibit IGF-I was negatively correlated with peak VO2 leading, possibly, to increased IGF-I bioactivity. Fitness (as assessed by muscle mass and peak VO2) does modulate the GH-IGF-I axis, but not solely through circulating IGF-I; both GHBP and IGFBPs play important roles.

Adolescent↗