Events of breathing interruption are universally observed during sleep. Togo and colleagues [1], in a study to identify respiratory and movement sleep disorders in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients with and without fibromyalgia (FM), employed an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 18 events per hour as the normal limit and reported an absence of diagnosable sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The...

Managing training practices in elite performance domains is recognised to play an important role in preventing musculoskeletal overload, and hence reducing the risk of overuse-related injuries. In international studies spanning four decades, the duration of playing, especially in combination with sudden increases in playing and inadequate rest breaks, remains one of the most common causes of in...

All people on our blue planet should have already asked themselves four questions: (1) How much global pollution can our planet tolerate and still maintain its biosphere sustainably? (2) Can humanity survive the predicted global climate change disaster with any quality of life? (3) What are the principal causes of our failure to retain a healthy life-supporting biosphere? and (4) What needs to ...

There is increasing evidence that intraoperative fluid therapy decisions may influence postoperative outcomes. In the past, patients undergoing major surgery were often administered large volumes of crystalloid, based on a presumption of preoperative dehydration and nebulous intraoperative 'third space' fluid loss. However, positive perioperative fluid balance, with postoperative fluid-based we...

A nemia is associated with poor cardiovascular and global outcome in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) (1). The correction of anemia requires epoetin in most instances. This in turn generally requires intravenous iron supplementation to avoid iron-deficiency and to achieve optimal results. High iron doses have been shown to decrease epoetin needs and to make anemia treatment more cost ...

The aims of this study were to examine perceptions of what a sample of students and graduates consider an excessive alcohol intake to be and it's effect on their health. 115 University College Cork (UCC) students and 133 UCC graduates were questioned about their opinions of an acceptable weekly intake of alcohol. The results reveal dramatic changes in drinking habits over recent decades. Studen...