REVIEW STUDY ON THE EFFICIENCY OF THE USE OF KINESIOLOGICTAPE IN PERFORMANCE ATHLETES

Introduction. In Asia, in the early 1970s, a new concept was developed -kinesiological tape.Physiotherapists use the kinesiological band in both performance or amateur athletes and patients who are in a kinetic recovery program. The exact mechanisms by which the kinesiological band acts on the body have not yet been fully elucidated .Aim. The aim of the study was to identify in the literature the information about the potential positive or negative effects offered by the use of kinesiological tape inperformance athletes that had suffered injuries and also to identify potential prophylactic effects inhealthy athletes.Material and method. The selection of articles was made using the Google Scholar search engine, where 98 studies were found in the databasesof ResearchGate, PubMed, MinervaMedica, Journal of Athletic Training, Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy. Only studies on groups of performance athletes were included.Results. Of the 28 selected articles, 12 studies showed results in which there were increases in performance and improvements in some parameters, in 12 studies it was concluded that there were no beneficial or significant effects, and in 4 articles the results of applying the bands kinesiological and placebo effect had relatively similar positive effects.Conclusions.Kinesiology tapes do not seem to bringmajor benefits in terms of the performance inhealthy athletes. Regarding the potential prophylactic effect of kinesiological bands, several complex and longer studies need tobe performed. But the kinesiological bands could be considered as an adjuvant method in rehabilitation.

Therapeutic and preventive effect of feed additives on the state of periodonts of rats with experimental dysbiosis

Aim. Determine the therapeutic and prophylactic effect of feed additives on the condition of the periodontium in case of dysbiosis. Methods. As feed additives, we used flour from pea straw (FPS), oilcake from ordinary (high-linoleic) sunflower seeds (OOS) and oilcake from high-oleic sunflower seeds (OHOS), which were added to the composition of feed for rats in an amount of 10% instead of the same amount of grain wheat. The duration of feeding was 18 days. Experimental dysbiosis was reproduced using the antibiotic lincomycin. The activity of urease, lysozyme, catalase, elastase and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined in the gums of rats. Results. An increase in the level of urease, elastase, MDA and a slight decrease in the activity of lysozyme and catalase were found in rats with dysbiosis. The consumption of FPS and OOS had little effect on the biochemical parameters of the gums; however, the consumption of OHOS significantly reduced the activity of elastase, the level of MDA and normalized the level of urease. Conclusion. Under conditions of dysbiosis, periodontitis develops, which can be prevented by consuming high-oleic sunflower oilcake.

Vaccines for the COVID-19 α Variant: An Econometric Analysis

This study examines the success of COVID-19 vaccines in four European countries and Israel for the α variant. These countries respond to the vaccines with varying degrees of success. Countries with successful vaccination programs take about 160 days to get to the minimum number of new cases. Only Italy and Israel came close to eradicating the virus. Vaccines and previous infections have a similar prophylactic effect on new infections. Second doses for the most part add little protection to those who have only one dose. Vaccines become very effective after seven days although there are some added benefits that accrue to individuals in the second week after vaccination. The effect of vaccines on new cases is non-linear and exhibits a decreasing marginal effect. COVID-19 is spread by asymptomatic carriers, a feature of the disease which was discernable at the same time that public health agencies were discouraging the use of masks by the general public and downplaying the importance of social distancing. These were major policy errors and led to many unnecessary deaths.

Efficacy and safety of exogenous beta-hydroxybutyrate for preventive treatment in episodic migraine: A single-centred, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial

Background Several studies propose that brain energy deficit might be partially involved in the pathophysiology of migraine. Previously, studies demonstrated that ketogenic diet causes a substantial reduction in migraine frequency. Since the ketogenic diet is restricting and its adherence is difficult, we proposed to supplement ketone bodies exogenously to provide a prophylactic effect in migraineurs. Aim To evaluate the prophylactic effect of exogenous DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate supplementation in episodic migraineurs. Methods A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised crossover trial was conducted, involving 41 patients with episodic migraine. Patients were randomised 1:1 into placebo or beta-hydroxybutyrate group before entering the first treatment period. Each treatment period was 12 weeks long, followed by four weeks of washout phase and four weeks of run-in phase before entering into the corresponding second treatment period. The primary endpoint was the number of migraine days in the last four weeks of treatment, adjusted for baseline. Results We observed no clinically significant amelioration of migraine frequency or intensity under DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate treatment as compared to placebo regarding number of migraine days (mean difference [95% CI]: −1.1[−5.07, 2.85]), migraine intensity (0–10 VAS: 1.5[−0.8, 3.7]). Conclusion The selected dose of supplemented exogenous DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate did not demonstrate efficacy in episodic migraineurs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03132233

Prophylactic effect of Amiodarone and in combination with Vitamin C in reducing atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia following cardiac surgery, leading to hemodynamic impairment and increased mortality and morbidity after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and increases hospitalization. Due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin C as well as the antiarrhythmic effect of amiodarone in reducing the incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting, we decided to compare and evaluate the prophylactic effect of amiodarone alone and in combination with vitamin C in controlling this complication. In this double-blind clinical trial, patients were divided into two equal groups of amiodarone (300 mg amiodarone bolus during 20-30 minutes) and amiodarone + vitamin C (150 mg amiodarone and 2g vitamin C combination). Each group included 42 patients. All data were analyzed by SPSS 19 software and statistical tests of ANOVA, Chi-square and Repeated Measure. There was a significant difference between the two groups of amiodarone and amiodarone+vitamin C (p-value = 0.01) and the mean incidence of AF in the amiodarone +vitamin C group was significantly lower than that of amiodarone alone. Other arrhythmias were also lower in the amiodarone +vitamin C group than in the amiodarone group alone. The use offibrillation after CABG compared with prophylactic amiodarone alone, but did not have a significant effect on decreasing ICU stay(discharge) and duration of hospitalization.