Self-administration of exercise and dietary supplements in deployed British military personnel during Operation TELIC 13.

OBJECTIVES: Recent operational experience has led to the identification of several potentially serious adverse events related to the use of dietary and exercise supplements among British Army personnel. This study aimed to establish the point prevalence of dietary and exercise supplement usage in British soldiers on Op TELIC during January 2009. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of British military personnel located at the Contingency Operating Base (COB), in Basra, was performed during the sixth week of Op TELIC 13. RESULTS: From 1544 questionnaires (target population) issued, a total of 1017 (65.9%) completed questionnaires were evaluated. The mean population age was 29.5 years (range 18-58) of which 87.4% were male. 417/1017 persons (41.0%) admitted to a history of supplement use of which 32.0% were current users and 9.4% were previous users. Of these current users, 66.0% started taking them on their current deployment. The most commonly taken supplements were whey protein (18.8%), amino acids (17.9%), and creatine (13.2%). There were 14 persons (1.4%) who admitted to current use of anabolic steroids. The most-frequently given reasons for taking supplements were either to 'increase muscle bulk' (40.4%) or to aid training and recovery (20.8%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to investigate the use of exogenous nutritional supplements within the British Military and has identified their widespread use during operational deployment. The use of anabolic steroids is particularly worrying, given both their illegality and their well-recognised and deleterious health effects. There is a need for greater awareness and education regarding potential benefits and dangers of supplement use in order to maximise any potential benefits and minimise clinical risk.

Limb salvage in diabetic foot disease: A classification to aid successful reconstruction.

Diabetes is a global epidemic. If poorly managed, innocuous injury in a diabetic foot leads to intractable ulceration, bone and joint destruction and subsequent major amputation. It is estimated that every week in the UK there are 100 lower limb amputations of which 80 could have been prevented had diabetes been better managed. It is widely recognised that prevention is critical; nonetheless diabetic foot lesions continue to increase in prevalence. Reconstruction of diabetic foot lesions has a dismal reputation despite promising published work. Reconstruction in the correctly chosen patient can be successful. Multiple classification systems and scores have been published, but these do not guide the clinician as to which lesions are reconstructible, and those in which attempts to salvage are futile. These patients would be better served with primary amputation. A tertiary referral centre's experience of diabetic foot reconstruction over 7 years is presented in a series of 22 consecutive patients who were assessed using a new classification system. Twenty-four flaps were performed all of which were either complex (n = 7) or complicated (n = 17) wounds as per our classification. Five patients (22%) had donor site healing problems, but only one flap (5%) in the series failed. Average follow-up was 23 months (range 4-75 months) and all patients were ambulant at discharge. Our simple classification system and aggressive approach to excision and reconstruction of diabetic foot lesions is a useful adjunct to existing systems, and helps promote the cause that limb salvage is warranted in these challenging cases when appropriately managed.

Assessment of the presence of independent flexor digitorum superficialis function in the small fingers of professional string players: is this an example of natural selection?

This study estimated the prevalence of independent flexor digitorum superficialis function in the small fingers of 90 violin and viola players. The hypothesis tested was that the independent digital movements required in this population would select out those with absent flexor digitorum superficialis function. Professional string players were tested clinically, using standard and modified tests, for flexor digitorum superficialis function. Two additional physical tests were applied: the gap and stretch tests. These tests assess ring finger movement once the small finger is placed and the instrument is held in the chin-hold position. A statistically significant reduction in the prevalence of absent flexor digitorum superficialis function was confirmed in the musicians compared with a control group and published meta-analysis. This suggests that independent flexor digitorum superficialis function is important for professional musicians playing at an elite level.