Acute inorganic nitrate ingestion does not impact oral microbial composition, cognitive function, or high-intensity exercise performance in female team-sport athletes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute nitrate (NO3-)-rich beetroot juice ingestion on explosive and high-intensity exercise performance, oral microbiota composition, and cognitive flexibility (i.e., function), before and after maximal intermittent running exercise. Fifteen women team-sport athletes were assigned in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design to consume concentrated NO3--depleted beetroot juice (PL; 0.1 mmol NO3-) and NO3--rich beetroot juice (BR; 12.0 mmol NO3-) 2.5 h prior to performing a battery of exercise performance tasks and cognitive testing before and after the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 (YYIR1) running test. Resting plasma [NO3-] and plasma nitrite ([NO2-]) were elevated following BR (P < 0.001). BR did not impact global composition or relative abundance of taxa in the oral microbiome (P > 0.05) or cognitive flexibility before or after exercise (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in performance during 20-m (PRE, PL: 4.38 ± 0.27 vs. BR: 4.38 ± 0.32 s; POST, PL: 4.45 ± 0.29 vs. BR: 4.43 ± 0.35 s) and 10-m sprints (PRE, PL 2.78 ± 0.15 vs. BR 2.79 ± 0.18 s; POST, PL: 2.82 ± 0.16 vs. BR: 2.81 ± 0.19 s), isokinetic handgrip dynamometry, medicine ball throw, horizontal countermovement jump, or YYIR1 (PL: 355 ± 163 m vs. BR: 368 ± 184 m) between BR and PL (P > 0.05). These findings indicate that acute dietary NO3- may not influence the oral microbiome, explosive and high-intensity exercise performance, or cognitive function in women team-sport athletes.

Ocular manifestations in a 2 year-old patient with a DYNC1H1 mutation.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the DYNC1H1 gene have been linked to multiple neurologic syndromes with a multitude of clinical manifestations, both ocular and non-ocular. Previous case reports have outlined various ocular phenotypes, including cataracts of congenital onset, infantile onset, and adult onset with lack of further ophthalmologic detail. CASE PRESENTATION: Our case report outlines, in more detail, a 24-month-old male with a heterozygous mutation in the DYNC1H1 gene who developed a white, intumescent cataract in his left eye and a posterior subcapsular cataract in his right eye with evidence of progressive axial myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings outlined in our case we suggest eye exams at regular intervals during early childhood in patients with DYNC1H1 mutations to screen for amblyogenic ocular pathology and potential rapidly developing cataracts.