Diagnostic Utility of Sodium Lactate Infusion and CO2-35% Inhalation for Panic Disorder.

Laboratory measures have played an integral role in diagnosing pathology; however, compared to traditional medicine, psychiatric medicine has lagged behind in using such measures. A growing body of literature has begun to examine the viability and development of different laboratory measures in order to diagnose psychopathologies. The present review examines the current state of development of both sodium lactate infusion and CO2-35% inhalation as potential ancillary measures to diagnose panic disorder (PD). A previously established 3-step approach to identifying laboratory-based diagnostic tests was applied to available literature assessing the ability of both sodium lactate infusion or CO2-35% inhalation to induce panic attacks in PD patients, healthy controls, and individuals with other psychiatric conditions. Results suggest that across the literature reviewed, individuals with PD were more likely to exhibit panic attacks following administration of sodium lactate or CO2-35% compared to control participants. The majority of the studies examined only compared individuals with PD to healthy controls, suggesting that these ancillary measures are underdeveloped. In order to further determine the utility of these ancillary measures, research is needed to determine if panic attacks following administration of these chemical agents are unique to PD, or if individuals with related pathologies also respond, which may be indicative of transdiagnostic characteristics found across disorders.

Nutritional Strategies to Modulate Intracellular and Extracellular Buffering Capacity During High-Intensity Exercise.

Intramuscular acidosis is a contributing factor to fatigue during high-intensity exercise. Many nutritional strategies aiming to increase intra- and extracellular buffering capacity have been investigated. Among these, supplementation of beta-alanine (~3-6.4 g/day for 4 weeks or longer), the rate-limiting factor to the intramuscular synthesis of carnosine (i.e. an intracellular buffer), has been shown to result in positive effects on exercise performance in which acidosis is a contributing factor to fatigue. Furthermore, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and sodium/calcium lactate supplementation have been employed in an attempt to increase the extracellular buffering capacity. Although all attempts have increased blood bicarbonate concentrations, evidence indicates that sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g/kg body mass) is the most effective in improving high-intensity exercise performance. The evidence supporting the ergogenic effects of sodium citrate and lactate remain weak. These nutritional strategies are not without side effects, as gastrointestinal distress is often associated with the effective doses of sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and calcium lactate. Similarly, paresthesia (i.e. tingling sensation of the skin) is currently the only known side effect associated with beta-alanine supplementation, and it is caused by the acute elevation in plasma beta-alanine concentration after a single dose of beta-alanine. Finally, the co-supplementation of beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate may result in additive ergogenic gains during high-intensity exercise, although studies are required to investigate this combination in a wide range of sports.

Combined effect of modified atmosphere packaging and addition of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), ascorbic acid, red beet root (Beta vulgaris), and sodium lactate and their mixtures on the stability of fresh pork sausages.

The effects of rosemary, in combination with ascorbic acid, red beet root, and sodium lactate, as well as their mixtures, on the inhibition of both lipid and pigment oxidation of fresh pork sausages packaged in a modified atmosphere were studied. Sausages (240) were packaged in a 80% O2 + 20% CO2 gas mixture and analyzed for CIE a, metmyoglobin, TBARS, psychrotrophic aerobes, and sensory discoloration and off-odor throughout 20 days of storage at 2 +/- 1 degrees C. The mixture of rosemary + ascorbic acid + sodium lactate + red beet root extract extended the shelf life of fresh pork sausages from 8 to 16 days. Results demonstrated that all of the components of the mixture contributed to obtaining the maximum delay in color and/or odor decay, due to a combined inhibitory action on both pigment and lipid oxidation, as well as on microbial growth.