Prevention and early treatment of the long-term physical effects of COVID-19 in adults: design of a randomised controlled trial of resistance exercise-CISCO-21.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection causes persistent health problems such as breathlessness, chest pain and fatigue, and therapies for the prevention and early treatment of post-COVID-19 syndromes are needed. Accordingly, we are investigating the effect of a resistance exercise intervention on exercise capacity and health status following COVID-19 infection. METHODS: A two-arm randomised, controlled clinical trial including 220 adults with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in the preceding 6 months. Participants will be classified according to clinical presentation: Group A, not hospitalised due to COVID but persisting symptoms for at least 4 weeks leading to medical review; Group B, discharged after an admission for COVID and with persistent symptoms for at least 4 weeks; or Group C, convalescing in hospital after an admission for COVID. Participants will be randomised to usual care or usual care plus a personalised and pragmatic resistance exercise intervention for 12 weeks. The primary outcome is the incremental shuttle walks test (ISWT) 3 months after randomisation with secondary outcomes including spirometry, grip strength, short performance physical battery (SPPB), frailty status, contacts with healthcare professionals, hospitalisation and questionnaires assessing health-related quality of life, physical activity, fatigue and dyspnoea. DISCUSSION: Ethical approval has been granted by the National Health Service (NHS) West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee (REC) (reference: GN20CA537) and recruitment is ongoing. Trial findings will be disseminated through patient and public forums, scientific conferences and journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicialTrials.gov NCT04900961 . Prospectively registered on 25 May 2021.

Influence of continuous infusion of citrate on responses of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone, calcium and magnesium components, and other electrolytes in normal adults during plateletapheresis.

To study the relationships between changes in concentrations of different forms of calcium and the responses of immunoreactive PTH in humans during citrate-induced hypocalcemia, we studied 12 healthy donors undergoing continuous flow plateletapheresis. Concentrations of intact, amino-terminal, and midregion PTH; ionized, ultrafiltrable, and total calcium; total and ultrafiltrable magnesium; protein; albumin; pH; phosphate; and citrate were measured in sera collected during the first 95 min of apheresis. Although ionized calcium decreased steadily in every donor, both intact and amino-terminal PTH rose quickly in most donors to a peak level 5-15 min after starting the infusion of citrate and then declined during the remainder of apheresis. Midregion PTH also rose quickly by 5-remainder of apheresis. Midregion PTH also rose quickly by 5-15 min, but levelled off at 30-90 min. Total calcium inversely correlated with both intact PTH (r = -0.76) and amino-terminal PTH (r = -0.81) better than did ionized calcium (r = -0.47 and -0.46, respectively). The rapid rise and then gradual fall of PTH may be due to glandular depletion of stored PTH, increased peripheral metabolism of PTH, or PTH initiation of other hormonal actions that compensate for hypocalcemia. Protein-bound calcium measured, and this change probably reflected dissociation of calcium from its albumin-binding sites to minimize the changes in ionized calcium concentrations.

Pituitary apoplexy. The importance of skull roentgenograms and computerized tomography in diagnosis.

In two patients with pituitary apoplexy, computerized tomograms demonstrated a suprasellar mass that, after infusion with contrast medium, showed a peripheral ring-like enhancement consistent with a pituitary adenoma with central necrosis. In patients with symptoms or signs suggesting subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis, the finding of an enlarged sella turcica on plain skull roentgenograms should raise the possibility of pituitary apoplexy. This diagnosis may be rapidly and safely confirmed by computerized tomography.