Nail polish does not significantly affect pulse oximetry measurements in mildly hypoxic subjects.

BACKGROUND: The effect of nail polish on pulse oximetry measurements in non-hypoxic subjects has been studied extensively. Some studies found that nail polish decreased pulse-oximetry (S(pO(2))) values, whereas others found no effects from nail polish. OBJECTIVE: To determine if nail polish affects S(pO(2)) measurements in mildly hypoxic subjects. METHODS: At high altitude, 5 investigators, whose mean oxygen saturation was 91.3% (mild hypoxia), and with 2 brands of pulse oximeter and oximetry probe, obtained S(pO(2)) measurements from a finger with nail polish and from the matching finger on the opposite hand without nail polish. We tested 9 different nail-polish colors and made 210 pairs of S(pO(2)) measurements. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD S(pO(2)) values from the fingers with and without nail polish, respectively, were 91.4+/-4.1% and 91.2+/-3.5% (difference 0.2+/-3.2%, 95% confidence interval -0.2% to 0.4%). CONCLUSIONS: With the pulse oximeters and oximetry probes we tested, nail-polish had no significant effect on S(pO(2)) in mildly hypoxic healthy subjects.

Epidemiology of college athlete sizes, 1950s to current.

The purpose of this study is to examine the epidemiology and trends of body size in college athletics. Data were coded from available athlete rosters from four division 1 college athletic programs for football, basketball, baseball, and men's/women's tennis for the period of 1950 to the present. Data on 17,500 football, 2,470 basketball, 3,868 baseball, 903 men's tennis, and 765 women's tennis athletes were entered. Increases in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were seen for all sports at most positions, but the greatest increases were observed in football offensive and defensive linemen. The largest increases in weight and (BMI) were observed amongst football offensive and defensive linemen, placing them at greatest risk for size-related medical complications. Other college sports exhibit increases in height, weight, and BMI as well, but the rates of increase were not as great.

Adolescent calorie/fat menu ordering at fast food restaurants compared to other restaurants.

OBJECTIVE: Childhood and adolescent obesity is an increasing public health problem. Fast food consumption has been linked to obesity. The purpose of this study is to determine adolescent calorie and fat consumption patterns at different types of restaurants. METHOD: Study subjects (104 adolescents) were asked to order a dinner meal from 10 restaurant menus with an estimate of how much they would actually consume. A paired T-test was used to compare the calories and fat values for each restaurant vs. McDonald's. RESULTS: Mean calories/fat (g) ordered at each restaurant were: California Pizza Kitchen (CPK).: 1284/70, Chili's (Ch). 1333/62, Denny's (Den): 1226/61, McDonald's (MD): 1016/45, Outback Steakhouse (OS): 1656/93, Panda Express (PE): 873/29, Red Lobster (RL): 1016/49, Stuart Anderson's (SA). 1058/52, Taco Bell (TB): 800/34, Wendy's (Wen): 879/32. Calorie/fat content of the ordered items were significantly higher at CPK, Ch, Den, and OS compared to McDonald's. RL and SA were not significantly different from MD. Calorie/fat content of the ordered items were significantly lower at PE, TB and Wen compared with McDonald's. CONCLUSION: More calories/fat were ordered at many sit down restaurants compared to McDonald's. The lowest calories/fat were ordered at other fast food restaurants (Taco Bell, Wendy's and Panda Express).

Adolescent fast food and restaurant ordering behavior with and without calorie and fat content menu information.

PURPOSE: To determine whether adolescents will modify their ordering behavior if calorie and fat nutrition information is posted on the restaurant menu. METHODS: Adolescent volunteers (aged 11 to 18 years) were asked to order a dinner of their choice from three different restaurant menus (McDonald's, Panda Express, and Denny's) and then from a second set of modified menus with calorie and fat content information posted next to each menu item. Total reported consumed calories, fat, and the price of the meal ordered were calculated for each meal. RESULTS: For the first 106 adolescents enrolled, 75 did not change any of their orders after being shown the calorie and fat content information. For the 31 who did change some of their orders, 43 meals resulted in decreased calories and 11 meals resulted in increased calories (20 resulted in a more expensive meal, 23 resulted in a less expensive meal and 11 resulted in no change in the cost of the meal; average change 0.027 dollar increase). Of the 27 who rated themselves as too fat or slightly overweight, only 9 (33%) changed their orders. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of calorie and fat content information on the menus did not modify the food ordering behavior for the majority of adolescents. However, the provision of the nutrition information should still be encouraged because it resulted in some calorie/fat reduction by some of the adolescents and it did not adversely affect the restaurants' revenue.