Acute poisoning among children and adolescents in southern Norway. / Akutt forgiftning blant barn og ungdom i Agder.

BACKGROUND: Self-inflicted poisoning is common in adolescents and is a risk factor for suicide. The aim of this study was to survey the circumstances surrounding hospitalisations due to acute poisoning in patients aged up to 18 years. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All hospitalisations in the Departments of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Sørlandet Hospital Trust (Arendal and Kristiansand) due to acute poisoning in the period 1 August 2014-31 July 2015 were prospectively recorded with the aid of a form completed during the admission. RESULTS: There were 88 hospitalisations distributed among 68 adolescents (mean age 15.5 years, SD 1.5) and 13 children (mean age 2.8 years, SD 2.8). The poisoning was categorised as self-harm behaviour in 32 (47 %) of the adolescents, and as substance misuse-related in 35 (52 %). In total, 37 (54 %) of the adolescents had been or were under treatment at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Fifteen (22 %) of the adolescents were deemed to be suicidal. Thirty (94 %) of the adolescents who reported self-harm as the intention behind their poisoning were offered further follow-up at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, along with 7 (20 %) of the group with substance misuse-related poisoning. INTERPRETATION: Adolescents who reported self-harm as their intention were usually offered further follow-up, whereas adolescents with substance misuse-related poisoning were rarely offered follow-up.

Vitamin C and E supplementation hampers cellular adaptation to endurance training in humans: a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

In this double-blind, randomised, controlled trial, we investigated the effects of vitamin C and E supplementation on endurance training adaptations in humans. Fifty-four young men and women were randomly allocated to receive either 1000 mg of vitamin C and 235 mg of vitamin E or a placebo daily for 11 weeks. During supplementation, the participants completed an endurance training programme consisting of three to four sessions per week (primarily of running), divided into high-intensity interval sessions [4-6 × 4-6 min; >90% of maximal heart rate (HRmax)] and steady state continuous sessions (30-60 min; 70-90% of HRmax). Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max ), submaximal running and a 20 m shuttle run test were assessed and blood samples and muscle biopsies were collected, before and after the intervention. Participants in the vitamin C and E group increased their VO2 max (mean ± s.d.: 8 ± 5%) and performance in the 20 m shuttle test (10 ± 11%) to the same degree as those in the placebo group (mean ± s.d.: 8 ± 5% and 14 ± 17%, respectively). However, the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX4) and cytosolic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1 α (PGC-1α) increased in the m. vastus lateralis in the placebo group by 59 ± 97% and 19 ± 51%, respectively, but not in the vitamin C and E group (COX4: -13 ± 54%; PGC-1α: -13 ± 29%; P ≤ 0.03, between groups). Furthermore, mRNA levels of CDC42 and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) in the trained muscle were lower in the vitamin C and E group than in the placebo group (P ≤ 0.05). Daily vitamin C and E supplementation attenuated increases in markers of mitochondrial biogenesis following endurance training. However, no clear interactions were detected for improvements in VO2 max and running performance. Consequently, vitamin C and E supplementation hampered cellular adaptations in the exercised muscles, and although this did not translate to the performance tests applied in this study, we advocate caution when considering antioxidant supplementation combined with endurance exercise.