Faculty of Health Sciences School of Physiotherapy 9605675x lindsayharris912@hotmail.com / Coaches and athletes are continually searching for ways to gain the "competitive edge" and improve athletic performance. Ergogenic substances and procedures are used routinely at almost all competitive levels. Creatine has become one of the most popular nutritional supplements among athletes in recent times. There is evidence suggesting that there are side effects of creatine supplementation. These include renal stress/failure, muscle injury and cramping. While creatine supplementation has the potential to be a safe and effective nutritional aid, these potential side effects may lead to long term problems in athletes. The aim of the study was to determine whether creatine supplementation is associated with injury defined as cramping and muscle strains. This was done using a questionnaire. A questionnaire was developed to consist of three sections determining the player’s training program, incidence of injury and use of creatine supplementation, if any. A pilot study was conducted to establish the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, estimate the time for data collection and identify any unanticipated problems. First team rugby players between the ages of 16 and 19 selected from six competitively recognized rugby schools within the Gauteng Province were included in the study. Consent was obtained from the headmasters of the relevant schools, coaches, and parents/guardians. Questionnaires were completed with the researcher present to explain any part of the questionnaire, which the players did not understand. Data were analyzed using the odds ratio from a logistic regression. The results reveal that no association exists between creatine supplementation and muscle injury in the form of cramping and muscle strains. The subjects were not aware of creatine supplementation recommendations and as a result it was being taken inconsistently and haphazardly.

Infrared microspectroscopy has been used to survey Alzheimer’s diseased brain tissue from a transgenic mouse model of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly and is characterized by β-amyloid plaque deposition,neurofibrillary tangles, inflammation, and disturbed energy metabolism in the brain. Both the TgCRND8 and Tg19959 mouse models of the disease develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology beginning at approximately 3 months of age. Infrared microspectroscopy allows analysis of untreated, flash frozen tissue samples, at micron level spatial resolution, and was used in this study to examine creatine deposits in the Alzheimer’s diseased brain. Creatine is central to cellular energetics and plays an important role in proper brain function. The hippocampi of 7 pairs of transgenic mice and their littermate controls were mapped using infrared microspectroscopy and the results were analyzed for creatine levels and levels of β-sheet, indicative of the presence of β-amyloid plaques. Creatine was found to be focally elevated in the transgenic mice, as compared to their littermate controls but was not co-localized with β-amyloid plaques. Further surveys of serial sections from one transgenic mouse showed the 3-dimensional distribution of creatine within the sample. Focally elevated creatine may be a marker of the disease process, indicative of disturbed energy metabolism or inflammatory response to the disease progression. / February 2008

Background: Rotavirus (RV) is the leading agent of acute gastroenteritis in children under five years old, especially in children of 6~24 months. RV can lead to serious complications or even death. RV can cause a heavy burden of disease particularly in developing countries such as China. To prevent or reduce rotavirus diarrhea (RVD) and RV infection related diseases, damages or complications in children is an important task of public health. RV can also cause extraintestinal damage and complications. The finding of elevated CK-MB has been reported in a couple of Chinese literatures, but the epidemiology and the potential implication of this phenomenon remain poorly understood. Objective: 1. To study the prevalence of elevated serum CK-MB level among children hospitalized with rotavirus gastroenteritis in Guangzhou. 2. To examine factors associated with an elevated CK-MB level 3. To examine the clinical implication of elevated serum CK-MB level with different clinical symptomatology, severity, and disease outcome of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children. Methods: Aretrospective analysis of hospital records had carried out in Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre (GZWCMC), China. Hospital records during the period from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011 of inpatients from GZWCMC were screened and all inpatients with a diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis in GZWCMC were recruited. Result and conclusion: Our study included418 cases of rotavirus infection hospitalized in GZWCMC in Guangdong in 2011, we found elevation of CK-MB a common phenomenon among patients of RV gastroenteritis, and identified a number of risk factors for elevated CK-MB level. These included patients of aged between 6-24 months, cases occurring in autumn or winter, patients coming from low income families, had never been breast-fed, or having dehydration, vomiting, malnutrition, fever, or having an abnormal blood gas and electrolyte. The elevated CK-MB level was positively associated with a higher occurrence of complications, a longer duration of hospitalization, and higher hospital cost per day. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Infrared microspectroscopy has been used to survey Alzheimer’s diseased brain tissue from a transgenic mouse model of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly and is characterized by β-amyloid plaque deposition,neurofibrillary tangles, inflammation, and disturbed energy metabolism in the brain. Both the TgCRND8 and Tg19959 mouse models of the disease develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology beginning at approximately 3 months of age. Infrared microspectroscopy allows analysis of untreated, flash frozen tissue samples, at micron level spatial resolution, and was used in this study to examine creatine deposits in the Alzheimer’s diseased brain. Creatine is central to cellular energetics and plays an important role in proper brain function. The hippocampi of 7 pairs of transgenic mice and their littermate controls were mapped using infrared microspectroscopy and the results were analyzed for creatine levels and levels of β-sheet, indicative of the presence of β-amyloid plaques. Creatine was found to be focally elevated in the transgenic mice, as compared to their littermate controls but was not co-localized with β-amyloid plaques. Further surveys of serial sections from one transgenic mouse showed the 3-dimensional distribution of creatine within the sample. Focally elevated creatine may be a marker of the disease process, indicative of disturbed energy metabolism or inflammatory response to the disease progression.

Infrared microspectroscopy has been used to survey Alzheimer’s diseased brain tissue from a transgenic mouse model of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly and is characterized by β-amyloid plaque deposition,neurofibrillary tangles, inflammation, and disturbed energy metabolism in the brain. Both the TgCRND8 and Tg19959 mouse models of the disease develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology beginning at approximately 3 months of age. Infrared microspectroscopy allows analysis of untreated, flash frozen tissue samples, at micron level spatial resolution, and was used in this study to examine creatine deposits in the Alzheimer’s diseased brain. Creatine is central to cellular energetics and plays an important role in proper brain function. The hippocampi of 7 pairs of transgenic mice and their littermate controls were mapped using infrared microspectroscopy and the results were analyzed for creatine levels and levels of β-sheet, indicative of the presence of β-amyloid plaques. Creatine was found to be focally elevated in the transgenic mice, as compared to their littermate controls but was not co-localized with β-amyloid plaques. Further surveys of serial sections from one transgenic mouse showed the 3-dimensional distribution of creatine within the sample. Focally elevated creatine may be a marker of the disease process, indicative of disturbed energy metabolism or inflammatory response to the disease progression.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a buffered creatine monohydrate (KA) that has been purported to promote greater creatine retention and training adaptations with fewer side effects at lower doses is more efficacious than creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation in resistance-trained individuals. In a double-blind manner, 36 resistance-trained participants (20.2±2 years, 181±7 cm, 82.1±12 kg, and 14.7±5 % body fat) were randomly assigned to supplement their diet with CrM or KA at two different dosages. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis, fasting blood samples, body weight, DEXA determined body composition, and Wingate Anaerobic Capacity (WAC) tests were performed at 0, 7, and 28-days while 1RM strength tests were performed at 0 and 28-days. Data were analyzed by a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and are presented as mean ± SD changes from baseline after 7 and 28-days, respectively. Muscle free creatine content obtained in a subgroup of 25 participants increased in all groups over time (p=0.03) after 7 and 28-days, respectively, with no significant differences among groups (p=0.46). Although some significant time effects were observed, no significant group x time interactions (p>0.05) were observed in changes in body mass, fat free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, or total body water; bench press and leg press 1RM strength; WAC mean power, peak power, or total work; serum blood lipids, markers of catabolism and bone status, and serum electrolyte status; or, whole blood markers of lymphocytes and red cells. Neither manufacturers recommended doses (1.5 g/d) or KA with equivalent loading (20 g/d for 7-days) and maintenance doses (5 g/d for 21-days) of CrM promoted greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, strength, or anaerobic capacity than CrM (20 g/d for 7-days, 5 g/d for 21-days). There was no evidence that supplementing the diet with a buffered form of creatine resulted in fewer side effects than CrM. These findings do not support claims that consuming a buffered form of creatine is a more efficacious and/or safer form of creatine to consume than creatine monohydrate.

Thesis (M.S.Ed.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 124-128).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Department of Agricultural Biochemistry, 1979.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. W. Ross Ellington, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Science. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 15, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 51 pages. Includes bibliographical references.