Physiological adaptations in ultra‐endurance athletes during a 5‐day multisport adventure race: an assessment of serological and inflammatory cytokine profiles

Multiday endurance sports expose athletes to multiple physical stressors. Little is known about the athletes’ physiological responses to these stressors. A detailed understanding of the serological changes that occur during competition may improve the treatment of athletes suffering from illness or injury. This prospective, observational study aimed to characterize serological changes in AR athletes across multiday competition. Athletes underwent venipuncture at the start, midpoint, and end of a 5‐day, multidiscipline event. A variety of serological and inflammatory factors was measured and then analyzed to describe their changes over the course of the race. A total of 27 AR athletes (29.6% female, 70.4% male) met inclusion criteria out of 33 recruited initially. The mean age was 37.7 (IQR 32.5, 41). The median race time for athletes was 133 hours (IQR 123, 142). Serum creatinine, sodium, and potassium tended to remain stable as the race progressed. Conversely, serological measures, including hemoglobin, interleukin‐6, and C‐reactive protein levels, tended to change substantially during the race. Participants demonstrated the ability to maintain homeostasis, despite significant physiological threat. Renal function, electrolyte balance, and hormonal profiles were stable. However, a pro‐inflammatory response and decrease in red cell availability were evident by the midpoint of the race

Trainees' perceptions of course quality in postgraduate General Practice training in Ireland

Background: Postgraduate General Practice (GP) training is structured around a formal curriculum set out by the training body. It also includes a "hidden curriculum" of experiential workplace learning in a heterogenous learning environment [1]. There is no formal national annual survey of GP trainees and their views in Ireland.Methods: The research aim was to evaluate what the trainee population think of their training environment, and to analyse the contributory factors. A mixed methods cross-sectional survey was distributed to all third- and fourth-year GP trainees (N = 404). The Manchester Clinical Placement Index was adapted for the study.Results: The response rate was 30.94% (N = 125). Questions 1 to 7 provided a description of the characteristics of the study population. The remainder of the questions focused on aspects which relate to constituents of the learning environment. The responses were broadly and convincingly positive and supportive of the good work being done in GP training and by trainers in Ireland today across both qualitative and quantitative findings. One notable exception was in the area of feedback where single handed fourth year practices were found to be underperforming.Conclusions: The current research findings were broadly positive and supportive of the good work being done in GP training and by trainers in Ireland today. Further research will be needed to validate the study instrument and to further refine some aspects of its configuration. The implementation of such a survey on a regular basis may have merit as part of the quality assurance process in GP education alongside existing feedback structures [2].</p