Background Tart cherry supplementation has been shown to enhance recovery from strenuous exercise due to its antioxidant properties. The majority of these studies used tart cherry juice, with a significant calorie content. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether powdered tart cherry extract with minimal calorie content reduces oxidative stress and enhances recovery following intense resistance exercise. Methods Thirteen men (mean age: 26.2 ± 5.3 years; height: 184.3 ± 8.2 cm; weight: 92.9 ± 15.6 kg) performed a demanding resistance exercise protocol consisting of 6 sets of 10 repetitions of barbell back squat with 80% 1RM. The protocol was performed once following 7 days of 500 mg of tart cherry extract and once following placebo. Serum protein carbonyl (PC) content, creatine kinase activity (CK) and creatine kinase myocardial band content (CK-MB) were used to assess oxidative stress, skeletal and cardiac muscle damage respectively. Muscle soreness was assessed by visual analog scale. Physical performance was measured by countermovement jump power and handgrip dynamometer strength. Results There was a significant increase in PC in the placebo (PL) condition when compared to the Tart Cherry (TC) condition at Immediate Post (IP) (PL: 0.4 ± 0.3 vs. TC: − 0.4 ± 0.2 nmol∙mg− 1; p < 0.001), 1 h (PL: 0.3 ± 0.3 vs. TC: − 0.7 ± 0.3 nmol∙mg− 1; p < 0.001) and 24 h (PL: 0.1 ± 0.4 vs. TC: − 0.3 ± 0.5 nmol∙mg− 1; p = 0.010). There was a significant increase in CK activity in PL when compared to the TC at IP (PL: 491.1 ± 280 vs. TC: 296.3 ± 178 U∙L− 1; p = 0.008) and 3 h (PL: − 87 ± 123 vs. TC: 43.1 ± 105.3 U∙L− 1; p = 0.006). There was a significant (p = 0.003) increase in CKMB concentration in PL when compared to the TC (PL: 21.6 ± 12.4 vs. TC: − 0.3 ± 11.8 ng∙ml− 1; p = 0.006) at 1 h post. There was a significant increase in handgrip strength in TC when compared to PL (PL: − 2 ± 5.1 vs. TC: 1.7 ± 3 kg; p = 0.017) at 24 h post. Conclusions This study demonstrated that tart cherry extract reduced oxidative stress and markers of muscle and cardiac damage following intense resistance exercise. This occurred along with a prevention of the decrease in handgrip strength seen following the intense exercise protocol, indicating a potential reduction in central fatigue. These benefits were seen with minimal energy intake.

BackgroundJoint pain is a common symptom in patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and fibromyalgia. The goal of this study was to determine whether symptoms and comorbidities overlap in patients diagnosed with hEDS/HSD and/or fibromyalgia.MethodsWe retrospectively examined self-reported data from an EDS Clinic intake questionnaire in patients diagnosed with hEDS/HSD, fibromyalgia, or both vs. controls with an emphasis on joint issues.ResultsFrom 733 patients seen at the EDS Clinic, 56.5% (n = 414) were diagnosed with hEDS/HSD and fibromyalgia (Fibro), 23.8% (n = 167) hEDS/HSD, 13.3% (n = 98) fibromyalgia, or 7.4% (n = 54) none of these diagnoses. More patients were diagnosed with HSD (76.6%) than hEDS (23.4%). Patients were primarily White (95%) and female (90%) with a median age in their 30s (controls 36.7 [18.0, 70.0], fibromyalgia 39.7 [18.0, 75.0], hEDS/HSD 35.0 [18.0, 71.0], hEDS/HSD&amp;Fibro 31.0 [18.0, 63.0]). There was high overlap in all 40 symptoms/comorbidities that we examined in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia only or hEDS/HSD&amp;Fibro, regardless of whether they had hEDS or HSD. Patients that only had hEDS/HSD without fibromyalgia had far fewer symptoms/comorbidities than patients with hEDS/HSD&amp;Fibro. The top self-reported issues in patients that only had fibromyalgia were joint pain, hand pain when writing or typing, brain fog, joint pain keeping from daily activities, allergy/atopy and headache. Five issues that significantly and uniquely characterized patients diagnosed with hEDS/HSD&amp;Fibro were subluxations (dislocations in hEDS patients), joint issues like sprains, the need to stop sports due to injuries, poor wound healing, and migraine.ConclusionThe majority of patients seen at the EDS Clinic had a diagnosis of hEDS/HSD plus fibromyalgia that was associated with more severe disease. Our findings indicate that fibromyalgia should be routinely assessed in patients with hEDS/HSD and vis-a-versa to improve patient care.

Background: Tart cherry supplementation has been shown to enhance recovery from strenuous exercise due to its antioxidant properties. The majority of these studies used tart cherry juice, with a significant calorie content. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether powdered tart cherry extract with minimal calorie content reduces oxidative stress and enhances recovery following intense resistance exercise. Methods: Thirteen men (mean age: 26.2±5.3 years; height: 184.3±8.2 cm; weight: 92.9±15.6 kg) performed a demanding resistance exercise protocol consisting of 6 sets of 10 repetitions of barbell back squat with 80% 1RM. The protocol was performed once following 7 days of 500 mg of tart cherry extract and once following placebo. Serum protein carbonyl (PC) content, creatine kinase activity (CK) and creatine kinase myocardial band content (CK-MB) were used to assess oxidative stress, skeletal and cardiac muscle damage respectively. Muscle soreness was assessed by visual analog scale. Physical performance was measured by countermovement jump power and handgrip dynamometer strength. Results: There was a significant increase in PC in the placebo (PL) condition when compared to the Tart Cherry (TC) condition at IP (PL: 0.4±0.3 vs. TC: -0.4±0.2 nmol∙mg-1; p<0.001), 1 hr (PL: 0.3±0.3 vs. TC: -0.7±0.3 nmol∙mg-1; p<0.001) and 24 hr (PL: 0.1±0.4 vs. TC: -0.3±0.5 nmol∙mg-1; p=0.010). There was a significant increase in CK activity in PL when compared to the TC at IP (PL: 491.1±280 vs. TC: 296.3±178 U∙L-1; p=0.008) and 3 hr (PL: -87±123 vs. TC: 43.1±105.3 U∙L-1; p=0.006). There was a significant (p=0.003) increase in CKMB concentration in PL when compared to the TC (PL: 21.6±12.4 vs. TC: -0.3±11.8 ng∙ml-1; p=0.006) at 1 hr post. There was a significant increase in handgrip strength in TC when compared to PL (PL: -2±5.1 vs. TC: 1.7±3 kg; p=0.017) at 24 hours post.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that tart cherry extract reduced oxidative stress and markers of muscle and cardiac damage following intense resistance exercise. This occurred along with a prevention of the decrease in strength seen following the intense exercise protocol. These benefits were seen with minimal energy intake.

Objectives Transplant patients are high risk for surgery due to their immunocompromised state. There is a paucity of evidence concerning the differences in incidence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in solid versus non-solid organ transplant. Our aim is to analyze the difference in incidence of CRS requiring endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) between non-solid and solid transplant populations and determine if certain risk factors are associated with increased incidence of recalcitrant CRS in non-solid versus solid transplants. Study Design Retrospective cohort. Setting Multisite tertiary academic center. Methods This is a retrospective chart review of 1303 transplant recipients who were seen in our rhinologic clinic for CRS between 2017 and 2022. A total of 224 patients underwent ESS and were further analyzed for risk factors associated with recalcitrant disease requiring sinus surgery. Subgroup analysis based on solid and non-solid organ transplant was performed. Results Of the 224 patients in the study, 171/224 (76.3%) had solid transplants while 53/224 (23.6%) had non-solid transplants. 17.19% of all transplant recipients required ESS. The incidence of ESS in non-solid transplants was 28.2% versus 57% in solid transplant. The risk of recalcitrant CRS in solid transplant recipients was almost 1.78 times greater than those with non-solid organ transplant (95% CI, 1.27-2.54, p  =  0.0005). Individual factors such as certain immunotherapy drugs, pancytopenia, and rejection appear to correlate with the risk of ESS in both non-solid and solid organ transplant. Conclusion Risk of ESS was greater in the solid transplant recipients compared to those who received non-solid organ transplant.