An increasing participation in ultra-endurance foot races is cause for greater need to ensure the presence of appropriate medical care at these events. Unique medical challenges result from the extreme physical demands these events place on participants, the often remote settings spanning broad geographical areas, and the potential for extremes in weather conditions and various environmental hazards. Medical issues in these events can adversely affect race performance, and there is the potential for the presentation of life-threatening issues such as exercise-associated hyponatremia, severe altitude illnesses, and major trauma from falls or animal attacks. Organization of a medical support system for ultra-endurance foot races starts with a determination of the level of medical support that is appropriate and feasible for the event. Once that is defined, various legal considerations and organizational issues must be addressed, and medical guidelines and protocols should be developed. While there is no specific or universal standard of medical care for ultra-endurance foot races since a variety of factors determine the level and type of medical services that are appropriate and feasible, the minimum level of services that each event should have in place is a plan for emergency transport of injured or ill participants, pacers, spectators and event personnel to local medical facilities.

A considerable percentage of patients presenting to primary care clinics are affected by their need to gamble. There is significant comorbidity with tobacco use and alcohol abuse. Primary care physicians should consider asking about gambling habits in high-risk patients.

It is well established that physical activity reduces all-cause mortality and can prolong life. Ultra-endurance running (UER) is an extreme sport that is becoming increasingly popular, and comprises running races above marathon distance, exceeding 6 h, and/or running fixed distances on multiple days. Serious acute adverse events are rare, but there is mounting evidence that UER may lead to long-term health problems. The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge regarding the potential long-term health problems derived from UER, specifically potential maladaptation in key organ systems, including cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, renal, immunological, gastrointestinal, neurological, and integumentary systems. Special consideration is given to youth, masters, and female athletes, all of whom may be more susceptible to certain long-term health issues. We present directions for future research into the pathophysiological mechanisms that underpin athlete susceptibility to long-term issues. Although all body systems can be affected by UER, one of the clearest effects of endurance exercise is on the cardiovascular system, including right ventricular dysfunction and potential increased risk of arrhythmias and hypertension. There is also evidence that rare cases of acute renal injury in UER could lead to progressive renal scarring and chronic kidney disease. There are limited data specific to female athletes, who may be at greater risk of certain UER-related health issues due to interactions between energy availability and sex-hormone concentrations. Indeed, failure to consider sex differences in the design of female-specific UER training programs may have a negative impact on athlete longevity. It is hoped that this review will inform risk stratification and stimulate further research about UER and the implications for long-term health.

Objective:(1) Compare rates of abnormal screening electrocardiograms (ECGs) using updated criteria compared with older criteria. (2) Compare rates of abnormal ECGs by ethnicity. (3) Evaluate ability of ECG criteria to detect the predicted number of athletes with previously undetected cardiovascular abnormalities.Design:Prospective and retrospective review of ECGs. During the prospective portion of the study, the 2005 European Society of Cardiology criteria were used from 2008 to July 2011 and the 2011 Stanford criteria were used from August 2011 to 2013. Retrospectively, all ECGs were reevaluated using the 2011 Stanford criteria, 2013 Seattle criteria, and 2014 Sharma Refined criteria.Setting:Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association University.Participants:874 incoming athletes over a 5-year period.Interventions:ECG screening program.Main Outcome Measures:Number of abnormal ECGs and number of athletes with newly discovered cardiac abnormalities.Results:Abnormal ECG rates were the 2005 European criteria 10.7%, 2011 Stanford criteria 6.6%, 2013 Seattle criteria 2.8%, and 2014 Sharma Refined criteria 2.8%. In black athletes, the Stanford criteria resulted in more abnormal ECGs compared with Seattle or Sharma Refined. Three athletes were found to have a previously undetected cardiac abnormality (2 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 1 with preexcitation).Conclusions:More recent ECG screening criteria substantially reduce the abnormal ECG rate and thus the number of athletes requiring additional testing. ECG screening criteria identified the predicted number (1/300) of young athletes with serious underlying cardiovascular disease. These criteria prompt not only additional cardiovascular testing but also a more thorough cardiovascular history.

Organisms of the genus Nocardia cause a variety of illnesses in humans and other mammals. Nocardiae normally enter the body via the respiratory tract, but they may also be directly inoculated into the skin, causing primary cutaneous disease. Nocardia otitidiscaviarum is one of the less commonly isolated species of Nocardia, but it can produce localized or disseminated infection. We report a case of primary cutaneous N. otitidiscaviarum infection and review the clinical and microbiological features of other reported cases. Cutaneous N. otitidiscaviarum infection usually occurs in the setting of trauma, most often in otherwise healthy hosts. The manifestations of N. otitidiscaviarum skin infection range from cellulitis and abscess formation to the development of mycetomas. Cutaneous infection by N. otitidiscaviarum can mimic disease caused by more common pyogenic organisms, often leading to delay in diagnosis and treatment. Appropriate antibiotic therapy, usually with a sulfa drug-containing regimen, is generally successful.