Are Peptides the Secret Sauce?

More than a football player

Philadelphia eagles quarterback Jalens hurts season came to an unexpected end following the discovery of blood clots in his lungs, a potentially life threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism. The news caught the sports world by surprise as many were wondering how the organization could let the condition of their star player go unnoticed. This raised important questions, when does an athlete’s health become more important than the game of football? According to NFL reporters, on October 8th Hurts reported issues with his calf after taking a hit to his calf from the cleat of another player. Following an injury to a blood vessel, the body activates a physiological process called hemostasis, which helps prevent excessive bleeding by forming a clot. According to Mayo Clinic staff the causes of clots are most commonly from the deep veins of your legs, known as deep vein thrombosis, however clots can accumulate as they develop within the vessel even when not needed, increasing risk of a pulmonary embolism from developing. Ahead of their next game in London Hurts remained a full participant in practice and flew with his team to London with said blood clot in his leg, which according to the CDC can increase risks, if a clot forms in a deep vein of the leg it can eventually travel to the lungs which is a concern for his health. This raises to concerns of the principles of biomedical ethics of Non maleficiance, we see from the outside how this principle was ignored as the professional staff who was in charge of Hurt’s care did not do anything to avoid further harm to Jalen while also of providing him non accurate details of his conditions not sharing the risk he would be taking to his life as they reportedly  informed Jalen he was clear to play which could be argued lacked principle ethic of justice and autonomy. This team gave him dangerous advise to not sleep, which for an quarterback he needs to be alert and aware to protect himself. As a whole I think this opens up discussions for the treatment and management of players in all sports, when it is all said and done we are human and these athletes are worth more than a game. This event could have been avoided had someone stepped in and said “This is dangerous”.

Work Cited

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354647

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-players-union-working-together-review-handling-jalen-hurts-blood-clot-diagnosis

The danger of ectopic pregnancies

The female reproductive system works in extraordinary ways, yet it is not perfect. When it comes to pregnancies, there are possibilities for a gestational sac to implant itself in places other than the uterus where a normal pregnancy occurs. Unfortunately, ectopic pregnancies are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the first trimester. Ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1-2% of all pregnancies and although this number may seem small, it is roughly 1 in 50 to 1 in 80 pregnancies.

 

There are many different types of ectopic pregnancies where the most common (95%) is a tubal ectopic pregnancy where the gestational sac implants itself in the fallopian tube. The second most common (2-4%) is an interstitial ectopic pregnancy where the gestational sac implants in the proximal muscular segment of the fallopian tube that lies inside the uterine wall. Ectopic pregnancies are often difficult to diagnose since it clinically mimics symptoms that are due to conditions like appendicitis, urinary calculi and early pregnancy loss. 

There are medical management and surgical managements for ectopic pregnancies. Salpingostomy and salpingectomy are surgical approaches to manage ectopic pregnancies. Sapingostomy consists of removing solely the ectopic pregnancy via an incision in the fallopian tube whereas a salpingectomy includes removal of part or all of the fallopian tube. Unfortunately, current legal proceedings and changes to state legislature may affect ectopic pregnancy treatment despite its possibility for maternal mortality. Learning about this really made me think about treatment and the limitations to care that a woman must endure due to specific policies.

Sources:

Mullany K, Minneci M, Monjazeb R, C. Coiado O. Overview of ectopic pregnancy diagnosis, management, and innovation. Women’s Health. 2023;19. doi:10.1177/17455057231160349