Football-related concussions and head impacts are associated with changes in retinal structure and signaling

Subconcussive head hits (SHH) are common in contact sport athletes and are predictive of the later development of cognitive and brain changes, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In this pilot study we determined whether a history of concussion, and SHH acquired during a single season of college football, were associated with changes on retinal biomarkers of central nervous system (CNS) structure and function. College football players with a history of concussion (FB+C; n=9) or without a concussion history (FB-C; n=11), and non-contact sport collegiate athletes (Track/Swim; n=12) underwent visual and cognitive testing, retinal imaging (optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA)), and electroretinography (ERG) at three time points: pre-season, post-season and 4-month follow-up. The FB+C group demonstrated thicker maculae and exaggerated ERG waveforms (from all retinal neural cell types) compared to the other groups. These changes were generally observed at all timepoints, suggesting long-term changes associated with concussions, rather than effects of recent football activity. However, we also observed significant relationships between the number of head impacts during the season and stronger ERG responses, degree of macula thickening, enlargement of optic disc parameters, and increases in the density of retinal microvasculature relative to controls. These data suggest that retinal biomarkers are sensitive to both long- and short-term CNS changes related to participation in football, even in young athletes

Broncoespasmo induzido pelo exercício em adolescentes asmáticos obesos e não-obesos Exercise-induced bronchospasm in obese and non-obese asthmatic adolescents

OBJETIVO: Avaliar e comparar a frequência e intensidade do broncoespasmo induzido pelo exercício (BIE) em adolescentes asmáticos obesos e não-obesos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal e descritivo realizado com 39 adolescentes de ambos os sexos, com idade entre dez e 16 anos, divididos em dois grupos conforme o histórico clínico de asma e/ou rinite alérgica e o índice de massa corporal: asmáticos obesos (n=18); asmáticos não-obesos (n=21). Utilizou-se o teste de broncoprovocação com exercício para a avaliação do BIE, considerando-se positiva uma diminuição do volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo (VEF1) >15% do valor pré-exercício. Para avaliar a intensidade e a recuperação do BIE, foram calculadas a queda percentual máxima do VEF1 (QM%VEF1) e a área acima da curva (AAC0-30). A análise estatística utilizou o teste exato de Fischer para comparar a frequência de BIE e o teste de Mann-Whitney para a intensidade e recuperação. Rejeitou-se a hipótese de nulidade se p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença significativa na frequência de BIE entre os grupos de asmáticos obesos (50%) e não-obesos (38%). Entretanto, a queda máxima do VEF1 e a AAC0-30 foram maiores nos asmáticos obesos em comparação aos não-obesos (respectivamente 37,7% e 455 versus 24,5% e 214, p<0,03). CONCLUSÕES: A obesidade não contribuiu para o aumento da frequência do BIE em asmáticos e não-asmáticos, entretanto, a obesidade contribuiu para o aumento da intensidade e do tempo de recuperação da crise de BIE em asmáticos<br>OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the frequency and severity of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in obese and non-obese asthmatic adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional and descriptive study with 39 subjects aged ten to 16 years of both genders divided into two groups according to clinical history of asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and body mass index, as follows: asthmatic obese (n=18) and asthmatic non-obese (n=21). An exercise bronchoprovocation test was applied to diagnose EIB and was considered positive if the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) decreased >15% in relation to pre-exercise FEV1. Maximum percent of fall in FEV1 (MF%FEV1) and the area above the curve (AAC0-30) were calculated to evaluate the intensity and recovery of EIB. Fisher exact test was used to compare the frequency of EIB and Mann-Whitney test to compare the severity and recovery of EIB. Null hypothesis was rejected when p<0.05. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in the frequency of EIB between the asthmatic obese (50%) and non-obese (38%) adolescents. However, the MF%FEV1 and AAC0-30 were significantly higher in the asthmatic obese as compared to the asthmatic non-obese patients (respectively, 37.7% and 455 versus 24.5% e 214, p<0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity did not contribute to the increase of the frequency of EIB in asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients. However, obesity contributed to the increase of severity and recovery time of EIB in asthmatic