The Middle Triassic (Anisian) Otter Sandstone biota (Devon, UK):review, recent discoveries and ways ahead

<p>Crude and adjusted mean GPA for concussed and non-concussed (matched) students.</p

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE FOLLOWING ADOLESCENT SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSION OR FRACTURE: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background: Sport-related concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury that often presents with a combination of symptoms that reflect disturbances in physical, cognitive, sleep, and emotional functioning. The longitudinal effects of adolescent sports-related concussion (SRC) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) remain poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to 1) compare HRQOL outcomes among adolescents with an acute SRC or sports-related extremity fracture (SRF) who were followed until physician-documented clinical recovery and 2) to identify the clinical variables associated with worse HRQOL among adolescent SRC patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of adolescents with acute isolated SRC or SRF who underwent clinical assessment within 30 days post injury and follow-up at tertiary sub-specialty clinics. Longitudinal patient-reported HRQOL was measured at initial assessment and at each follow-up appointment using the adolescent version (age 13-18) Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory generic core scale and Cognitive Functioning scale. Demographic characteristics were collected from the medical charts. Results: Participants in this study included 135 patients with SRC (60.0% male; mean age 14.7 years; time from injury to initial assessment 6 days) and 96 with SRF (59.4% male, mean age 14.1 years; time from injury to initial assessment 8 days). At initial assessment, SRC patients reported significantly worse cognitive, school and overall HRQOL compared to SRF patients with no differences in physical, emotional and social HRQOL. Clinical variables associated with worse HRQOL among SRC patients differed by domain but were significantly impacted by initial symptom burden and the development of delayed physician-documented clinical recovery (&gt; 28 days post-injury). Overall, 132 (97.8%) SRC patients and all SRF patients achieved physician-documented clinical recovery during the study period. The median days until physician-documented clinical recovery for the SRC patients was 26 days (IQR: 17, 49) and this was not significantly different than SRF patients (31 days, IQR: 23, 42; p=0.12). At the time of physician-documented clinical recovery, patients with SRC did not have persistent impairments in HRQOL. Conclusions: Adolescent SRC is associated with temporary impairments in HRQOL that resolve in patients followed until physician-documented clinical recovery. Compared to SRF, adolescent SRC patients experience significantly greater impairments in cognitive, school, and overall HRQOL. The degree of impairment experienced by adolescent SRC patients across HRQOL domains is impacted by initial symptom burden and length of clinical recovery. Future studies are needed to identify the clinico-pathological features associated with impaired HRQOL and assess whether the initiation of multi-disciplinary targeted rehabilitation strategies lead to an improvement in HRQOL in acute SRC patients. </jats:sec

Understanding youths’ attitudes and practices regarding listening to music, video recording and terrain park use while skiing and snowboarding

Abstract Background Skiing and snowboarding are popular activities among Canadian youth and these sports have evolved to include certain risk behaviours such as listening to music, using terrain parks, and video recording yourself or others. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of these risk behaviours and identify factors that are associated with the risk behaviours. Methods Using focus group methodology, a questionnaire was developed to capture aspects of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A cross-sectional study was conducted where the questionnaire was administered to youth aged 13–18 during two winter seasons at two ski hills in Manitoba, Canada. Results The sample was comprised of 735 youth (mean age 14.9; 82.1% male, 83.6% snowboarding). The most common behavior was using the TP (83.1%), followed by listening to music that day (36.9%), and video recording that day (34.5%). Youth had significantly higher odds of listening to music that day if they planned to next time (OR 19.13; 95% CI: 10.62, 34.44), were skiing or snowboarding alone (OR 2.33; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.95), or thought listening to music makes skiing or snowboarding more exciting or fun or makes them feel more confident (OR 2.30; 95% CI: 1.31, 4.05). They were less likely to if they believed that music made it more difficult to hear or talk to others (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.65). Youth had significantly higher odds of using the terrain park if they believed that terrain parks were cool, challenging, or fun (OR: 5.84; 95% CI: 2.85, 11.96) or if their siblings used terrain parks (OR: 4.94; OR: 2.84, 9.85). Those who believed that terrain parks were too busy or crowded (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.62) were less likely to use them. Youth had significantly higher odds of video recording that day if they reported that they plan to video record next time (OR: 8.09, 95% CI: 4.67, 14.01) or if they were skiing or snowboarding with friends (OR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.45, 9.18). Youth had significantly higher odds of video recording that day if they agreed that recording makes them try harder and improved their tricks (OR: 3.34, 95% CI: 1.38, 8.08) compared to those who neither agreed nor disagreed. Youth were less likely to record themselves that day if their friends did not do so (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.80). Conclusion Common predictors of engaging in risk behaviours suggest that injury prevention programs may not have to be specific to each behaviour. Some strategies for injury prevention are suggested. </jats:sec

Academic outcomes and accommodations following adolescent sport-related concussion: a pilot study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine academic achievement, absenteeism and school accommodations following adolescent sport-related concussion (SRC). Methods: A case-series was conducted among grade 8–12 students who suffered an SRC. The primary outcomes were change in pre- and post-concussion overall, core report card grade point average (GPA) and absenteeism due to concussion. The most helpful school accommodations were tabulated. Results: Pre- and post-concussion GPA was obtained from 33 students – 16 (48%) developed persistent post-concussion symptoms (symptoms lasting >4 weeks). There was no significant difference in pre- and post-concussion grades among students with a SRC for overall (p = 0.75) or core (p = 0.56) GPA. The median number of missed school days was 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2–8). Allowing for physical and cognitive rest was identified as the most helpful accommodation (30%). Conclusion: Larger studies should investigate the role that school accommodations and development of persistent post-concussion symptoms have on academic outcomes