Small Scattered Fragments Do Not a Dwarf Make: Biological and Archaeological Data Indicate that Prehistoric Inhabitants of Palau Were Normal Sized

Current archaeological evidence from Palau in western Micronesia indicates that the archipelago was settled around 3000–3300 BP by normal sized populations; contrary to recent claims, they did not succumb to insular dwarfism

Forest Plant and Bird Communities in the Lau Group, Fiji

We examined species composition of forest and bird communities in relation to environmental and human disturbance gradients on Lakeba (55.9 km²), Nayau (18.4 km²), and Aiwa Levu (1.2 km²), islands in the Lau Group of Fiji, West Polynesia. The unique avifauna of West Polynesia (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa) has been subjected to prehistoric human-caused extinctions but little was previously known about this topic in the Lau Group. We expected that the degree of human disturbance would be a strong determinant of tree species composition and habitat quality for surviving landbirds, while island area would be unrelated to bird diversity.All trees > 5 cm diameter were measured and identified in 23 forest plots of 500 m² each. We recognized four forest species assemblages differentiated by composition and structure: coastal forest, dominated by widely distributed species, and three forest types with differences related more to disturbance history (stages of secondary succession following clearing or selective logging) than to environmental gradients (elevation, slope, rockiness). Our point counts (73 locations in 1 or 2 seasons) recorded 18 of the 24 species of landbirds that exist on the three islands. The relative abundance and species richness of birds were greatest in the forested habitats least disturbed by people. These differences were due mostly to increased numbers of columbid frugivores and passerine insectivores in forests on Lakeba and Aiwa Levu. Considering only forested habitats, the relative abundance and species richness of birds were greater on the small but completely forested (and uninhabited) island of Aiwa Levu than on the much larger island of Lakeba.Forest disturbance history is more important than island area in structuring both tree and landbird communities on remote Pacific islands. Even very small islands may be suitable for conservation reserves if they are protected from human disturbance

The development of an instructional video for the teaching of acupressure for pain management in acute musculoskeletal injuries: A knowledge translation study

Schneiders, AG ORCiD: 0000-0002-1583-3879Objectives To survey potential stakeholders to obtain information relevant to the production of a video on teaching acupressure for sports injury management, and gain feedback from potential users on the prototype video. Design Focus groups and online survey methods nested within a knowledge translation framework. Participants Four focus groups (n = 24) were conducted, two with sports medics and two with sports physiotherapists as a part of the development of a prototype video. Nineteen stakeholders viewed the prototype video and participated in the subsequent online survey. Main outcome measures Focus groups' transcripts were analysed to develop themes using a general inductive approach. Survey data analysis incorporated quantitative and qualitative analysis. Results Three key themes concerning the design of the video emerged from the focus groups: 1) the recommendation for both demonstration and verbal instructions on the acupressure technique; 2) keeping the content of the video to a minimum; and 3) the need for professionalism in the production of the video, and highlighting the presenter's expertise and qualifications. The survey participants found the video to be clear and professional. Conclusions Collectively these studies described the development and assessment of a user-oriented instructional video on teaching of acupressure for the management of sports injuries. © 2017 Elsevier LtdAssociated Grant:Graduate Research Committee, University of Otago, New Zea-land provided the University of Otago Postgraduate PublishingBursary (Doctoral) which supported AKM in the preparation of thismanuscrip

Does acupressure hit the mark? A three-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial of acupressure for pain and anxiety relief in athletes with acute musculoskeletal sports injuries

Schneiders, AG ORCiD: 0000-0002-1583-3879Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives: Injuries are a common consequence of sports and recreational activity. The optimal management of symptoms is a crucial element of sports injury management. Acupressure has previously been shown to effectively decrease symptoms of musculoskeletal injury, thus may be considered a potentially useful intervention in the management of sport-related injuries. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of acupressure in decreasing pain and anxiety in acutely injured athletes. Design: A prospective 3-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial. Setting: A sports injury clinic, Dunedin, New Zealand. Patients: Seventy-nine athletes who sustained a sport-related musculoskeletal injury on the day. Intervention: Three minutes of either acupressure, sham acupressure, or no acupressure. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes of pain and anxiety intensity were measured before and immediately after the intervention on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Pain and anxiety relief, satisfaction with treatment, willingness to repeat a similar treatment, and belief in the effect of acupressure were secondary outcomes measured on Likert scales after the intervention. Results: The acupressure group reported 11 mm less pain (95% CI: 5-17) on average than the sham acupressure group, and 9 mm less (95% CI: 3-16) than the control group as a result of the intervention (P < 0.05). There was no difference between groups in: anxiety levels, or in any of the secondary outcome measures. Conclusions: Three minutes of acupressure was effective in decreasing pain intensity in athletes who sustained an acute musculoskeletal sports injury when measured on the VAS, but did not change anxiety levels

Psychological and lifestyle factors that influence the serial reporting of postconcussion-like symptoms in a non-concussed population

Background: Symptoms related to concussion are generally found to be nonspecific in nature, as they are also reported by non-concussed individuals. What is currently not known is whether the symptoms vary over time, and whether they are also influenced by a multitude of factors. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential influence of psychological, lifestyle, and situational factors on the change in postconcussion-like symptoms reported over 7 consecutive days in a cohort of normal individuals. Design: This was a longitudinal observational study. Setting: The setting was a real-world context. Participants: A convenience sample of 180 non-concussed university students were enrolled. Of these, 110 participants provided data for the entire period of the study. Methods: An experience-sampling methodology was used to document the symptoms reported over time. Stepwise multivariate linear mixed-effects modeling was performed to identify the predictors contributing to the serially reported symptoms. Independent Variables: Independent variables considered were gender, time of the day, location, primary activity, and type of interactant (person) of the participant, physical activity status, trouble sleeping, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, stress, anxiety, depression, mental and physical fatigue, and life stressors. Main Outcome Measures: The key outcome measures were the change in total symptom score (TSS change ) and symptom severity score (SSS change ) reported over 7 consecutive days. Results: The predictors of location at the time of reporting, physical fatigue (estimate: -0.98, P < 001) and mental fatigue (estimate: -0.53, P < 001) contributed to the TSS change . Post hoc analysis of the variable of location at the time of reporting revealed that participants reported increased TSS change when they were at a café/restaurant compared to a flat/college or university. Conclusions: A number of factors within the context of daily life influenced the postconcussion-like symptoms reported over time. These findings indicate that clinicians need to be cautious when interpreting the serially assessed symptom scores to track the recovery profile of a concussed athlete to make decisions on return-to-play. Additional investigation is warranted to examine the change in symptom scores reported over time by concussed individuals, considering that this study was conducted in a nonconcussed cohort. Level of Evidence: To be determined. © 2017 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

The Influence of psychological and lifestyle factors on the reporting of postconcussion-like symptoms

Schneiders, AG ORCiD: 0000-0002-1583-3879Self-reported symptoms are an integral part of the assessment and management of a sports-related concussion. However, postconcussion-like symptoms are reported by non-concussed individuals. Moreover, the current best practice in the reporting of symptoms does not take into account the potential influence of psychological and lifestyle factors. This study aimed to explore the influence of these factors on the reporting of postconcussion-like symptoms. University students (N= 603) completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 postconcussion symptom scale along with other predictor variables via a cross-sectional web-based survey. Linear regression analyses revealed six modifiers contributing to the total symptom score with the strongest being alcohol consumption (Estimate = 2.75, p < .001). Following these findings, clinicians need to exercise caution when interpreting the symptom scores for making decisions on the return-to-play (RTP). A failure to do so may lead the health professional to either prematurely RTP or not clear the concussed athlete to resume their sport

Day-to-day variability of post-concussion-like symptoms reported over time by a non-concussed cohort

Schneiders, AG ORCiD: 0000-0002-1583-3879PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To explore the change (trend) in post-concussion-like symptoms reported over time. RESEARCH DESIGN: Longitudinal study. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: University students aged 18-30 years self-reported their symptoms experienced on a daily basis. Each participant was contacted via a text message each day during one of three pre-defined time zones to complete the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) post-concussion symptom scale on 7 consecutive days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: One hundred and ten (26 males and 84 females) students completed the study on all 7 days. Only two meaningful clusters emerged and comprised of a total of 105 participants. The primary cluster included 85 participants who showed a relatively stable pattern in their symptoms reported over time. Meanwhile, a second cluster comprised of 20 participants who demonstrated a decreasing trend in the reported symptom scores. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicated that non-concussed participants exhibited considerable individual variability in the symptom scores reported over time. However, some participants showed a systematic decreasing trend in their symptom scores reported over the 7 days. Caution must be exercised in interpreting the serial symptom scores that are obtained following a concussion, given that this study was conducted in a non-concussed cohort

The development of an instructional video for the teaching of acupressure for pain management in acute musculoskeletal injuries: A knowledge translation study

Objectives To survey potential stakeholders to obtain information relevant to the production of a video on teaching acupressure for sports injury management, and gain feedback from potential users on the prototype video. Design Focus groups and online survey methods nested within a knowledge translation framework. Participants Four focus groups (n = 24) were conducted, two with sports medics and two with sports physiotherapists as a part of the development of a prototype video. Nineteen stakeholders viewed the prototype video and participated in the subsequent online survey. Main outcome measures Focus groups' transcripts were analysed to develop themes using a general inductive approach. Survey data analysis incorporated quantitative and qualitative analysis. Results Three key themes concerning the design of the video emerged from the focus groups: 1) the recommendation for both demonstration and verbal instructions on the acupressure technique; 2) keeping the content of the video to a minimum; and 3) the need for professionalism in the production of the video, and highlighting the presenter's expertise and qualifications. The survey participants found the video to be clear and professional. Conclusions Collectively these studies described the development and assessment of a user-oriented instructional video on teaching of acupressure for the management of sports injuries. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Does acupressure hit the mark? A three-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial of acupressure for pain and anxiety relief in athletes with acute musculoskeletal sports injuries

Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives: Injuries are a common consequence of sports and recreational activity. The optimal management of symptoms is a crucial element of sports injury management. Acupressure has previously been shown to effectively decrease symptoms of musculoskeletal injury, thus may be considered a potentially useful intervention in the management of sport-related injuries. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of acupressure in decreasing pain and anxiety in acutely injured athletes. Design: A prospective 3-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial. Setting: A sports injury clinic, Dunedin, New Zealand. Patients: Seventy-nine athletes who sustained a sport-related musculoskeletal injury on the day. Intervention: Three minutes of either acupressure, sham acupressure, or no acupressure. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcomes of pain and anxiety intensity were measured before and immediately after the intervention on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Pain and anxiety relief, satisfaction with treatment, willingness to repeat a similar treatment, and belief in the effect of acupressure were secondary outcomes measured on Likert scales after the intervention. Results: The acupressure group reported 11 mm less pain (95% CI: 5-17) on average than the sham acupressure group, and 9 mm less (95% CI: 3-16) than the control group as a result of the intervention (P < 0.05). There was no difference between groups in: anxiety levels, or in any of the secondary outcome measures. Conclusions: Three minutes of acupressure was effective in decreasing pain intensity in athletes who sustained an acute musculoskeletal sports injury when measured on the VAS, but did not change anxiety levels

The influence of psychological and lifestyle factors on the reporting of postconcussion-like symptoms

Self-reported symptoms are an integral part of the assessment and management of a sports-related concussion. However, postconcussion-like symptoms are reported by non-concussed individuals. Moreover, the current best practice in the reporting of symptoms does not take into account the potential influence of psychological and lifestyle factors. This study aimed to explore the influence of these factors on the reporting of postconcussion-like symptoms. University students (N= 603) completed the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 postconcussion symptom scale along with other predictor variables via a cross-sectional web-based survey. Linear regression analyses revealed six modifiers contributing to the total symptom score with the strongest being alcohol consumption (Estimate = 2.75, p < .001). Following these findings, clinicians need to exercise caution when interpreting the symptom scores for making decisions on the return-to-play (RTP). A failure to do so may lead the health professional to either prematurely RTP or not clear the concussed athlete to resume their sport