Post-concussive syndrome in a female basketball player: a case study

The objective of this case study was to identify the signs and symptoms of concussion and post-concussive syndrome in a collegiate, female basketball player, as well as her progress to becoming symptom free. The patient, a previously healthy, 21-year-old with no previous head injuries, experienced a concussion and continued to participate in her sport. Even though the athlete knew the risks of playing while symptomatic, she did not report her symptoms, and continued playing until the season ended. This case highlights that even when patients know the risks, they may be willing to overlook them to continue playing and it emphasizes the importance of further education. In addition, it shows that even when following recommended guidelines, and with normal neurocognitive testing, symptoms may come back upon return to play

LIFE Lessons Newsletters

LIFE Lessons is a set of eight newsletters (4 Fitness and Nutrition; 4 Social Wellness) that are part of the Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) physical activity program for older adults. They are intended for use with the LIFE Program only.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/fshn_hs_extensionpubs/1001/thumbnail.jp

Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry of South Florida Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Southeast Florida’s continual urban expansion will potentially increase anthropogenic pollution in adjacent coastal marine systems. Furthermore, increased nutrient loads could have detrimental effects on the already threatened Florida Reef Tract. The present study uses a stable isotopic approach to determine the sources and the impact of nutrients on the Florida Reef Tract. δ13C and δ15N analysis of macroalgae, sponges, and sediment were analyzed in order to determine nutrient inputs in this region. While δ13C data did not display any significant trends spatially, δ15N values of the majority of biota exhibited a strong East to West gradient with more enriched values close to shore. Relative enrichment in δ15N values were measured for sediments sampled along the Florida Reef Tract in comparison to a pristine Marquesas Keys sediment core. The δ15N data also implies that shoreline anthropogenic nutrients have more nutrient loading implications on reefs than major point sources

Combined aerobic and resistance training improves bone health of female cancer survivors

Cancer pathogenesis and resulting treatment may lead to bone loss and poor skeletal health in survivorship. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of 26 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance-training (CART) exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) in a multi-racial sample of female cancer survivors. Methods Twenty-six female cancer survivors volunteered to undergo CART for 1 h/day, 3 days/week, for 26 weeks. The Improving Physical Activity After Cancer Treatment (IMPAACT) Program involves supervised group exercise sessions including 20 min of cardiorespiratory training, 25 min of circuit-style resistance-training, and 15 min of abdominal exercises and stretching. BMD at the spine, hip, and whole body was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) before and after the intervention. Serum markers of bone metabolism (procollagen-type I N-terminal propeptide, P1NP, and C-terminal telopeptides, CTX) were measured at baseline, 13 weeks, and at study completion. Results Eighteen participants, with the average age of 63.0 ± 10.3 years, completed the program. Mean duration since completion of cancer treatment was 6.2 ± 10.6 years. Paired t-tests revealed significant improvements in BMD of the spine (0.971 ± 0.218 g/cm2 vs. 0.995 ± 0.218 g/cm2, p = 0.012), hip (0.860 ± 0.184 g/cm2 vs. 0.875 ± 0.191 g/cm2, p = 0.048), and whole body (1.002 ± 0.153 g/cm2 vs. 1.022 ± 0.159 g/cm2, p = 0.002). P1NP declined 22% at 13 weeks and 28% at 26 weeks in comparison to baseline (p \u3c 0.01) while CTX showed a non-significant decrease of 8% and 18% respectively. Conclusions We report significant improvements in BMD at the spine, hip, and whole body for female cancer survivors who completed 26 weeks of CART. This investigation demonstrates the possible effectiveness of CART at improving bone health and reducing risk of osteoporosis for women who have completed cancer treatment. The IMPAACT Program appears to be a safe and feasible way for women to improve health after cancer treatment

Norms for an Isometric Muscle Endurance Test

Musculoskeletal performance assessment is critical in the analysis of physical training programs in order to prioritize goals for decreasing injury risk and focusing performance goals. Abdominal endurance as part of this analysis is often assessed with techniques that have validity that has been debated in literature. The purpose of this study was to develop normative sex- and athlete-specific percentiles for a trunk stabilization and muscular endurance by using a prone forearm plank test in college-aged students. A second purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of habitual physical activity and the reason for test termination. There were 471 participants (means SE; males: n = 194, age 20.4 0.2 years, body height 179.4 0.5 cm, body mass 81.1 1.2 kg; females: n = 277, age 20.2 0.2 years, body height 165.7 0.4 cm, body mass 63.9 0.7 kg) who performed this test to volitional or technique failure. Males produced significantly higher test durations than females (means SD; 124 72 seconds vs. 83 63 seconds) and athletes produced significantly longer test durations than non-athletes (123 69 s vs. 83 63 s) but no interaction effects were seen in the variables of sex and athletic status. The activity level was found to have a threshold of influence (\u3e3 times/week) on abdominal endurance that is dose-specific where greater than 5 times/week showed the greatest influence. The fatigue of the abdominals was the termination reason producing the lowest test duration and there was no sex effect on reason for test termination. These normative percentiles for abdominal endurance suggest that the abdominal plank test can now be used as an alternative to other abdominal assessments in college students, but further investigation is warranted prior to confirmation and generalization to other populations

Parent support advisor pilot : first interim report from the evaluation

The Parent Support Adviser (PSA) pilot is a government funded initiative to support 20 Local Authorities (LAs) to introduce PSAs into their workforce. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) commissioned the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) to evaluate the PSA pilot programme from September 2006 – August 2008. A government grant (£40 million) has been made available to fund employment of PSAs over this period. To date, 717 PSAs are in place, supporting parents in 1167 schools. This first Interim Report is based on semi-structured interviews with 97 PSAs, 85 line managers and 23 other professionals in 12 case study LAs during Phase 1 of the evaluation, which was carried out between April and June 2007. Phase 2 of the study will take place during the period October to December 2007; phase 3 will take place during March to June 2008. In addition to these interview-based studies with the 12 case study LAs, an analysis will be made of the data collected by all 20 LAs over the period of the pilot using a standard database devised by CEDAR. Data are being collected on the PSAs’ work with parents and, where this occurs, with children. Finally, a cost effectiveness study will be undertaken. The findings from these phases of the project will be reported in the final report

Validation of the adolescent binge eating disorder measure (ADO-BED) among transgender youth and young adults

BACKGROUND: Transgender youth and young adults are at increased risk for eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, yet few measures have been validated for screening purposes with the transgender population. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to provide initial evidence for the internal consistency and convergent validity of the Adolescent Binge Eating Disorder questionnaire (ADO-BED) in a sample of transgender youth and young adults. 208 participants completed the ADO-BED as part of a routine nutrition screening protocol at a gender center. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish the factor structure of the ADO-BED. Relationships between the ADO-BED, Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food (SCOFF), Nine Item Avoidant/restrictive Intake Disorder (NIAS), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), and demographic characteristics were explored. RESULTS: Analyses revealed a one-factor structure of the ADO-BED with good fit to the data in the present sample. The ADO-BED was shown to be significantly related to all convergent validity variables, except the NIAS. CONCLUSIONS: The ADO-BED is a valid measure to screen for BED among transgender youth and young adults. Healthcare professionals can screen all transgender patients for BED, regardless of body size, in order to effectively identify and manage binge eating concerns

Extensive spontaneous plasticity of corticospinal projections after primate spinal cord injury.

Although axonal regeneration after CNS injury is limited, partial injury is frequently accompanied by extensive functional recovery. To investigate mechanisms underlying spontaneous recovery after incomplete spinal cord injury, we administered C7 spinal cord hemisections to adult rhesus monkeys and analyzed behavioral, electrophysiological and anatomical adaptations. We found marked spontaneous plasticity of corticospinal projections, with reconstitution of fully 60% of pre-lesion axon density arising from sprouting of spinal cord midline-crossing axons. This extensive anatomical recovery was associated with improvement in coordinated muscle recruitment, hand function and locomotion. These findings identify what may be the most extensive natural recovery of mammalian axonal projections after nervous system injury observed to date, highlighting an important role for primate models in translational disease research

Cancer-related neuropathic pain in out-patient oncology clinics: a European survey

BACKGROUND: Although pain is frequently experienced by patients with cancer, it remains under-treated. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cancer-related neuropathic pain (CRNP) in patients with chronic pain who attended an outpatient clinic for standard care in Europe (irrespective of the reason or stage of the cancer). The secondary aims of this study were to characterise pain and cancer in patients with CRNP (including treatment) and to evaluate the usefulness of the painDETECT (PD-Q) screening tool to help physicians identify a potential neuropathic component of cancer-related pain. METHODS: An observational, non-interventional, cross-sectional, multi-centre study of adult patients with cancer using patient and physician case report forms (CRFs). Patients with CRNP were identified by physicians’ clinical assessments after examining the completed PD-Q. RESULTS: A total of 951 patients visiting outpatient clinics across Europe were enrolled in this study between August 2010 and July 2011. Of these, 310 patients (32.60%; 95% confidence interval 29.62, 35.58) were identified as having CRNP. Twenty-nine of 39 (74.4%) physicians who completed the CRF relating to the PD-Q considered it a useful tool to help detect CRNP in daily practice and 28 of 39 (71.8%) indicated that they would use this tool in the future for most or some of their patients. Data from physicians before and after review of the completed PD-Qs showed a shift in clinical opinion (either to positive CRNP diagnosis [yes] or negative CRNP diagnosis [no]) in respect of 142 patients; about half of which (74) were categorised with an initial diagnosis of unknown. Opinions also shifted from a no to a yes diagnosis in 10 patients and from a yes to a no diagnosis in 51 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of adults with cancer experiencing chronic pain attending outpatient clinics as part of routine care were considered to have CRNP in the opinion of the physicians after considering scores on the PD-Q. While physicians did not consider the PD-Q to be a useful tool for all patients, shifts in diagnosis before and after the use of this tool indicate that it may help physicians identify CRNP, especially where there is initial uncertainty