Assessing the Capability of Helmets to Prevent Concussion: Principles and Applications of the STAR Evaluation System

Author(s):  
Steven Rowson ◽  
Stefan M. Duma

Research has estimated that between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions are sustained in the United States each year [1]. In light of new research suggesting that potential long-term neurodegenerative effects can result from repetitive brain injuries, concussions have been placed under the national spotlight as a primary health concern. While minimizing the exposure of athletes to head impact is one important component of reducing the incidence of concussion, improvement in head protection is another essential element. This paper focuses on a new mechanism to evaluate the protective capabilities of helmets in relation to concussion.

Author(s):  
Hsin-Yu Chen ◽  
Shio-Shin Jean ◽  
Yu-Lin Lee ◽  
Min-Chi Lu ◽  
Wen-Chien Ko ◽  
...  

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) has become a major public health concern. Moreover, its colonization among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is associated with subsequent infections and mortality. To further explore the various aspects concerning CRE in LTCFs, we conducted a literature review on CRE colonization and/or infections in long-term care facilities. The prevalence and incidence of CRE acquisition among residents of LTCFs, especially in California, central Italy, Spain, Japan, and Taiwan, were determined. There was a significant predominance of CRE in LTCFs, especially in high-acuity LTCFs with mechanical ventilation, and thus may serve as outbreak centers. The prevalence rate of CRE in LTCFs was significantly higher than that in acute care settings and the community, which indicated that LTCFs are a vital reservoir for CRE. The detailed species and genomic analyses of CRE among LTCFs reported that Klebsiella pneumoniae is the primary species in the LTCFs in the United States, Spain, and Taiwan. KPC-2-containing K. pneumoniae strains with sequence type 258 is the most common sequence type of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae in the LTCFs in the United States. IMP-11- and IMP-6-producing CRE were commonly reported among LTCFs in Japan. OXA-48 was the predominant carbapenemase among LTCFs in Spain. Multiple risk factors associated with the increased risk for CRE acquisition in LTCFs were found, such as comorbidities, immunosuppressive status, dependent functional status, usage of gastrointestinal devices or indwelling catheters, mechanical ventilation, prior antibiotic exposures, and previous culture reports. A high CRE acquisition rate and prolonged CRE carriage duration after colonization were found among residents in LTCFs. Moreover, the patients from LTCFs who were colonized or infected with CRE had poor clinical outcomes, with a mortality rate of up to 75% in infected patients. Infection prevention and control measures to reduce CRE in LTCFs is important, and could possibly be controlled via active surveillance, contact precautions, cohort staffing, daily chlorhexidine bathing, healthcare-worker education, and hand-hygiene adherence.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Sahler ◽  
Brian D. Greenwald

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a clinical diagnosis of neurological dysfunction following head trauma, typically presenting with acute symptoms of some degree of cognitive impairment. There are an estimated 1.7 to 3.8 million TBIs each year in the United States, approximately 10 percent of which are due to sports and recreational activities. Most brain injuries are self-limited with symptom resolution within one week, however, a growing amount of data is now establishing significant sequelae from even minor impacts such as headaches, prolonged cognitive impairments, or even death. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment according to standardized guidelines are crucial when treating athletes who may be subjected to future head trauma, possibly increasing their likelihood of long-term impairments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia Thao ◽  
Irán Barrera ◽  
Uyen (Sophie) Nguyen

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a major public health concern in the United States as childhood trauma can lead to long-term health and mental health consequences. They disproportionally affect low-income children of diverse backgrounds; however, parent education can potentially reduce ACEs among low-income young children. This study aims to examine whether parents’ perceptions toward ACEs changed after exposure to ACEsrelated infographic education. In this study, we identified three main themes across the focus group interviews that highlight the importance of ACEs-related educational intervention. Following the ACEs-related education, our study found that the vast majority of participants’ attitudes toward and perceptions of ACEs changed from normalizing ACEs to acknowledging and accepting the consequences of ACEs; the participants also reported feeling empowered to prevent the cycle of ACEs. More importantly, the participants recognized that ACEs could cause long-term traumatic damage to the exposed child’s health outcomes, and they felt empowered to seek resources for ACEs-related interventions. These findings shed positive light on the significance of educating parents on ACEs, which should be considered for policy implications and program interventions to prevent child maltreatment in the United States. We propose an intervention model using the health literacy and educational empowerment frameworks along with other policy recommendations that highlight the importance of culturally and linguistically appropriate services for diverse families living in low-income housing communities.


Author(s):  
Melissa A. Pierce

In countries other than the United States, the study and practice of speech-language pathology is little known or nonexistent. Recognition of professionals in the field is minimal. Speech-language pathologists in countries where speech-language pathology is a widely recognized and respected profession often seek to share their expertise in places where little support is available for individuals with communication disorders. The Peace Corps offers a unique, long-term volunteer opportunity to people with a variety of backgrounds, including speech-language pathologists. Though Peace Corps programs do not specifically focus on speech-language pathology, many are easily adapted to the profession because they support populations of people with disabilities. This article describes how the needs of local children with communication disorders are readily addressed by a Special Education Peace Corps volunteer.


Author(s):  
Federico Varese

Organized crime is spreading like a global virus as mobs take advantage of open borders to establish local franchises at will. That at least is the fear, inspired by stories of Russian mobsters in New York, Chinese triads in London, and Italian mafias throughout the West. As this book explains, the truth is more complicated. The author has spent years researching mafia groups in Italy, Russia, the United States, and China, and argues that mafiosi often find themselves abroad against their will, rather than through a strategic plan to colonize new territories. Once there, they do not always succeed in establishing themselves. The book spells out the conditions that lead to their long-term success, namely sudden market expansion that is neither exploited by local rivals nor blocked by authorities. Ultimately the inability of the state to govern economic transformations gives mafias their opportunity. In a series of matched comparisons, the book charts the attempts of the Calabrese 'Ndrangheta to move to the north of Italy, and shows how the Sicilian mafia expanded to early twentieth-century New York, but failed around the same time to find a niche in Argentina. The book explains why the Russian mafia failed to penetrate Rome but succeeded in Hungary. A pioneering chapter on China examines the challenges that triads from Taiwan and Hong Kong find in branching out to the mainland. This book is both a compelling read and a sober assessment of the risks posed by globalization and immigration for the spread of mafias.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Matthews ◽  
Madhu Pandey

Propeller planes and small engine aircraft around the United States, legally utilize leaded aviation gasoline. The purpose of this experiment was to collect suspended particulate matter from a university campus, directly below an airport’s arriving flight path’s descent line, and to analyze lead content suspended in the air. Two collection sets of three separate samples were collected on six separate days, one set in July of 2018 and the second set in January 2019.


1994 ◽  
Vol 33 (4I) ◽  
pp. 327-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Lipsey

I am honoured to be invited to give this lecture before so distinguished an audience of development economists. For the last 21/2 years I have been director of a project financed by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and composed of a group of scholars from Canada, the United States, and Israel.I Our brief is to study the determinants of long term economic growth. Although our primary focus is on advanced industrial countries such as my own, some of us have come to the conclusion that there is more common ground between developed and developing countries than we might have first thought. I am, however, no expert on development economics so I must let you decide how much of what I say is applicable to economies such as your own. Today, I will discuss some of the grand themes that have arisen in my studies with our group. In the short time available, I can only allude to how these themes are rooted in our more detailed studies. In doing this, I must hasten to add that I speak for myself alone; our group has no corporate view other than the sum of our individual, and very individualistic, views.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos ◽  
Marco Thimm-Kaiser ◽  
Adam Benzekri ◽  
Donna Futterman

Despite significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the United States, HIV prevention and treatment disparities among key populations remain a national public health concern. While new HIV diagnoses are increasing among people under age 30—in particular among racial, ethnic, and sexual minority adolescents and young adults (AYA)—dominant prevention and treatment paradigms too often inadequately consider the unique HIV service needs of AYA. To address this gap, we characterize persistent and largely overlooked AYA disparities across the HIV prevention and treatment continuum, identify AYA-specific limitations in extant resources for improving HIV service delivery in the United States, and propose a novel AYA-centered differentiated care framework adapted to the unique ecological and developmental factors shaping engagement, adherence, and retention in HIV services among AYA. Shifting the paradigm for AYA to differentiated HIV care is a promising approach that warrants implementation and evaluation as part of reinforced national efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030.


2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 46-82
Author(s):  
Fathi Malkawi

This paper addresses some of the Muslim community’s concerns regarding its children’s education and reflects upon how education has shaped the position of other communities in American history. It argues that the future of Muslim education will be influenced directly by the present realities and future trends within American education in general, and, more importantly, by the well-calculated and informed short-term and long-term decisions and future plans taken by the Muslim community. The paper identifies some areas in which a wellestablished knowledge base is critical to making decisions, and calls for serious research to be undertaken to furnish this base.


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