(Press-News.org) Concussions, the most common traumatic brain injury, can have serious long-term health effects; therefore, diagnosis and management of these injuries are important. A primer published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides physicians with current approaches to diagnosing and managing concussions in patients.
"The importance of accurate and timely recognition and management stems from the consequences of misdiagnosis or faulty management that can lead to major disability or death, in both the short and long term," writes Dr. Charles Tator, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto and Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital.
People in all age groups are susceptible to concussions because they can occur from vehicle accidents, work activities, sports, recreation and, for seniors, falls. Concussions can be caused without direct blows to the head, such as impact to the chest that causes whiplash and a jiggling of the brain. The brains of young people are more susceptible to concussions than those of adults. Recent evidence shows that females may be more prone to concussions than males.
Athletes in particular are at risk and may minimize or hide symptoms of concussions which can have serious effects. Second-impact syndrome, although rare, can happen when a concussed person, especially a younger person, has a second injury before the first has healed. This second injury can lead to brain swelling, resulting in major neurological effects or death.
Physicians play a key role in diagnosing and managing concussions. "The diagnosis can be made only clinically because there is no proven biomarker based on imaging, blood tests or computerized neuropsychological screening tool," writes the author.
The practice in most countries is to remove the concussed person from activity and begin an evaluation by a physician as soon as possible. Complete rest from physical and mental activity is recommended. The primer includes a 6-point protocol to managing concussions that includes a plan to help people resume activity:
No activity: complete rest
Light exercise: walking, swimming, stationary cycling
Sport-specific exercise but no head-impact sports
More vigorous but noncontact training drills
Full-contact practice: normal activities after medical clearance
Return to full game play including contact
"Educating the public about concussion is an important component of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention," concludes Dr. Tator. "Everyone who is engaged in sports should be aware of the importance of recognizing concussion. However…the responsibility for diagnosing concussion rests with the physician, or a trained delegate in remote regions."
INFORMATION:
Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGFq0jDr3Tw&feature=youtu.be for a video "Concussions: 10 things you didn't know" featuring Dr. Tator.
A related one-page article http://www.cmaj.ca/site/press/cmaj.120511.pdf lays out these principles in an easy-to-read format for physicians.
END
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – An animal model of the human norovirus created at the University of Michigan Health System lays the groundwork for understanding the biology of the pesky virus and developing antiviral drug treatment.
Well-known as the virus that impacts cruise ship vacations, norovirus leads to misery on land too. The virus spreads quickly from person to person in any closed-in space, such as schools, nursing homes, or day-care centers.
"The first virus in this group was discovered in 1972 following a disease outbreak at a school in Norwalk, Ohio in 1968. Since then ...
Researchers from Aalto University and Paris Tech have placed water droplets containing magnetic nanoparticles on strong water repellent surfaces and have made them align in various static and dynamic structures using periodically oscillating magnetic fields. This is the first time researchers have demonstrated reversible switching between static and dynamic self-assembly.
'We are conducting this line of research because it opens up a way to create new responsive and intelligent systems and materials,' said Dr. Robin Ras of Aalto University, Finland.
Self-assembly is ...
A new finding provides fresh hope for the millions of women worldwide with oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Australian scientists have shown that a specific change, which occurs when tumours become resistant to anti-oestrogen therapy, might make the cancers susceptible to treatment with chemotherapy drugs.
Seventy percent of breast cancer patients have oestrogen receptor positive cancer, and most patients respond well to anti-oestrogen therapies, for a few years at least. Within 15 years, however, 50% will relapse and eventually die from the disease.
Dr Andrew ...
July 22, 2013, Shenzhen, China - The largest genomic institute of the world, BGI Shenzhen, China (hereinafter BGI), together with Reproductive & Genetic Hospital CITIC-XIANGYA (hereinafter CITIC-XIANGYA) announced today that they have successfully applied Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to detect in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos with genetic abnormalities. The successful application of preimplantation sequencing (the most advanced form of preimplantation genetic screening, PGS) opens a new chapter in the field of human assisted reproduction, providing new hopes for IVF ...
This news release is available in German. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the central, self-governing research funding organisation in Germany, presented a position paper on the future of the German research system at its annual press conference in Berlin on 4 July 2013. Drawn up by the DFG's Executive Committee and Executive Board, the paper was the subject of intense discussion among representatives from all areas of science and the humanities and the federal and state government funding bodies at the DFG's Annual Meeting, which ...
Thiols are sulfur-containing molecules found in most proteins of the human body. Characterized by their 'garlicky' smell, they also give coffee, sweat and the spray of skunks their unique odor. Because they are so widespread in biology, medicine and materials science, thiols are ideal targets for connecting molecules like drugs or polymers together, except that they must first be fitted with a chemical group that acts like an adaptor to other molecules. One of the most potentially useful of these 'adaptors' are the alkynes, which can be extremely powerful in bioconjugation. ...
Do migrants from Eastern European countries become happier once they have settled in Western Europe?
A University of Leicester sociologist has investigated this question -- and the answer might make potential migrants think twice before packing their bags. Most migrants were no happier after migration -- and migrants from Poland were significantly less happy.
In a paper published in 'Migration Studies', Dr. David Bartram analyses data from the European Social Survey of more than 42,000 people to try and determine whether happiness can be gained by moving to another ...
The UK New Labour Government's ideological preoccupations included tackling deprivation, addressing anti-social behaviour and persuading young people to engage in 'positive activities'. In 2007, the report 'Aiming High for Young People' outlined policies intended to contribute to the achievement of associated goals. The Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) provided Civil Sector Organisations (CSOs) with the means to put the policies into practice and also aimed to build organisational capacity. Using data gathered for the evaluation of one organisation's YSDF-financed programme ...
Young female cancer patients are unhappy about the way fertility preservation options are discussed with them by doctors before starting cancer treatment, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Sheffield and The Children's Hospital, Sheffield.
The pioneering study discovered that only 40 per cent of young female cancer patients were happy with the way their doctors discussed the options they had to preserve fertility, before undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy which can have a harmful effect on a patient's fertility.
Researchers conducted ...
Global efforts to adapt staple foods like rice, wheat and potato to climate change have been given a major boost today as new research shows the whereabouts of their wild cousins –which could hold beneficial qualities to help improve crops and make them more productive and resilient.
The analysis assesses 29* of the world's most important food crops and reveals severe threats to just over half of their wild relatives as they are not adequately saved in genebanks and not available to researchers and plant breeders for crop improvement. Climate change is predicted to cause ...
