Publications by authors named "Douglas Casa"

Background: Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is a leading cause of secondary school sport-related death; however, a longitudinal analysis on observed trends is lacking. Our purpose was to describe EHS deaths in United States secondary school athletes since the 1982/1983 academic year.

Hypothesis: EHS deaths will be primarily represented by football athletes and have a stable or increasing trend across a decade-by-decade analysis.

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The purposes of this study were 1) to investigate if cytokines were increased following a running road-race, and 2) to examine associations between cytokines and hyperthermia. Seventy-seven recreational runners participated in this study which occurred at the 7-mile race in the heat (ambient temperature, 25.0-26.

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Background: Exertional heat illnesses (EHIs), specifically exertional heat stroke (EHS), are a top cause of nonaccidental death among U.S. laborers.

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Objective: The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of the weight, urine, and thirst (WUT) framework in predicting dehydration after a body water manipulation protocol, while concurrently determining the individual and interactive contributions of the model components.

Methods: The total study sample was 93 participants (female, n = 47), recruited from two institutions. Phase 1 involved collecting daily hydration measures from free-living participants (study 1, 58 participants for 3 d; study 2, 35 participants for 7 d).

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Ultramarathon open water swimming (OWS) events are one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world. The sport has gained notoriety with athletes swimming across the English Channel, Diana Nyad swimming from Cuba to Florida, and the 5- and 10-km OWS in the Olympic schedule. The athletes who participate are exposed to dangerous conditions that expose risks inherent to the sport.

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Context: California is the only state that does not regulate the athletic training profession, allowing unqualified personnel to be hired and call themselves athletic trainers (ATs). The benefits of employing a certified AT in the secondary school setting are numerous, but efforts to push regulation legislation continue to fail in California.

Objective: To describe the availability of certified ATs in California secondary schools and explore factors influencing AT employment.

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Background: Maximal oxygen uptake (VO) is an important determinant of endurance performance. Heat acclimation/acclimatization (HA/HAz) elicits improvements in endurance performance. Upon heat exposure reduction, intermittent heat training (IHT) may alleviate HA/HAz adaptation decay; however, corresponding VO responses are unknown.

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Context: Little information exists regarding what exertional heatstroke (EHS) survivors know and believe about EHS best practices. Understanding this would help clinicians focus educational efforts to ensure survival and safe return-to-play following EHS.

Objective: We sought to better understand what EHS survivors knew about EHS seriousness (eg, lethality and short- and long-term effects), diagnosis and treatment procedures, and recovery.

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Background: Outdoor races introduce environmental stressors to runners, and core temperature changes may influence runners' movement patterns. This study assessed changes and determined relationships between sensor-derived running biomechanics and core temperature among runners across an 11.27-km road race.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at ways to help people work better in hot conditions without getting too hot themselves.
  • Thirteen fit young men participated in different tests simulating outdoor work in a heat of 40°C with variations in heat protection strategies.
  • The best method for staying cool and performing well was using cooling vests and towels while resting and working in the shade, which helped reduce body temperature and improve productivity.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A systematic review of 24 articles highlighted variability in the composition and roles within concussion management teams (CMTs) at schools, revealing confusion and communication gaps among team members.
  • * The review suggests a need for more standardized roles, particularly for school nurses, to improve the effectiveness of CMTs and facilitate the RTL process for students post-concussion.
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Given rising temperatures, globally, heat exposures and catastrophic heat illnesses are a major concern in laborer and industrial sectors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of females laboring in the heat regarding challenges and barriers encountered in their respective industries while working in the heat. A consensual qualitative research (CQR) design was employed to gain information related to participant occupational and job characteristics, feelings while working in the heat, adjustments made by employers when they work in the heat, and their experience working in the heat specific to their identified sex.

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Context: Geographic disparities exist in trauma care (ie, "trauma center desert") within the United States. An athletic trainer (AT) on site at secondary schools (SSs) may help enhance collaboration with emergency medical systems and potentially lead to better outcomes after catastrophic injuries. However, access to AT services relative to the location of level I or II (ie, tertiary) trauma centers remains unknown.

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Context: A high number of exertional heat stroke (EHS) cases occur during the Falmouth Road Race.

Objectives: To extend previous analyses of EHS cases during the Falmouth Road Race by assessing or describing (1) EHS and heat exhaustion (HE) incidence rates, (2) EHS outcomes as they relate to survival, (3) the effect of the environment on these outcomes, and (4) how this influences medical provider planning and preparedness.

Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study.

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Carbon fiber insoles (CFIs) may benefit performance in elite athletes, however, their use in moderately active individuals has been adopted without evidence supporting such enhancements in this population. Fifteen male subjects performed vertical jump (VJ) and repeat treadmill sprint tests before and after a VO while wearing 1) CFIs and 2) control insoles (CON). Subjects completed a subjective survey regarding their perceived performance abilities for both conditions.

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Introduction: The recommended treatment for exertional heat stroke is immediate, whole-body immersion in < 10 °C water until rectal temperature (T) reaches ≤ 38.6 °C. However, real-time T assessment is not always feasible or available in field settings or emergency situations.

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Return to learn (RTL) is the individualized process of coordinating cognitive care and reintegration for students into the academic setting after any sport and recreational-related concussion (SRRC). The guidelines for RTL are based on empirical evidence, however, implementation differs by institution. The purpose of the policy analysis is to evaluate RTL guidelines after SRRC of student-athletes in New England secondary school public school systems.

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Background: Athletes training in heat experience physiological and perceptual symptoms that risk their safety and performance without adaptation.

Purpose: We examined the changes in environmental symptoms, assessed with the Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire (ESQ), during heat acclimatization (HAz), heat acclimation (HA), and intermittent heat training (HT).

Methods: Twenty-seven participants (mean ± standard deviation [M ± SD], age of 35 ± 12 y, VO of 57.

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Laborers are particularly vulnerable to exertional injuries and illnesses, as they often engage in heavy physical work for prolonged hours, yet no studies have examined the top causes of catastrophic exertional injuries and fatalities among this population. The purpose of the investigation was to characterize the top causes of exertional injury and fatality within open access, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reportable data. A secondary analysis of OSHA reported injury and fatality data was performed through open access records from OSHA Severe Injury Reports (2015-2022) and OSHA fatality inspection data (2017-2020), respectively.

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Purpose: To quantify the current literature and limitations associated with research examining thermoregulatory and cardiovascular strain in laborers working in the heat.

Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, and SPORTDiscus were searched for terms related to the cardiovascular system, heat stress, and physical work. Qualifying studies included adult participants (18-65 years old), a labor-intensive environment or exercise protocol simulating a labor environment, a minimum duration of 120 min of physical work, and environmental heat stress (ambient temperature ≥26.

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Introduction: An uncontrollably rising core body temperature (T C ) is an indicator of an impending exertional heat illness. However, measuring T C invasively in field settings is challenging. By contrast, wearable sensors combined with machine-learning algorithms can continuously monitor T C nonintrusively.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between digital urine color and paper urine color with other urine indices to assess hydration status.

Methods: Twelve male subjects (mean ± standard deviation; age, 26 ± 8 years; body mass, 57.8 ± 5.

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