Autonomic nervous system and endocrine system response to upper or lower cervical spine mobilization in males with persistent post-concussion symptoms: a proof-of-concept trial.

Introduction: The peripheral stress response, consisting of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis (HPA-axis), functions to maintain homeostasis in response to stressors. Cervical spine manual therapy has been shown to differentially modulate the stress response in healthy populations. No study has investigated whether cervical spine mobilizations can differentially modulate the stress response in individuals with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS), a population characterized by a dysfunctional stress response.

The role and impact of voice physiotherapy: A qualitative study of service user perspectives.

Background: Physiotherapy has the potential to benefit people with voice and throat problems in conjunction with existing services.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact and role of physiotherapy in voice and throat care, from the perspective of people who have accessed such care. Gaining a better understanding of how physiotherapy contributes to care has the potential to improve services.

Concussion Management in Older People: A Scoping Review.

Objective: To map existing literature about concussion management in older people, identifying and analyzing gaps in our understanding.

Context: Concussion injuries affect older people, yet little guidance is available about how to approach concussion management with older people. Research does not always include older populations, and it is unclear to what extent standard concussion management is appropriate for older people.

Clinical Characteristics of Individuals Presenting to Physiotherapy for Voice and Throat Care: A Retrospective Case Notes Review.

Background: Currently, little is known about the characteristics of individuals presenting for physiotherapy care with voice and throat problems.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals presenting to physiotherapy for voice and throat-related problems, and to use this information to clarify the role of physiotherapy in the management of people with voice and throat problems.

Methods: A retrospective clinical case notes review was conducted of all clients who accessed physiotherapy for voice and throat problems at a private practice based in Christchurch within a 12-month period from 1st October 2020 to 1st October 2021.

Musculoskeletal chest pain prevalence in emergency department presentations: A retrospective case notes review.

Objective: Musculoskeletal (MSK) causes of chest pain are considered common in emergency care, yet management is limited, reported outcomes are poor and prevalence data in New Zealand are lacking. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of MSK chest pain in New Zealand EDs and describe the characteristics of MSK chest pain cases.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted based on de-identified clinical notes extracted from four hospitals within the South Island of New Zealand from 3 months spanning 1 March to 31 May 2021.

What does it mean to be an allied health professional working in rural Aotearoa New Zealand? A qualitative study.

Objective: Building health services and workforce that are both well supported and fit for purpose is a key consideration for improving health outcomes in rural populations. Achieving this requires an understanding of the roles and practice characteristic of each professional group, including allied health professionals. This study explores what it means to be an allied health professional practicing in rural Aotearoa New Zealand.

Autonomic nervous system and endocrine system response to upper and lower cervical spine mobilization in healthy male adults: a randomized crossover trial.

Background: Cervical spine mobilizations may differentially modulate both components of the stress response, consisting of the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis, depending on whether the target location is the upper or lower cervical spine. To date, no study has investigated this.

Methods: A randomized, crossover trial investigated the effects of upper versus lower cervical mobilization on both components of the stress response simultaneously.

The allied health workforce of rural Aotearoa New Zealand: a scoping review.

Introduction The allied health workforce is a crucial, if at times poorly visible, component of modern healthcare systems. The services provided by allied health professionals may be particularly important for underserved populations, including rural and remote communities. Aim To determine what is currently known through research about the allied health workforce in rural Aotearoa New Zealand.

A scoping review of cervical spine evaluation in standardised clinical concussion evaluation tools.

Background: It can be a challenge for clinicians to evaluate trauma that could represent cervical spine injury, concussion, or both. These conditions share common mechanisms of injury and symptom profiles, yet distinct aetiology and management. In the clinical evaluation of concussion, a range of standardised tools are available but the extent to which such tools include cervical spine evaluation is unclear.

Clients and conditions encountered by final year physiotherapy students in private practice. A retrospective analysis.

Currently little is known about the clients and conditions final-year physiotherapy students are exposed to in private practice settings. The aim of this study is to describe the clients and conditions encountered by final-year physiotherapy students during a six-week full-time private practice clinical placement. Client data of conditions were collected over 11 years (2008-2018) from final year physiotherapy students' client reports in a university clinic, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Can the neck contribute to persistent symptoms post concussion? Long-term follow up from a prospective descriptive case series.

Objective: To describe individual long-term outcomes of people with persistent symptoms following a concussion who received neck treatment as part of multidisciplinary concussion care. A secondary objective is to report on how participants describe the outcomes of neck treatmentMethods: Long-term follow-up for a subgroup of participants in a prospective case series (n = 11). Data were collected at initial assessment, completion of neck treatment, 6 and 12 months including standard questionnaires (Rivermead post-concussion symptoms questionnaire, neck disability index, dizziness handicap inventory); patient-reported measures of headache, dizziness and neck pain and participant descriptions of the effects of neck treatmentResults: Grouped measures of post-concussion symptoms were further improved or sustained at 6 and 12 months.

Changes in Emergency General Surgery During Covid-19 in Scotland: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Covid-19 has had a significant impact on all aspects of health care. We aimed to characterise the trends in emergency general surgery at a district general hospital in Scotland.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed from 23/03/20 to 07/05/20.

The progression of non-small cell lung cancer from diagnosis to surgery.

Objectives: The IASLC 8th TNM Staging 8th differentiates between a greater number of T-stages. Resection remains the mainstay of curative treatment with often significant waiting times. This study aims to quantify the T-stage progression and growth of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) between radiological diagnosis and resection, and its impact on disease recurrence and survival.

Can the Neck Contribute to Persistent Symptoms Post Concussion? A Prospective Descriptive Case Series.

Background: Persistent symptoms post concussion can arise from a range of sources, including the neck. There is little description of neck assessment findings in people with persistent symptoms post concussion.

Objectives: To assess people with persistent symptoms following a concussion and determine whether the neck has also been injured, and to evaluate the potential of the neck to contribute to their symptoms.

How often is neck and vestibulo-ocular physiotherapy treatment recommended in people with persistent post-concussion symptoms? A retrospective analysis.

Background: Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) are complex, and typically involve multidisciplinary assessment and management. The neck and vestibulo-ocular systems are recognised as potential contributors to PPCS, yet it is not clear how often treatment for these systems is warranted.

Objectives: To explore how often neck and vestibulo-ocular treatment is received or recommended in people with PPCS.

Towards defining muscular regions of interest from axial magnetic resonance imaging with anatomical cross-reference: part II - cervical spine musculature.

Background: It has been suggested that the quantification of paravertebral muscle composition and morphology (e.g. size/shape/structure) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential in contributing to overall musculoskeletal health.

Patients unfit for neoadjuvant therapy may still undergo resection of locally advanced esophageal or esophagogastric junctional cancer with acceptable oncological results.

Unlabelled: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NA) is routinely offered to patients undergoing resection for locally advanced (≥cT3Nx or cTxN+) esophageal or esophagogastric junctional (EGJ) cancer in the United Kingdom. Patients with comorbidity precluding the use of NA can be considered for resection yet the effect of omitting NA on survival is unclear.

Methods: Retrospective review of prospectively collected clinical data from patients undergoing attempted curative therapy for ≥cT3Nx or cTxN+ esophageal or EGJ (Siewert type I-III) cancer between 2001 and 2013.

Do longus capitis and colli really stabilise the cervical spine? A study of their fascicular anatomy and peak force capabilities.

Background: Longus capitis and colli are proposed to play a role in stabilising the cervical spine, targeted in clinical and research practice with cranio-cervical flexion. However, it is not clear if these muscles are anatomically or biomechanically suited to a stabilising role.

Objectives: To describe the fascicular morphology of the longus capitis and colli, and estimate their peak force generating capabilities across the individual cervical motion segments.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of treatment of the cervical spine in patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Concussion is typically defined as a mild brain injury, and yet the brain is unlikely to be the only source of persistent post-concussion symptoms. Concurrent injury to the cervical spine in particular is acknowledged as a potential source of common persistent symptoms such as headache, dizziness and neck pain.

Objectives: To describe the cervical spine findings and outcomes of treatment in a series of patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms, and describe the clinical characteristics of a cervicogenic component when it is present.

The fascicular anatomy and peak force capabilities of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Purpose: The fascicular morphology of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) is not well described in modern anatomical texts, and the biomechanical forces it exerts on individual cervical motion segments are not known. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fascicular anatomy and peak force capabilities of the SCM combining traditional dissection and modern imaging.

Methods: This study is comprised of three parts: Dissection, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biomechanical modelling.

Efficacy of Intravenous Lidocaine for Postoperative Analgesia Following Laparoscopic Surgery: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Intravenous (IV) lidocaine has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of IV lidocaine in controlling postoperative pain following laparoscopic surgery.

Methods: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing IV lidocaine versus placebo/routine treatment for postoperative analgesia following laparoscopic surgery.

Fiber types of the anterior and lateral cervical muscles in elderly males.

Purpose: The anterior and lateral cervical muscles (ALCM) are generally considered to be postural, yet few studies have investigated ALCM fiber types to help clarify the function of these muscles. This study aimed to systematically investigate ALCM fiber types in cadavers.

Methods: Anterior and lateral cervical muscles (four scalenus anterior, medius, posterior muscles; five longus colli, five longus capitis taken bilaterally from one cadaver) were removed from four male embalmed cadavers (mean age 87.

Diurnal variation in blood pressure and arterial stiffness in chronic kidney disease: the role of endothelin-1.

Hypertension and arterial stiffness are important independent cardiovascular risk factors in chronic kidney disease (CKD) to which endothelin-1 (ET-1) contributes. Loss of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping is associated with CKD progression, but there are no data on 24-hour arterial stiffness variation. We examined the 24-hour variation of BP, arterial stiffness, and the ET system in healthy volunteers and patients with CKD and the effects on these of ET receptor type A receptor antagonism (sitaxentan).

Cognitive outcome after on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare cognition following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (on- or off-pump).

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials comparing cognitive outcome in patients undergoing CABG surgery on- or off-pump as assessed by continuous measures from a battery of 7 psychometric tests.

Setting: Multi-institutional centers performing CABG surgery.