Neck strength deficit is a risk factor for concussion in high school rugby union and rugby league players.

Objectives: Primary prevention of concussions is a priority in contact sports, with growing interest in the role of neck strength in mitigating the risks of concussion. The aim of this study was to determine if neck function was associated with in-season concussions in adolescent rugby union and league athletes, and to establish clinical values to identify players with increased risk of sustaining a concussion.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Decreased isometric neck strength is a risk factor for head, neck and face injuries in professional rugby league players.

Head, neck and face injuries are a concern in contact sports. This exploratory study aimed to establish 1) injury risk factors for head, neck and face injuries and 2) clinical cut-off values related to strength, endurance and proprioception of the cervical spine in a team of professional rugby league players. Pre-season assessments of isometric strength of the flexor, extensor and lateral flexor muscles, endurance of the flexor muscles and joint position error were conducted.

Discordance between creatinine and cystatin C-based estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in solid organ transplant recipients.

Background: Estimation of glomerular filtration rate is a critical component of assessing kidney function post-solid organ transplantation and in monitoring risk of acute injury. Our objective was to evaluate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as derived from creatinine (eGFR), cystatin C (eGFR), and both (eGFR) in a cohort of transplant recipients.

Methods: A total of 47 unique post-solid organ transplant patients receiving tacrolimus were included.

Exploring the relationship between trunk muscles and lower limb injuries in Australian badminton players.

Due to its dynamic nature, lower limb injuries are common in badminton. Overuse injuries of the knee, including tendon related conditions, are the most common. During jumping and landing, force transference and dissipation through the trunk is required, with the trunk muscles playing a vital role.

Prospective randomized controlled trial of water exchange plus cap versus water exchange colonoscopy in unsedated veterans.

Background And Aims: Water exchange (WE) and cap-assisted colonoscopy separately have been shown to reduce pain during insertion in unsedated patients. We hypothesized that compared with WE, WE cap-assisted colonoscopy (WECAC) could significantly lower real-time maximum insertion pain (RTMIP).

Methods: Veterans without escort were recruited, randomized, blinded, and examined at 3 U.

Unveiling promising drug targets for autism spectrum disorder: insights from genetics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder for which current treatments are limited and drug development costs are prohibitive. Identifying drug targets for ASD is crucial for the development of targeted therapies. Summary-level data of expression quantitative trait loci obtained from GTEx, protein quantitative trait loci data from the ROSMAP project, and two ASD genome-wide association studies datasets were utilized for discovery and replication.

Associations of proton pump inhibitors with susceptibility to influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19: Evidence from a large population-based cohort study.

Background: Adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have raised wide concerns. The association of PPIs with influenza is unexplored, while that with pneumonia or COVID-19 remains controversial. Our study aims to evaluate whether PPI use increases the risks of these respiratory infections.

Is It Time to Step outside the Laboratory? The Feasibility of Field-Based Examination of Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia in Elite Badminton Athletes with and without Knee Pain.

Aim: To investigate the feasibility of testing exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) in a field setting. The effect of knee pain on EIH was also explored.

Design: Within-group pre-post design.

The mediating effect of blood biomarkers in the associations between inflammatory bowel disease and incident psychiatric disorders: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Despite the growing evidence of an association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and psychiatric disorders, there has been limited research exploring the underlying mediating role of blood biomarkers on the gut-brain axis. This study aimed to examine the association between IBD and the risk of incident psychiatric disorders and investigate whether and how blood biomarkers mediate this association.

Methods: This prospective cohort study using data from the UK Biobank included participants without psychiatric diagnoses at baseline.

Sleep patterns, genetic susceptibility, and digestive diseases: a large-scale longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Sleep problems are prevalent. However, the impact of sleep patterns on digestive diseases remains uncertain. Moreover, the interaction between sleep patterns and genetic predisposition with digestive diseases has not been comprehensively explored.

Investigating shared genetic architecture between inflammatory bowel diseases and primary biliary cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is commonly associated with extraintestinal complications, including autoimmune liver disease. The co-occurrence of IBD and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has been increasingly observed, but the underlying relationship between these conditions remains unclear.

Methods: Using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we investigated the causal effects between PBC and IBD, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Primer Part 1 - Preparing a laboratory quality improvement project.

Quality in laboratory medicine encompasses multiple components related to total quality management, including quality control (QC), quality assurance (QA), quality indicators, and quality improvement (QI). Together, they contribute to minimizing errors (pre-analytical, analytical, or post-analytical) in clinical service delivery and improving process appropriateness and efficiency. In contrast to static quality benchmarks (QC, QA, quality indicators), the QI paradigm is a continuous approach to systemic process improvement for optimizing patient safety, timeliness, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Determination of the ideal plate for medial femoral condyle fracture fixation: an anatomical fit and biomechanical study.

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the best plate to use as a substitute to fix a medial femoral condyle fracture.

Materials And Methods: The first part is to measure the best fit between several anatomical plates including the Proximal Tibia Anterolateral Plate (PT AL LCP), the Proximal Tibia Medial Plate (PT M LCP), the Distal Tibia Medial Locking Plate (DT M LCP) and the Proximal Humerus (PHILOS) plate against 28 freshly embalmed cadaveric distal femurs. Measurements such as plate offset and number of screws in the condyle and shaft shall be obtained.

Risks of digestive diseases in long COVID: evidence from a population-based cohort study.

Background: In the post-pandemic era, a wide range of COVID-19 sequelae is of growing health concern. However, the risks of digestive diseases in long COVID have not been comprehensively understood. To investigate the long-term risk of digestive diseases among COVID patients.

Genetically predicted causal associations between periodontitis and psychiatric disorders.

Background: Psychiatric disorders have serious harm to individuals' lives with high disease burden. Observational studies reported inconsistent associations between periodontitis and some psychiatric disorders, and the causal correlations between them remain unknown.

Objective: This study aims to explore the causal associations between periodontitis and psychiatric disorders.