High altitude modulates concussion incidence, severity, and recovery in young athletes.

Background: High altitude may affect concussion, but prior studies are limited . We tested whether high altitude affects sport-related concussion (SRC) incidence, severity, and recovery.

Methods: Twenty-five thousand eight hundred fifteen baseline and post-injury Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing results were compiled from Florida and Colorado, low (27 m or 62 m) and high (1,640 m or 1,991 m) altitude locations, respectively.

Incidence and Severity of Concussions Among Young Soccer Players Based on Age, Sex, and Player Position.

Background: Previously studied risk factors for sports-related concussion in soccer players include sex, age, and player position. However, prior studies were limited in number, they reported conflicting results, and most did not assess initial concussion severity.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of soccer players across key demographic groups (sex, age, position) for both concussion incidence and severity.

Telehealth treatment for nonspecific low back pain: A review of the current state in mobile health.

Introduction: Nonspecific low back pain (LBP) is an idiopathic musculoskeletal condition that affects four of five individuals in their lifetime and is the leading cause of job-related disability in the United States. The interest in interactive and dynamic telehealth treatments for LBP continues to grow, and it is important for the medical community to remain up-to-date on the state of the science.

Literature Survey: Relevant studies published from March 2016 until March 2021 were identified through a systematic search of EMBASE, MedLine, and Web of Science.

Bibliometric Evaluation of U.S. Neurosurgery Subspecialties and Academic Rank Using RCR Index.

Introduction: Academic productivity, a key feature of academic neurosurgery, has been linked to academic rank, subspecialty, and institutional rank. Relative Citation Ratio (RCR) has emerged as a new metric of scholarly output that can make field-normalized comparisons between researchers, a feature unavailable in prior metrics such as h-index. Here we evaluate the influence of academic rank and neurosurgical subspecialties on RCR scores.

A Multivariable Analysis to Evaluate the Presence or Absence of Gender Differences in Baseline ImPACT Composite Scores and Symptom Severity Ratings in Student-Athletes Ages 12-18 Years.

Introduction: Gender differences in neurocognitive function have been reported over the past few decades. However, multiple studies that report gender differences in Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Tests composite scores ignore potential confounders which may lead to inaccurate results.

Methods: A total of 4829 male and 2477 female baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Tests from 2009 to 2019 of subjects ages 12-18 years were used to evaluate gender differences in baseline neurocognitive scores and symptom severity ratings.

Academic Productivity of United States Neurosurgeons Trained Abroad.

Background: Previous research in neurosurgery has examined academic productivity for U.S. medical graduates and residents.

Sex-Related Differences in the Incidence, Severity, and Recovery of Concussion in Adolescent Student-Athletes Between 2009 and 2019.

Background: The sex of an athlete is thought to modulate concussion incidence; however, the effects of sex on concussion severity and recovery are less clear.

Purpose: To evaluate sex differences in concussion severity and recovery using a large, heterogeneous sample of young student-athletes with the goal of understanding how sex affects concussion outcomes in young athletes.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Sport Contact Level Affects Post-Concussion Neurocognitive Performance in Young Athletes.

Objective: Contact level affects the incidence of sports-related concussion. However, the effects of contact level on injury severity and recovery are less clear and are the focus of this study.

Method: Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) for athletes aged 12-22 was performed at baseline (n = 10,907 for 7,058 athletes), after suspected concussion determined by physicians or athletic trainers (n = 5,062 for 4,419 athletes), and during follow-up visits (n = 3,264 for 2,098 athletes).

Policy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United States: A Retrospective State-level Analysis.

Background: Various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as stay-at-home orders and school closures have been employed to limit the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study measures the impact of social distancing policies on COVID-19 transmission in US states during the early outbreak phase to assess which policies were most effective.

Methods: To measure transmissibility, we analyze the average effective reproductive number (R) in each state the week following its 500th case and doubling time from 500 to 1000 cases.

Multivariate Analysis of Black Race and Environmental Temperature on COVID-19 in the US.

Background: There has been much interest in environmental temperature and race as modulators of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection and mortality. However, in the United States race and temperature correlate with various other social determinants of health, comorbidities, and environmental influences that could be responsible for noted effects. This study investigates the independent effects of race and environmental temperature on COVID-19 incidence and mortality in United States counties.