Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in Adults with a Spinal Cord Injury: A Laboratory Framework and Case Series.

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-F) is a neurocardiac self-regulation therapy that aims to regulate cardiac autonomic nervous system activity and improve cardiac balance. Despite benefits in various clinical populations, no study has reported the effects of HRV-F in adults with a spinal cord injury (SCI). This article provides an overview of a neuropsychophysiological laboratory framework and reports the impact of an HRV-F training program on two adults with chronic SCI (T1 AIS A and T3 AIS C) with different degrees of remaining cardiac autonomic function.

Australian arm of the International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) community survey: 1. population-based design, methodology and cohort profile.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To describe design and methods of Australian arm of International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) community survey, reporting on participation rates, potential non-response bias and cohort characteristics.

Setting: Survey of community-dwelling people with SCI at least 12 months post-injury, recruited between March 2018 and January 2019, from state-wide SCI services, a government insurance agency and not-for-profit consumer organisations across four Australian states.

Australian arm of the International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) Community Survey: 3. Drivers of quality of life in people with spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Cross-sectional population-based survey for the Australian cohort of the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey.

Objectives: To differentiate subgroups of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who self-report good and poor overall quality of life (QoL) using domains of the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), and to evaluate how these factors contribute to QoL when considered together, while controlling confounders.

Setting: Australian survey data from four state-wide SCI services, one government insurance agency, and three not-for-profit consumer organisations.

Factors associated with long term work incapacity following a non-catastrophic road traffic injury: analysis of a two-year prospective cohort study.

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs), primarily musculoskeletal in nature, are the leading cause of unintentional injury worldwide, incurring significant individual and societal burden. Investigation of a large representative cohort is needed to validate early identifiable predictors of long-term work incapacity post-RTI. Therefore, up until two years post-RTI we aimed to: evaluate absolute occurrence of return-to-work (RTW) and occurrence by injury compensation claimant status; evaluate early factors (e.

Health literacy and recovery following a non-catastrophic road traffic injury.

Background: Health literacy (HL) is rarely addressed in rehabilitation research and practice but can play a substantial role in the recovery process after an injury. We aimed to identify factors associated with low HL and its relationship with 6-month health outcomes in individuals recovering from a non-catastrophic road traffic injury.

Methods: Four hundred ninety-three participants aged ≥17 years who had sustained a non-catastrophic injury in a land-transport crash, underwent a telephone-administered questionnaire.

Frailty in older people: Rehabilitation Treatment Research Examining Separate Settings (FORTRESS): protocol for a hybrid type II stepped wedge, cluster, randomised trial.

Background: Frailty in older people is associated with increased risk of falls, longer length of stay in hospital, increased risk of institutionalisation and death. Frailty can be measured using validated tools. Multi-component frailty interventions are recommended in clinical practice guidelines but are not routinely implemented in clinical practice.

Australian arm of the International Spinal Cord Injury (Aus-InSCI) Community Survey: 2. Understanding the lived experience in people with spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To identify common problems across key domains of functioning, health and wellbeing, as well as evaluate self-reported quality of life (QoL) by people with SCI, examining differences by age, gender, injury characteristics and level of mobility.

Setting: Data from four state-wide SCI clinical services, one government insurance agency and three not-for-profit consumer organisations.

Do expectations of recovery improve risk assessment for people with whiplash-associated disorders? Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study.

Background: WhipPredict, which includes prognostic factors of pain-related disability, age and hyperarousal symptoms, was developed and validated for prediction of outcome in people with whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Patient expectations of recovery was not an included factor, though is known to mediate outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of expectations of recovery could improve the accuracy of WhipPredict.

Comparison of physical and psychological health outcomes for motorcyclists and other road users after land transport crashes: an inception cohort study.

Background: Serious injuries and fatalities among vulnerable road users on two wheeled motorised vehicles have increased across Australia and internationally in the past decade yet fallen for motor vehicle occupants. Almost half of all reported motorcycle injury crashes cause serious injury or death, nearly double that of motor vehicle police-reported crashes. This study explores associations with sociodemographic and pre-injury health characteristics and health outcomes after a road traffic injury; aiming to compare motorcyclists with other road users and inform recovery care.

A neuro-cardiac self-regulation therapy to improve autonomic and neural function after SCI: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with autonomic imbalance and significant secondary conditions, including cardiac and brain dysfunction that adversely impact health and wellbeing. This study will investigate the effectiveness (intention-to-treat) of a neuro-cardiac self-regulation therapy to improve autonomic and neural/brain activity in adults with SCI living in the community.

Methods: A two-arm parallel, randomised controlled trial in which adults with SCI living in the community post-rehabilitation will be randomly assigned to a treatment or control group.

Impacts of injury severity on long-term outcomes following motor vehicle crashes.

Background: There is growing evidence that a range of pre-injury, injury related and post-injury factors influence social and health outcomes across the injury severity spectrum. This paper documents health related outcomes for people with mild, moderate and severe injury after motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: This inception cohort study followed 2019 people injured in MVCs, for 6 and 12 months post-injury.

Increasing the uptake of vitamin D supplement use in Australian residential aged care facilities: results from the vitamin D implementation (ViDAus) study.

Background: Adequate (≥800 IU/day) vitamin D supplement use in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs) is variable and non-optimal. The vitamin D implementation (ViDAus) study aimed to employ a range of strategies to support the uptake of this best practice in participating facilities. The aim of this paper is to report on facility level prevalence outcomes and factors associated with vitamin D supplement use.

A systematic review and participant-level meta-analysis found little association of retinal microvascular caliber with reduced kidney function.

Previously, variation in retinal vascular caliber has been reported in association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but findings remain inconsistent. To help clarify this we conducted individual participant data meta-analysis and aggregate data meta-analysis on summary estimates to evaluate cross-sectional associations between retinal vascular caliber and CKD. A systematic review was performed using Medline and EMBASE for articles published until October 2018.

Effects of seeking compensation on the psychological health and recovery of injured patients: the role of stress vulnerability and injury-related disability.

Background: Seeking compensation has been shown to have an adverse effect on the psychological health and recovery of injured patients, however, this effect requires clarification.

Methods: A total of 2019 adults sustaining a traffic injury were recruited. Of these, 709 (35.

Outcomes after traffic injury: mental health comorbidity and relationship with pain interference.

Background: Mental health symptoms, like depressive mood (DM) and post-traumatic stress (PTS), and pain interference (PI) with daily functioning often co-occur following traffic injury and their comorbidity can complicate recovery. This study aimed to map the course and overlapping trajectories of mental health symptoms, and associations with PI in a traffic injury population.

Methods: In total, 2019 adults sustaining minor-to-moderate traffic injury were recruited within 28 days post-injury and assessed using phone interviews at 1, 6 and 12-months post-injury.

Wholegrain and legume consumption and the 5-year incidence of age-related cataract in the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

The present study aims to investigate the effect of wholegrain and legume consumption on the incidence of age-related cataract in an older Australian population-based cohort. The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) is a population-based cohort study of eye diseases among older adults aged 49 years or older (1992-1994, n 3654). Of 2334 participants of the second examination of the BMES (BMES 2, 1997-2000), 1541 (78·3 % of survivors) were examined 5 years later (BMES 3) who had wholegrain and legume consumption estimated from the FFQ at BMES 2.

Twelve-month health outcomes for bicyclists and car occupants after a non-catastrophic traffic crash injury.

Objective: In this inception cohort study, we investigated differences in health outcomes for bicyclists (cyclists) and car occupants (car driver and passengers) at 12months after a non-catastrophic traffic injury. We also aimed to determine the independent predictors of key health outcomes among cyclists.

Methods: Of the 2019 participants at baseline, 299 were cyclists and 927 were car occupants; 229 cyclists and 489 car occupants were followed up 12months after the injury.

Challenges in the acute identification of mild traumatic brain injuries: results from an emergency department surveillance study.

Objectives: To establish the proportion of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) diagnosis among people presenting to an emergency department (ED), to determine the accuracy of recorded ED diagnoses. We also aimed to describe challenges in mTBI case identification and its acute hospital management.

Design And Setting: A retrospective chart review of all ED attendances to a major trauma hospital, over a 9-month period (June 2015-February 2016).

Electrical stimulation for treating pressure ulcers.

Background: Pressure ulcers (also known as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers or bedsores) are localised injuries to the skin or underlying tissue, or both. Pressure ulcers are a disabling consequence of immobility. Electrical stimulation (ES) is widely used for the treatment of pressure ulcers.

Positive recovery for low-risk injuries screened by the short form - Örebro musculoskeletal pain screening questionnaire following road traffic injury: evidence from an inception cohort study in New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Prognosis of musculoskeletal disorders following injury is essential in determining appropriate treatment and care. A generic validated prognostic tool to stratify risk of poor recovery for people with musculoskeletal injuries after road traffic crash is not available. This study aimed to examine differences in recovery, return to work and health related quality of life between low and high-risk of poor recovery people with musculoskeletal injuries stratified by the Short form - Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (SF-OMPSQ).

Evidence-based care in high- and low-risk groups following whiplash injury: a multi-centre inception cohort study.

Background: Studies aimed at improving the provision of evidence-based care (EBC) for the management of acute whiplash injuries have been largely successful. However, whether EBC is broadly provided and whether delivery of EBC varies based on risk of non-recovery, is uncertain. Receiving EBC should improve recovery, though this relationship has yet to be established.

Predictors of health-related quality of life after non-catastrophic injury sustained in a road traffic crash.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important patient-reported outcome that warrants greater attention in individuals who sustained a non-catastrophic injury in a road traffic crash. Additional robust data on HRQoL outcomes after a non-catastrophic injury are needed to effectively identify potential targets for studies of tertiary prevention of poor recovery after a crash.

Objective: We assessed the association between non-catastrophic road traffic crash injuries and HRQoL and factors that independently affect long-term HRQoL.