This research employed head impact frequency and frequency of estimated strain to analyse the influence of player position on brain trauma in U15 and U18 youth ice hockey. The methods involved a video analysis of 30 U15 and 30 U18 games where frequency, type of head impact event, and player position during impact was recorded. These impacts were then simulated in the laboratory using physical reconstructions and finite element modelling to determine the brain strains for each impact category.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
September 2022
Two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations and communities continue to grapple with waves of infection and social fallout from pandemic fatigue and frustration. While we are still years away from realizing the full impacts of COVID-19, reflecting on our collective responses has offered some insights into the impact that various public health policies and decisions had on nations' abilities to weather the multifaceted impacts of the pandemic. Widely believed to have the potential to be devastated by COVID-19, many Indigenous communities in Canada were extremely successful in managing outbreaks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe food security crisis and disproportionately high burden of dietary related disease amongst northern Indigenous populations in Canada continues to be a troubling reality with little sign of improvement. The Government of Canada is responding by developing programs to support local food initiatives for northern isolated communities. While such investments appear commendable, the impact of local food harvesting to improve food security has yet to be determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute and chronic neurological risks associated with brain trauma sustained in professional ice hockey has generated concern for youth participants. Minor hockey is a different game when compared to elite players presenting distinctive risk factors for each age division. Objective measures of brain trauma exposure were documented for six divisions in minor ice hockey; U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U18.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndigenous communities in Boreal environments rely on locally-harvested wild foods for sustenance. These foods provide many nutritional benefits including higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; such as ω-3) than what is commonly found in store-bought foods. However, wild foods can be a route of exposure to dietary mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn vitro and animal studies report that some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) trigger the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Whether POP exposure is associated with a dysregulation of cytokine response remains to be investigated in humans. We studied the strength of association between plasma POP levels and circulating cytokines as immune activation markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChlorinated persistent organic pollutants, commonly referred to as organochlorine compounds (OCs), are chemicals of environmental concern that were mostly used historically as pesticides, solvents, flame retardants, and other applications, though some still continue to be produced. OCs accumulate in adipose tissue because of their hydrophobicity. Evidence suggests that OCs modulate adipose tissue metabolism and could affect its development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective. To assess the prevalence rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults from two First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article is based on a study of traditional lifestyle practices in the Sandy Lake First Nation community in northwestern Ontario, considering some of the benefits and risks of reintroducing off-the-land food sources, specifically as they relate to the burbot (Lota lota L). This article concentrates, therefore, on four avenues of exploration: (1) the "nutrition transition" in the First Nations population, (2) the meaning of a traditional diet in the Sandy Lake First Nation, (3) a nutritional value analysis of the burbot to determine its energy content and medicinal properties, and (4) the plausibility of reintroducing off-the-land food sources into the Sandy Lake First Nation community. We argue that though there may be health advantages to the reintroduction of off-the land food sources into First Nations contemporary diets, these benefits will be realized only if practiced according to historical dietary traditions drawing from critical parts of animal tissues to maximize nutrient intake.
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