Return to play in professional football players following traumatic cervical spine injury: expert opinions from the National Football League spine surgeons.

Objective: There is a paucity of high-quality return-to-play (RTP) data following treatment of cervical spine injuries in contact sports. In this study, the authors gathered insights from National Football League (NFL) team spine surgeon consultants to highlight current practices in treating cervical spine injuries and report decision-making regarding RTP in professional American football players.

Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to all NFL consulting physicians specializing in the management of spine injuries.

Pain Medication Data from the 2021 and 2022 National Football League Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

We report 2021 and 2022 prescription drug monitoring program data that include pain medication prescriptions, including over-the-counter medications, issued to NFL players by either club physicians or external medical providers and entered in the NFL electronic medical record. Of 3142 players who signed a contract with at least one NFL Club during the 2021 season, there were 14,903 prescriptions for pain medications issued to 2207 players. During the 2022 season, there were 14,880 prescription pain medications issued to 2189 players (out of a population of 3152).

Retrospective Case Series of Spinal Cord Neurapraxia in Male Adolescent Athletes: Can These Athletes Return-to-Play?

Background And Objectives: While spinal cord neurapraxia (SCN) is a documented pathology in athletes, guidance for neurosurgeons evaluating these patients is sparse. Therefore, in a cohort of adolescent athletes with SCN, we sought to (1) review their presentation and management and (2) describe outcomes and return-to-play (RTP).

Methods: A single-center, retrospective case series was conducted to examine adolescent athletes diagnosed with SCN from 2017 to 2022.

Factors associated with antibody titer levels among an occupational cohort of fully vaccinated individuals and subsequent risk of COVID-19 infection: A cohort study.

This study (1) determined the association of time since initial vaccine regimen, booster dose receipt, and COVID-19 history with antibody titer, as well as change in titer levels over a defined period, and (2) determined risk of COVID-19 associated with low titer levels. This observational study used data from staff participating in the National Football League COVID-19 Monitoring Program. A cohort of staff consented to antibody-focused sub-study, during which detailed longitudinal data were collected.

Fast rotating blue stragglers prefer loose clusters.

Blue stragglers are anomalously luminous core hydrogen-burning stars formed through mass-transfer in binary/triple systems and stellar collisions. Their physical and evolutionary properties are largely unknown and unconstrained. Here we analyze 320 high-resolution spectra of blue stragglers collected in eight galactic globular clusters with different structural characteristics and show evidence that the fraction of fast rotating blue stragglers (with rotational velocities larger than 40 km/s) increases for decreasing central density of the host system.

Establishing Trust in Pharmaceutical Data with an Independent Verification and Validation Methodology.

Our aim is to demonstrate a general-purpose data and knowledge validation approach that enables reproducible metrics for data and knowledge quality and safety. We researched widely accepted statistical process control methods from high-quality, high-safety industries and applied them to pharmacy prescription data being migrated between EHRs. Natural language medication instructions from prescriptions were independently categorized by two terminologists as a first step toward encoding those medication instructions using standardized terminology.

Validity of Research Based on Publicly Obtained Data in Sports Medicine: A Quantitative Assessment of Concussions in the National Football League.

Context: Numerous researchers have leveraged publicly available internet sources to publish clinical research concerning incidence and recovery from injuries in National Football League (NFL) players.

Objective: This study aims to (1) provide a comprehensive systematic review of all publicly obtained data studies (PODS) regarding concussions in NFL athletes and (2) quantify the percentage of injuries identified by these studies in comparison with published concussion data from the NFL injury database.

Study Selection: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to identify all published studies utilizing publicly obtained data regarding concussions in NFL athletes.

Examination of Cutaneous Changes Among Patients Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been found to develop a variety of cutaneous symptoms. This study sought to describe varying cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in individuals presenting to an inpatient healthcare facility. We screened individuals who presented with COVID-19 for skin changes throughout the illness and administered a survey regarding demographics, medical history, and their cutaneous findings.

Encoding laboratory testing data: case studies of the national implementation of HHS requirements and related standards in five laboratories.

Objective: Assess the effectiveness of providing Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC®)-to-In Vitro Diagnostic (LIVD) coding specification, required by the United States Department of Health and Human Services for SARS-CoV-2 reporting, in medical center laboratories and utilize findings to inform future United States Food and Drug Administration policy on the use of real-world evidence in regulatory decisions.

Materials And Methods: We compared gaps and similarities between diagnostic test manufacturers' recommended LOINC® codes and the LOINC® codes used in medical center laboratories for the same tests.

Results: Five medical centers and three test manufacturers extracted data from laboratory information systems (LIS) for prioritized tests of interest.

Controlling and exploiting intrinsic unpaired electrons in metalloproteins.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy encompasses a versatile set of techniques that allow detailed insight into intrinsically occurring paramagnetic centers in metalloproteins and enzymes that undergo oxidation-reduction reactions. In this chapter, we discuss the process from isolating the protein to acquiring and analyzing pulse EPR spectra, adopting a practical perspective. We start with considerations when preparing the protein sample, explain techniques and procedures available for determining the reduction potential of the redox-active center of interest and provide details on methodologies to trap a given paramagnetic state for detailed pulse EPR studies, with an emphasis on biochemical and spectroscopic tools available when multiple EPR-active species are present.

Effectiveness and use of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction point of care testing in a large-scale COVID-19 surveillance system.

Background: Rapid COVID-19 testing platforms can identify infected individuals at the point of care (POC), allowing immediate isolation of infected individuals and reducing the risk of transmission. While lab-based nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is often considered the gold standard to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the community, results typically take 2-7 days to return, rendering POC testing a critical diagnostic tool for infection control. The National Football League (NFL) and NFL Players Association deployed a new POC testing strategy using a newly available reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) rapid test during the 2020 season, and evaluated diagnostic effectiveness compared to other available devices using real-world population surveillance data.

Results from a Test-to-Release from Isolation Strategy Among Fully Vaccinated National Football League Players and Staff Members with COVID-19 - United States, December 14-19, 2021.

During December 2021, the United States experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases, coinciding with predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.

Same-Year Repeat Concussions in the National Football League: Trends from 2015 Through 2019.

Background: Sport-related concussion (SRC) prevention and management is a focus of the National Football League (NFL). While most prior reports evaluated sport-related concussion incidence, few have studied same-year repeat concussions. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of same-year repeat concussions in the NFL.

Anatomy of an American football game: Player-to-player contact before, during and after an NFL game in context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To quantify levels of potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2 surrounding a typical professional American football game, with a focus on interactions on-field between teammates and opposing players before, during, and immediately after competition.

Methods: We examined across-Club consecutive interactions ≥2 minutes within 6 feet [1.8 meters] between athletes on opposing Clubs for all 2020 NFL regular season games (n = 256).

Observed Versus Expected COVID-19 Infections Among National Football League Players During the 2020 Season.

Background: The National Football League (NFL) and National Football League Players Association implemented a set of strict protocols for the 2020 season with the intent to mitigate COVID-19 risk among players and staff. In that timeframe, the league's 32 teams completed 256 regular season games and several thousand meetings and practices. In parallel, community cases of COVID-19 were highly prevalent.

Validity of Research Based on Public Data in Sports Medicine: A Quantitative Assessment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in the National Football League.

Background: Numerous researchers have leveraged publicly available Internet sources to publish publicly obtained data (POD) studies concerning various orthopaedic injuries in National Football League (NFL) players.

Purpose: To provide a comprehensive systematic review of all POD studies regarding musculoskeletal injuries in NFL athletes and to use anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in NFL players to quantify the percentage of injuries identified by these studies.

Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.