Optimising Instrumented Mouthguard Data Analysis: Video Synchronisation Using a Cross-correlation Approach.

Purpose: Head acceleration events (HAEs) are a growing concern in contact sports, prompting two rugby governing bodies to mandate instrumented mouthguards (iMGs). This has resulted in an influx of data imposing financial and time constraints. This study presents two computational methods that leverage a dataset of video-coded match events: cross-correlation synchronisation aligns iMG data to a video recording, by providing playback timestamps for each HAE, enabling analysts to locate them in video footage; and post-synchronisation event matching identifies the coded match event (e.

Can a novel computer vision-based framework detect head-on-head impacts during a rugby league tackle?

Background: Head-on-head impacts are a risk factor for concussion, which is a concern for sports. Computer vision frameworks may provide an automated process to identify head-on-head impacts, although this has not been applied or evaluated in rugby.

Methods: This study developed and evaluated a novel computer vision framework to automatically classify head-on-head and non-head-on-head impacts.

Cultural bias in the assessment of language: A closer look at the Boston naming test among multicultural Canadian older adults.

Objective: The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is commonly used to assess word-finding in older adults but performance may be impacted by cultural and linguistic factors. This study aimed to assess cultural bias in BNT performance among older adults, explore sources of this bias and provide clinical guidelines for its use in multicultural settings.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 525 older adults referred for neuropsychological assessment at a large geriatric hospital in a multicultural Canadian city.

The non-indigenous dung beetle () can effectively reproduce using the dung of indigenous eastern North American mammals.

Non-indigenous dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) species in North America are important contributors to ecosystem functions, particularly in pasture-based livestock systems. Despite the significant body of research surrounding non-indigenous (and often invasive) dung beetles in agricultural contexts, there has been minimal study concerning the impact that these species may have on indigenous dung beetle populations in natural environments. Here we examine the possible impact of the introduced dung beetle on indigenous dung beetle populations via use of indigenous mammal dung.

Optimization of swim depth across diverse taxa during horizontal travel.

Semiaquatic taxa, including humans, often swim at the air-water interface where they waste energy generating surface waves. For fully marine animals however, theory predicts the most cost-efficient depth-use pattern for migrating, air-breathing species that do not feed in transit is to travel at around 2 to 3 times the depth of their body diameter, to minimize the vertical distance traveled while avoiding wave drag close to the surface. This has rarely been examined, however, due to depth measurement resolution issues at the surface.

Unveiling the Sorption Properties of Graphene Oxide-M13 Bacteriophage Aerogels for Advanced Sensing and Environmental Applications.

GraPhage13 aerogels (GPAs) are ultralow density, porous structures fabricated through the self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) and M13 bacteriophage. Given GPA's high surface area and extensive porous network, properties typically associated with highly adsorbent materials, it is essential to characterize its sorption capabilities, with a focus on unlocking its potential for advanced applications in areas such as biomedical sensing and environmental monitoring. Herein, the water, ethanol and acetone sorption properties of GPA were explored using dynamic vapor sorption (DVS).

Head Kinematics Associated with Off-Field Head Injury Assessment (HIA1) Events in a Season of English Elite-Level Club Men's and Women's Rugby Union Matches.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate head kinematic variables in elite men's and women's rugby union and their ability to predict player removal for an off-field (HIA1) head injury assessment.

Methods: Instrumented mouthguard (iMG) data were collected for 250 men and 132 women from 1865 and 807 player-matches, respectively, and synchronised to video-coded match footage. Head peak resultant linear acceleration (PLA), peak resultant angular acceleration (PAA) and peak change in angular velocity (dPAV) were extracted from each head acceleration event (HAE).

'Mind your head', tackle characteristics associated with concussions in rugby league: A case-control study.

Objectives: Identify tackle characteristics associated with concussions in male professional rugby league.

Design: Case-control study.

Methods: Tackles resulting in 196 clinically diagnosed concussions and 6592 non-concussive tackles were analysed, from the men's rugby league Super League between 2018 and 2022.

Twenty year analysis of professional men's rugby union knee injuries from the English premiership shows high rates and burden.

Objectives: To determine the rates, severity and burden of knee injuries in professional male rugby union from the English Premiership.

Methods: Injury and exposure data were captured over 20 seasons using a prospective cohort design. Knee injury incidence, days' absence and burden were recorded for each injury type and by pitch surface type for match and training.

Psychotropic Polypharmacy Leading to Reversible Dementia: A Case Report.

Psychotropic polypharmacy presents a diagnostic challenge that may be further complicated by inadequate medication history and underappreciation of the cognitive effects of such polypharmacy. Here we present the case of a 57-year-old man who presented to our memory clinic with progressive cognitive decline and a prior neuropsychological evaluation supporting the diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disorder. He was taking multiple psychotropic medications at the time, but the exact dosages were unclear due to a lack of collateral history.

Training and Match-Related Head Acceleration Events in Top Level Domestic Senior Women's and Men's Rugby Union: A Multi-League Instrumented Mouthguard Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in head acceleration event (HAE) incidence between training and match-play in women's and men's players competing at the highest level of domestic rugby union globally. Players from Women's (Premiership Women's Rugby, Farah Palmer Cup) and Men's (Premiership Rugby, Currie Cup) rugby union competitions wore instrumented mouthguards during matches and training sessions during the 2022/2023 seasons. Peak linear (PLA) and angular (PAA) acceleration were calculated from each HAE and included within generalized linear mixed-effects models.

Artistic gymnastics-specific extension of the IOC 2020 consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport.

The incidence of injuries reported in artistic gymnastics varies greatly. This is partly due to inconsistencies in defining and reporting injuries in artistic gymnastics. The objective was to develop consistent definitions and methodology for reporting injuries in artistic gymnastics.

Endothelial Neurogranin Regulates Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability via Modulation of the AKT Pathway.

Neurogranin (Ng) expression is a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. A loss of brain Ng and an increase in CSF Ng positively correlate with cognitive decline. Ng is known to regulate neuronal calcium-calmodulin binding and synaptic plasticity, which are critical for learning/memory.

Enhanced venous thrombosis and hypercoagulability in murine and human metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Background: Patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) are at an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolic events, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT). To date, the study of DVT in MASH has been hampered by the lack of reliable models that mimic the pathologic aspects of human disease.

Objectives: To evaluate DVT severity and hypercoagulability in murine and human MASH.

The application of match-event and instrumented mouthguard data to inform match limits: An example using rugby union Premiership and rugby league Super League data from England.

The study aimed to illustrate how contact (from match-event data) and head acceleration event (HAE) (from instrumented mouthguard [iMG]) data can be combined to inform match limits within rugby. Match-event data from one rugby union and rugby league season, including all competitive matches involving players from the English Premiership and Super League, were used. Playing exposure was summarised as full game equivalents (FGE; total minutes played/80).

Conductivity optimisation of graphene oxide-M13 bacteriophage nanocomposites: towards graphene-based gas micronano-sensors.

Graphene oxide (GO) and M13 bacteriophage can self-assemble to form ultra-low density porous structures, known as GraPhage13 aerogels (GPA). Due to the insulating nature of GPA and the challenges in producing highly conductive aerogels, it is paramount to explore ways to enhance the conductivity of GPA. Herein, we have developed a method to enhance the conductivity of GPA, via the integration and optimisation of 5 nm and 20 nm diameter gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the aerogel structure and systematically analysed the morphology, composition and spectroscopic properties of the resulting GPA-Au nanocomposite.

Contact load practices and perceptions in elite English rugby league: an evaluation to inform contact load guidelines.

Background: Athlete exposure to contact could be a risk factor for injury. Governing bodies should provide guidelines preventing overexposure to contact.

Objectives: Describe the current contact load practices and perceptions of contact load requirements within men's and women's rugby league to allow the Rugby Football League (RFL) to develop contact load guidelines.

Surveying Psychological Wellbeing in a Post-Pandemic World: The Role of Family and Social Support for LGBTQ+ and Cisgender Heterosexual Adults in the UK.

Studies have emphasized the importance of social support in mitigating the relationship between psychological distress and mental health effects, with family of origin and family of formation providing key sources of social support over the life course. However, LGBTQ+ people may experience family of origin relationships as a source of distress, while partners and friends may buffer the relationship between minority stress and psychological wellbeing. Through our online survey (March-June 2022), which was conducted when the social restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted in the UK, we considered the association between psychological wellbeing and sources of social support by sampling n = 1330 LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual adults.

Non-reporting of sport-related concussion symptoms: a cross-sectional study of community rugby league players in the UK.

Unlabelled: Recognising and removing players with suspected sport-related concussions is crucial for community sports.

Objectives: Quantify rates and factors associated with non-reporting of concussion symptoms in community rugby league.

Methods: Overall, 484 community rugby league players aged ≥18 years and 965 parents of rugby league players aged <18 years completed an online survey, regarding concussion history, knowledge, prevalence and reasons for non-reporting of concussion, long-term implications and perceptions of concussion.

Time to level the playing field between men and women - Given similar injury incidence: A two-season analysis of match injuries in elite men and women's (Super League) rugby league.

Objectives: To compare match injury incidence, severity and burden in men's and women's elite rugby league.

Design: A prospective cohort epidemiological study.

Methods: Time loss match injury data were collected from all men's (11,301 exposure hours) and women's (5,244 exposure hours) Super League clubs.

Diastolic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease model mice is associated with Aβ-amyloid aggregate formation and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the deposition of Aβ aggregates or neurofibrillary tangles. AD patients are primarily diagnosed with the concurrent development of several cardiovascular dysfunctions. While few studies have indicated the presence of intramyocardial Aβ aggregates, none of the studies have performed detailed analyses for pathomechanism of cardiac dysfunction in AD patients.

Training injuries in elite men's senior and academy (Super League) rugby league; an analysis of 224,000 exposure-hours.

Objectives: Report two-years of training injury data in senior and academy professional rugby league.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Match and training time-loss injuries and exposure data were recorded from two-seasons of the European Super League competition.

The Incidence and Propensity of Head Acceleration Events in a Season of Men's and Women's English Elite-Level Club Rugby Union Matches.

Objectives: To describe and compare the incidence and propensity of head acceleration events (HAEs) using instrumented mouthguards (iMG) by playing position in a season of English elite-level men's and women's rugby union matches.

Methods: iMG data were collected for 255 men and 133 women from 1,865 and 807 player-matches, respectively, and synchronised to video-coded match footage. Head peak resultant linear acceleration (PLA) and peak resultant angular acceleration (PAA) were extracted from each HAE.