Publications by authors named "Swor R"

Background: Chronic pain following traumatic stress exposure (TSE) is common. Increasing evidence suggests inflammatory/immune mechanisms are induced by TSE, play a key role in the recovery process versus development of post-TSE chronic pain, and are sex specific. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with chronic pain after TSE in a sex-specific manner.

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Objectives: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) patient care reports (PCRs) are an important component for the transfer of patient care from EMS systems to hospitals and a foundational element of EMS quality improvement (QI). The PCR may serve as the only objective source of information for EMS patient presentation. Surprisingly little data, either objective or anecdotal, exists regarding the reliability of this process.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study explored the use of wrist-wearable devices to track heart rate variability (HRV) as potential biomarkers for recovery from adverse neuropsychiatric effects following traumatic events, specifically in a socioeconomically disadvantaged group.
  • - Researchers monitored participants within 72 hours of a traumatic event and over a course of 6 months, validating HRV characteristics linked to various posttraumatic symptoms, such as pain, re-experiencing, and anxiety.
  • - The findings indicate that changes in HRV could effectively predict improvements or worsening in symptoms, suggesting that these wearable technologies could serve as useful screening tools for identifying posttraumatic stress in high-risk populations.
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  • - The study investigates sex/gender differences in PTSD by examining 16 risk factors and their impact on PTSD severity in a group of 2,924 acutely traumatized individuals.
  • - It finds that six risk factors are more prevalent in women, while none are more pronounced in men, highlighting unique pathways contributing to PTSD severity based on sex assigned at birth.
  • - The results indicate different risk mechanisms for men and women, suggesting that understanding these differences can help develop targeted mental health interventions and inform future research on other mental disorders.
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Importance: Research on resilience after trauma has often focused on individual-level factors (eg, ability to cope with adversity) and overlooked influential neighborhood-level factors that may help mitigate the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective: To investigate whether an interaction between residential greenspace and self-reported individual resources was associated with a resilient PTSD trajectory (ie, low/no symptoms) and to test if the association between greenspace and PTSD trajectory was mediated by neural reactivity to reward.

Design, Setting, And Participants: As part of a longitudinal cohort study, trauma survivors were recruited from emergency departments across the US.

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The neurocardiac circuit is integral to physiological regulation of threat and trauma-related responses. However, few direct investigations of brain-behavior associations with replicable physiological markers of PTSD have been conducted. The current study probed the neurocardiac circuit by examining associations among its core regions in the brain (e.

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Background: Knowledge of sex differences in risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can contribute to the development of refined preventive interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine if women and men differ in their vulnerability to risk factors for PTSD.

Methods: As part of the longitudinal AURORA study, 2924 patients seeking emergency department (ED) treatment in the acute aftermath of trauma provided self-report assessments of pre- peri- and post-traumatic risk factors, as well as 3-month PTSD severity.

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There are significant challenges to identifying which individuals require intervention following exposure to trauma, and a need for strategies to identify and provide individuals at risk for developing PTSD with timely interventions. The present study seeks to identify a minimal set of trauma-related symptoms, assessed during the weeks following traumatic exposure, that can accurately predict PTSD. Participants were 2185 adults (Mean age=36.

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Background: Hypertension (HTN) is common in discharged emergency department (ED) patients, yet the short-term outcomes of treating HTN at ED discharge are unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether emergency physician (EP) prescription of oral antihypertensive therapy at ED discharge for hypertensive patients is associated with a decreased 30-day risk of the severe adverse events (AEs), death, and revisits to the ED.

Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study assessing the 30-day outcomes of discharged ED patients with HTN, comparing outcomes based on whether antihypertensive therapy was prescribed.

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Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) are highly comorbid. Many factors affect this relationship, including sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, other prior traumas, and physical health. However, few prior studies have investigated this prospectively, examining new substance use and the extent to which a wide range of factors may modify the relationship to PTSD.

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This study examines the association between brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) and current/future posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity, and the impact of sex on this relationship. By analyzing 275 participants' dFNC data obtained ~2 weeks after trauma exposure, we noted that brain dynamics of an inter-network brain state link negatively with current (r=-0.179, = 0.

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Objective: Intranasal medications have been proposed as adjuncts to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) care. We sought to quantify the effects of intranasal medication administration (INMA) in OHCA workflows.

Methods: We conducted separate randomized OHCA simulation trials with lay rescuers (LRs) and first responders (FRs).

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Patients exposed to trauma often experience high rates of adverse post-traumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS). The biological mechanisms promoting APNS are currently unknown, but the microbiota-gut-brain axis offers an avenue to understanding mechanisms as well as possibilities for intervention. Microbiome composition after trauma exposure has been poorly examined regarding neuropsychiatric outcomes.

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Importance: Differences in neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics are important considerations in understanding differences in risk vs resilience in mental health. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with alterations in the function and structure of threat neurocircuitry.

Objective: To investigate associations of neighborhood disadvantage with white and gray matter and neural reactivity to positive and negative stimuli in the context of trauma exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how alcohol and cannabis use patterns relate to PTSD and depression symptoms in civilians recently exposed to trauma, using data from 1618 participants over 12 weeks.
  • Three classes of substance use were identified: low, high, and increasing, with differences in PTSD and depression symptoms observed at baseline and throughout the study.
  • Results indicate that higher substance use correlates with more severe PTSD and depression symptoms, suggesting that understanding these patterns may help in timing treatment interventions.
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Background Of the more than 250ā€‰000 emergency medical services-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur each year in the United States, only about 8% survive to hospital discharge with good neurologic function. Treatment for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest involves a system of care that includes complex interactions among multiple stakeholders. Understanding the factors inhibiting optimal care is fundamental to improving outcomes.

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Childhood trauma is a known risk factor for trauma and stress-related disorders in adulthood. However, limited research has investigated the impact of childhood trauma on brain structure linked to later posttraumatic dysfunction. We investigated the effect of childhood trauma on white matter microstructure after recent trauma and its relationship with future posttraumatic dysfunction among trauma-exposed adult participants (nā€‰=ā€‰202) recruited from emergency departments as part of the AURORA Study.

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Introduction: Fewer than 10% of individuals who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survive with good neurologic function. Bystander CPR more than doubles the chance of survival, and telecommunicator-CPR (T-CPR) during a 9-1-1 call substantially improves the frequency of bystander CPR.

Objective: We examined the barriers to initiation of T-CPR.

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Objective/introduction: Ketamine is an opioid-alternative used for analgesia in the prehospital setting. There are knowledge gaps regarding its use during emergency medical services (EMS) encounters for pediatric patients. Our objective was to compare pain reduction, adverse events, and prehospital deaths between ketamine and opioids when used for analgesia administered by any route among pediatric patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • There are differences in how different racial and ethnic groups experience stress and resources that can affect their brains, especially the amygdala, which helps process fear and trauma.
  • A study with 283 participants looked at how their brains reacted to scary and neutral faces after trauma, finding that Black and Hispanic people had different brain connections compared to White people.
  • The results suggest that these differences in brain activity and responses to stress may influence how likely someone is to develop PTSD after experiencing traumatic events.
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Importance: Adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae after traumatic stress exposure are common and have higher incidence among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Pain, depression, avoidance of trauma reminders, reexperiencing trauma, anxiety, hyperarousal, sleep disruption, and nightmares have been reported. Wrist-wearable devices with accelerometers capable of assessing 24-hour rest-activity characteristics are prevalent and may have utility in measuring these outcomes.

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Introduction: Ketamine is an emerging alternative sedation agent for prehospital management of agitation, yet research is limited regarding its use for children. Our objective was to compare the effectiveness and safety of ketamine and benzodiazepines when used for emergent prehospital sedation of pediatric patients with behavioral emergencies.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 9-1-1 EMS records from the 2019-2020 ESO Data Collaborative research datasets.

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Aims: Childhood adversities (CAs) predict heightened risks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE) among people exposed to adult traumatic events. Identifying which CAs put individuals at greatest risk for these adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) is important for targeting prevention interventions.

Methods: Data came from = 999 patients ages 18-75 presenting to 29 U.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed the posttraumatic neuropsychiatric symptoms experienced by over 2,000 survivors of motor vehicle collisions, focusing on ten key symptom areas such as pain, depression, and anxiety.
  • Researchers utilized smartphone surveys over two months to track symptom trajectories and found that adverse symptoms were common immediately after the trauma, with many shared risk factors across different symptom domains.
  • The findings highlight the importance of screening for multiple symptoms in individuals with a single diagnosis and suggest that a multidimensional approach to understanding these symptoms is beneficial for recovery.
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  • The study aimed to create and validate a quick bedside tool that helps identify patients at high risk for long-term posttraumatic stress symptoms following a car accident.
  • Researchers collected data from over 1,500 adults who had been treated in emergency departments after such trauma, ultimately focusing on an 8-question tool that assesses various risk factors.
  • The tool showed good effectiveness in predicting significant posttraumatic stress symptoms, but further research and validation are needed to enhance its accuracy and usefulness in public health interventions.
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