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Background: Coaches are pivotal in the management of concussed players. Assessing the knowledge of high school rugby coaches with regard to concussion management will enable relevant future education on this topic to be covered. Objectives: To investigate the knowledge of South African high school rugby coaches on concussion symptom recognition, knowledge and stepwise return-to-play (RTP) protocols. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 143 first team, high school rugby coaches was completed via an electronic questionnaire. Independent variables included coach demographics, qualifications, experience, BokSmart accreditation, and school size. Dependent variables included knowledge scores on concussion symptoms, general concussion knowledge, stepwise RTP and Maddocks questions. Relationships between total scores for different demographic groupings were established using non-parametric techniques. Results: The coaches had high general, symptom and overall concussion knowledge scores (77% - 80%) in contrast with low RTP scores (62%) and very low Maddocks questions knowledge scores (26%). The 35-44-year age group received top scores for symptom recognition (p=0.034) and total concussion knowledge (p=0.041). Larger category school coaches (p=0.008) and BokSmart accredited coaches (p=0.041) outperformed all other coaches in general concussion knowledge and total knowledge, respectively. However, respondents were not familiar with emotional symptoms or the importance of cognitive rest after a concussion. Educational programmes were the most popular knowledge source for coaches. Conclusion: In general, coaches presented with good general concussion knowledge but lesser expertise on emotional symptoms, cognitive rest and RTP management. Modifiable predictors of knowledge included the expansion of BokSmart accreditation, focussing information sessions on smaller rugby size schools and the education of coaches younger than 35 years or older than 45 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated risk factors for severe acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) among hospitalised children 8 months were at greater risk from influenza-associated ICU admissions and long hospital stay. Children with ADV had increased LOS across all ages. In the first 2 years of life, the effects of different viruses on ALRI severity varies with age. Our findings help to identify specific ages that would most benefit from virus-specific interventions such as vaccines and antivirals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticosteroids act as potent anti-inflammatory drugs and have been used in various sport settings for the treatment of both acute and chronic injuries. Basic physiology and mechanisms of action for gluco- and mineralocorticoids are discussed. Methods of administration, the action on the inflammatory response, and potential short and long-term side effects of corticosteroid use are also deliberated. More specifically, corticosteroid use in the treatment and management of sport-related injuries are discussed, elucidating on the ethical boundaries and anti-doping regulations pertaining to corticosteroid use in sports, as well as putting forth suggestions for the use of local steroid injections and their contraindications. In conclusion, it was found that, despite some controversy in the use of corticosteroid treatment in the sports environment, little empirical evidence exists that could conclusively rule for or against its use. It is however clear that, if clinically justified, there is a significant role for corticosteroid treatment in the realm of sports injury and notably with a relatively low risk profile, if administered correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a simultaneous ground- and space-based photometric study of the β Cephei star v Eridani. Half a year of observations have been obtained by four of the five satellites constituting BRITE-Constellation, supplemented with ground-based photoelectric photometry. We show that carefully combining the two data sets virtually eliminates the aliasing problem that often hampers time series analyses. We detect 40 periodic signals intrinsic to the star in the light curves. Despite a lower detection limit, we do not recover all the pressure and mixed modes previously reported in the literature, but we newly detect six additional gravity modes. This behaviour is a consequence of temporal changes in the pulsation amplitudes that we also detected for some of the p modes. We point out that the dependence of theoretically predicted pulsation amplitude on wavelength is steeper in visual passbands than those observationally measured, to the extent that three dominant pulsation modes of v Eridani would be incorrectly identified using data in optical filters only. We discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a simultaneous ground-and space-based photometric study of the β Cephei star ν Eridani. Half a year of observations have been obtained by four of the five satellites constituting BRITE-Constellation, supplemented with ground-based photoelectric photometry. We show that carefully combining the two data sets virtually eliminates the aliasing problem that often hampers time series analyses. We detect 40 periodic signals intrinsic to the star in the light curves. Despite a lower detection limit, we do not recover all the pressure and mixed modes previously reported in the literature, but we newly detect six additional gravity modes. This behaviour is a consequence of temporal changes in the pulsation amplitudes that we also detected for some of the p modes. We point out that the dependence of theoretically predicted pulsation amplitude on wavelength is steeper in visual passbands than those observationally measured, to the extent that three dominant pulsation modes of ν Eridani would be incorrectly identified using data in optical filters only. We discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Athletes need to recover fully to maximise performance in competitive sport. Athletes who replenish more quickly and more efficiently are able to train harder and more intensely. Elite athletes subjectively report positive results using lower body negative pressure (LBNP) treatment as an alternate method for rapid recovery, restoring and improving their impaired physical state. Objective data on the efficacy are lacking. Objectives: To investigate the effect of intermittent vacuum therapy on accelerating acute recovery following an athlete's normal daily training schedule of strenuous exercise. Objective measurements of biological markers of muscular fatigue were used to assess recovery. Methods: Twenty-two male cricket players in a randomised cross-over study were divided into a treatment and control group respectively. Following a one-hour high-intensity gym session, the treatment group received three 30-minute LBNP exposure sessions over three consecutive days (0, 24 and 48 hours). Blood lactate and creatine kinase biomarkers were collected to measure the recovery process. After 14 days groups were crossed over and the trial repeated. Results: Heart rate and blood pressure decreased noticeably during treatment, reverting to baseline levels after treatment. Lactate concentrations decreased in both groups after exercise termination; significantly more in the treatment (0.57±0.23 mmol/l) than control group (0.78±0.22 mmol/l), p<0.001). Creatine kinase (CK) was similar in both groups. Athletes' subjective assessments of recovery rated moderately high. Conclusion: LBNP therapy applied as treatment during routine schedule may have a systemic effect in lowering serum lactate levels, but not CK levels. Enhanced recovery of athletes is still unconfirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Professional mixed martial arts (MMA) has gained international popularity. No African-based studies have reported the prevalence or severity of injuries, risk factors associated with injuries or return-to-play (RTP) time. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of injuries and associated risk factors, as well as severity of injuries sustained by professional male MMA athletes competing at the Extreme Fighting Championships Africa (EFC Africa) from 2010 to 2014. Methods: Permission to do the study and the medical records of all professional events (2010 - 2014) were obtained from EFC Africa. Data were obtained from 173 male competitors aged 18 to 44 years, who had participated in 300 professional MMA fights. Results from this prospective cohort study were compared to a similar study done in the United States of America (USA). An injury was defined as any damage to an athlete's body that needed the attention of the ringside physician. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and a stepwise logistic regression. Odds of an injury were predicted with six independent variables: fight outcome, age, weight division, number of fights, injuries in the preceding fight and years of fighter experience. Results: Head, face and neck injuries were most common (22%), followed by traumatic brain injuries (knockouts) (6%). Losing a fight was a significant predictor of injury when using the stepwise logistic regression model (p=0.040). The odds ratio indicated that a preceding fight injury almost doubled the risk of injury in the following fight (OR 1.91; p= 0.163). Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in this study of African-based competitions (6%) were substantially higher than reported in the American study (1.8%). Conclusion: Head, neck and face injuries are common in African fighters. The high rate of TBIs in African competition compared to the USA study is concerning. This could reflect superior refereeing in the USA group, as fights may be ended sooner by stoppage. Further investigation of injury trends and preventative measures should be studied to reduce the incidence of injuries during African competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]