Injury severity of pedestrian crashes in Singapore

Singapore is a highly urbanized city-state country where walking is an important mode of travel. Pedestrians form about 25% of road fatalities every year, making them one of the most vulnerable road user groups in Singapore. Engineering measures like provision of overhead pedestrian crossings and raised zebra crossings tend to address pedestrian safety in general, but there may be occasions where pedestrians are particularly vulnerable so that targeted interventions are more appropriate. The objective of this study is to identify factors and situations that affect the injury severity of pedestrians involved in traffic crashes. Six years of crash data from 2003 to 2008 containing around four thousands pedestrian crashes at roadway segments were analyzed. Injury severity of pedestrians—recorded as slight injury, major injury and fatal—were modeled as a function of roadway characteristics, traffic features, environmental factors and pedestrian demographics by an ordered probit model. Results suggest that the injury severity of pedestrians involved in crashes during night time is higher indicating that pedestrian visibility during night is a key issue in pedestrian safety. The likelihood of fatal or serious injuries is higher for crashes on roads with high speed limit, center and median lane of multi-lane roads, school zones, roads with two-way divided traffic type, and when pedestrians cross the roads. Elderly pedestrians appear to be involved in fatal and serious injury crashes more when they attempt to cross the road without using nearby crossing facilities. Specific countermeasures are recommended based on the findings of this study.

Acute hamstring strain injury in track and field athletes : a 3-year observational study at the Penn Relay Carnival

Purpose To observe the incidence rates of hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) across different competition levels and ages during the Penn Relays Carnival. Methods Over a 3-year period all injuries treated by the medical staff were recorded. The type of injury, anatomic location, event in which the injury occurred, competition level and demographic data were documented. Absolute and relative HSI (per 1000 participants) were determined and odds ratios (OR) were calculated between genders, competition levels and events. Results Throughout the study period 48,473 athletes registered to participate in the Penn Relays Carnival, with 118 HSIs treated by the medical team. High school females displayed lesser risk of HSI than high school males (OR = 0.55, p = 0.021), and masters athletes were more likely than high school (OR = 4.26, p < 0.001) and college (OR = 3.55, p = 0.001) level athletes to suffer a HSI. The 4x400m relay displayed a greater likelihood of HSI compared to the 4x100m relay (OR = 1.77, p = 0.008). Conclusions High school males and masters levels athletes are most likely to suffer HSI, and there is higher risk in 400m events compared to 100m events.

Neuromuscular hamstring function in response to intermittent running and previous injury

This thesis examined the impact of previous hamstring injury and fatigue on the function of the hamstring muscles and their neural control. The work established the role of neuromuscular inhibition after hamstring injury and involved the development of a new field testing device for eccentric hamstring strength, which is now in high demand in elite sport worldwide. David has four peer-reviewed publications from this doctoral work.

Comparative study on the protective effects of Yinchenhao Decoction against liver injury induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate and carbon tetrachloride

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the animal model of liver injury that can properly represent the pathological characteristics of dampness-heat jaundice syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS: The liver injury in the model rat was induced by alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4) ) respectively, and the effects of Yinchenhao Decoction (, YCHD), a proved effective Chinese medical formula for treating the dampness-heat jaundice syndrome in clinic, on the two liver injury models were evaluated by analyzing the serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), asparate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), malondialchehyche (MDA), total bilirubin (T-BIL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) as well as the ratio of liver weight to body weight. The experimental data were analyzed by principal component analytical method of pattern recognition. RESULTS: The ratio of liver weight to body weight was significantly elevated in the ANIT and CCl(4) groups when compared with that in the normal control (P<0.01). The contents of ALT and T-BIL were significantly higher in the ANIT group than in the normal control (P<0.05,P<0.01), and the levels of AST, ALT and ALP were significantly elevated in CCl(4) group relative to those in the normal control P<0.01). In the YCHD group, the increase in AST, ALT and ALP levels was significantly reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01), but with no significant increase in serum T-BIL. In the CCl(4) intoxicated group, the MDA content was significantly increased and SOD, GSH-PX activities decreased significantly compared with those in the normal control group, respectively (P<0.01). The increase in MDA induced by CCl(4) was significantly reduced by YCHD P<0.05). CONCLUSION: YCHD showed significant effects on preventing liver injury progression induced by CCl(4), and the closest or most suitable animal model for damp-heat jaundice syndrome may be the one induced by CCl(4).

The effect of varied test instructions on neuropsychological performance following mild traumatic brain injury : an investigation of ‘diagnosis threat’

Diagnosis threat is a psychosocial factor that has been proposed to contribute to poor outcomes following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This threat is thought to impair the cognitive test performance of individuals with mTBI because of negative injury stereotypes. University students (N= 45, 62.2% female) with a history of mTBI were randomly allocated to a diagnosis threat (DT, n=15), reduced threat (DT-reduced, n=15) or neutral (n=15) group. The reduced threat condition invoked a positive stereotype (i.e., that people with mTBI can perform well on cognitive tests). All participants were given neutral instructions before they completed baseline tests of: a) objective cognitive function across a number of domains; b) psychological symptoms; and, c) PCS symptoms, including self-reported cognitive and emotional difficulties. Participants then received either neutral, DT or DT-reduced instructions, before repeating the tests. Results were analyzed using separate mixed model ANOVAs; one for each dependent measure. The only significant result was for the 2 X 3 ANOVA on an objective test of attention/working memory, Digit Span, p<.05, such that the DT-reduced group performed better than the other groups, which were not different from each other. Although not consistent with predictions or earlier DT studies, the absence of group differences on most tests fits with several recent DT findings. The results of this study suggest that it is timely to reconsider the role of DT as a unique contributor to poor mTBI outcome.

Surveillance report on injury deaths in Shouguang, 1993-1997 [寿光市疾病监测点1993～1997年意外死亡报告]

In this rural population, injuries claimed 9% of all deaths and was the 4th cause of death. Injury mortality was much higher among men than that for women. The major injury causes were traffic accidents (39%) and suicide (38%). Traffic accidents were the first injury cause for men but suicide the first cause for women. Abstract in Chinese 为查明我市农村居民意外死亡情况，为制定相应控制措施提供参考，我们对寿光市疾病监测点１９９３～１９９７年的居民意外死亡资料进行了分析。死因分类按国际疾病分类（ＩＣＤ－９）标准，标化死亡率采用１９９０年全国标准人口构成计算。１９９３～１９９７年寿光市疾病...

Comparing outcomes of a school based injury prevention intervention for low-medium risk adolescents with high-risk adoelscents

High-risk adolescents are shown to jeopardise their future social and health functioning as well as placing themselves and others at immediate risk of harm. The challenge of “reaching” high-risk adolescents, who are often marginalised, is considerable. There is a positive relationship between age and risk taking behaviors during adolescence. This study examines outcomes (alcohol use, transport risk behaviors, violence) of a school based intervention (SPIY) by comparing low-medium risk adolescents with high-risk adolescents over a six month period.

An extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 survival pathway mediates resistance of human mesothelioma cells to asbestos-induced injury

We hypothesized that normal human mesothelial cells acquire resistance to asbestos-induced toxicity via induction of one or more epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) - linked survival pathways (phosphoinositol-3-kinase/AKT/ mammalian target of rapamycin and extracellular signal - regulated kinase [ERK] 1/2) during simian virus 40 (SV40) transformation and carcinogenesis. Both isolated HKNM-2 mesothelial cells and a telomerase-immortalized mesothelial line (LP9/TERT-1) were more sensitive to crocidolite asbestos toxicity than an SV40 Tag-immortalized mesothelial line (MET5A) and malignant mesothelioma cell lines (HMESO and PPM Mill). Whereas increases in phosphorylation of AKT (pAKT) were observed in MET5A cells in response to asbestos, LP9/TERT-1 cells exhibited dose-related decreases in pAKT levels. Pretreatment with an EGFR phosphorylation or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 inhibitor abrogated asbestos-induced phosphorylated ERK (pERK) 1/2 levels in both LP9/TERT-1 and MET5A cells as well as increases in pAKT levels in MET5A cells. Transient transfection of small interfering RNAs targeting ERK1, ERK2, or AKT revealed that ERK1/2 pathways were involved in cell death by asbestos in both cell lines. Asbestos-resistant HMESO or PPM Mill cells with high endogenous levels of ERKs or AKT did not show dose-responsive increases in pERK1/ERK1, pERK2/ERK2, or pAKT/AKT levels by asbestos. However, small hairpin ERK2 stable cell lines created from both malignant mesothelioma lines were more sensitive to asbestos toxicity than shERK1 and shControl lines, and exhibited unique, tumor-specific changes in endogenous cell death - related gene expression. Our results suggest that EGFR phosphorylation is causally linkedto pERK and pAKT activation by asbestos in normal and SV40 Tag - immortalized human mesothelial cells. They also indicate that ERK2 plays a role in modulating asbestos toxicity by regulating genes critical to cell injury and survival that are differentially expressed in human mesotheliomas.

Physical activity and health-related quality of life among physiotherapists : a cross sectional survey in an Australian hospital and health service

Background Physiotherapists are a professional group with a high rate of attrition and at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the physical activity levels and health-related quality of life of physiotherapists working in metropolitan clinical settings in an Australian hospital and health service. It was hypothesized that practicing physiotherapists would report excellent health-related quality of life and would already be physically active. Such a finding would add weight to a claim that general physical activity conditioning strategies may not be useful for preventing musculoskeletal disorders among active healthy physiotherapists, but rather, future investigations should focus on the development and evaluation of role specific conditioning strategies. Methods A questionnaire was completed by 44 physiotherapists from three inpatient units and three ambulatory clinics (63.7% response rate). Physical activity levels were reported using the Active Australia Survey. Health-related quality of life was examined using the EQ-5D instrument. Physical activity and EQ-5D data were examined using conventional descriptive statistics; with domain responses for the EQ-5D presented in a frequency histogram. Results The majority of physiotherapists in this sample were younger than 30 years of age (n = 25, 56.8%) consistent with the presence of a high attrition rate. Almost all respondents exceeded minimum recommended physical activity guidelines (n = 40, 90.9%). Overall the respondents engaged in more vigorous physical activity (median = 180 minutes) and walking (median = 135 minutes) than moderate exercise (median = 35 minutes) each week. Thirty-seven (84.1%) participants reported no pain or discomfort impacting their health-related quality of life, with most (n = 35,79.5%) being in full health. Conclusions Physical-conditioning based interventions for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders among practicing physiotherapists may be better targeted to role or task specific conditioning rather than general physical conditioning among this physically active population. It is plausible that an inherent attrition of physiotherapists may occur among those not as active or healthy as therapists who cope with the physical demands of clinical practice. Extrapolation of findings from this study may be limited due to the sample characteristics. However, this investigation addressed the study objectives and has provided a foundation for larger scale longitudinal investigations in this field.

Development of an evidence-based framework to guide injury prevention interventions for off-road motorcyclists

There is little research on off-road motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle riders though injury levels are high. This thesis identified formal responsibility for monitoring injuries, targeting young male and recreational riders, promotion of family members as models, and controlled and accessible riding locations as ways to increase safety. These recommendations were based on analysis of Queensland hospitalisation records, rider personal reports and survey responses.

Neutrophil oxidative burst is primed by supernatant from stored red cells : implications for Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI)

Aim/Background: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a potentially fatal adverse transfusion reaction. It is hypothesised to occur via a two-insult mechanism: the recipient’s underlying co-morbidity in addition to the transfusion of blood products activate neutrophils in the lung resulting in damaged endothelium and capillary leakage. Neutrophil activation may occur by antibody or non-antibody related mechanisms, with the length of storage of cellular blood products implicated in the latter. This study investigated non-antibody mediated priming and/or activation of neutrophil oxidative burst. Methods: A cytochrome C reduction assay was used to assess priming and activation of neutrophil oxidative burst by pooled supernatant (SN) from day 1 (D1; n=75) and day 42 (D42; n=113) packed red blood cells (PRBC). Pooled PRBC-SN were assessed in parallel with PAF (priming), fMLP (activating), PAF + fMLP (priming + activating) and buffer only (negative) controls. Cytochrome C reduction was measured over 30min at 37oC (inclusive of 10min priming). Neutrophil activation by PRBC-SN was assessed cf. buffer only and neutrophil priming by PRBC-SN was assessed by co-incubation with fMLP cf. fMLP alone. One-way ANOVA; Newman-Keuls post-test; p<0.05; n=10 independent assays. Results: Neither D1- nor D42- PRBC-SN alone activated neutrophil oxidative burst. In addition, D1-PRBC-SN did not prime fMLP-activated neutrophil oxidative burst. D42-PRBC-SN did, however, prime neutrophils for subsequent activation of oxidative burst by fMLP, the magnitude of response being similar to PAF (a known neutrophil priming agonist). Conclusion: These findings are consistent with the two-insult mechanism of TRALI. Factors released into the SN during PRBC storage contributed to neutrophil priming synergistically with other neutrophil stimulating agonists. This implicates PRBC storage duration as a key factor contributing to non-immune neutrophil activation in the development of TRALI in patients with pre-disposing inflammatory conditions.

Stored blood products augment inflammation in a two-event model of Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI)

Aim/Background TRALI is hypothesised to develop via a two-event mechanism involving both the patieint's underlying morbidity and blood product factors. The storage of cellular products has been implicated in cases of non-antibody mediated TRALI, however the pathophysiological mechanisms are undefined. We investigated blood product storage-related modulation of inflmmatory cells and medicators involved in TRALI. Methods In an in vitro mode, fresh human whole blood was mixed with culture media (control) or LPS as a 1st event and "transfused" with 10% (v/v) pooled supernatant (SN) from Day 1 (d1, n=75) or Day 42 (D42, n=113) packed red blood cells (PRBCs) as a 2nd event. Following 6hrs, culture SN was used to assess the overall inflammatory response (cytometric bead array) and a duplicate assay containing protein transport inhibitor was used to assess neutrophil- and monocyte-specific inflmamatory responses using multi-colour flow cytometry. Panels: IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-1, TNF, MCP-1, IP-10, MIP-1. One-way ANOVA 95% CI. Results In the absence of LPS, exposure to D1 or D42 PRBC-SN reduced monocyte expression of IL-6, IL-8 and Il-10. D42 PRBC-SN also reduced monocyte IP-10, and the overall IL-8 production was increased. In the presence of LPS, D1-PRBC SN only modified overall IP-10 levels which were reduced. However, cf LPS alone, the combination of LPS and D42 PRBC-SN resulted in increased neutrophil and monocyte productionof IL-1 and IL-8 as well as reduced monocyte TNF production. Additionally, LPS and D42 PRBC-SN resulted in overall inflmmatory changes: elevated IL-8,

Can SNOMED CT as implemented in New South Wales, Australia be used for road trauma injury surveillance in emergency departments?

The introduction of Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms (Snomed CT) for diagnosis coding in emergency departments (EDs) in New South Wales (NSW) has implications for injury surveillance abilities. This study aimed to assess the consequences of its introduction, as implemented as part of the ED information system in NSW, for identifying road trauma-related injuries in EDs. It involved a retrospective analysis of road trauma-related injuries identified in linked police, ED and mortality records during March 2007 to December 2009. Between 53.7% to 78.4% of all Snomed CT classifications in the principal provisional diagnosis field referred to the type of injury or symptom experienced by the individual. Of the road users identified by police, 3.2% of vehicle occupants, 6% of motorcyclists, 10.0% of pedal cyclists and 5.2% of pedestrians were identified using Snomed CT classifications in the principal provisional diagnosis field. The introduction of Snomed CT may provide flexible terminologies for clinicians. However, unless carefully implemented in information systems, its flexibility can lead to mismatches between the intention and actual use of defined data fields. Choices available in Snomed CT to indicate either symptoms, diagnoses, or injury mechanisms need to be controlled and these three concepts need to be retained in separate data fields to ensure a clear distinction between their classification in the ED.