Saint Francis University

About: Saint Francis University is a education organization based out in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Osteoblast. The organization has 1694 authors who have published 2038 publications receiving 87149 citations.

High school football injuries: a prospective study and pitfalls of data collection

Abstract: A 4 year prospective study (1982 to 1985) of high school varsity football injuries from the four Peoria high school football teams was undertaken Two hundred fifty-one injuries were recorded among a player population of 598, resulting in an injury rate of 421% per 100 players All of the players followed a prescribed preseason summer conditioning program that was endorsed by the Illinois High School Athletic Association The injuries were recorded on an athletic injury profile and entered into a computer for data analysis and retrieval The injury distribution by player position showed that halfbacks, tackles, linebackers, and guards had a higher risk of injury than other positions The knee was the body part injured most frequently (203%) A matrix of injuries to halfbacks was set up to examine the relationship of body part injured to type of play, time of injury, and activity during injury An anthropometric study using the Quetelet index did not reveal any correlation between injury and body size when the injured players were compared with the non-injured players Experience since 1969 has taught us many of the errors and pitfalls involved in injury surveillance Strict adherence to recording of data will ensure an accurate and useful injury surveillance program

Efficacy and Tolerability of Benzodiazepines for the Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract: The objective of this review is to summarize the available data on the use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic search of 5 major databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and Cochrane Collaboration, yielded a total of 5 RCTs. One study compared diazepam to thioridazine, 1 trial compared oxazepam to haloperidol and diphenhydramine, 1 trial compared alprazolam to lorazepam, 1 trial compared lorazepam to haloperidol, and 1 trial compared intramuscular (IM) lorazepam to IM olanzapine and placebo. The data indicates that in 4 of the 5 studies, there was no significant difference in efficacy between the active drugs to treat the symptoms of BPSD. One study indicated that thioridazine may have better efficacy than diazepam for treating symptoms of BPSD. In 1 study, the active drugs had greater efficacy in treating BPSD when compared to placebo. There was no significant difference between the active drugs in terms of tolerability. However, in 2 of the 5 studies, about a third of the patients were noted to have dropped out of the studies. Available data, although limited, do not support the routine use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of BPSD. But these drugs may be used in certain circumstances where other psychotropic medications are unsafe for use in individuals with BPSD or when there are significant medication allergies or tolerability issues with certain classes of psychotropic medications.

Transforming growth factor β1 inhibits collagenase 3 expression by transcriptional and post‐transcriptional mechanisms in osteoblast cultures

Abstract: Transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 is an autocrine regulator of bone cell function. We demonstrated that TGF β1 enhances bone collagen synthesis, but its effects on collagen degradation are not well characterized. We tested the effects of TGF β1 on rat collagenase 3 expression in cultures of osteoblast-enriched cells from fetal rat calvariae (Ob cells). Treatment with TGF β1 at 0.4 nM decreased steady state collagenase mRNA levels after 2 to 24 h. This dose-dependent effect was observed at TGF β1 concentrations of 4 pM to 1.2 nM, and was accompanied by decreased levels of immunoreactive procollagenase. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide increased collagenase transcripts, but did not prevent the effect of TGF β1 on collagenase mRNA levels. TGF β1 accelerated the decay of collagenase mRNA in transcriptionally arrested Ob cells. In addition, TGF β1 decreased the levels of collagenase heterogeneous nuclear RNA and the rate of collagenase gene transcription in Ob cells. TGF β1 enhanced the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) 1 and 3 and caused a modest decrease of TIMP 2 mRNA levels. In conclusion, TGF β1 decreases interstitial collagenase transcripts and protease levels in Ob cells by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms, and this effect may contribute to its actions on bone matrix. J. Cell. Physiol. 170:145–152, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.