The diagnostic and prognostic utility of the dual-task tandem gait test for pediatric concussion

Background:The tandem gait test has gained interest recently for assessment of concussion recovery.The purpose of our study was to determine the prognostic and diagnostic use of the single-and dual-task tandem gait test,alongside other clinical measures,within 10 days of pediatric concussion.Methods:We assessed 126 patients post-concussion(6.3§2.3 days post-injury,mean§SD)at a pediatric sports medicine clinic and compared them to 58 healthy controls(age:15.6§1.3 years;43%female).We also compared the 31 patients with concussion who developed persistent post-concussion symptoms(PPCS)(age=14.9§2.0 years;48%female)to the 81 patients with concussion who did not develop PPCS following the initial assessment(age:14.1§3.0 years;41%female).All subjects completed a test battery,and concussion patients were monitored until they experienced concussion-symptom resolution.The test battery included tandem gait(single-task,dual-task(performing tandem gait while concurrently completing a cognitive test)conditions),modified Balance Error Scoring System(mBESS),and concussion symptom assessment(Health and Behavior Inventory).We defined PPCS as symptom resolution time>28 days post-concussion for the concussion group.Measurement outcomes included tandem gait time(single-and dual-task),dual-task cognitive accuracy,mBESS errors(single/double/tandem stances),and symptom severity.Results:The concussion group completed the single-task(mean difference=9.1 s,95%confidential interval(95%CI):6.1-12.1)and dual-task(mean difference=12.7 s,95%CI:8.7
16.8)tandem gait test more slowly than the control group.Compared to those who recovered within 28 days of concussion,the PPCS group had slower dual-task tandem gait test times(mean difference=7.9 s,95%CI:2.0-13.9),made more tandem-stance mBESS errors(mean difference=1.3 errors,95%CI:0.2-2.3),and reported more severe symptoms(mean difference=26.6 Health and Behavior Inventory rating,95%CI:21.1-32.6).Conclusion:Worse dual-task tandem gait test time and mBESS tandem stance performance predicted PPCS in pediatric patients evaluated within 10 days of concussion.Tandem gait assessments may provide valuable information augmenting common clinical practices for concussion management.     

Subjectivity and Schooling in a Longitudinal Study of Secondary Students

This article addresses the question of how to interpret the relation between the production of subjectivity and the effects of different forms of schooling. Two kinds of problem are explored. The first is the immediate empirical and historical one of understanding how gender and class subjectivity takes shape and is embodied by Australian secondary-school students. This is investigated through close readings of interviews with two young people who are participants in a qualitative, longitudinal study of Australian secondary-school students—the '12 to 18 Project'. The article thus examines the developmental and longitudinal aspect of identity formation, and addresses the impact of feminism on gender change. The second problem is how to theorise the subjectivity schooling relation, and this is explored through an analysis of the interactions between individual biographies and the aspirations and discursive practices of different schools. After considering some contemporary approaches to subjectivity, the discussion proposes a return to Bourdieu's notions of habitus and social field and, through an analysis of the two case studies, illustrates how habitus is formed over time.     

Pupils' Voices on Achievement: An alternative to the standards agenda

Raising achievement has become a public issue, with policy strategies focused on target setting. Pupil performance is seen as an indicator of school success; the pupils' perceptions of school life find little place in the standards discourse. A study of under-achievement included group interviews with pupils in the early years of secondary school in Scotland. School experience emerged as a social rather than a pedagogic experience, with instrumental goals and arbitrary criteria. Comparative monitoring of performance and conformity with peer norms shaped pupils' perceptions of achievement. Relationships with teachers were characterised by the absence of a discourse about learning. The study underlined the importance of listening to the pupil's voice in school in order to focus on learning rather than on performance and 'standards' of achievement.     

Distinct Profiles of Relationships With Mothers,Fathers, and Best Friends and Social-Behavioral Functioning in Early Adolescence: A Cross-Cultural Study

Adolescents’ dyadic relationships are likely influenced by the cultural context within which they exist. This study applied a person-oriented approach to examine how perceived support and negativity were manifested across youths’ relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends, simultaneously, and how distinct relationship profiles were linked to adaptive and maladaptive functioning (aggression, anxious-withdrawal, prosociality) within and across cultures. Participants resided in metropolitan areas of South Korea, the United States, and Portugal (10–14 years; N = 1,233). Latent profile analyses identified relationship profiles that were culturally common or specific. Additional findings highlighted commonality in the relations between a high-quality relationship profile and adaptive functioning, as well as cultural specificity in the buffering and differential effects of distinct relationship profiles on social-behavioral outcomes.     

Breast pain affects the performance of elite female athletes

ABSTRACT

Although breast pain is problematic for many active women, no published research has investigated breast pain experienced by elite female athletes. This study aimed to examine the extent that mastalgia and exercise-induced breast pain affected the sporting performance of elite female athletes during training and competition. A custom-designed online survey with questions related to sport participation, as well as the frequency, severity and perceived performance effects of mastalgia and exercise-induced breast pain, was distributed to sporting organisations, coaches, medical staff and teams/clubs throughout Australia. Five hundred and forty female athletes competing nationally or internationally across 49 different sports participated in the survey. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported experiencing breast pain associated with their menstrual cycle and 33% reported that this pain worsened during activity. Forty-four percent of athletes reported experiencing exercise-induced breast pain during training or competition. Both types of breast pain were also reported to negatively affect sporting performance (20% and 32%, respectively). Mastalgia associated with the menstrual cycle and exercise-induced breast pain should be acknowledged as potential problems affecting the sporting performance of elite female athletes. Awareness around the impact of breast pain and the development and implementation of breast pain management strategies are essential for this population.