Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Health Qual Life Out · Jul 2016
Comparative StudyGerman version, inter- and intrarater reliability and internal consistency of the "Agitated Behavior Scale" (ABS-G) in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
Agitation is frequently observed during early recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Agitated behaviour often interferes with a goal-orientated rehabilitation and can be a substantial hindrance to therapy. Despite the relatively high occurance of agitation in TBI population there is no objective assessement in German (G) available. An existing scale with excellent psychometric properties is the "Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS)" developed by Corrigan in 1989. The aim of the study was to translate the Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS) into German (ABS-G) and investigate the inter- and intrarater reliability and internal consistency in patients with moderate to severe TBI. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the ABS-G is a reliable instrument for evaluating agitation in patients with moderate to severe TBI. Hereby it would be possible to monitor agitation objectively and optimise the management of agitated patients according to international recommendations.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Jul 2016
Effects of controlled cortical impact on the mouse brain vasculome.
Perturbations in blood vessels play a critical role in the pathophysiology of brain injury and neurodegeneration. Here, we use a systematic genome-wide transcriptome screening approach to investigate the vasculome after brain trauma in mice. Mice were subjected to controlled cortical impact and brains were extracted for analysis at 24 h post-injury. ⋯ These findings suggest that microvascular perturbations can be widespread and not necessarily localized to core areas of direct injury per se and may further provide a broader gene network context for existing knowledge regarding inflammation, metabolism, and blood-brain barrier alterations after brain trauma. Further efforts are warranted to map the vasculome with higher spatial and temporal resolution from acute to delayed phase post-trauma. Investigating the widespread network responses in the vasculome may reveal potential mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and biomarkers for traumatic brain injury.
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Alcohol misuse and traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently co-occur. The negative consequences of this interaction are well documented, but the patterns of long-term post-injury alcohol consumption are less clear. This study examined patterns of alcohol use among 170 adults with a history of complicated mild to severe TBI. ⋯ A significant increase in consumption was noted by 6 months post-injury, followed by more gradual increases in alcohol consumption at 1 year. Post-injury alcohol consumption was comparable to the general public at 6 months, 12 months, and 3-5 years post-injury. These results suggest that the first 6 months post-injury may be the critical window of opportunity for alcohol intervention.