Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Oct 2016
Minor Functional Deficits in Basic Response Patterns for Reinforcement following Frontal Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major contributor to numerous psychiatric conditions and chronic behavioral dysfunction. Recent studies in experimental brain injury have begun to adopt operant methodologies to assess these deficits, all of which rely on the process of reinforcement. No studies have directly examined how reinforced behaviors are affected by TBI, however. ⋯ Further, injured rats were specifically impaired at lower response requirements on the progressive ratio. Taken together, these findings indicate that simple reinforced behaviors are mostly unaffected after TBI, except in the case of variable ratio schedules, but the altered performance on the higher-order progressive ratio schedule suggests changes involving motivation or potentially perseveration. These findings validate operant measures of more complex behaviors for brain injury, all of which rely on reinforcement and can be taken into consideration when adapting and developing novel functional assessments.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Oct 2016
Multicenter StudyVariation in seizure prophylaxis in severe pediatric traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic seizure is a major complication following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to determine the variation in seizure prophylaxis in select pediatric trauma centers. The authors hypothesized that there would be wide variation in seizure prophylaxis selection and use, within and between pediatric trauma centers. ⋯ Initial seizure prophylaxis was most commonly with fosphenytoin (47%), followed by phenytoin (40%). CONCLUSIONS While fosphenytoin was the most commonly used medication for seizure prophylaxis, there was large variation within and between trauma centers with respect to timing and choice of seizure prophylaxis in severe pediatric TBI. The heterogeneity in seizure prophylaxis use may explain the previously observed lack of relationship between seizure prophylaxis and outcomes.
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Worldviews Evid Based Nurs · Oct 2016
ReviewSystematic Review of Traumatic Brain Injury and the Impact of Antioxidant Therapy on Clinical Outcomes.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acquired brain injury that occurs when there is sudden trauma that leads to brain damage. This acute complex event can happen when the head is violently or suddenly struck or an object pierces the skull or brain. The current principal treatment of TBI includes various pharmaceutical agents, hyperbaric oxygen, and hypothermia. There is evidence that secondary injury from a TBI is specifically related to oxidative stress. However, the clinical management of TBI often does not include antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and prevent secondary injury. ⋯ By incorporating antioxidant therapies into practice, clinicians can help attenuate the oxidative posttraumatic brain damage and optimize patients' recovery.
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One of the most severe conditions specific to the critically ill polytrauma patient is traumatic brain injury and traumatic spinal cord injury. The mortality rate is high in the case of these patients, both because of the direct traumatic lesions, and because of the pathophysiological imbalances associated with trauma. Amongst the most common pathologies associated with the critically ill polytrauma patients responsible for a lower survival rate, are redox imbalance, systemic inflammatory response, infections, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. ⋯ A new era for biomarkers is represented by the expression of miRNAs. In the case of the critically ill polytrauma patient, using miRNAs' expression as biomarkers for the evaluation and monitoring of the molecular and pathophysiological dysfunctions can bring a range of valuable answers that could contribute to an increased survival rate.
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Review
Group-based delivery of interventions in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: a scoping review.
Whilst there are potential advantages of group-based interventions in rehabilitation, facilitation of groups for patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI) has challenges due to the complexity of impairments experienced. This paper aims to review the literature concerning therapy groups within TBI rehabilitation. ⋯ Studies of the effectiveness of interventions targeting 'real-world' activities and participation-based goals are under-represented in the TBI rehabilitation literature. Further research investigating the effectiveness of group processes and the perceptions of patients and clinicians is warranted to guide clinical practice. Implications for Rehabilitation Group-based interventions are common in TBI rehabilitation, usually targeting cognitive skills and impairments. The majority of studies demonstrated positive changes pre-post group interventions on some outcome measures. Few studies directly compare the outcome of an intervention delivered in a group setting to the same intervention delivered in an individual setting. Patients perceive group interventions to be beneficial for sharing experiences and reducing isolation, receiving help and feedback and, assisting with adjustment and adaptation to life after TBI, however, this research is limited. Greater emphasis on group-delivered interventions that target 'real world' activities, or participation may be beneficial with this population. Further research regarding consumer experiences and processes that facilitate effective group interventions in TBI rehabilitation is recommended.