Alvernia College

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading medical cause of death in young athletes. Male African American basketball players (MABP) demonstrate particularly elevated risk for SCD. Despite increasing screening and preventative efforts, the incidence of SCD remains elevated in this population. This retrospective analysis of the HeartBytes National Youth Cardiac Registry (2015-2023) aimed to characterize cardiac screening findings, including symptoms, family history, physical exam, and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in MABP compared to other youth athletes undergoing cardiac screening. We secondarily examined referral patterns based on screening results between the two groups. Of 8,303 individuals screened, 200 MABP were identified. MABP were found to have higher rates of chest pain during exercise (10.0% vs. 4.8%, p<0.001), easily tiring with exercise (13.0% vs. 7.0%, p=0.003), and heart murmurs (8.9% vs. 4.4%, p=0.008) when compared to the rest of the population screened. ECG abnormalities, including T-wave inversions (4.0% vs. 0.8%, p<0.001), ST-segment depressions (0.5% vs. 0.05%, p=0.01), and nonspecific ST-T wave changes (2.0% vs. 0.4%, p<0.001), were more prevalent in MABP. However, positive screening rates leading to referral to a cardiologist were similar (3.5% vs. 3.2%, p=0.842) in MABP and the rest of the screened population. In conclusion, MABP exhibited higher rates of concerning cardiac screening findings compared to non-MABP, including symptoms, physical examination findings, and ECG abnormalities, highlighting the need for further investigation into optimizing screening strategies and determining appropriate follow-up in this high-risk group.

People throughout the world have amputations but cannot obtain prosthetic devices. 3D-printing can be a cost-effective tool to create prostheses.

The study's purpose is to examine the impact that a 3D-printed prosthetic hand has on function and quality of life.

This case report collected data from a single subject.

For function and quality of life, the Orthotics Prosthetics Users Surveys (OPUS) Upper Extremity Functional Status (UEFS) and the OPUS Health-Related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL) were completed before and after receiving a 3D-printed prosthetic hand.

The UEFS pre-test score was 31, while post-test was 50. This 19-point difference exceeds the minimal detectable change (MDC) of 14.8, denoting a positive change. The HRQOL pre-test score was 58 and the post-test was 61. Since the MDC for this survey is 7.4, there is no substantial improvement.

Function improved for this participant by nearly two standard deviations, while quality of life was maintained. 3D-printing is a viable, adaptable, and cost-effective alternative that aided the participant's function. This technology in the clinic can meet unique client needs when considering financial limitations or multiple prostheses for growing children.

A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted to explore the experiences of church leaders (10 priests, pastors, and pastors’ wives) who provided disaster spiritual/emotional care (DSEC) to the island of Puerto Rico during a period of intense and repeated crises from 2017 to 2022. Utilizing a narrative inquiry approach, 18 in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed. Findings indicated that the participants engaged in psychological, social, and religious coping strategies to actively cope with the stress and trauma of being first responder rescuer/victims. Regional, cultural and contextual factors are considered in an effort to understand and enhance services to populations where disaster is the new normal.