Injury incidence and burden during senior inter-provincial field hockey tournaments.

Background: Field hockey is an Olympic sport played internationally and in which South Africa is a participating nation. It also has its own world cup. Few injury studies have been published on South African field hockey. Research efforts should increase within the sport to ensure safe participation and mitigate the inherent injury risks. Objectives: The objective of the study was to attend the male and female inter-provincial field hockey tournaments in South Africa and determine the incidence of injury and burden of acquired sport injuries (time-loss and medical attention). Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, longitudinal study, including 133 females and 139 males, was conducted. Participants completed baseline questionnaires prior to the tournament and post-match questionnaires detailing injuries during the tournament. Results: The recorded injuries were 77.9 (females) and 99.5 (males) per 1 000 player match hours. Medical attention was 51.9 (females) and 70.3 (males) injuries per 1 000 player match hours. The result for time-loss injuries was 4.3 (females) and 7.5 (males) injuries per 1 000 player match hours. Discussion: The study found high incidence rates of all injuries and medical attention injuries; however, the incidence of time-loss injuries was low in comparison to existing literature. Comparing current results to existing literature is challenging due to the heterogeneity of methodologies and injury definitions in field hockey research. Conclusion: This was the largest observational study in field hockey conducted in South Africa. The international sporting body should establish a consensus for future research and the South African Hockey Association explore long-term surveillance in South Africa to mimic similar national codes.

Photochemical inactivation of viruses and bacteria in platelet concentrates by use of a novel psoralen and long-wavelength ultraviolet light.

BACKGROUND: A photochemical treatment process has been developed for the inactivation of viruses and bacteria in platelet concentrates. This process is based on the photochemical reaction of a novel psoralen, S-59, with nucleic acids upon illumination with long-wavelength ultraviolet light (UVA, 320-400 nm). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: High levels of pathogens were added to single-donor platelet concentrates containing 3 to 5 x 10(11) platelets in 300 mL of 35-percent autologous plasma and 65-percent platelet additive solution. After treatment with S-59 (150 microM) and UVA (0-3 J/cm2), the infectivity of each pathogen was measured with established biologic assays. In vitro platelet function after photochemical treatment was evaluated during 7 days of storage by using a panel of 14 assays. The in vivo recovery and life span of photochemically treated platelets were evaluated after 24 hours of storage in a primate transfusion model. RESULTS: The following levels of pathogen inactivation were achieved: >10(6.7) plaque-forming units (PFU) per mL of cell-free human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), >10(6.6) PFU per mL of cell-associated HIV, >10(6.8) infectious dose (ID50) per mL of duck hepatitis B virus (a model for hepatitis B virus), >10(6.5) PFU per mL of bovine viral diarrhea virus (a model for hepatitis C virus), >10(6.6) colony-forming units of Staphylococcus epidermidis, and >10(5.6) colony-forming units of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Expression of integrated HIV was inhibited by 0.1 microM S-59 and 1 J per cm2 of UVA. In vitro and in vivo platelet function were adequately maintained after antiviral and antibacterial treatment. CONCLUSION: Photochemical treatment of platelet concentrates offers the potential for reducing transfusion-related viral and bacterial diseases.