Prevalence and Mortality of Moose (Alces alces) Infected with Elaeophora schneideri in Montana, USA.

Elaeophora schneideri is a filarial nematode of North America that occasionally infects aberrant ruminant hosts such as moose (Alces alces). The role E. schneideri plays in clinical morbidity or mortality of moose remains uncertain. We sampled predominantly hunter-killed adult moose (n=127) to characterize the spatial patterns of prevalence and intensity of worms in carotid arteries of moose in Montana. We compared prevalence and intensity of E. schneideri within these moose to a separate sample of adult moose that died of health-related causes (n=34). We found lower prevalence in northwest Montana (0.06) than in the remainder of the state (0.42). We also found both higher prevalence of E. schneideri and higher intensity to be correlated with increased probability of health-related mortality. Our results suggest presence and intensity of E. schneideri correlate with mortality of moose, although the mechanisms of mortality remain uncertain.

Evidence for Economic Evaluations of Athletic Trainer Services.

OBJECTIVE: Literature suggests athletic trainers (ATs) can help address health needs in a more affordable way across a variety of settings. We aimed to assess if AT services were cost effective when compared with no AT services or services by other health providers. DATA SOURCES: We performed a key word search in 5 databases: MEDLINE (FirstSearch), PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar. We also conducted a generic web search to identify any informal sources that met the eligibility criteria. STUDY SELECTION: We used a comprehensive list of terms to search economic evaluation studies on ATs. Studies that met all the following criteria were included: economic evaluation studies on AT services, original studies written in English, and studies published in the last 10 years (2011 to present). Studies that examined either only costs or only benefits of AT services were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: We extracted data using a predefined checklist that included major components of economic evaluation and data regarding athletic training practice setting. RESULTS: We extracted 5 articles in our review, most of which supported the use of AT services as economically viable. The practice settings studied in the articles were 2 high school settings, 2 military settings, and a community outreach program that included several practice settings. The authors of only 1 study used a standard economic evaluation method and took insurance status into account. CONCLUSIONS: Our review showed that AT services can be a cost-effective option for addressing health care needs. However, the literature remains sparse, and an overall lack of consistency existed in outcome measures, analytical methods, and reporting practices, which reduced the comparability across studies. Authors of future studies on this topic should address these limitations, which will provide critical economic evidence to inform decision making on investing in AT services across various settings.

Habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions during summer in western Montana.

In the Northern Rockies of the United States, predators like wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) have been implicated in fluctuations or declines in populations of game species like elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). In particular, local distributions of these predators may affect ungulate behavior, use of space, and dynamics. Our goal was to develop generalizable predictions of habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions across western Montana. We hypothesized both predator species would select habitat that maximized their chances of encountering and killing ungulates and that minimized their chances of encountering humans. We assessed habitat selection by these predators during summer using within-home range (3rd order) resource selection functions (RSFs) in multiple study areas throughout western Montana, and tested how generalizable RSF predictions were by applying them to out-of-sample telemetry data from separate study areas. Selection for vegetation cover-types varied substantially among wolves in different study areas. Nonetheless, our predictions of 3rd order selection by wolves were highly generalizable across different study areas. Wolves consistently selected simple topography where ungulate prey may be more susceptible to their cursorial hunting mode. Topographic features may serve as better proxies of predation risk by wolves than vegetation cover-types. Predictions of mountain lion distribution were less generalizable. Use of rugged terrain by mountain lions varied across ecosystem-types, likely because mountain lions targeted the habitats of different prey species in each study area. Our findings suggest that features that facilitate the hunting mode of a predator (i.e. simple topography for cursorial predators and hiding cover for stalking predators) may be more generalizable predictors of their habitat selection than features associated with local prey densities.

COMPARISON of LOWER QUARTER Y-BALANCE TEST SCORES for FEMALE COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS BASED on COMPETITION LEVEL, POSITION, and STARTER STATUS.

BACKGROUND: The Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ) is used by sports medicine professionals to measure an athlete's dynamic balance. The YBT-LQ is used by clinicians to track recovery during clinical rehabilitation, assess an athlete's readiness to return to sport after injury, and to identify athletes potentially at-risk for a time-loss injury. Normative data for the YBT-LQ are lacking for female collegiate volleyball (VB) players. The purpose of this study was to examine preseason YBT-LQ scores and their relationships to level of competition, starter status, player position, and prior lower quadrant (i.e., low back and lower extremities) injury history. METHODS: One-hundred thirty-four female collegiate VB players (mean age = 19.3 ± 1.1 years) representing athletes from three levels of competition (D II = 32, D III = 77, NAIA = 25) participated in this study. Athletes reported their prior injury history and performed the YBT-LQ testing protocol. RESULTS: NAIA and D III athletes demonstrated significantly greater reach measures on the YBT-LQ than D II athletes in several directions. Starters demonstrated significantly greater reach measures in five out of eight reach directions. Liberos/defensive specialists/setters demonstrated significantly greater posterolateral and composite reach measures bilaterally. There was no difference in reach measures based on prior history of lower quadrant (low back and lower extremities) injury. CONCLUSION: This study provides normative data for YBT-LQ in female collegiate volleyball players. The data presented in this report may be used by coaches and rehabilitation professionals when evaluating dynamic balance in healthy volleyball players and by clinicians to compare an injured athlete's recovery to norms. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.