O38 Variations in orthopedic trauma presentation during COVID-19 lockdown

Introduction The first national lockdown was imposed in Ireland from 27th March 2020, to combat the spread of Coronavirus. All non-essential travel, businesses, sporting activities and schools were closed. The elderly were advised to cocoon. The roadmap to easing the restrictions started in May. The lockdown measures resulted in people spending more time indoors, with impact on social and personal wellbeing. This had the potential to increase alcohol consumption, self inflicted injuries and neglect. The purpose of our study is to analyze the variations in orthopedic trauma presentations during the pandemic compared to similar period in 2018 and 2019. Method Retrospective data was collected from Orthopedic theatre registry of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland. Patients operated by orthopedic trauma team in three months period (March, April & May) in 2018, 2019 and 2020 were selected for analysis and comparison. Result Total number of surgeries performed in March-May 2018, 2019 and 2020 were 551, 505 and 373 showing a significant reduction in 2020 as compared to previous years. Trauma surgeries performed on children in March-May 2018,2019 and 2020 were 132,131 and 90 respectively, showing a similar downward trend. Surgeries were further categorized into Major +, Major, Intermediate and Minor according to their level of complexity. Although there was a significant reduction seen in Major, Intermediate and Minor surgeries, no significant difference was observed in Major + surgeries (73 in March-May 2020 vs. 79 in March-May 2019 and 57 in March-May 2018). Conclusion Significant reduction was seen in overall trauma surgeries which is attributable to lockdown measures. The difference in trend between Major + and other categories of surgeries can be explained by the reduction in sporting injuries and injuries in children whereas no significant difference was noted in hip fractures.

Increased alcohol consumption in rats after subchronic antidepressant treatment

The use of antidepressants for alcoholism in humans has been a matter of controversy in recent years. Despite the existence of an important co-morbidity for depression and alcoholism, some studies suggest that the use of antidepressants could worsen the prognosis of alcoholism. However, there is a lack of studies in animal models exploring this phenomenon. In the present study, we show how the 15-d treatment with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) or venlafaxine (50 mg/kg) affected alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) and subsequent alcohol consumption. Initially, fluoxetine reduced ADE and venlafaxine did not affect it. However, in the following days, both antidepressants increased alcohol consumption, an effect that was found to last at least 5 wk. Fluoxetine treatment was shown to cause a locomotor sensitized response to a challenge dose of amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg), indicating the presence of a supersensitive dopaminergic transmission. In summary, antidepressant treatment may increase alcohol consumption in rats after a period of alcohol deprivation and this could be related to alterations in the reward circuitry. This finding confirms in an animal model previous reports in humans that may limit the use of antidepressants for alcoholism.

Are Big-Time Sports a Threat to Student Achievement?

We consider the relationship between collegiate football success and non-athlete student performance. We find that the team's success significantly reduces male grades relative to female grades, and only in fall quarters, which coincides with the football season. Using survey data, we find that males are more likely than females to increase alcohol consumption, decrease studying, and increase partying in response to the success of the team. Yet, females also report that their behavior is affected by athletic success, suggesting that their performance is likely impaired but that this effect is masked by the practice of grade curving. (JEL I21, L83)