Military medicine
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Comparative Study
Severe lung contusion and death after high-velocity behind-armor blunt trauma: relation to protection level.
The most-used safety recommendation for protective vests is that the impact should not cause more than a 44-mm impression in plasticine. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this criterion was sufficient if the vest was exposed to a high-velocity projectile. We tested the hypothesis with pigs divided into a 40-mm group (n = 10) and a 34-mm group (n = 8) protected by a vest allowing a 40-mm or 34-mm impression in plasticine, respectively. ⋯ We observed severe lung hematoma, impaired circulation, desaturation, and electroencephalogram changes. These effects were more aggravated in the 40-mm group compared to the 34-mm group. Based on our results, the overall judgment is that the safety criterion of 44-mm impression is insufficient when a vest is exposed to a high-velocity projectile.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of experiences of training emergency care in military exercises and competences among conscript nurses with different levels of education.
The military emergency care education of nurses is primarily concerned with the treatment of soldiers with combat-related injuries. Even though great progress has been made in military medicine, there is still the pedagogical question of what emergency care education for military nurses should contain and how it should be taught. The aim of this study was to describe and compare experiences of training emergency care in military exercises among conscript nurses with different levels of education. ⋯ There were statistical differences between nurses with general nursing education and nurses with a general nursing education and supplementary education. A reasonable implication of the differences is that the curriculum must be designed differently depending on the educational background of the students. Hence, there is an interaction between background characteristics, e.g., the level of previous education and differences pertaining to clinical experience of the participants, and the impact of the exercise itself.
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We are studying associations between selected biomarkers and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder among military personnel. To assess potential diagnostic misclassification and to estimate the date of illness onset, we reviewed medical records for a subset of cases. ⋯ High levels of agreement between investigators and database diagnoses indicate that diagnostic misclassification is unlikely. Discharge procedure initiation date provides a suitable surrogate for disease onset.