Military medicine
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Airway compromise is the second leading cause of potentially survivable death on the battlefield. The purpose of this study was to better understand wartime prehospital airway patients. ⋯ In the R2D, airway intervention was associated with increased odds of mortality, although this was not statistically significant. Other patients had higher odds of undergoing an airway intervention than U.S. military. Awareness of these findings will facilitate training and equipment for future management of prehospital/prolonged field care airway interventions.
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The goal of the current study was to characterize the rate and estimate associated mortality and morbidity of exertional heat stroke (EHS) in U.S. military service members. ⋯ EHS is aggressively identified and treated in U.S. Military Treatment Facilities. Mortality and morbidity were strikingly low.
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Malaria is classified as a top-tier infectious disease threat associated with a high risk for mortality among U. S. service members deployed overseas. As malarial drug resistance degrades the efficacy of current gold standard drugs for malarial prophylaxis and treatment, it is vitally important to maintain a robust drug pipeline to discover and develop improved, next-generation antimalarial prevention and treatment tools. ⋯ Partnerships with industry are a crucial part of USAMMDA's medical product development strategy, by leveraging their drug development experience and manufacturing capabilities to achieve licensure and commercial availability. Additionally, these partnerships capitalize on expertise in the commercial market and help ensure that USAMMDA successfully translates a Department of Defense capability gap into a commercially available product. This article will highlight the strategies used to move this critical antimalarial drug through the development pipeline.
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This study develops and demonstrates an analysis approach to understand the statistics of cumulative pressure exposure of the brain to repetitive blasts events. ⋯ Statistical convergence of the brain pressure response metrics versus number of blasts for different exposures characterizes the transitions from "low" to "high" number of blasts and quantitatively highlights the differences between operational and training exposures.
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First responders and those who work with organophosphate (OP) compounds can experience ocular symptoms similar to those caused by exposure to low levels of nerve agents. This study was designed to examine the efficacy of a safe, clinically available, simulant that reproduces ocular symptoms associated with low-level OP exposure. Among these ocular symptoms are a constriction of the pupils (miosis), decreased visual acuity, and changes in accommodation. ⋯ 2% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution can safely simulate major ocular symptoms of OP exposure for behavioral research studies for at least 60 minutes.