Military medicine
-
We explore disparities in awarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) service-connected disability benefits (SCDB) to veterans based on gender, race/ethnicity, and misconduct separation. ⋯ Despite being diagnosed with PTSD at similar rates to their referent categories, females and Black veterans are less likely to receive PTSD disability awards. Other racial/ethnic minorities and those with misconduct separations were more likely to receive PTSD diagnoses and awards. Further study is merited to explore variation in awarding SCDB.
-
Proper jump-landing neuromuscular control is crucial in mitigating lower-extremity musculoskeletal injuries. The presence of fatigue, especially in extreme environments, may degrade dynamic postural stability (DPS) and result in lower-extremity injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of moderate intensity exercise in hot (HOT) and temperate (TEMP) ambient temperatures and residual effects of a previous bout on DPS during a single-legged jump-landing. It was hypothesized that the participants would display worse DPS after HOT compared to TEMP. ⋯ The DPS decrements varied between subjects suggesting individual-specific etiology. Repeated bouts of exercise in HOT may place an individual at a greater risk for injury than TEMP if proper prevention strategies are not used.
-
Prompt and effective combat casualty care is essential for decreasing morbidity and mortality during military operations. Similarly, accurate documentation of injuries and treatments enables quality care, both in the immediate postinjury phase and the longer-term recovery. This article describes efforts to prototype a Military Medic Smartphone (MMS) for use by combat medics and other health care providers who work in austere environments. ⋯ The widespread deployment of this type of device will enable more effective health care, limit the impact of battlefield injuries, and save lives.
-
Service members are exposed to ambient airborne pollutants that have been linked to adverse health effects; however, capabilities to identify and characterize exposures across multi-domain operations are currently lacking. Occupational and environmental exposure monitoring is problematic because there is not a single simple solution, and current technological limitations suggest that simultaneous deployment of multiple devices may be the most effective near-term strategy. ⋯ Evolving technologies and data management strategies may advance personal exposure monitoring in the future. These new devices and methods will likely supplant current technologies, while still using the programmatic and data framework established with early implementation of current commercial off the shelf devices.
-
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer detected for women, and while our ability to treat breast cancer has improved substantially over the years, recurrence remains a major obstacle. Standard screening for new and recurrent breast cancer involves clinical breast imaging. However, there is no clinically approved noninvasive body fluid test for the early detection of recurrent breast cancer. Materials and Method: In this study, we analyzed serum samples from both recurrent and nonrecurrent breast cancer patients by different proteomics methods to identify biomarkers in patients with recurrence of disease. ⋯ Our data indicated that the epigenetic regulation of inflammatory processes plays a critical role in breast cancer recurrence. The identified proteins could lay the groundwork for the development of a serum-based breast cancer recurrence assay.