Military medicine
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There is mounting evidence of respiratory problems related to military service in the Middle East in the past two decades due to environmental exposures during deployment (eg, sand storms and burn pits). This pilot study tests the hypothesis that regional lung function in subjects with prior deployment in Iraq and/or Afghanistan with suspected War Lung Injury (WLI) would be worse than subjects with normal lung function. ⋯ This is consistent with our premise that WLI results in abnormal lung function and reflects small airways dysfunction and suggests that we may be able to provide a more sensitive tool for evaluation of WLI suspected cases.
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the effects of obesity on health are a concern for the military as they affect the fitness to serve of active service members, increase costs to the Military Health System, and reduce quality of life for veterans and beneficiaries. Although obesity can be influenced by behavioral and environmental factors, it has also been shown to be associated with genetic risk factors that are not fully understood. ⋯ the finding of an association between rs11670527 and BMI adds to the growing body of literature characterizing the complex genetics of obesity. These efforts may eventually inform personalized interventions aimed at achieving and maintaining healthy weight.
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Leptospirosis is a global zoonotic disease spread through contact with contaminated water/soil. The US soldiers at the military bases in these countries are extremely vulnerable, as most of them are immunologically naïve to the responsible pathogen. No recent sero-epidemiological data of leptospirosis among US Marines stationed in Japan were available. ⋯ The 5% rate of seroconversion in 2013 and 2014 suggests that leptospirosis is a potential threat for Marines in the endemic region in Japan.
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Musculoskeletal overuse injuries are a serious problem in the military, particularly in basic combat training, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost because of limited duty days, medical treatment, and high rates of reinjury. Injury risk models have been developed using peripheral computed tomography (pQCT)-based injury correlates. However, pQCT image capture on large number of recruits is not practical for military settings. Thus, this article presents a method to derive spatial density pQCT images from much lower resolution but more accessible dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). ⋯ High potential exists to create a practical protocol using DXA in place of pQCT to assess stress fracture risk and aid in mitigating musculoskeletal injuries seen in military recruits.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered a signature injury from the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the year 2000, over 370,000 U.S. active duty service members have been diagnosed with TBI. Although prior research has shown that even mild forms of TBI are associated with impaired cognitive performance, it is not clear which facets of cognition (computation, memory, reasoning, etc.) are impacted by injury. ⋯ In this population, cognitive impairments associated with TBI influenced performance requiring working memory and basic neural processing (speed/efficiency).