Military medicine
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Phase angle (PhA) determined by bioelectrical impedance (BIA) is related to body fluid balance and cell membrane integrity. Handgrip strength (HGS) is used to assess muscle strength and as an indicator of health. We aimed to determine the relationship between PhA and HGS in healthy young males and to verify whether this relationship is dependent on body components. ⋯ In this sample, PhA showed a small relationship with HGS, remaining dependent on BMC and LST values. These results reinforce the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle with great lean mass and muscle strength values.
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The primary objective of the current study was to assess factors associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation and compliance in a cohort of active duty US military service members (SM). ⋯ HPV vaccination uptake is subpar across all military service branches. Certain subgroups of SMs could be targeted to increase overall HPV vaccine coverage in the US military population.
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Transforming Health and Resilience through Integration of Values-based Experiences (THRIVE) is a complimentary and integrative health program. THRIVE is delivered through shared medical appointments where participants engage in provider-led education and group discussion on wellness-related topics. THRIVE has been associated with improved patient-reported outcomes in a female veteran cohort. This quality improvement study evaluated the association between THRIVE participation and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare costs across a 1 year period. ⋯ In summary, data analysis of veterans' annual healthcare cost trajectories were inconclusive. This preliminary study produced mixed results requiring more research with larger samples and randomized control trial methodology. Evidence of whether the THRIVE intervention can maintain cost effectiveness while maintaining its supported evidence of healthcare quality is needed.
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Cannabis products, including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are increasingly easy to procure and use across the United States. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported a past-month cannabis use rate of 8.6% among adults 26 years of age or older in the U.S. general population. Cannabis use is commonly reported by U.S. Military Veterans with histories of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) receiving services at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH), a specialty interdisciplinary clinic serving this population. The aims of this study are to describe the frequency and characteristics of cannabis product use among Veterans evaluated at MIBH and to compare the rate of cannabis use in this group to that in the general and Veteran populations reported in the 2018 NSDUH. ⋯ Self-reported cannabis use is significantly higher in the MIBH population than in similarly aged individuals in the general population and significantly more frequent among younger than older members of this cohort. Self-reported reasons for cannabis use in this cohort included mTBI-associated neuropsychiatric symptoms, sleep disturbances, and pain for which standard treatments (both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic) provided insufficient relief and/or produced treatment-limiting adverse events. However, cannabis use did not provide sufficient improvement in those symptoms to obviate the need for further evaluation and treatment of those problems at MIBH or to replace, in part or in whole, standard medications and other treatments for those problems. Further study of cannabis use, including standardized individual cannabinoid (i.e., THC and CBD) and whole-plant cannabis preparations, in this and similar cohorts is needed to more fully understand the drivers, benefits, risks, and safety of cannabis use in this and in similar Veteran populations, as well as the potential pharmacological and/or nonpharmacological therapeutic alternatives to cannabis use.
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Moyamoya is a rare and progressive cerebrovascular disease involving collateral small vessel formation associated with intracranial artery narrowing. It is a disease that frequently presents with stroke and transient ischemic attacks and has potential to affect our active duty service members and their families with its bimodal age of onset of 10 and 40. This case report describes a soldier with moyamoya whose diagnosis was unrecognized for over a year after seeing multiple medical providers regarding his symptoms. The goal of this case report is to raise vigilance for this disease as it can cause significant morbidity and mortality with mental decline, recurrent strokes, and death without timely surgery.