Military medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Helping High School-Aged Military Dependents With Autism Gain Employment Through Project SEARCH + ASD Supports.
Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face high rates of unemployment, with unique challenges for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. This paper reports preliminary findings from Year One of a randomized waitlist controlled trial investigating the efficacy of the Project SEARCH + ASD Supports (PS + ASD) intervention model for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. ⋯ Initial results are promising and suggest that the PS + ASD model may help to meet the transition needs of military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD and the employment needs of local military communities.
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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).
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are commonly seen among military service members (SM) and Veterans. We explored correlates of award of MSK-related service-connected disability benefits (SCDB) among SM seeking care in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. ⋯ Although active duty SM with disability separations were more likely to receive MSK-related service-connected disability ratings in the VA, those with normal separations also received such awards. Identifying those at highest risk for MSK-related disability could lead to improved surveillance and prevention strategies in the Department of Defense and VA health care systems to prevent further damage and disability.
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Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) is the execution of prehospital trauma skills in the combat environment. TCCC was recognized by the 2018 Department of Defense Instruction on Medical Readiness Training as a critical wartime task. This study examines the training, understanding, and utilization of TCCC principles and guidelines among US Army medical providers and examines provider confidence of medics in performing TCCC skills. ⋯ <60% of respondents expressed confidence in the ability of the medics to perform all TCCC skills. Supervising providers who that believed 80 to 100% of their medics had completed TCCC training had more confidence in their medic's TCCC abilities. With TCCC, a recognized lifesaver on the battlefield, continued training and utilization of TCCC concepts are paramount for deploying personnel.
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The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of donor-cell-derived myogenesis achieved by a novel surgical technique known as Minimally Invasive Muscle Embedding (MIME). ⋯ In MIME-treated muscles, 22% ± 7% and 78% ± 7% muscle fibers were RFP+ and GFP+, respectively (mean ± standard deviation); and all RFP+ fibers were positive for desmin and dystrophin. Conclusion. We conclude that MIME helps generate muscle fibers of donor origin, in host muscle.