Military medicine
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Noncompressible torso hemorrhage is the leading cause of exsanguination on the battlefield. A self-expanding, intraperitoneal deployed, thermoreversible foam has been developed that can be easily administered by a medic in austere settings to temporarily tamponade noncompressible torso hemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term safety and physical characteristics of using Fast Onset Abdominal Management (FOAM; Critical Innovations LLC) in swine. ⋯ This study describes the characteristics, survival, and histological analysis of using FOAM in a porcine model. In our study, FOAM reached the desired intra-abdominal pressure endpoint while not significantly altering basic hematologic parameters, except for transient elevations of creatinine and lactate on day 1. Furthermore, there was no clinical or histological relevant evidence of ischemia, necrosis, or intra-abdominal compartment syndrome. These results provide strong support for the safety of the FOAM device and will support the design of further regulatory studies in swine and humans.
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Loneliness is a powerful predictor of several medical and psychiatric conditions that are highly prevalent in Veterans, including depression and PTSD. Despite this, few studies have examined loneliness in Veterans or how best to intervene upon Veteran loneliness. Additional empirical research is needed in these areas in order to define clear intervention targets and improve Veteran care. ⋯ This pilot study demonstrates the value of a publicly available PTSD measure for identifying lonely Veterans and highlights how reducing negative alterations in mood and cognition may serve as a potentially critical target for future Veteran loneliness interventions.
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The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) in wastewater has been proposed as a sentinel surveillance epidemiological tool for detection of infectious disease at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks. We have designed a study to test the presence and quantity of SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for COVID19, in the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) of the U.S. Air Force Academy. ⋯ Together with ongoing syndromic surveillance data, this proof-of-concept study seeks to determine whether early detection of SARS-CoV2 in a closed system WWTF correlates to changes in community and clinically reported COVID19. The well-documented population served by the geographically discrete WWTF at the U.S. Air Force Academy may serve to better elucidate the adjunctive role of wastewater testing in a comprehensive surveillance system. These results may be of particular interest to the DoD and local commanders given the WWTFs under their immediate control and the information that these studies may provide in support of operational readiness through early detection of disease outbreaks.
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Physiological adaptations in military jungle survival training have not yet been studied. Knowledge about the relationship between the insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I)/insulin-like growth factor binding protein type 3 (IGFBP-3) system and survival activities in a jungle environment can improve readiness and prepare Brazilian Air Force cadets for this kind of battlefield. Our goal was to assess changes in body composition and serum concentrations of the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 system in Brazilian Air Force cadets during five-day Amazon rainforest survival training and whether differences in sex influence these variations. ⋯ These findings all suggest that changes in body mass and body fat, as well as variations in the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 system, corroborate the need for military readiness preparation. Equivalent changes in both sexes indicate probable equal recovery intervals after survival training.
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The U. S. military invests substantial resources to vaccinate all personnel, including recruits, against operationally important infectious disease threats. However, research suggests that vaccine immune response and, therefore, vaccine effectiveness may be inadvertently reduced because of chronic and/or acute sleep deficiency experienced by recipients around the time of vaccination. ⋯ Specifically, research should be aimed at understanding the effects of sleep deficiency, as well as vaccine administration schedules, on response to vaccination and clinical protection. Furthermore, knowledge gaps among military medical leadership on sleep, vaccines, and immune health should be assessed. This area of research may benefit the health and readiness of service members while also decreasing health care utilization and associated costs from illness.