Military medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Acute Hearing Deficits associated with Weapons Exposure in Section 734 Blast Overpressure Study (BOS).
This prospective, multi-site, observational study describes ongoing efforts in support of the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Section 734 Blast Overpressure Study (BOS) to identify the acute effects impulse and blast exposure have on hearing abilities of the Warfighter in various military training environments. ⋯ Recent discussions on Section 734 studies examining the effects of repetitive blast exposure have indicated that hearing-related issues were a critical problem that needed additional research. Study outcomes provide highly repeatable results across various weapons systems with hazardous blast exposure. This standardized set of hearing assessment tools for evaluating acute effects of noise under field conditions has been critically important in improving our understanding of TTS in prospective human subject research.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Relation of Aerobic Activity to Cognition and Well-being in Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A LIMBIC-CENC Study.
Because chronic difficulties with cognition and well-being are common after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and aerobic physical activity and exercise (PAE) is a potential treatment and mitigation strategy, we sought to determine their relationship in a large sample with remote mTBI. ⋯ An association between the aerobic activity level and the preselected primary cognitive performance outcome was not demonstrated using this study sample and methods. However, higher aerobic activity levels were associated with better subjective well-being. This supports a clinical recommendation for regular aerobic exercise among persons with chronic or remote mTBI. Future longitudinal analyses of the exercise-cognition relationship in chronic mTBI populations are recommended.
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Multicenter Study
Quasi-experimental Controlled Study on the Effect of Autism Resource Clinic Guardian Attendance at a Military Treatment Facility.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that requires multidisciplinary care. Evidence-based practice indicates that early intervention may improve long-term ASD outcomes. The Autism Resource Clinic (ARC) provides an educational session for guardians empowering them to build a personalized ASD team for their child. We examined the impact of guardian attendance of an ARC at a Military Treatment Facility on time to initiation of patient services and guardian stress level. ⋯ Although ARC did not influence time to initiation of patient services or guardian stress level, attendance of ARC was associated with more frequent use of Applied Behavioral Analysis services and county early intervention services. This pilot study is unique as it targets guardians of ASD patients within military treatment facilities. Study limitations include data collection during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, sequential evaluation of experimental and control groups, sample size and generalizability. A large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial is required to better assess the impact of this educational opportunity among military populations.