Articles: function.
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This was an in vivo animal study designed to investigate the interaction between dexamethasone (Dex) and microRNA-204 (miR-204) in a mouse alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization (CNV) model. The function of miR-204 was then investigated in human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) in vitro. ⋯ The role of Dex in attenuating CNV may be partly attributed to miR-204. MiR-204 may be a potential therapeutic target in alkali burn-induced CNV.
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Review Case Reports
An Atypical Cause of Hoarseness in a Patient With Thyroid Nodules.
Hoarseness due to vocal fold paresis (VFP) has a multitude of etiologies including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). During a clinical evaluation of a 58-year-old woman with long-standing hoarseness, an incidental finding of thyroid nodules was found to have VFP. ⋯ The VFP debut of SLE is extremely rare, and a literature review includes a handful of case reports (4 of a total of 37) since 1959. Only partial recovery of laryngeal function using glucocorticoids and Plaquenil was accomplished in the current case.
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Finger amputations can lead to loss of work time and suboptimal function, particularly in the active duty military. There is a paucity of epidemiologic and outcome data for these injuries. The purposes of this study are to define key demographic data pertaining to transphalangeal finger amputations in the U.S. Military and to assess epidemiological data to define risk factors for medical readiness following finger injuries. ⋯ Within a physically high-demand population, traumatic finger amputation can limit duties and may lead to medical separation from service. Traumatic finger amputations are common and often require 6 weeks of restricted short-term disability, particularly in a tobacco-using, young, physically active cohort.
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The goal of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships between sleep consistency and workplace resilience among soldiers stationed in a challenging Arctic environment. ⋯ The study highlights the relationship between seasonality, sleep consistency, and psychological well-being. The results indicate the potential importance of sleep consistency in psychological functioning, suggesting that future work should manipulate factors known to increase sleep consistency to assess whether improved sleep consistency can enhance the well-being of soldiers. Such efforts would be of particular value in an Arctic environment, where seasonality effects are large and sleep consistency is difficult to maintain.
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Low back and lower extremity injuries are responsible for the highest percentage of musculoskeletal injuries in U.S. Army soldiers. Execution of common soldier tasks as well as army combat fitness test events such as the three-repetition maximum deadlift depends on healthy functioning trunk and lower extremity musculature to minimize the risk of injury. To assist with appropriate return to duty decisions following an injury, reliable and valid tests and measures must be applied by military health care providers. Myotonometry is a noninvasive method to assess muscle stiffness, which has demonstrated significant associations with physical performance and musculoskeletal injury. The aim of this study is to determine the test-retest reliability of myotonometry in lumbar spine and thigh musculature across postures (standing and squatting) that are relevant to common soldier tasks and the maximum deadlift. ⋯ Myotonometry can reliably acquire stiffness measures in trunk and lower extremity muscles of healthy individuals in standing and squatting postures. These results may expand the research and clinical applications of myotonometry to identify muscular deficits and track intervention effectiveness. Myotonometry should be used in future studies to investigate muscle stiffness in these body positions in populations with musculoskeletal injuries and in research investigating the performance and rehabilitative intervention effectiveness.