Slow Burns: A Qualitative Study of Burn Pit and Toxic Exposures Among Military Veterans Serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Throughout the Middle East.

During deployment to the Persian Gulf War and Southwest Asia theatre of operations, Veterans often experienced various hazards, foremost being open-air burn pits and oil well fires. While over 23 presumptive conditions (ranging from brain cancer, interstitial lung disease, and lymphomas to sleep/mood disorders, depression, and cognitive impairment) have been studied in connection with their military-related exposures, there is a paucity of qualitative research on this topic. This is especially true in the context of explanatory models and health belief systems, vis-à-vis underlying social and cultural factors.

Augment bone graft products compare favorably with autologous bone graft in an ovine model of lumbar interbody spine fusion.

Study Design: This study was designed to determine whether Augment Bone Graft (Augment, Biomimetic Therapeutics, Inc., Franklin, TN) and Augment Injectable Bone Graft (Augment Injectable, Biomimetic Therapeutics, Inc., Franklin, TN), 2 combination devices comprising recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB and β-tricalcium phosphate-containing matrices, promote bone bridging in an ovine model of lumbar spine fusion.

Microanatomy of the mandibular symphysis in lizards: patterns in fiber orientation and Meckel's cartilage and their significance in cranial evolution.

Although the mandibular symphysis is a functionally and evolutionarily important feature of the vertebrate skull, little is known about the soft-tissue morphology of the joint in squamate reptiles. Lizards evolved a diversity of skull shapes and feeding behaviors, thus it is expected that the morphology of the symphysis will correspond with functional patterns. Here, we present new histological data illustrating the morphology of the joint in a number of taxa including iguanians, geckos, scincomorphs, lacertoids, and anguimorphs.