Evaluation of Three Postal Invitational Strategies to Increase Survey Response Rates in a Combat-Injured U.S. Military Population: Findings From the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project.

The survival rate of those injured in combat in overseas contingency operations is higher than in previous conflicts. There is a need to assess the long-term psychosocial and quality of life outcomes of those injured in combat, yet surveying this population presents inherent challenges. As part of a large-scale, longitudinal examination of patient-reported outcomes of service members injured on deployment, the present manuscript evaluated the effectiveness of three postal strategies on response rates: (1) mailing a study prenotification postcard, (2) mailing the survey invitation in a larger envelope, and (3) including a small cash preincentive ($2).

Preliminary study of hearing protection and non-impact, blast-induced concussion in US military personnel.

Primary Objective: To examine the relationship between hearing protection and non-impact, blast-induced concussion in US military personnel.

Research Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods And Procedures: A total of 501 US service members from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database with hearing protection status reported either 'worn' or 'not worn' were eligible for analysis.

mTOR Inhibition by Everolimus Does Not Impair Closure of Punch Biopsy Wounds in Renal Transplant Patients.

Background: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are approved to prevent allograft rejection and control malignancy. Unfortunately, they are associated with adverse effects, such as wound healing complications that detract from more extensive use. There is a lack of prospective wound healing studies to monitor patients treated with mTOR inhibitors, such as everolimus or sirolimus, especially in nondiabetics.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Among Navy Health Care Personnel Following Combat Deployment.

U.S. Navy health care personnel are exposed to an array of psychological stressors during combat deployment.

Airway Management in Severe Combat Maxillofacial Trauma.

Objectives: Airway stabilization is critical in combat maxillofacial injury as normal anatomical landmarks can be obscured. The study objective was to characterize the epidemiology of airway management in maxillofacial trauma.

Study Design: Retrospective database analysis.

Obesity impairs γδ T cell homeostasis and antiviral function in humans.

Obese patients are susceptible to increased morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases such as influenza A virus. γδ T cells and memory αβ T cells play key roles in reducing viral load by rapidly producing IFN-γ and lysing infected cells. In this article we analyze the impact of obesity on T lymphocyte antiviral immunity.

Characteristics of maxillofacial injuries and safety of in-theater facial fracture repair in severe combat trauma.

The study objectives were to characterize maxillofacial injuries and assess the safety of in-theater facial fracture repair in U.S. military personnel with severe combat trauma from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dwell time and psychological screening outcomes among military service members with multiple combat deployments.

Recent studies have found that longer dwell times, or the period of time between deployments, may be protective against combat-related psychological outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between dwell time and psychological morbidity, while accounting for combat exposure. U.

Blast-related ear injuries among U.S. military personnel.

Blast-related ear injuries are a concern during deployment because they can compromise a servicemember's situational awareness and adversely affect operational readiness. The objectives of this study were to describe blast-related ear injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom, identify the effect of hearing protection worn at the point of injury, and explore hearing loss and tinnitus outcomes within one year after injury. The Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database was used to identify military personnel who survived blast-related injury, and it was linked with outpatient medical databases to obtain diagnoses of hearing loss and tinnitus.

Effect of dwell time on the mental health of US military personnel with multiple combat tours.

Objective: We investigated the association of the length of time spent at home between deployments, or dwell time, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders.

Methods: We included US Marine Corps personnel identified from military deployment records who deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom once (n = 49,328) or twice (n = 16,376). New-onset mental health diagnoses from military medical databases were included.

Cigarette smoking, body mass index, and physical fitness changes among male navy personnel.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking has been reported to be higher among deployed military men than among similarly aged civilian or nondeployed men, but the short-term effect of smoking on physical fitness among these young healthy men is unclear. This study examined self-reported smoking status and change in objectively measured fitness over 1-4 years while controlling for body mass index (BMI).

Methods: This study included a large sample of male U.

Postinjury depression is a serious complication in adolescents after major trauma: injury severity and injury-event factors predict depression and long-term quality of life deficits.

Background: Little is known about the impact of postinjury depression after major trauma in adolescents. A prospective epidemiologic study was conducted to examine depression in injured adolescents. Specific objectives of this report are to identify risk factors for depression onset and the impact of depression on quality of life (QoL) outcomes.

Visual dysfunction following blast-related traumatic brain injury from the battlefield.

Primary Objective: To assess the occurrence of ocular and visual disorders following blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Research Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods And Procedures: A total of 2254 US service members with blast-related combat injuries were identified for analysis from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database.