Randomized controlled pilot trial of prazosin for prophylaxis of posttraumatic headaches in active-duty service members and veterans.

Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of prazosin for prophylaxis of headaches following mild traumatic brain injury in active-duty service members and military veterans.

Background: Prazosin is an alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist that reduces noradrenergic signaling. An open-label trial in which prazosin reduced headache frequency in veterans following mild traumatic brain injury provided the rationale for this pilot study.

Post-traumatic headaches.

Chronic pain, especially headache, is an exceedingly common complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). In fact, paradoxically, the milder the TBI, the more likely one is to develop headaches. The environment of injury and the associated comorbidities can have a significant impact on the frequency and severity of headaches and commonly serve to direct management of the headaches.

Microsolvation of molecules in superfluid helium nanodroplets revealed by means of electronic spectroscopy.

The empirical model explaining microsolvation of molecules in superfluid helium droplets proposes a non-superfluid helium solvation layer enclosing the dopant molecule. This model warrants an empirical explanation of any helium induced substructure resolved for electronic transitions of molecules in helium droplets. Despite a wealth of such experimental data, quantitative modeling of spectra is still in its infancy.

Prior housing conditions and sleep loss may affect recovery from brain injury in rats: a pilot study.

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of combat-associated conditions such as sleep deprivation (SD) on subsequent traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prior to TBI (or sham surgery) induced by controlled cortical impact (CCI), rats were housed singly in chambers that prevented rapid eye movement sleep or allowed unrestricted sleep (no SD). Sensorimotor function was tested pre-SD and retested on postoperative days (PDs) 4, 7, and 14.

Microsolvation in superfluid helium droplets studied by the electronic spectra of six porphyrin derivatives and one chlorine compound.

After almost two decades of high resolution molecular spectroscopy in superfluid helium droplets, the understanding of microsolvation is still the subject of intense experimental and theoretical research. According to the published spectroscopic work including microwave, infrared, and electronic spectroscopy, the latter appears to be particularly promising to study microsolvation because of the appearance of pure molecular transitions and spectrally separated phonon wings. Instead of studying the very details of the influence of the helium environment for one particular dopant molecule as previously done for phthalocyanine, the present study compares electronic spectra of a series of non-polar porphyrin derivatives when doped into helium droplets consisting of 10(4)-10(5) helium atoms.

Post-traumatic headaches in civilians and military personnel: a comparative, clinical review.

Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is the most frequent symptom after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We review the epidemiology and characterization of PTH in military and civilian settings. PTH appears to be more likely to develop following mild TBI (concussion) compared with moderate or severe TBI.

For veterans with mild traumatic brain injury, improved posttraumatic stress disorder severity and sleep correlated with symptomatic improvement.

This was an observational study of a cohort of 63 Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) associated with an explosion. They had headaches, residual neurological deficits (NDs) on neurological examination, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and were seen on average 2.5 years after their last mTBI.

Diagnosis and management of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury sustained in combat.

Traumatic brain injury exists in a spectrum of severity among wounded personnel. The evaluation and clinical presentation, initial management, and treatment interventions to prevent secondary injury processes for combat-associated moderate and severe traumatic brain injury are reviewed. Promising therapies are discussed, and a current review of the literature is provided.

A case-control study examining whether neurological deficits and PTSD in combat veterans are related to episodes of mild TBI.

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common injury among military personnel serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The impact of repeated episodes of combat mTBI is unknown.

Objective: To evaluate relationships among mTBI, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and neurological deficits (NDs) in US veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Electronic spectroscopy of molecules in superfluid helium nanodroplets: an excellent sensor for intramolecular charge redistribution.

Electronic spectra of molecules doped into superfluid (4)He nanodroplets reveal important details of the microsolvation in superfluid helium. The vibrational fine structure in the electronic spectra of phthalocyanine derivatives and pyrromethene dye molecules doped into superfluid helium droplets have been investigated. Together with previous studies on anthracene derivatives [J.

Relationships between mild traumatic brain injury sustained in combat and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The setting of the trauma is a distinguishing feature between mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; also called concussion) that occurs in civilian settings compared with that occurring in combat. Combat mTBI is frequently associated with a prolonged stress reaction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with mTBI and PTSD from combat in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom often develop prolonged post-concussion symptoms (PCSs) such as headache.

Rehabilitation in the patient with mild traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has garnered increased public attention in the past several years because of high-profile athletes with possible long-term effects of their injuries as well as large numbers of returning combat veterans injured by blast explosions. Most of these injuries are mild in nature and require no specific surgical treatment but may benefit from brief rehabilitation interventions. To appropriately rehabilitate patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), one must fully understand its clinical course and the factors that accelerate or delay recovery.

Rapidly pulsed helium droplet source.

A pulsed valve connected to a closed-cycle cryostat was optimized for producing helium droplets. The pulsed droplet beam appeared with a bimodal size distribution. The leading part of the pulse consists of droplets suitable for doping with molecules.

Understanding anglers' preferences for fishing tournament characteristics and policies.

Saltwater fishing tournaments in the United States are generally not regulated nor are there different fishing regulations for tournament and nontournament anglers. Although much is known about those who participate in fishing tournaments in terms of their fishing motivations, attitudes, and characteristics, much less is known at the angler population level regarding their preferences for tournament opportunities. Using a stated preference choice model with hypothetical scenarios to simulate participation choices and understand preferences, study objectives were to identify angler preferences for various types of tournament fishing "products.

Physician knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale.

Appropriate triage is critical to optimizing outcome from battle related injuries. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the primary means by which combat casualties, who have suffered head injury, are triaged. For the GCS to be reliable in this critical role, it must be applied accurately.

Intramedullary spinal sarcoidosis: clinical improvement reflected in T-lymphocyte subpopulation ratios.

Study Design: Case report.

Objectives: A case report of spinal sarcoidosis improving clinically and radiographically with treatment which correlated with improvement in cerebrospinal fluid T-lymphocyte subpopulation ratios.

Setting: Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Damage to sensory fibers in a martin-gruber anomaly after biceps tendon repair.

A patient with a distal biceps tendon rupture developed ulnar distribution sensory loss after surgical repair using the modified two-incision Boyd and Anderson technique. Electrodiagnosis demonstrated an absent ulnar sensory response but no clinical or electrodiagnostic evidence of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Nerve conduction studies demonstrated an anastomosis between the median and ulnar nerves (Martin-Gruber anomaly).

The humanized SCID mouse model to study HLA class II-linked autoimmunity to desmoglein 3 in pemphigus vulgaris.

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a severe autoimmmune skin disorder induced by antibodies against desmoglein (Dsg) 3 on epidermal keratinocytes.

Objectives: To establish an active animal model of PV to analyse the T-cell-regulated production of pathogenic antibodies in vivo.

Methods: Immunodeficient SCID mice were injected with peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from an HLA-DRB1*0402/DQ8+ patient with PV or a DRB1*0402/DQ8+ healthy donor, with or without subsequent injections of human Dsg3 or preincubation of PBL with Dsg3.

IgG, IgA and IgE autoantibodies against the ectodomain of desmoglein 3 in active pemphigus vulgaris.

Background: IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein (Dsg) 3 play a key part in the pathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris (PV), the most severe autoimmune bullous disorder.

Objectives: To determine whether immunoglobulin isotypes other than IgG are detectable in the sera of patients with PV and whether a particular immunoglobulin subtype is associated with a distinct clinical phenotype of PV.

Methods: Sera from 41 patients with acute-onset, chronic active, and remittent PV disease with mucosal and cutaneous lesions were assayed against a baculovirus-expressed Dsg3 protein by immunoblot analysis.

Frequency analysis of autoreactive T-helper 1 and 2 cells in bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris by enzyme-linked immunospot assay.

Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV) are autoimmune bullous skin diseases mediated by autoantibodies against adhesion molecules of the skin. Previous studies have identified autoreactive T cells in patients with BP and PV, which may be critical in providing B-cell help for autoantibody production.

Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of autoreactive T-helper (Th) 1 and Th2 cells in patients with BP (n = 7) or PV (n = 1) and in healthy controls (n = 11).

Analysis of the T cells that are potentially involved in autoantibody production in pemphigus vulgaris.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a classical example of an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease of the skin. Direct evidence exists that autoantibodies against the desmosomal adhesion molecule, desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), are critical in the pathogenesis of this disease. The transfer of serum IgG antibodies reactive with Dsg3 into newborn mice induces a bullous skin disease resembling PV.

HLA class II restriction of autoreactive T cell responses in pemphigus vulgaris: review of the literature and potential applications for the development of a specific immunotherapy.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a life-threatening autoimmune bullous disease of the skin and mucous membranes which requires immunosuppressive therapy, most commonly a combination of glucocorticoids and additional immunosuppressive agents. Since the side effects of long-term immunosuppressive therapy contribute to the poor prognosis of this disorder, there is considerable interest in a more specific treatment of this severe skin disease. PV may serve as a model disease for the development of a specific immunotherapy, because its pathogenesis as well as involved immunogenetic factors are well-characterized.