This article presents an overview of a contemporary research protocol conducted at the Marine Corps Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico, VA. The study was a comprehensive collaborative research initiative that evaluated a variety of environmental, auditory, and vestibular factors among Marines enrolled in the Breacher Training Course. The length of each course is 2 weeks and involves multiple exposures to blast overpressure and physical shock from ingress strategies used during the training. Observational data were collected pretraining, during training, and posttraining between September and June 2007. There was no change in the way the Marines conducted their training, and all data were collected based on the actual training scenario. The primary objective of this research protocol was to determine if Marines in the Breacher Training Course were at risk of injury during standard training practices. The principal conclusions were that hearing loss was statistically and clinically significant whereas the vestibular findings were overall unremarkable.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Circulating Brain-Reactive Autoantibody Profiles in Military Breachers Exposed to Repetitive Occupational Blast.
Int J Mol Sci
December 2024
McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Military breachers are routinely exposed to repetitive low-level blast overpressure, placing them at elevated risk for long-term neurological sequelae. Mounting evidence suggests that circulating brain-reactive autoantibodies, generated following CNS injury, may serve as both biomarkers of cumulative damage and drivers of secondary neuroinflammation. In this study, we compared circulating autoantibody profiles in military breachers ( = 18) with extensive blast exposure against unexposed military controls ( = 19).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFive-Year Serial Brain MRI Analysis of Military Members Exposed to Chronic Sub-Concussive Overpressures.
J Magn Reson Imaging
January 2025
The Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Background: The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command conducts explosives operations and training which exposes members to explosive charges at close proximity. This 5-year longitudinal trial was conducted in follow-up to our initial trial which examined military breachers with MRI and EEG pre and post blast exposure.
Purpose: To examine brain MRI findings in military personnel exposed to multiple repeated blast exposures.
Injuries and subclinical effects from exposure to blasts are of significant concern in military operational settings, including tactical training, and are associated with self-reported concussion-like symptomology and physiological changes such as increased intestinal permeability (IP), which was investigated in this study. Time-series gene expression and IP biomarker data were generated from "breachers" exposed to controlled, low-level explosive blast during training. Samples from 30 male participants at pre-, post-, and follow-up blast exposure the next day were assayed via RNA-seq and ELISA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparison of Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) and Computerized Eye-tracking to Identify Exposure to Repetitive Head Impacts.
Mil Med
November 2024
Institute for Pain Medicine, Rambam Health Campus, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
Introduction: Military service members (SMs) are exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHIs) in combat and training that are purported to adversely affect brain health, including cognition, behavior, and function. Researchers have reported that RHI from blast-related exposure may affect both vestibular and ocular function, which in turn may be related to symptomology. As such, an examination of the effects of RHI on exposed military SMs should incorporate these domains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRepeated Low-Level Blast Exposure Alters Urinary and Serum Metabolites.
Metabolites
May 2023
Department of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA.
Repeated exposure to low-level blast overpressures can produce biological changes and clinical sequelae that resemble mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). While recent efforts have revealed several protein biomarkers for axonal injury during repetitive blast exposure, this study aims to explore potential small molecule biomarkers of brain injury during repeated blast exposure. This study evaluated a panel of ten small molecule metabolites involved in neurotransmission, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism in the urine and serum of military personnel ( = 27) conducting breacher training with repeated exposure to low-level blasts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!