Medical-encounter mental health diagnoses, non-fatal injury and polypharmacy indicators of risk for accident death in the US Army enlisted soldiers, 2004-2009.

Accidents are a leading cause of deaths in U.S. active duty personnel.

The effects of repeated low-level blast exposure on hearing in marines.

Background: The study evaluates a group of Military Service Members specialized in blast explosive training called "Breachers" who are routinely exposed to multiple low-level blasts while teaching breaching at the U.S. Marine Corps in Quantico Virginia.

Auditory Brainstem and Middle Latency Responses Measured Pre- and Posttreatment for Hyperacusic Hearing-Impaired Persons Successfully Treated to Improve Sound Tolerance and to Expand the Dynamic Range for Loudness: Case Evidence.

In this report of three cases, we consider electrophysiologic measures from three hyperacusic hearing-impaired individuals who, prior to treatment to expand their dynamic ranges for loudness, were problematic hearing aid candidates because of their diminished sound tolerance and reduced dynamic ranges. Two of these individuals were treated with structured counseling combined with low-level broadband sound therapy from bilateral sound generators and the third case received structured counseling in combination with a short-acting placebo sound therapy. Each individual was highly responsive to his or her assigned treatment as revealed by expansion of the dynamic range by at least 20 dB at one or more frequencies posttreatment.

Differential basal and exercise-induced IGF-I system responses to resistance vs. calisthenic-based military readiness training programs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to: 1) evaluate differential responses of the IGF-I system to either a calisthenic- or resistance exercise-based program and 2) determine if this chronic training altered the IGF-I system during an acute resistance exercise protocol.

Design: Thirty-two volunteers were randomly assigned into a resistance exercise-based training (RT) group (n=15, 27±5y, 174±6cm, 81±12kg) or a calisthenic-based training group (CT) (n=17, 29±5y, 179±8cm, 85±10kg) and all underwent 8weeks of exercise training (1.5h/d, 5d/wk).

Fitness tests and occupational tasks of military interest: a systematic review of correlations.

: Physically demanding occupations (ie, military, firefighter, law enforcement) often use fitness tests for job selection or retention. Despite numerous individual studies, the relationship of these tests to job performance is not always clear. : This review examined the relationship by aggregating previously reported correlations between different fitness tests and common occupational tasks.

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among US Air Force Health Care Providers.

Providers are central to effective implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Primary care providers (PCP) and infectious disease physicians (ID) in the US Air Force (USAF) participated in a cross-sectional survey regarding knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward HIV PrEP. Characteristics associated with PrEP knowledge were assessed in univariate and multivariate analyses.

MicroRNA Expression Profiling of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch Cohort for Identification of "Enviro-miRs" Associated With Deployment-Based Environmental Exposure.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify serum microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers that indicate deployment-associated exposures in service members at military installations with open burn pits. Another objective was to determine detection rates of miRNAs in Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR) samples with a high-throughput methodology.

Methods: Low-volume serum samples (n = 800) were profiled by miRNA-capture isolation, pre-amplification, and measurement by a quantitative PCR-based OpenArray platform.

Utility of the Department of Defense Serum Repository in Assessing Deployment Exposure.

Objective: This paper describes why the research project was conducted in terms of demonstrating the utility of the Department of Defense Serum Repository in addressing deployment environmental exposures.

Methods: The history deployment exposure surveillance was reviewed and the rationale for developing validated biomarkers that were detected in sera in postdeployment samples and compared with nondeployed controls was described. The goal was to find validated biomarkers that are associated with both exposures and health outcomes.

Water for Warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan: A Summary of Lessons Learned.

The Army is the Department of Defense executive agent for land-based field water supplies. The Army Corps of Engineers, Army Quartermaster Corps, and Army Medical Department coordinate to provide the necessary support to obtain, treat, disinfect, certify, distribute, and monitor drinking water during deployments. This collaboration is necessary to ensure that an adequate quantity of acceptable quality drinking water is available for deployed personnel at all base camps and in all operations.

Deployment Exposures and Long-term Health Risks: The Shadow of War.

The victory in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm has been "shadowed" by long-term health concerns among returning troops. During Operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Enduring Freedom, the Department of the Army and Department of Defense implemented recommendations of the Institute of Medicine relating to environmental exposure assessment, hazard response, documentation of exposures, and risk assessment using environmental sampling data to evaluate potential health risks among deployed troops. Recommendations regarding risk communication proved more difficult to implement, however.

Evolution of Military Combat Eye Protection.

Appreciation for combat eye protection steadily increased following World War II. Products derived from experiences in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Iran/Iraq war drove technical improvements throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Dismal wear compliance prior to 2004 indicates Soldiers and their leaders did not appreciate these improvements and found little value in the bulky, ugly, and uncomfortable products.

Surveillance of Disease and Nonbattle Injuries During US Army Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) are the leading causes of morbidity during wars and military operations. However, adequate medical data were never before available to service public health centers to conduct DNBI surveillance during deployments. This article describes the process, results and lessons learned from centralized DNBI surveillance by the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, predecessor of the US Army Public Health Command, during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq (2001-2013).

Pre-deployment Alcohol Misuse Among Shipboard Active-Duty U.S. Military Personnel.

Introduction: The burden of alcohol misuse is unknown among shipboard U.S. Navy and Marine Corps military personnel immediately prior to deployment and may be elevated.

Minimalist Running Shoes and Injury Risk Among United States Army Soldiers.

Background: Minimalist running shoes (MRS) are lightweight, are extremely flexible, and have little to no cushioning. It has been thought that MRS will enhance running performance and decrease injury risk.

Purpose: To compare physical characteristics, fitness performance, and injury risks associated with soldiers wearing MRS and those wearing traditional running shoes (TRS).

"That Is So Common Everyday . . . Everywhere You Go": Sexual Harassment of Workers in Assisted Living.

In assisted living (AL) facilities, workers are intimately involved in the lives of residents. Existing research on AL demonstrates the imbalance of this environment, which is a personal home for the residents and a workplace for staff. Using observational and interview data collected from six AL facilities, this grounded theory project analyzes how AL staff define, understand, and negotiate sexual comments, joking, and physical touch.

Dose-Response Modeling for Inhalational Anthrax in Rabbits Following Single or Multiple Exposures.

There is a need to advance our ability to characterize the risk of inhalational anthrax following a low-dose exposure. The exposure scenario most often considered is a single exposure that occurs during an attack. However, long-term daily low-dose exposures also represent a realistic exposure scenario, such as what may be encountered by people occupying areas for longer periods.

Validating mammalian resistance to stressor-mediated reproductive impact using rodent sperm analysis.

Small rodents from chemically and radiologically contaminated areas on the Savannah River Site, SC were evaluated for sensitive reproductive parameters in a dual purpose study. The primary intent was to observe if established reproductive thresholds-for effect could be exceeded in animals that, due to their restricted home ranges, are maximally exposed to local contamination. Secondarily, validation was sought for a principal element of the Rodent Sperm Analysis method that is used in support of ecological risk assessments for contaminated terrestrial properties.

Military Applicability of Interval Training for Health and Performance.

Militaries from around the globe have predominantly used endurance training as their primary mode of aerobic physical conditioning, with historical emphasis placed on the long distance run. In contrast to this traditional exercise approach to training, interval training is characterized by brief, intermittent bouts of intense exercise, separated by periods of lower intensity exercise or rest for recovery. Although hardly a novel concept, research over the past decade has shed new light on the potency of interval training to elicit physiological adaptations in a time-efficient manner.

Human Performance Optimization Metrics: Consensus Findings, Gaps, and Recommendations for Future Research.

Human performance optimization (HPO) is defined as "the process of applying knowledge, skills and emerging technologies to improve and preserve the capabilities of military members, and organizations to execute essential tasks." The lack of consensus for operationally relevant and standardized metrics that meet joint military requirements has been identified as the single most important gap for research and application of HPO. In 2013, the Consortium for Health and Military Performance hosted a meeting to develop a toolkit of standardized HPO metrics for use in military and civilian research, and potentially for field applications by commanders, units, and organizations.

Executive Summary From the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Second Blue Ribbon Panel on Military Physical Readiness: Military Physical Performance Testing.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association's tactical strength and conditioning program sponsored the second Blue Ribbon Panel on military physical readiness: military physical performance testing, April 18-19, 2013, Norfolk, VA. This meeting brought together a total of 20 subject matter experts (SMEs) from the U.S.

Hormonal Responses to Active and Passive Recovery After Load Carriage.

Military operations often induce fatigue resulting from load carriage. Recovery promotes military readiness. This study investigated the acute effects of AR vs.

Physical Training Strategies for Military Women's Performance Optimization in Combat-Centric Occupations.

The physiological differences, particularly of upper-body strength and power, between women and men, and the rigors of combat-centric occupational demands would seem to place women at a significant disadvantage, as the U.S. military opens up previously closed combat-arms military occupational specialties (MOSs) to women.