Feature Channels: Military Health

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The human monoclonal antibody known as m102.4, which has proven effective in protecting against the frequently fatal Hendra virus, has now been shown in studies to protect against the closely related Nipah virus -- the basis of the 2011 movie "Contagion" -- a highly infectious and deadly agent that results in acute respiratory distress syndrome and encephalitis, person-to-person transmission, and greater than 90 percent case fatality rates among humans. The results of the study, conducted by a team of Federal and university scientists, will appear in Science Translational Medicine online: “Therapeutic Treatment of Nipah Virus Infection in Nonhuman Primates with a Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody." The full study will be available following the release of the embargo at 2 p.m. June 25, 2014.

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In soldiers who survive traumatic brain injury from blast exposure, pituitary dysfunction after their blast injury may be an important, under-recognized, and potentially treatable source of their symptoms, a new study finds. The results were presented Saturday, June 21 at ICE/ENDO 2014, the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago.

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Explosions are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A new study shows that military personnel with mild brain trauma related to such blasts had outcomes similar to those with mild brain injury from other causes, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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An NYU Langone internal medicine specialist who served as a White House fellow at the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs says the headline-grabbing failures of the VA health system’s administration stand in sharp contrast to the highly rated care the system delivers.

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Approximately 1 in 29 active component U.S. military service members were in treatment for mental disorders at any given time during 2012, which is 2.5 times higher than the an estimate for 2000, according to a new health surveillance report released today.

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A new brief, 5-question screening tool can help clinicians identify which veterans may be at greater risk of violence, according to a new study.

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The report is the first to estimate the overall morbidity burdens among non-service member beneficiaries of the MHS and was published in the April issue of Medical Surveillance Monthly Report from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC) released on May 7. The surveillance period was January 1 through December 31, 2013. The surveillance population included all non-service member beneficiaries of the MHS who had at least one hospitalization or outpatient medical encounter during 2013 either through a military medical facility/provider or a civilian facility/provider (if paid for by the MHS).

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Late Pulmonary Function Abnormalities are Common Among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans

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Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Naval Health Research Center have found that mindfulness training – a combination of meditation and body awareness exercises – can help U.S. Marine Corps personnel prepare for and recover from stressful combat situations.

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Scientists have developed the first reversible glue that could be used on the battlefield to treat eye injuries, potentially saving soldiers’ vision. The research is being presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando, Fla.

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SILVER SPRING, MD, April 16, 2014 – Overweight U.S. service members are 41 percent less likely to transition to clinical obesity when stationed at military facilities located at high altitude, according to a new study published today in the peer-reviewed journal, PLoS One.

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The punishing psychological toll endured by military personnel in war zones has been extensively documented for years by researchers, perhaps more than ever in the wake of recent military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. But there has been a troubling dearth of research examining the mental health toll exacted on the large numbers of civilians who work with the military in war zones.

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Mental Health disorders are the leading cause of hospital bed days and the second leading cause of medical encounters among active component service members in the U.S. Military, according to a new study.

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In the aftermath of the shooting at the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood, Texas, psychologists are available to discuss shooting violence and military mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).

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Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated for the first time that veterans of the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War who suffer from “Gulf War illness” have impaired function of mitochondria – the energy powerhouses of cells.

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Military men who are targets of frightening and threatening sexual harassment may experience more distress and work performance problems than military women who face the same treatment, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Children in military families who relocate have an increased odds of suffering mental health problems, finds a large new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

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A commission co-chaired by a former US Surgeon General released a report today concluding that the Pentagon's ban on transgender military service is not based on sound medical reasoning, according to the Associated Press. In one of the first and most detailed assessments of the basis and impact of the current policy, the Transgender Military Service Commission examined all medical and psychological aspects of transgender military service, and found inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the Pentagon's rationale for the exclusionary policy, which remains in affect despite the scrapping of "don't ask, don't tell."

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Of nearly 1 million veterans who receive opioids to treat painful conditions, more than half continue to consume opioids chronically or beyond 90 days, new research says. Results presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine reported on a number of factors associated with opioid discontinuation with the goal of understanding how abuse problems take hold in returning veterans.

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Fathers who returned after military service report having difficulty connecting with young children who sometimes don’t remember them, according to a study released this week.

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Most mental health disorders and suicidal ideation among U.S. Army soldiers start before enlistment, according to findings published in the March 3, 2014, online version of JAMA Psychiatry.

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Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based military families support organization in the country, joined forces with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) for the fifth annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey. This unique and comprehensive survey gathers input from thousands of service members, veterans and families around the world and offers critical insight on the major issues facing military families.

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Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) announce the results of a national study focused on military spouse employment.

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Thirty U.S. service members were diagnosed and/or reported with malaria during 2013, the lowest number during a 10-year surveillance period, according to new analysis by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

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IVMF and VetAdvisor® Partner to Gather Veterans Retention Work Data via National Survey

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African American service members had higher incidence rates of hypertension compared to service members of other races and ethnicities despite equitable access to health care within the military health system, according to a new analysis by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC).

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Roadside bombs and other blasts have made head injury the “signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in cooperation with Resurrecting Lives Foundation, are investigating the effect of repeated combat-related blast exposures on the brains of veterans with the goal of improving diagnostics and treatment.

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This multi-topic issue includes research topics with relevance for Veterans and non-Veterans alike. Reaching Veterans and finding unique ways to overcome barriers to care has become a greater priority for the VA. Two guest editorials in this issue look at ways this is happening, including setting up services on college campuses and using horses in rehabilitation to improve the quality of life for our Veterans.

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In a novel study of U.S. Marines investigating the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over time, a team of scientists led by researchers from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that TBIs suffered during active-duty deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan were the greatest predictor for subsequent PTSD, but found pre-deployment PTSD symptoms and high combat intensity were also significant factors.

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A recent study used diffusion tensor imaging, a type of highly sensitive magnetic resonance image (MRI), to examine the way water moves throughout the brain’s white matter.

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AFHSC study shows deaths from motor vehicle accidents among U.S. service members declined to lowest level in 2012. However, motorcycle-related fatalities continue to be leading cause of death.

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Military support line expands to include all active duty service members and their families no matter where they are.

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Teens that have had a parent or sibling on military deployment were more likely to have suicidal thoughts or be depressed than teens without military connections, finds a new study in The Journal of Adolescent Health.

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JRRD Volume 50, Issue 7, produced by the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is now available online at http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/ jour/2013/507/contents507.html.

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Deployment of a parent can present significant challenges and health concerns to children and their care-giver parent, says Matthew Broom, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University.

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During the 13-year surveillance period there were 217,409 incident diagnoses of anxiety disorders among active component service members (Table 1), according to the study published in the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, a peer-reviewed journal on illnesses and injuries affecting service members from the Armed Forces health Surveillance Center (AFHSC). The unadjusted incidence rate was 117.2 per 10,000 person-years (p-yrs).

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Topics ranging from PTSD to cognitive performance that have a direct effect on Veterans and the rehabilitation care and support they may receive.

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Websites targeting veterans fail to provide information about the risks of tobacco products despite high rates of smoking in the military, finds a new report in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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A new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion finds that the lifestyle of veterans both pre- and post-deployment influences their post-deployment wellness.

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Military veterans who report having common financial problems, such as bouncing a check or going over their credit limit, are four times more likely to become homeless in the next year than veterans without such problems.

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Crude incidence rates of breast cancer among U.S. female active component service members have fluctuated slightly over the past 12 years, but have remained relatively stable, according to a new study.