martes, 10 de marzo de 2020

Female, male service members, veterans recover from concussion differently | Health.mil

Female, male service members, veterans recover from concussion differently | Health.mil

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Female, male service members, veterans recover from concussion differently

At an informal celebration at the AFWERX Vegas Innovation Hub earlier this month, U.S. Air Force personnel took delivery of four helmet designs that may each represent the next generation of fixed-wing aircrew equipment. In just nine months, the AFWERX innovations process generated tangible products for further Air Force testing and development. (U.S. Air Force photo by Nathan Riddle)

Female veterans may have a harder time performing some mental tasks after a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion, according to a recent study supported by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, a division of the Defense Health Agency Research and Development Directorate.

The study compared male and female veterans who had experienced concussions to more accurately assess whether each gender experienced different symptoms following injury. After adjusting for factors such as marital status, service branch, living situation, and vocation, the results showed female veterans had a harder time performing mental tasks such as difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness, which could slow recovery to normal activities. The study’s authors presented their results at the 2019 annual Military Health System Research Symposium in August.

“TBI is the signature injury experienced by service members and veterans in conflicts since 9/11,” said Navy Captain Scott Pyne, DVBIC division chief. “During this time, women have had the opportunity to serve in more combat related positions associated with increased exposures to potentially concussive events. As a result, there is a need to see whether TBI affects women and men differently.”

According to the latest figures published in Military Medicine in 2019, female service members accounted for 12.6 percent of first-time TBI diagnoses in the U.S. armed forces between 2010 and 2014.

“Women are becoming more prominent in all fields—including the military. If we don’t understand the differences in biology and/or symptomology, it could cause a major burden for society going forward. Individual differences must be analyzed through the lens of gender,” said Maheen Mausoof Adamson, DVBIC senior clinical research director and a neuroscientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Adamson is one of the lead scientists on the DVBIC-funded study conducted at the Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.

To more accurately assess whether men and women experienced different symptoms following a TBI, the DVBIC-VA Palo Alto study relied on a matching technique where it looked at one male and one female in pairs. The researchers recruited participants, and then formed 49 matched pairs who were similar based on mechanism of injury, time from injury to assessment, and age at assessment. Adamson suggested the study could have long-term implications for susceptibility to dementia if these women could be followed for a number of years.

These findings suggest more research is needed to examine how TBI affects women and men. Such research provides an opportunity to test whether presumed gender differences based on biology are borne out by empirical findings. Continued research may help to realize the possibility that therapy will be tailored to each individual’s unique situation.

Brain Injury Awareness Month raises awareness of TBI in the military

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3/2/2020

The Department of Defense and the Military Health System recognizes March each year as Brain Injury Awareness Month to increase awareness of traumatic brain injuries, and the Department’s efforts to improve its ability to identify, care for, and treat service members and veterans who are affected by TBI. (MHS graphic)

A division of the Defense Health Agency Research and Development Directorate, DVBIC is the DoD’s TBI center of excellence

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An Airman searches for salvageable items after missile attacks at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Jan. 12, 2020. At a Pentagon news conference, Air Force Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs, the Joint Staff Surgeon, said 110 service members have been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injuries from the attack. Most have returned to duty, while 25 returned to the United States for further treatment, he said, and six more are still undergoing testing. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Derek Mustard)

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HPV vaccine age limit raised by FDA to age 45

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https://www.nfid.org/infectious-diseases/hpv/ Recent CDC and FDA guidance recommends that men and women up to 45 years of age get vaccinated to protect against the Human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and can cause certain cancers and genital warts. More than 14 million new HPV infections occur in the U.S. each year, and about 80 percent of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at some point in their lives. (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases image)

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Chief Hospital Corpsman Naomi Perez, a certified mammogram technician (left), conducts a mammogram for a patient at Naval Hospital Pensacola. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray procedure used to detect the early stages of breast cancer. A policy change effective Jan. 1, 2020, will allow digital breast tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, to be used to screen for breast cancer. The procedure – known technically as Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) – will be offered primarily to women age 40 and older, and women age 30 and older who are considered high-risk for breast cancer. The procedure’s 3-D images provide a more thorough means of detecting the disease. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brannon Deugan)

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Award-winning Navy team successfully improves care for women, infants

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Labor and Delivery providers were the front-line adopters of the Induction of Labor care pathway at Naval Medical Center San Diego. As of July 2019, over 80 percent of the hospital’s providers were using the pathway. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joseph A. Boomhower)

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