Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese military personnel:A cross-sectional,multicenter-based study

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection is a prevalent disease encountered in military internal medicine and recognized as the main cause of dyspepsia,gastritis,and peptic ulcer,which are common diseases in military personnel.Current guidelines in China state all patients with evidence of active infection with H.pylori are offered treatment.However,the prevalence of H.pylori infection and its regional distribution in the military population remain unclear,which hinders effective prevention and treatment strategies.Understanding the prevalence of H.pylori infection in the military population will aid in the development of customized strategies to better manage this infectious disease.AIM To investigate the prevalence of H.pylori infection in the Chinese military population in different geographic areas.METHODS This multicenter,retrospective study included 22421 individuals from five tertiary hospitals located in north,east,southwest,and northwest cities of China.H.pylori infection was identified using the urea breath test,which had been performed between January 2020 and December 2021.RESULTS Of the 22421 military service members,7416(33.1%)were urea breath test-positive.The highest prevalence of H.pylori was in the 30-39 years age group for military personnel,with an infection rate of 34.9%.The majority of infected subjects were younger than 40-years-old,accounting for 70.4%of the infected population.The individuals serviced in Lanzhou and Chengdu showed a higher infection prevalence than those in Beijing,Nanjing,and Guangzhou,with prevalence rates of 44.3%,37.9%,29.0%,31.1%,and 32.3%,respectively.CONCLUSION H.pylori infection remains a common infectious disease among military personnel in China and has a relatively high prevalence rate in northwest China.

A survey of data-centric technologies supporting decision-making before deploying military assets

In a time characterized by the availability of vast amounts of data,the effective utilization of information is critical for timely decision-making in military operations.However,processing large amounts of data requires computational resources and time.Therefore,decision makers have used data-centric technologies to take advantage of public and private data sources to support military operations.This survey explores the integration and application of data-centric technologies,such as data analytics,data science,and machine learning,to optimize decision-making workflows within military contexts supporting the deployment of military assets and resources.To address the information gap,this article presents a literature review,specifically a survey.Our survey examines the use of the mentioned technologies to process and analyze information that contributes to the phases of situational awareness,and planning in military environments.We then introduce a taxonomy of the approaches associated with implementing these technologies in military scenarios.Furthermore,we discuss relevant factors for the seamless integration of data-centric technologies into military decision-making processes,and reveal the importance of specialized personnel,architectures,and cybersecurity issues in the task of developing prototypes and models.The findings of this paper aim to provide valuable insights for military institutions,offering a deeper understanding of the use of data-centric technologies as innovative practices to enhance the effectiveness of military decision-making.

Ultra reliability and massive connectivity provision in integrated internet of military things(IoMT)based on tactical datalink

One of the major challenges arising in internet of military things(IoMT)is accommodating massive connectivity while providing guaranteed quality of service(QoS)in terms of ultra-high reliability.In this regard,this paper presents a class of code-domain nonorthogonal multiple accesses(NOMAs)for uplink ultra reliable networking of massive IoMT based on tactical datalink such as Link-16 and joint tactical information distribution system(JTIDS).In the considered scenario,a satellite equipped with Nr antennas servers K devices including vehicles,drones,ships,sensors,handset radios,etc.Nonorthogonal coded modulation,a special form of multiple input multiple output(MIMO)-NOMA is proposed.The discussion starts with evaluating the output signal to interference-plus-noise(SINR)of receiver filter,leading to the unveiling of a closed-form expression for overloading systems as the number of users is significantly larger than the number of devices admitted such that massive connectivity is rendered.The expression allows for the development of simple yet successful interference suppression based on power allocation and phase shaping techniques that maximizes the sum rate since it is equivalent to fixed-point programming as can be proved.The proposed design is exemplified by nonlinear modulation schemes such as minimum shift keying(MSK)and Gaussian MSK(GMSK),two pivotal modulation formats in IoMT standards such as Link-16 and JITDS.Numerical results show that near capacity performance is offered.Fortunately,the performance is obtained using simple forward error corrections(FECs)of higher coding rate than existing schemes do,while the transmit power is reduced by 6 dB.The proposed design finds wide applications not only in IoMT but also in deep space communications,where ultra reliability and massive connectivity is a keen concern.

MTTSNet:Military time-sensitive targets stealth network via real-time mask generation

The automatic stealth task of military time-sensitive targets plays a crucial role in maintaining national military security and mastering battlefield dynamics in military applications.We propose a novel Military Time-sensitive Targets Stealth Network via Real-time Mask Generation(MTTSNet).According to our knowledge,this is the first technology to automatically remove military targets in real-time from videos.The critical steps of MTTSNet are as follows:First,we designed a real-time mask generation network based on the encoder-decoder framework,combined with the domain expansion structure,to effectively extract mask images.Specifically,the ASPP structure in the encoder could achieve advanced semantic feature fusion.The decoder stacked high-dimensional information with low-dimensional information to obtain an effective mask layer.Subsequently,the domain expansion module guided the adaptive expansion of mask images.Second,a context adversarial generation network based on gated convolution was constructed to achieve background restoration of mask positions in the original image.In addition,our method worked in an end-to-end manner.A particular semantic segmentation dataset for military time-sensitive targets has been constructed,called the Military Time-sensitive Target Masking Dataset(MTMD).The MTMD dataset experiment successfully demonstrated that this method could create a mask that completely occludes the target and that the target could be hidden in real time using this mask.We demonstrated the concealment performance of our proposed method by comparing it to a number of well-known and highly optimized baselines.

Medical appraisal of Chinese military aircrew with abnormal results of coronary computed tomographic angiography

BACKGROUND Coronary artery diseases can cause myocardial ischemia and hypoxia,angina pectoris,myocardial infarction,arrhythmia,and even sudden death led to inflight incapacitation of aircrew.As the main cause of grounding due to illness,they severe threats to the health and fighting strength of military aircrew.Early warning in an early and accurate manner and early intervention of diseases possibly resulting in inflight incapacitation are key emphases of aeromedical support in clinic.AIM To figure out the flight factors and clinical characteristics of military aircrew with abnormal results of coronary artery computed tomographic angiography(CTA),thereby rendering theoretical references for clinical aeromedical support of military flying personnel.METHODS The clinical data of 15 flying personnel who received physical examinations in a military medical center from December 2020 to June 2023 and were diagnosed with coronary artery diseases by coronary artery CTA were collected and retrospectively analyzed,and a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on their onset age,aircraft type and clinical data.RESULTS The 15 military flying personnel diagnosed with coronary artery diseases by coronary artery CTA were composed of 9 pilots,1 navigator and 5 air combat service workers.Multi-vessel disease was detected in 9 flying personnel,among which 8(88.9%)were pilots.Flying personnel with multi-vessel disease had higher content of cholesterol,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B than those with single-vessel disease.CONCLUSION Coronary artery diseases are the major heart disease for the grounding of flying personnel due to illness,which can lead to inflight incapacitation.Coronary artery CTA is conducive to early detection and early intervention treatment of such diseases in clinic.

Impact of Land Requisition for Military Training during World War II on Farming and the South Downs Landscape,England

The impact of WorldWar II on the physical landscape of British towns and cities as a result of airborne assault is well known.However,less newsworthy but arguably no less significant is the impact of the war on agriculture and the countryside,especially in South-East England.This paper outlines the building of an historical Geographical Information System(GIS)from different data sources including the National Farm Survey(NFS),Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force(RAF)aerial photographs and basic topographic mapping for the South Downs in East and West Sussex.It explores the impact and legacy ofWorldWar II on the agricultural landscape of this area through both the‘plough-up’campaigns aimed at increasing agricultural production and the occupation of farm land for military training purposes.Farms surrounding an area where extensive tracts of land were taken over for military training and defensive purposes on the Downs close to Brighton and the county town of Lewes in East Sussex are the focus of attention illuminating the beneficial and disruptive impacts of the government’s drive to increase food output by bringing land into more productive use by means of a‘plough-up’campaign and using formerly agricultural land for military training.These changes contributed to the transformation of the region into“an arable monoculture”and the virtual disappearance of traditional sheep rearing in the post-war decades.

Thomas Cleary's Translation of Chinese Military Classics & Its Implication for Translation Teaching

No research has been done to explore how the Chinese military classics have been studied and translated in the west.In order to fill the void,this paper tries to study Thomas Cleary’s translation of Chinese military classics.

Military traumatic brain injury:a challenge straddling neurology and psychiatry

Military psychiatry, a new subcategory of psychiatry, has become an invaluable, intangible effect of the war. In this review, we begin by examining related military research, summarizing the related epidemiological data, neuropathology, and the research achievements of diagnosis and treatment technology, and discussing its comorbidity and sequelae. To date, advances in neuroimaging and molecular biology have greatly boosted the studies on military traumatic brain injury(TBI). In particular, in terms of pathophysiological mechanisms, several preclinical studies have identified abnormal protein accumulation, blood–brain barrier damage, and brain metabolism abnormalities involved in the development of TBI. As an important concept in the field of psychiatry, TBI is based on organic injury, which is largely different from many other mental disorders. Therefore, military TBI is both neuropathic and psychopathic, and is an emerging challenge at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry.

Study on Military Equipment Support Modeling and Simulation

In order to estimate the readiness, sustainability and support capability of the operational unit, an support simulation concept model of the military equipment is given as viewed from the system engineering modeling and simulation. Simulation test of military aircraft is analyzed in detail, it is composed of the operational mission, function maintenance process and resource modeling.

Olfaction as a soldier——a review of the physiology and its present and future use in the military

Olfaction is one of our 5 main qualitative sensory abilities. In this review, we have examined the physiology of olfaction from the olfactory receptor to the brain. Through analyzing the physiology of olfaction, we have found that the biochemistry of olfactory nerve stimulation is unique from that of other similar pathways. Upon receiving large amounts of input from the olfactory nerve, the olfactory bulb, followed by several layers of centrifugal and centripetal processing in the brain, has to sort the information from the input as well as integrate it with other inputs from the brain to develop a coherent understanding of the input. We then examined the implications of olfaction in the military, the practical applications of electronic noses and problems associated with injury to olfaction that could affect compensation and combat worthiness of a soldier following injury. In the military, olfaction can allow the army to perform at its best through 4 main methods, namely ensuring olfaction is consistent with other dimensions of perception(ensuring optimal olfaction ability in all soldiers in combat), understanding the impact of different common combat environments on the sense of smell, utilizing odor as a defense mechanism and using olfactory aids when necessary. Electronic noses are olfactory aids that have a large potential in the military ranging from saving lives through the detection of explosives to potential methods for improving combustion efficiency. There are several problems associated with injury to olfaction that should be considered when deciding on compensation and combat worthiness of the soldier following an injury.

Incidental finding of Zinner syndrome in a Greek military recruit: a case report of a rare clinical entity

Background: Zinner syndrome represents a rare congenital malformation of the urinary tract. It comprises a constellation of Wolffian duct anomalies and is almost exclusively encountered as a classic triad of seminal vesicle cysts, ejaculatory duct obstruction and renal agenesis. Patients can be either asymptomatic or symptomatic. Recently, minimally invasive surgical techniques have emerged, superseding traditional surgery for select symptomatic cases. Our case highlights the finding of a rare clinical syndrome that was incidentally detected during a routine mass screening of military recruits in the Greek Armed Forces.Case presentation: Herein, we present a case of a 19-year-old male who reported having a solitary right kidney when examined in a military training center of Northern Greece. No additional clinical information was available;thus, referral to a tertiary urology department for further investigation ensued. Imaging studies, namely, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, revealed left renal aplasia, multiple left seminal vesicle cysts, and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Laboratory values and urinalysis were within normal range. Semen analysis was significant for cryptozoospermia. Our patient remained asymptomatic during the entire hospitalization. Long-term follow-up was recommended. Nevertheless, he declined further investigation and sought treatment in a private practice setting.Conclusions: This article aims to present the incidental diagnosis of a rare syndrome in a military setting. Population screening conducted in the armed forces permits the identification of undiagnosed diseases that warrant further investigation. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report of Zinner syndrome in a military recruit and the second case cited of a Greek patient in the published literature. Regular follow-up is the key to timely intervention in conservatively managed cases.

Relationship between acute stress and sleep disorder in grass-root military personnel:Mediating effect of social support

Background: To explore the relationship between acute stress, social support and sleep disorder in grass-root military personnel, and construct the relational model through structural equation modeling. Methods: A total of 2,411 grass-root military personnel were randomly selected by cluster sampling, and administered the Chinese Military Personnel Sleep Disorder Scale, Military Acute Stress Scale and Social Support Rating Scale.Results: The total score of acute stress scale was positively correlated with the total score and factor scores of sleep disorder scale(r=0.209~0.465, P【0.01); The total score of social support scale was positively correlated with the total score of acute stress scale and the total score and factor scores of sleep disorder scale(r=0.356~0.537, P【0.01). The analysis of mediating effects showed that lack of social support partially mediated between acute stress and the factors of sleep disorder. The analysis of structural equation model showed that acute stress not only had a direct effect on sleep disorder(the path coefficient was 0.29, P=0.000), but also on lack of social support(the path coefficient was 0.39, P=0.000); lack of social support had a direct effect on sleep disorder(the path coefficient was 0.48, P=0.000).Conclusions: Acute stress and lack of social support are two significant factors of sleep disorder in grass-root military personnel. Well-established social support could alleviate sleep disorder induced by acute stress. Lack of social support was a partial mediator between acute stress and sleep disorder.

Risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in the military: a qualitative systematic review of the literature from the past two decades and a new prioritizing injury model

Background: Musculoskeletal injuries(MSkIs) are a leading cause of health care utilization, as well as limited duty and disability in the US military and other armed forces. MSkIs affect members of the military during initial training,operational training, and deployment and have a direct negative impact on overall troop readiness. Currently, a systematic overview of all risk factors for MSkIs in the military is not available.Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out using the PubMed, Ovid/Medline, and Web of Science databases from January 1, 2000 to September 10, 2019. Additionally, a reference list scan was performed(using the “snowball method”). Thereafter, an international, multidisciplinary expert panel scored the level of evidence per risk factor, and a classification of modifiable/non-modifiable was made.Results: In total, 176 original papers and 3 meta-analyses were included in the review. A list of 57 reported potential risk factors was formed. For 21 risk factors, the level of evidence was considered moderate or strong. Based on this literature review and an in-depth analysis, the expert panel developed a model to display the most relevant risk factors identified, introducing the idea of the “order of importance” and including concepts that are modifiable/nonmodifiable, as well as extrinsic/intrinsic risk factors.Conclusions: This is the qualitative systematic review of studies on risk factors for MSkIs in the military that has attempted to be all-inclusive. A total of 57 different potential risk factors were identified, and a new, prioritizing injury model was developed. This model may help us to understand risk factors that can be addressed, and in which order they should be prioritized when planning intervention strategies within military groups.

Investigation of the effect of military stress on the prevalence of functional bowel disorders

AIM: To investigate the morbidity of functional bowel disorders (FBD) under military stress conditions in order to lay foundations for the prevention and treatment of this disease. METHODS: Four hundred and fifty-seven soldiers who were assigned to specified services and 471 soldiers who were assigned to routine services were enrolled using cluster sampling, with the latter as a control group. They were surveyed using the Rome Ⅲ FBD standard questionnaire. The FBD symptom question-naire included FBD-related symptoms, severity, dura- tion or attack time, and accompanying symptoms. RESULTS: The morbidity of the military stress group (14.6%) was significantly higher than in the control group (9.98%) ( 2 = 4.585, P < 0.05). The incidence of smoking, abdominal pain and acid regurgitation ( 2 = 4.761, P < 0.05) as well as the ZUNG anxiety/depression scores ( 2 = 7.982, P < 0.01) were also sig- nificantly higher in the military stress group compared with the control group. ZUNG anxiety ( 2 = 11.523, P < 0.01) and depression ( 2 = 5.149, P < 0.05) scores were higher in the FBD group compared with the non-FBD group. The differences in the ZUNG self-rated anxiety and depression scales between the 2 groups were statistically significant ( 2 = 14.482, P < 0.01 and 2 = 6.176, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The morbidity of FBD was higher under military stress conditions.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of non-typhoid Solmonella in military personnel,1988-2013

Objective:To describe the spanning 25 years data for the occurrence, magnitude, and trends regarding antimicrobial resistance of non-typhoidalSalmonella (NTS) isolated from non-immune travelers to Thailand participating in joint military operations.Methods:A total of 355 NTS isolates, obtained from 2052 fecal samples from US soldiers deployed for military maneuvers in Thailand during 1988-2013, were examined for NTS serogroup/serotypes and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility by disk diffusion to these 10 antibiotics:ampicillin, azithromycin (AZM), ciprofloxacin, colistin, gentamicin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin (STR), tetracycline (TET), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Identified AZM-resistant NTS isolates were further evaluated for their minimal inhibitory concentration by the E-test method.Results:NTS infections accounted for 17.3％ (355/2052), including 11 serogroups and 50 different serotypes. The most prevalent serogroup wasSalmonella group C2-C3 (35.8％, 127/355) followed by groups B (21.1％, 75/355) and C1 (18.6％, 66/355). Identified serotypes includedSalmonellahadar (n=60),Salmonellarissen (n=45), andSalmonella blockley (n=34). Among the predominate serogroups, antimicrobial resistance was consistently high against TET (76.9％, 273/355) followed by STR (40.8％, 145/355). OneSalmonella senftenberg isolate demonstrated decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility. Most isolates (94.6％) were resistant to one or more antimicrobials, and the most common multidrug resistance was TET-STR-nalidixic acid (11.5％, 41/355).Conclusions:The prevalence of NTS serotypes and the growing magnitude of antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from deployed US military in Thailand are documented from 1988-2013. This study demonstrates the antibiotic resistance profiles, highlighting the effectiveness of AZM that is a first-line treatment for travelers to Southeast Asia. AZM-resistant NTS isolates are periodically observed over a 25-year period. Hence, the ongoing surveillance and prevalence efforts are required to monitor NTS resistant strains causing further treatment failure.

Methods for improving thermal tolerance in military personnel prior to deployment

Acute exposure to heat, such as that experienced by people arriving into a hotter or more humid environment, can compromise physical and cognitive performance as well as health. In military contexts heat stress is exacerbated by the combination of protective clothing, carried loads, and unique activity profiles, making them susceptible to heat illnesses. As the operational environment is dynamic and unpredictable, strategies to minimize the effects of heat should be planned and conducted prior to deployment. This review explores how heat acclimation(HA) prior to deployment may attenuate the effects of heat by initiating physiological and behavioural adaptations to more efficiently and effectively protect thermal homeostasis, thereby improving performance and reducing heat illness risk. HA usually requires access to heat chamber facilities and takes weeks to conduct, which can often make it impractical and infeasible, especially if there are other training requirements and expectations. Recent research in athletic populations has produced protocols that are more feasible and accessible by reducing the time taken to induce adaptations, as well as exploring new methods such as passive HA. These protocols use shorter HA periods or minimise additional training requirements respectively, while still invoking key physiological adaptations, such as lowered core temperature, reduced heart rate and increased sweat rate at a given intensity. For deployments of special units at short notice(< 1 day) it might be optimal to use heat re-acclimation to maintain an elevated baseline of heat tolerance for long periods in anticipation of such an event. Methods practical for military groups are yet to be fully understood, therefore further investigation into the effectiveness of HA methods is required to establish the most effective and feasible approach to implement them within military groups.

System-Level EMC Assessment for Military Vehicular Communication Systems Based on a Modified Four-Level Assessment Model

With the development of EMC technology, EMC assessment has become increasingly important in EMC design. Although numerous EMC assessment models are available today, few of them can provide a tradeoff between efficiency and accuracy for the specific case of military vehicular communication systems. Face to this situation, a modified four-level assessment model is proposed in the paper. First, the development of EMC assessment technology is briefly reviewed, and the theoretical mechanism of EMI environment is introduced. Then, the architecture of the proposed model is outlined, and the assessment methods are explored. To demonstrate the application of it, an example involving a communication system in a military vehicle is presented. From the physical layer to the signal layer, a hierarchical assessment on the entire system is successfully performed based on the proposed model, and we can make a qualitative EMC assessment on the EMC performance of the system. Based on a comparison with the traditional model, we conclude that the proposed model is more accurate, more efficient and less time-consuming, which is suitable for the EMC assessment on militaryvehicular communication systems. We hope that the proposed model will serve as a useful reference for system-level EMC assessments for other systems.

A randomized trial comparing the Tennant Biomodulator to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and traditional Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain in military service members

Background:The present investigation tested the efficacy of the Tennant Biomodulator,a novel pain management intervention that uses biofeedback-modulated electrical stimulation,to reduce chronic pain and its psychosocial sequelae in a sample of current and former military service members.The Tennant Biomodulator used on its most basic setting was compared to two commonly used,non-pharmacological pain treatments—traditional Chinese acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS)—in a comparative efficacy,randomized,open-label trial.Methods:Participants included 100 active duty and retired service men and women with chronic pain undergoing treatment at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas,USA,randomly assigned to receive six,weekly sessions of either Tennant Biomodulator treatment,traditional Chinese acupuncture,or TENS,in addition to usual care.Recruitment was conducted between May 2010 to September 2013.Outcome measures were collected at intake,before and after each treatment session,and at a 1-month follow-up.Intent-to-treat analyses were used throughout,with mixed models used to investigate main effects of group,time,and group×time interactions with consideration given to quadratic effects.Outcomes measured included ratings of chronic pain,pain-related functional disability,and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)and depression.Results:On average,regardless of their treatment group,participants exhibited a 16%reduction in pain measured by the Brooke Army Medical Center’s Clinic Pain Log[F(1,335)=55.7,P<0.0001]and an 11%reduction in pain-related disability measured by the Million Visual Analog Scale[MVAS:F(1,84)=28.3,P<0.0001]from baseline to the end of treatment,but no one treatment performed better than the other,and the reductions in pain and pain-related disability were largely lost by 1-month follow-up.Symptoms of PTSD and depression did not change significantly as a function of time or group.Conclusions:Findings build on previous work suggesting that traditional Chinese acupuncture and TENS can reduce pain and its functional sequelae without risks associated with pharmacological pain management.The Tennant Biomodulator used on its most basic setting performs as well as these other interventions.Based on the present findings,large,randomized controlled trials on the Tennant Biomodulator are indicated.Future work should test this device using its full range of settings for pain-related psychological health.Trial registration:Clincialtrials.gov(NCT01752010);registered December 14,2012.

Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans

Background:Large numbers of post-deployment U.S.veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)and/or traumatic brain injury(TBI),leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans’coping.PTSD includes anxiety,flashbacks,and emotional numbing.The symptoms increase health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans’civilian life difficult.Methods:We used a randomized wait-list controlled design with repeated measures of U.S.military veterans to address our specific aim to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding(THR)program for decreasing PTSD symptoms and increasing coping self-efficacy,emotion regulation,social and emotional loneliness.Fiftyseven participants were recruited and 29 enrolled in the randomized trial.They were randomly assigned to either the horse riding group(n=15)or a wait-list control group(n=14).The wait-list control group experienced a 6-week waiting period,while the horse riding group began THR.The wait-list control group began riding after 6 weeks of participating in the control group.Demographic and health history information was obtained from all the participants.PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version(PCL-M).The PCL-M as well as other instruments including,The Coping Self Efficacy Scale(CSES),The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale(DERS)and The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-short version(SELSA)were used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms.Results:Participants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR(P≤0.01)as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR(P≤0.01).Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7%likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5%likelihood at 6 weeks.Under the generalized linear model(GLM),our ANOVA findings for the coping self-efficacy,emotion regulation,and social and emotional loneliness did not reach statistical significance.The results for coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation trended in the predicted direction.Results for emotional loneliness were opposite the predicted direction.Logistic regression provided validation that outcome effects were caused by riding longer.Conclusion:The findings suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.

Adherence to acne treatment guidelines in the military environment-a descriptive,serial cross-sectional study

Background:Acne vulgaris,a common skin disease,affects up to 80% of the population.Moderate to severe acne requires treatment with a combination of topical and oral drugs such as antibiotics,hormones and retinoids.Retinoids have many contraindications and adverse effects requiring close monitoring.The study's objectives were to describe prescribing trends in acne medication over time in a military setting,and assess physician adherence to guidelines for acne treatment,including drug precautions,clinical monitoring,and treatment progression.Methods:We conducted a descriptive,serial cross-sectional study of acne drugs prescribed in the Israel Defense Forces(IDF) in the years 2002–2007,analyzing the classes of drugs prescribed and patient characteristics.In addition,the clinical quality of the medical encounter was assessed by examining physician adherence to IDF guidelines.Results:Between 2002 and 2007,64,281 patients were treated for acne.Treatment courses generally persisted for 1–2 months.Over 70% of female patients receiving oral retinoids were not concomitantly receiving oral contraceptives.Conclusions:This study provides a unique perspective of acne treatment in a military setting,overall displaying good adherence to general guidelines.The common prescription of oral retinoids to young females without concomitant contraception is alarming.