Under a blast or impact load, rapid movement of the thoracic wall generates stress in lung, a foam-like structure of high compressibility, which is different from general solids. Due to this unique characteristic, it is hypothesized that when lung is subjected to a blast or impact load, there will be an initial low stress progressively developed into a high stress in a short duration in a thin ...

Blast-induced neurotrauma (BINT) is a major medical concern yet its etiology is largely undefined. Complement activation may play a role in the development of secondary injury following traumatic brain injury; however, its role in BINT is still undefined. The present study was designed to characterize the complement system and adaptive immune-inflammatory responses in a rat model of moderate BI...

To determine the effects of mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), several groups of rats were subjected to blast injury or sham injury in a compressed air-driven shock tube. The effects of bTBI on relative cerebral perfusion (laser Doppler flowmetry [LDF]), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) cerebral vascular resistance were measured for 2 h post-bTBI. Dilator responses to reduc...

Blast wave-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries to military personnel. Brain tissue compression/tension due to blast-induced cranial deformations and shear waves due to head rotation may generate diffuse micro-damage to neuro-axonal structures and trigger a cascade of neurobiological events culminating in cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders. Although dif...

The purpose of this study was to describe career performance outcomes after combat blast injury and to examine the relationship between the injury severity and type of military discharge. A retrospective cohort study of 4,255 male servicemembers injured in a combat blast as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom was completed. In the total sample, 37.8% experienced a normal discharge and 8.3% had an...

OBJECTIVE Use diffusion tensor imaging to investigate white matter alterations associated with blast exposure with or without acute symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). PARTICIPANTS Forty-five veterans of the recent military conflicts included 23 exposed to primary blast without TBI symptoms, 6 having primary blast with mild TBI, and 16 unexposed to blast. DESIGN Cross-sectional case-c...

The blast wave that is generated from the detonation of an anti-personnel mine can induce significant accelerative loading to the head of a deminer, when the wave collides with the victim. The injury potential posed by the resulting head acceleration in the context of demining, has not been previously studied. Instrumented anthropomorphic surrogates were used to evaluate the protective capabili...