BACKGROUND As the Global War on Terror progresses, the total health cost for treating wounded soldiers continues to rise. Although some reports have estimated the total cost of soldiers' health care, no study has attempted to rigorously quantify this amount. We sought to quantify the cost of providing health care to soldiers injured while on duty in a conflict area. METHODS Retrospective stud...

BACKGROUND United States Army Soldiers regularly use dietary supplements (DS) to promote general health, enhance muscle strength, and increase energy, but limited scientific evidence supports the use of many DS for these benefits. This study investigated factors associated with Soldiers' confidence in the efficacy and safety of DS, and assessed Soldiers' knowledge of federal DS regulatory requi...

AIMS The aim of the survey was to establish whether PTSD is present among Polish soldiers returning from a one-year deployment to Iraq and an analysis of its individual symptoms. METHODS Sixty soldiers were examined, including 30 who returned from the Iraqi mission and 30 who remained in Poland. Five analysing devices were used: (IPSA), (STAI), (BDI), a PTSD questionnaire and a socio-demograp...

Termites may have high exposure to both pathogenic and competitive fungal species. Previous studies have shown anti-fungal properties of the primary components (alpha-pinene and limonene) of Nasutitermes frontal glands that are present on soldiers. In this study, the termite Nasutitermes acajutlae (Isoptera: Termitidae) was used to examine if the growth of naturally occurring fungi was inhibite...

Background: Some researchers claim that permethrin-impregnated clothes are effective in the prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of permethrin-impregnated clothes in the prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Patients and Methods: 272 soldiers were randomized in two groups. In one group permethrin-impregnated clothes and in the other group, control c...

BACKGROUND Child soldiers are often both victims and perpetrators of horrendous acts of violence. Research with former child soldiers has consistently shown that exposure to violence is linked to trauma-related disorders and that living in a violent environment is correlated with enhanced levels of aggression. OBJECTIVE To gain more insight into the experiences and the mental health status of...

BACKGROUND In this descriptive case series, 80 soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with inhalational exposures during service in Iraq and Afghanistan were evaluated for dyspnea on exertion that prevented them from meeting the U.S. Army's standards for physical fitness. METHODS The soldiers underwent extensive evaluation of their medical and exposure history, physical examination, pulmonary...

We constructed a mathematical model to explain from which instars soldiers should be produced to maximize the growth rate of a termite colony. The model is based on the demography of the lower termite's colony: many of them feed inside the nest. The model predicts the following: (1) When the colony is young (it still has enough food and needs a high ratio of soldiers to workers) it will produce...

BACKGROUND In the past, the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) and Army National Guard (ARNG) have exhibited lower levels of medical and dental readiness than active duty (AD) Soldiers when activated for deployment. OBJECTIVE The objective was to compare dental disease and nonbattle injury (D-DNBI) incidence rates and describe the most common D-DNBI diagnoses in Army AD, ARNG, and USAR Soldiers deploye...