Behavioral health and sleep problems among US Army veterinarians and veterinary technicians participating in the Millennium Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalences and relative odds of mental health problems, suicidal ideation, psychotropic medication use, problem drinking, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support among veterinarians and veterinary technicians, compared with other medical professionals, in the US Army. SAMPLE: 7,744 US Army personnel (957 officers [101 veterinarians and 856 physicians and dentists] and 6,787 enlisted personnel [334 veterinary technicians and 6,453 medics]) participating in the Millennium Cohort Study. PROCEDURES: Eligible participants completed ≥ 1 survey while serving as an Army veterinarian, veterinary technician, physician, general dentist, or medic. Analysis methods including multivariable logistic regression adjusted for covariates and stratified by pay grade were used to investigate associations between each health-care occupation and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Veterinarians had higher reported prevalences of mental health problems, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support than did nontrauma physicians, trauma physicians, or dentists. On multivariable analysis, veterinarians had higher odds of mental health problems, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support, compared with physicians and dentists combined; odds for these outcomes were also higher for veterinarians, compared with various individual reference groups. Veterinary technicians had lower reported prevalence and lower odds of psychotropic medication use, compared with medics. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Further examination of Army policies and organizational structures related to veterinarians may be warranted, along with the development of policies and interventions designed to improve mental health, sleep quality, and social support among military veterinarians.

Combat and Trajectories of Physical Health Functioning in U.S. Service Members.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research has demonstrated that different forms of mental health trajectories can be observed in service members, and that these trajectories are related to combat. However, limited research has examined this phenomenon in relation to physical health. This study aims to determine how combat exposure relates to trajectories of physical health functioning in U.S. service members. METHODS: This study included 11,950 Millennium Cohort Study participants who had an index deployment between 2001 and 2005. Self-reported physical health functioning was obtained 5 times between 2001 and 2016 (analyzed in 2017), and latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify longitudinal trajectories from these assessments. Differences in the shape and prevalence of physical health functioning trajectories were investigated in relation to participants' self-reported combat exposure over the index deployment. RESULTS: Five physical health functioning trajectories were identified (high-stable, delayed-declining, worsening, improving-worsening, and low-stable). Combat exposure did not influence the shape of trajectories (p=0.12) but did influence trajectory membership. Relative to personnel not exposed to combat, participants reporting combat exposure were more likely to be in the delayed-declining, worsening, and low-stable classes and less likely to be in the high-stable class. However, the high-stable class (i.e., the most optimal class) was the most common trajectory class among not exposed (73.0%) and combat-exposed (64.5%) personnel. CONCLUSIONS: Combat exposure during military deployment is associated with poorer physical health functioning trajectories spanning more than a decade of follow-up. However, even when exposed to combat, consistently high physical health functioning is the modal response.

Association Between Dietary Supplement Use and ICD-9-CM Code Classification in Active Duty US Navy and Marine Corps Service Members.

INTRODUCTION: This study is the first to our knowledge to examine associations of survey-reported dietary supplement use with medical record diagnoses, rather than retrospective self-reported supplement use at the time of the medical encounter or case reports of adverse events. Dietary supplement (DS) use and adverse events associations in US Navy and Marine Corps personnel remains unknown. This study assessed associations of DS use in active duty (AD) personnel with ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes from outpatient medical encounters from the Military Health System Data Repository (MDR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional investigation used a one-time survey of DS use among AD conducted August through December 2014. Survey data were matched to MDR data accessed in September 2016, and associations between the survey responses and diagnoses were analyzed. Statistical significance was set at alpha level 0.005, and 99.5% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. MDR data were matched with survey results for 1,708 personnel. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined whether use of specific classes of supplements was associated with disease. RESULTS: Results revealed significant associations between vitamin supplement use and ICD-9-CM-diagnosed diseases of the nervous system (odds ratio [OR]: 1.72, 99.5% CI: 1.11-2.68) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (OR: 1.59, 99.5% CI: 1.17-2.17). Joint health supplement category use was associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (OR: 1.81, 99.5% CI: 1.12-2.94) and injury and poisoning (OR: 1.82, 99.5% CI: 1.10-3.04). CONCLUSIONS: The percentages of service members with diseases in specific ICD-9-CM diagnostic categories were similar to those reported in other studies using military medical data. There is a greater prevalence of dietary supplement use by the service members who participated in this survey compared with the general population, with 73% of US Navy and Marine Corps personnel reporting use of dietary supplements one or more times per week compared to the estimated 50% of all Americans currently using some form of dietary supplement. The DoD ensures the optimal readiness, performance, and health of its military service members, thus future longitudinal evaluation of dietary supplement use by this population will test the preliminary findings of this study.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Impact on Pandemic H1N1 Vaccine Efficacy.

BACKGROUND: In 2009, a novel influenza A (pH1N1) was identified, resulting in a pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality. A monovalent pH1N1 vaccine was separately produced in addition to the seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine. Formulation of the seasonal influenza vaccine (injectable trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine [TIV] vs. intranasal live, attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV]) was postulated to have impacted the efficacy of the pH1N1 vaccination. METHODS: We reviewed electronic health and databases, which included vaccination records, and healthcare encounters for influenza-like illness (ILI), influenza, and pneumonia among US military members. We examined rates by vaccination type to identify factors associated with the risk for study outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with those receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine alone, subjects receiving the pH1N1 vaccine, either alone (RR, 0.49) or in addition to the seasonal vaccine (RR, 0.51), had an approximately 50% reduction in ILI, 88% reduction in influenza (RR, 0.11 and 0.12, respectively), and 63% reduction in pneumonia (RR, 0.37 and 0.35, respectively). There was no clinically significant difference in ILI, influenza, or pneumonia attack rates among those receiving the pH1N1 vaccine with or without presence of the seasonal vaccine. Similarly, there was no clinically relevant difference in pH1N1 effectiveness between seasonal TIV and LAIV recipients. CONCLUSIONS: During the 2009-2010 pandemic, the pH1N1 vaccination was effective in reducing rates of ILI, influenza, and pneumonia. Administration of the seasonal vaccine should continue without concern of potential interference with a novel pandemic vaccine, though more studies are needed to determine if this is applicable to other influenza seasons.

Risk Factors Associated With Suicide Completions Among US Enlisted Marines.

US enlisted Marines have experienced a substantial increase in suicide rates. We sought to identify risk factors for suicide completions among male Marines who entered basic training in San Diego, California, between June 2001 and October 2010. Suicides that occurred during active-duty military service were counted from June 1, 2001, through June 30, 2012. A total of 108,930 male Marines (66,286 deployers and 42,644 never deployed) were followed for 467,857 person-years of active-duty service time. Of the 790 deaths, 123 (15.6%) were suicides. In the final multivariate hazard model, preservice characteristics of not being a high-school graduate (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 3.68) and being a smoker at the time of enlistment (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32, 2.76) were significantly associated with a higher risk for suicide completion. Diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (HR = 4.09, 95% CI: 2.08, 8.05), diagnosed with depression (HR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.22, 4.58), and received relationship counseling (HR = 3.71, 95% CI: 1.44, 9.54) during military service were significant risks for suicide death. Deployment alone was not significantly associated with a risk for suicide death (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.26, 1.05).

A 10-Year Retrospective Review of Nephrolithiasis in the Navy and Navy Pilots.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the incidence of nephrolithiasis in the United States Navy. Navy pilots must be kidney stone-free and are often referred for treatment of small asymptomatic stones. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the incidence of nephrolithiasis and computerized tomography, proportion undergoing treatment and incidence of stone related mishaps in Navy pilots compared with other Navy personnel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied the records of all Navy service members from 2002 to 2011 for nephrolithiasis based on ICD-9 stone codes to determine the mentioned rates. We also reviewed NSC (Naval Safety Center) data for a history of accidents associated with nephrolithiasis. Rates of disease were calculated using person-years of followup and inferential statistics were done using univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: We evaluated 667,840 Navy personnel with a total of 3,238,331 person-years of followup. The annual incidence of nephrolithiasis was 240/100,000 person-years with a 5-year recurrence rate of 35.3%. On multivariable analysis pilots had nephrolithiasis incidence and treatment rates similar to those of the overall Navy population. Women had a higher incidence of nephrolithiasis compared with men (OR 1.17, p <0.0001). The rate of computerized tomography was lower in pilots than in the rest of the Navy (39 vs 66/10,000 person-years, p <0.0001). No recorded accidents were associated with kidney stones. CONCLUSIONS: Navy pilots had a similar incidence of nephrolithiasis and were no more likely to undergo a surgical procedure. Given that no accidents were associated with nephrolithiasis, this study suggests reconsidering current military policies necessitating pilots to be completely stone-free.

Demographic and Psychosocial Predictors of Early Attrition for Drug Use in U.S. Marines.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine demographic and psychosocial predictors of early attrition for drug use in a cohort of U.S. Marines and the resulting lost person-days. METHOD: The study included data from 35,193 male Marines who completed a life history questionnaire during their first week of basic training. Associations between demographic and psychosocial variables with subsequent discharge for drug use were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: The strongest predictors of early attrition because of drug use were being a smoker, African American race, moving around often as a child, not having a high school diploma, joining the military to leave problems behind, and having a prior arrest record. The results also indicate that approximately 3.1 million person-days were lost in this cohort because of early discharge for drug abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Despite effective policies that prohibit drug use, these findings suggest that a significant loss in manpower and training costs still occurs because of early attrition for drug use. Postenlistment interventions for those recruits at higher risk for drug abuse may help to reduce this attrition.

The taste machine: Sense, subjectivity, and statistics in the California wine world.

This article is about mid-20th-century attempts to turn subjective judgments about the quality and composition of wine into objective knowledge. It focuses on the research of Maynard Amerine at the University of California, Davis, and his project to formalize the procedures of sensory evaluation. Using controlled experimental conditions, Amerine and colleagues transcribed judgments about taste into numbers that could then be aggregated and analyzed statistically. Through such techniques, they claimed to be able to turn subjectivities into objectivities, rendering private taste sensations into reliable and stable facts about objects in the world.

Prescription Stimulants and PTSD Among U.S. Military Service Members.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent condition among military service members and civilians who have experienced traumatic events. Stimulant use has been postulated to increase the risk of incident PTSD; however, research in this area is lacking. In this study, the association between receipt of prescription stimulants and PTSD was examined in a secondary analysis among active duty U.S. military members (n = 25,971), participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, who completed a baseline (2001-2003) and two follow-up surveys (between 2004-2008). Prescription stimulant data were obtained from the military Pharmacy Data Transaction Service. PTSD was assessed using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version and incident PTSD was defined as meeting the criteria at follow-up among those who did not have a history of PTSD at baseline. Overall, 1,215 (4.7%) persons developed new-onset PTSD during follow-up. Receipt of prescription stimulants were significantly associated with incident PTSD, hazard ratio = 5.09, 95% confidence interval [3.05, 8.50], after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, military characteristics, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, baseline mental and physical health status, deployment experiences, and physical/sexual trauma. Findings suggested that prescription stimulants are associated with incident PTSD among military personnel; these data may inform the underlying pathogenesis of and preventive strategies for PTSD.

Health-related behaviors and effectiveness of trivalent inactivated versus live attenuated influenza vaccine in preventing influenza-like illness among young adults.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is the preferred preventive strategy against influenza. Though health behaviors are known to affect immunity and vaccine delivery modes utilize different immune processes, data regarding the preferred influenza vaccine type among adults endorsing specific health-related behaviors (alcohol use, tobacco use, and exercise level) are limited. METHODS: The relative effectiveness of two currently available influenza vaccines were compared for prevention of influenza-like illness during 2 well-matched influenza seasons (2006/2007, 2008/2009) among US military personnel aged 18-49 years. Relative vaccine effectiveness was compared between those self-reporting and not reporting recent smoking history and potential alcohol problem, and by exercise level using Cox proportional hazard modeling adjusted for sociodemographic and military factors, geographic area, and other health behaviors. RESULTS: 28,929 vaccination events and 3936 influenza-like illness events over both influenza seasons were studied. Of subjects, 27.5% were smokers, 7.7% had a potential alcohol-related problem, 10.5% reported minimal exercise, and 4.4% reported high exercise levels. Overall, the risk of influenza-like illness did not significantly differ between live attenuated and trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine recipients (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-1.06). In the final adjusted model, the relative effectiveness of the 2 vaccine types did not differ by smoking status (p = 0.10), alcohol status (p = 0.21), or activity level (p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Live attenuated and trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines were similarly effective in preventing influenza-like illness among young adults and did not differ by health-related behavior status. Influenza vaccine efforts should continue to focus simply on delivering vaccine.

Melanoma incidence rates in active duty military personnel compared with a population-based registry in the United States, 2000-2007.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate whether incidence rates of malignant cutaneous melanoma in U.S. Department of Defense active duty military personnel differed from rates in the U.S. general population between 2000 and 2007. METHODS: The study population included active duty military personnel and the general population aged 18 to 56 years. Data were obtained from the U.S. Department of Defense medical data systems and from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program. Melanoma risk was estimated by incidence rate ratios (IRRs). RESULTS: Melanoma risk was higher among active duty personnel than the general population (IRR = 1.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-1.86). Incidence rates were higher for white military personnel than for white rates in general population (36.89 and 23.05 per 100,000 person-years, respectively). Rates were also increased for military men and women compared with SEER (men, 25.32 and 16.53 per 100,000; women, 30.00 and 17.55 per 100,000). Air Force service personnel had the highest rates and Army had the lowest. CONCLUSION: Melanoma rates were marginally higher among active duty military personnel than the general population between 2000 and 2007.

Trends in new U.S. Marine Corps accessions during the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The objective of this study was to analyze trends in preservice characteristics among Marine Corps recruits during the recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recruits completed a confidential survey during their first week of training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. Demographics, behaviors, and health information were analyzed for trends from 2001 to 2010 using the Cochran-Armitage trend test and F statistic. Data from 131,961 male recruits with a mean age of 19.8 years were analyzed. Overall, entry characteristics remained stable exhibiting only modest changes over the study period. Favorable trends included recent (2009-2010) improvements in body mass index and physical activity levels. Unfavorable trends included increases in smokeless tobacco and caffeine use, and angry outbursts. Although many recruit characteristics remained similar over the past decade, both favorable and unfavorable trends in sociobehavioral characteristics were noted. The ongoing assessment of preservice characteristics is important for detecting emerging trends over time. Findings may guide leadership's understanding of changes to help develop early-service trainings promoting a healthier force and potentially reducing future adverse outcomes.

In accordance with a "more majestic order". The new math and the nature of mathematics at midcentury.

The "new math" curriculum, one version of which was developed in the 1950s and 1960s by the School Mathematics Study Group under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, occasioned a great deal of controversy among mathematicians. Well before its rejection by parents and teachers, some mathematicians were vocal critics, decrying the new curriculum because of the way it described the practice and history of the discipline. The nature of mathematics, despite the field's triumphs in helping to win World War II and its midcentury promotion as the key to a modern technological society, was surprisingly contested in this period. Supporters of the School Mathematics Study Group, like its director, Edward Begle, emphasized the importance of portraying mathematics as a system of abstract structures, while opponents like Morris Kline argued that math was essentially a tool for understanding the natural world. The debate about the curriculum--and the role of mathematicians in its design--was also a debate about the underlying identity of the subject itself.

Comparison of the effectiveness of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine and live, attenuated influenza vaccine in preventing influenza-like illness among US military service members, 2006-2009.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity, and vaccination is the preferred preventive strategy. Data regarding the preferred influenza vaccine type among adults are limited. METHODS: The effectiveness of 2 currently available influenza vaccines LAIV and TIV in preventing influenza-like illness (ILI) was compared among US military members (aged 18-49 years) during 3 consecutive influenza seasons (2006-2009). ILI, influenza, and pneumonia events post-vaccination were compared between vaccine types using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for sociodemographic factors, occupation, and geographic area. RESULTS: A total of 41 670 vaccination events were evaluated, including 28 929 during 2 "well-matched" seasons (2006-2007 and 2008-2009: LAIV n = 22 734, TIV n = 6195) and 12 741 during a suboptimally matched season due to mild antigenic drift (2007-2008: LAIV n = 9447, TIV n = 3294). ILI crude incidence rates for LAIV and TIV were 139 and 127 cases per 1000 person-seasons for the well-matched seasons, respectively, and 150 and 165 cases per 1000 person-seasons for the suboptimally matched season, respectively. In the multivariable models, there were no differences in ILI events by vaccine type (well-matched seasons: hazard ratio [HR], 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], .90-1.06; suboptimally matched season: HR, 1.00; 95% CI, .90-1.11). There were also no differences in influenza and/or pneumonia events by vaccine group. CONCLUSIONS: Between 2006 and 2009, TIV and LAIV had similar effectiveness in preventing ILI and influenza/pneumonia events among healthy adults.

Prospective assessment of chronic multisymptom illness reporting possibly associated with open-air burn pit smoke exposure in Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between chronic multisymptom illness (CMI) and possible exposure to an open-air burn pit at three selected bases among those deployed to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. METHODS: Chronic multisymptom illness (reporting at least one symptom in at least two of the following symptom constructs: general fatigue; mood and cognition problems; and musculoskeletal discomfort) was assessed, differentiating by potential burn pit exposure, among deployers who completed 2004 and 2007 Millennium Cohort questionnaires. RESULTS: More than 21,000 Cohort participants were deployed in support of the current operations, including more than 3000 participants with at least one deployment within a 3-mile radius of a documented burn pit. After adjusting for covariates, no elevated risk of CMI was observed among those exposed. CONCLUSIONS: There was no increase in CMI symptom reporting in those deployed to three selected bases with documented burn pits compared with other deployers.

The effects of exposure to documented open-air burn pits on respiratory health among deployers of the Millennium Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate respiratory illnesses and potential open-air burn pit exposure among Millennium Cohort participants who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. METHODS: Using multivariable logistic regression, newly reported chronic bronchitis or emphysema, newly reported asthma, and self-reported respiratory symptoms and possible burn pit exposure within 2, 3, or 5 miles were examined among Army and Air Force deployers surveyed in 2004 to 2006 and 2007 to 2008 (n = 22,844). RESULTS: Burn pit exposure within 3 or 5 miles was not associated with respiratory outcomes after statistical adjustment. Increased symptom reporting was observed among Air Force deployers located within 2 miles of Joint Base Balad; however, this finding was marginally significant with no evidence of trend. CONCLUSION: In general, these findings do not support an elevated risk for respiratory outcomes among personnel deployed within proximity of documented burn pits in Iraq.