Military operational psychology.

With increasing requirements for expeditionary support to military units, models of integrated and embedded psychology have emerged. Operational psychology represents one such model. Military operational psychologists receive specialized training, are embedded in operational units, and are employed to provide operational mission support to organizations and their personnel as opposed to providing individual health care per se. The following article describes the employment of military operational psychology and discusses its unique organizational and ethical challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Microsphere-Based Rapamycin Delivery, Systemic Versus Local Administration in a Rat Model of Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

PURPOSE: The increasing prevalence and treatment costs of kidney diseases call for innovative therapeutic strategies that prevent disease progression at an early stage. We studied a novel method of subcapsular injection of monodisperse microspheres, to use as a local delivery system of drugs to the kidney. METHODS: We generated placebo- and rapamycin monodisperse microspheres to investigate subcapsular delivery of drugs. Using a rat model of acute kidney injury, subcapsular injection of placebo and rapamycin monodisperse microspheres (monospheres) was compared to subcutaneous injection, mimicking systemic administration. RESULTS: We did not find any adverse effects related to the delivery method. Irrespective of the injection site, a similar low dose of rapamycin was present in the circulation. However, only local intrarenal delivery of rapamycin from monospheres led to decreased macrophage infiltration and a significantly lower amount of myofibroblasts in the kidney, where systemic administration did not. Local delivery of rapamycin did cause a transient increase in the deposition of collagen I, but not of collagen III. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that therapeutic effects can be increased when rapamycin is delivered subcapsularly by monospheres, which, combined with low systemic concentrations, may lead to an effective intrarenal delivery method.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms and work-related accomplishment as predictors of general health and medical utilization among Special Operations Forces personnel.

Research has established clear links among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatic symptoms, and general health among conventional force military personnel. It is possible that the same relationships exist among Special Operations Force (SOF) personnel, but there are very few, if any, studies that examine these relationships. This study investigated correlates of general health and medical visits among SOF personnel and found that the interaction of somatic and PTSD symptoms was associated with worse health and more frequent medical visits. Follow-up analyses indicated that the interaction of avoidance symptoms with somatic symptoms was significantly associated with worse health, whereas the interaction of emotional numbing with somatic symptoms significantly contributed to increased medical visits. In addition, the results suggest that a sense of accomplishment among SOF personnel may serve as a protective factor against poor health. The results suggest developing interactions among SOF personnel that promote a sense of achievement to ultimately improve the health of the force.

Assessing Iraqi Arab personality using the Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire.

The assessment of personality and related interpersonal dynamics among non-English-speaking populations offers many challenges to psychologists. Nonverbal culture-free or culture-fair instruments often fall short of adequately navigating the complex demands of non-Western cultural and ideological influences. Despite nearly a decade of America's presence within the Middle East, there remains a paucity of useful psychological assessment instruments available for use with non-English-speaking Arab populations in the region. A modified version of the Nonverbal Personality Questionnaire was used to assess personality, motivation, and interpersonal style among a small sample of Iraqi Arab male job applicants (n = 56). The various cross-cultural challenges and lessons learned from this assessment process are discussed and specific recommendations are provided.