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May 2010 Issue of Neurosurgical Focus Devoted to Military Neurosurgery: Past and Present
The experiences of soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those of the surgeons and medical teams who treat them, are reflected in many of the 25 articles in the May 2010 issue of Neurosurgical Focus, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published online since 1996 by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons as a service to the medical community and to the public.
The issue and podcast (a dialogue between topic editor Paul Klimo and Colonel Rocco Armanda, senior neurosurgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center) are available at www.thejns.org. Questions or comments egarding any article can be directed to its corresponding author.

The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) is the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command’s (USAMRMC) corporate or central laboratory for advanced technology research. Its diverse assortment of unique collaborative relationships with government, academia and industry comprise a workforce that focuses on world-class integrated research and development for the Department of Defense. TATRC’s research programs consist of seven portfolios and a new initiatives and basic science program for addressing the ever-changing world of medical requirements both on the battlefield and in hospitals of the future.  www.tarc.org

The National Health Service Corps has made the application process for its loan repayment program easier by requiring fewer documents and providing detailed instructions.  The new LRP application can be found online.
Aggressively managing osteoporosis risk could result in a 25% reduction in the US hip fracture rate according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The Kaiser Permanente study found that its osteoporosis management program showed a 38% reduction in hip fractures. http://www.ejbjs.org/

Personal Computers on the Battlefield Recent developments in battlefield technology have demonstrated the increasing need for soldiers on the ground to be able to relay large amounts of information, using highly portable and flexible equipment. To this effect American Reliance (AMREL)  http://www.amrel.com/  has announced their latest compact computer platform, the HC-2, featuring a Windows XP interface and 128GB solid state drive. Medical applications will have major impacts on the battlefield.

Portable Ultrasound in the Emergency Room Often, a stethoscope and a doctor's touch are still the primary tools for diagnosing emergency-room patients, but some emergency physicians are trying to change that with portable devices that weigh less than 7 pounds, fire up in 15 seconds and cost about $50,000. A trained clinician can identify 44 medical conditions with a high degree of accuracy in two minutes. They can detect collapsed lungs, gallstones, blood clots, heart problems and blockages in the stomach, intestines and kidneys. Medics already have battery-operated ultrasound machines on the battlefield. NASA astronauts have them on the space shuttle. And researchers at remote Antarctic stations are being trained to use them. www.physorg.com

Past Pandemics Studied for Clues to H1N1  While some people thought they saw a pattern of mild waves of influenza prior to pandemics, a study of 500 years reveals no identifiable patterns. See the August 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association  http://jama.ama-assn.org/

Concerns Over Pandemic  Concerns over the spread of flu recognizes that diseases don’t recognize borders. Researchers in Europe and the Mediterranean  are working on the ITHANET project to increase coordination, pooling their knowledge using e-infrastructures such as databases, grids and web portals to avoid duplication of effort and increase efficiency in combating disease.   http://www.ithanet.eu/

You may want to check out the Redeployment Health Group at http://groups.google.com/group/redeploymenthealth/

Fast and accurate handheld anthrax detection device was presented at the Biodetection Technologies 2009 conference. www.veritide.com The device cuts the detection time form as much as three days to just a few minutes.

Bioengineers at Duke University have developed a prototype surgical robot that can locate and surgically extract shrapnel from flesh without human supervision. The robot uses 3-d ultrasound imaging to “see” tiny shards and guide a needle to the exact location. www.gizmag.com (22 June 2009)

People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures developed to restore the injured area, according to a study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (JAAOS).  http://www.jaaos.org/  The two new techniques rely on cells grown in a lab, and eliminate the need for ostetomy (cutting the bone of the tibia) in some cases.
Autologous chondorcyte implantation, or ACI, involves removing cartilage cells from the knee or the ankle and growing them in a lab. Once grown, the cartilage is transplanted to the talus. ACI usually involves an ostetomy in order to implant the cells.
In matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation, or MACI, cells are grown on a special backing material, or "matrix," and then transplanted to the talus.
 

Change to In-State Tuition Rules for Military Families
As of July 1, 2009, military members, spouses and their college-aged youth are now guaranteed in-state tuition at public colleges and universities in the state where they reside or are permanently stationed. The change was included in the Higher Education Act.
Most states already offered military families in-state tuition, but many did not allow for continuation of the in-state tuition rates once the military member was transferred. Military families should no longer be subject to rate hikes if the military member PCSes from that state.
As long as they remain continuously enrolled  they will be able to pay in-state tuition rates, even if the military member moves.
Service members who have questions should see the institution's registrar or the campus-based Veterans Affairs office, or  the Department of Education Ombudsman’s office at   https://ombudsman.ed.gov/OmbudsmanWebApp/do?action=getRequest
Or call the ombudsman’s office at 877 557-2575 (toll-free).