Showing posts with label United States Military Iraqi War Veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United States Military Iraqi War Veterans. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Iraq War Documentaries


THE OIL FACTOR: BEHIND THE WAR ON TERROR (2005)
"After assessing today's dwindling oil reserves and skyrocketing use of oil for fuels, plastics and chemicals, "The Oil Factor" questions the motives for the U.S. wars in the Middle-East and Central Asia where 3/4 of the world's oil and natural gas is located."

A COMPANY OF SOLDIERS (2004)
"In "A Company of Soldiers," Frontline reports from inside the U.S. Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment stationed in Baghdad for an up-close, intimate look at the dangers facing an American military unit in Iraq. Shot in the weeks following the U.S. presidential election, the film tracks the day-to-day challenges facing the 8th Cavalry's Dog Company as it suddenly has to cope with a dramatic increase in attacks by insurgents." -washingtonpost.com

NO END IN SIGHT (2007)
"Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 - and the backgrounds of those making decisions - immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over: no provisional Iraqi government, de-Ba'athification, and disbanding the Iraqi armed services. The film has chapters (from History to Consequences), and the talking heads are reporters, academics, soldiers, military brass, and former Bush-administration officials, including several who were in Baghdad in 2003."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (2004)
"This guy has a lot of balls and curiousity. He takes a video camera and an interpreter to the major conflict areas of Iraq and shows what the average citizen and the extremists believe and what the US soldiers are facing day-to-day. Unadulterated realism. Highly recommended."

THE LOST YEAR IN IRAQ (2006)

"Weeks after the toppling of a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, ambassador L. Paul Bremer and a group of administrators went to Iraq with the goal of establishing a democracy. One year later Bremer left, but a growing insurgency and broken economy have continued to pose a challenge to U.S. troops and the young Iraqi government." -washingtonpost.com

THE FIFTH ESTATE : THE LIES THAT LED TO WAR
"Since the US-led invasion four years ago, the fifth estate has covered Iraq and the war on terror from virtually every angle--the military, media, intelligence, politics--revealing aspects of the story that you didn't find anywhere else. Now, as the White House warns about the latest threat in the region, this time from Iran, it's worthwhile looking back to examine the deception, suspect intelligence, even lies, that convinced the world of the rightness of targeting Saddam Hussein."

Sunday, June 1, 2008

DoD & VA Joint HBOT Proposal for Veterans


2007.02.12 - DoD & VA Joint HBOT Proposal for Veterans

Proposal
Department of Defense Brain Injury Rescue & Rehabilitation Project (DoD-BIRR)

Experimental Study of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Residual Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury in United States Military Iraqi War Veterans

Paul G. Harch, M.D.

LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans
INTRODUCTION: The current military conflict in Iraq has resulted in a very high proportion of traumatic brain injuries due to body armor and the types of munitions that are generating casualties. Statistics suggest as high as 80% of injured surviving veterans suffer from the residual neurological and cognitive effects of traumatic brain injury. There is no accept

February 12, 2007ed effective treatment for these chronic effects. In the past 30 years an increasing body of scientific literature has suggested that this condition is treatable with low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Recently, HBOT has been shown to improve cognitive function and improve vascular density in an animal model of chronic traumatic brain injury (Harch, 2001; manuscript submitted). This is the first such demonstration in the history of science and reinforces the clinical reports of effectiveness of HBOT.

PURPOSE: To conduct a rigorous study of HBOT in United States Military Iraqi war veterans with chronic traumatic brain injury and test the ability of HBOT to improve neurological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function.
DESIGN: Multi-center randomized prospective controlled crossover trial. All veterans enrolled in the study will receive both HBOT and participate as a control subject.

METHODS: The study will recruit 400 U.S. military Iraqi war veterans who have sustained a remote traumatic brain injury and are having cognitive and neurological dysfunction 12 months after their injury. Subjects will be identified by their VA or private physicians, enrolled in the study, and complete a neuropsychological test battery. If the neuropsychological test battery is positive for cognitive deficits the patient will undergo a neurological physical exam and randomization to HBOT or no HBOT. All veterans will complete a series of Quality of Life questionnaires and discontinue any other therapies. A subset of the veterans will also undergo the sequence of SPECT brain blood flow imaging, followed by a single HBOT or sham pressurization and then repeat SPECT at centers equipped to do SPECT. The HBOT group will receive 1.5ATA/60 minute HBOT’s twice/day, 5 days/week for 40 treatments. The control group will not receive HBOT. One month after the 40th HBOT both the HBOT and control groups will have a repeat neuropsychological test battery, answer the QOL questionnaires, and the subset with SPECT will have repeat SPECT brain blood flow imaging.

The two groups will then crossover: the HBOT group will become the control group and the control group will receive HBOT. One month after the 40th HBOT to the previous control group both groups will have repeat neuropsychological testing, QOL questionnaires, and the SPECT subset will have repeat SPECT brain imaging. Both groups will be followed for an additional six months at which time neuropsychological function, QOL, and return to work or previous level of function will be assessed. In addition, the SPECT subset will receive a final SPECT brain scan.

ANALYSIS: The neuropsychological and QOL data will be statistically analyzed by comparing pre/post test score differences for individuals as they complete each arm of the study. In addition, HBOT and control groups will be compared. SPECT brain imaging will be analyzed by standard methods, including region analysis and statistical parametric mapping. Study results will be published and announced.

COST/TIME ESTIMATES: Each veteran will take one year to complete the study. Total cost is approximately $25,000/veteran.