American Soldiers Also Fought

Autoimmunity fought in the cortex

In the best-case scenario, self-attacking T cells are ousted before they have a chance to leave the thymus. That essential process, which eliminates autoreactive thymocytes from the get-go, is known to occur in the thymic medulla. Now, on page 2575, McCaughtry et al. provide solid evidence that this elimination also occurs in the thymic cortex. Although immunologists have reported T cell deleti...

Enhancing the fighting force: medical research on American soldiers.

Japanese B encephalitis in American soldiers in Korea.

War Archives: How Some Primates Fought Off Ancient Viruses

For eons, viruses and their host organisms have been locked in an evolutionary arms race, with hosts—sometimes under threat of death—continually perfecting adaptive countermeasures to thwart viral threats. Such adaptations often come about via mutation in single amino acids of host proteins. The mutations become fixed in the host population as resistant individuals and their offspring outperfor...

Follow-up study of 103 American soldiers who sustained a brain wound in Vietnam.

v,' The authors report a follow-up study of 103 American soldiers who were treated for brain wounds at one neurosurgical facility in Vietnam. The estimated mortality after evacuation from the war zone was 6% to 8%. Severe brain wounds, meningitis, and pulmonary emboli accounted for the majority of the late deaths. Thirty-four per cent had post-debridement complications such as retained bone fra...