A Repeated Measures Pilot Comparison of Trajectories of Fluctuating Endogenous Hormones in Young Women with Traumatic Brain Injury, Healthy Controls

Physical Health and Well-being: Updates and the Way Ahead

INTRODUCTION

The Women in Combat Summit 2021 "Forging the Future: How Women Enhance the Fighting Force" took place during February 9-11, 2021, via a virtual conference platform. The third and final day of the Summit regarded the physical health and well-being of military women and included the topics of urogenital health, nutrition and iron-deficiency anemia, unintended pregnancy and contraception, and traumatic brain injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After presentations on the topics earlier, interested conference attendees were invited to participate in focus groups to discuss and review policy recommendations for physical health and well-being in military women. Discussions centered around the topics discussed during the presentations, and suggestions for future Women in Combat Summits were noted. Specifics of the methods of the Summit are presented elsewhere in this supplement.

RESULTS

We formulated research and policy recommendations for urogenital health, nutrition and iron-deficiency anemia, contraception and unintended pregnancy, and traumatic brain injury.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to continue to develop the future health of military women, health care providers, researchers, and policymakers should consider the recommendations made in this supplement as they continue to build on the state of the science and forge the future.

The Role of Estradiol in Traumatic Brain Injury: Mechanism and Treatment Potential

Patients surviving traumatic brain injury (TBI) face numerous neurological and neuropsychological problems significantly affecting their quality of life. Extensive studies over the past decades have investigated pharmacological treatment options in different animal models, targeting various pathological consequences of TBI. Sex and gender are known to influence the outcome of TBI in animal models and in patients, respectively. Apart from its well-known effects on reproduction, 17β-estradiol (E2) has a neuroprotective role in brain injury. Hence, in this review, we focus on the effect of E2 in TBI in humans and animals. First, we discuss the clinical classification and pathomechanism of TBI, the research in animal models, and the neuroprotective role of E2. Based on the results of animal studies and clinical trials, we discuss possible E2 targets from early to late events in the pathomechanism of TBI, including neuroinflammation and possible disturbances of the endocrine system. Finally, the potential relevance of selective estrogenic compounds in the treatment of TBI will be discussed.