Breachers reported more combat exposure than non-breachers, and subsequently, memory loss and difficulty concentrating were associated with both breaching and combat exposure. Vestibular and ocular motor outcomes were not different between breachers and non-breachers. Conclusion Hearing-related, irritability, and sensitivity outcomes are associated with a career in breaching. Future studies examining long-term effects of blast exposure should take measures to control for combat exposure.Introduction The indication of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in acute stroke is unclear. Thus, we systematically studied the impact of TEE on determining stroke etiology and secondary prevention in patients of different age-groups with cryptogenic stroke. Methods Four hundred and eighty five consecutive patients with acute retinal or cerebral ischemia were prospectively included and underwent routine stroke workup including TEE. Stroke etiology was identified according to the TOAST classification and patients were divided in those with determined and cryptogenic stroke etiology without TEE results. Then, the frequency of high- and potential-risk sources in TEE was evaluated in less then 55, 55-74, and ≥75 year-old patients with cryptogenic stroke etiology. Results Without TEE, stroke etiology was cryptogenic in 329(67.8%) patients and TEE determined possible etiology in 158(48.4%) of them. In patients aged less then 55, 55-74, ≥75, TEE detected aortic arch plaques ≥4 mm thickness in 2(1.2%), 37(23.0%), and 33(40.2%) and plaques with superimposed thrombi in 0(0.0%), 5(3.1%), and 7(8.5%); left atrial appendage peak emptying flow velocity ≤30cm/s in 0(0.0%), 1(0.6%), and 2(2.4%), spontaneous echo contrast in 0(0.0%), 1(0.6%), and 6(7.3%), endocarditis in 0(0.0%), 0(0.0%), and 1(1.2%) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) plus atrial septum aneurysm (ASA) in 18(20.9%), 32(19.9%), and 14(17.1%), respectively. TEE changed secondary prevention in 16.4% of these patients following guidelines of 2010/11 and still 9.4% when applying the guidelines of 2020. Conclusions TEE was highly valuable for determining stroke etiology and influenced individual secondary prevention based on available treatment guidelines and expert opinion in most cases. In young patients the impact of TEE was limited to the detection of septal anomalies. By contrast, in older patients TEE detected high numbers of complex aortic atheroma and potential indicators of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.Objectives Headache is a common symptom in systemic infections, and one of the symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to characterize the phenotype of COVID-19 headache via machine learning. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study nested in a retrospective cohort. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 confirmed diagnosis who described headache were included in the study. Generalized Linear Models and Principal Component Analysis were employed to detect associations between intensity and self-reported disability caused by headache, quality and topography of headache, migraine features, COVID-19 symptoms, and results from laboratory tests. Results One hundred and six patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 56.6 ± 11.2, including 68 (64.2%) females. Higher intensity and/or disability caused by headache were associated with female sex, fever, abnormal platelet count and leukocytosis, as well as migraine symptoms such as aggravation by physical activity, pulsating pain, and simultaneous photophobia and phonophobia. Pain in the frontal area (83.0% of the sample), pulsating quality, higher intensity of pain, and presence of nausea were related to lymphopenia. Pressing pain and lack of aggravation by routine physical activity were linked to low C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels. Conclusion Intensity and disability caused by headache attributed to COVID-19 are associated with the disease state and symptoms. Two distinct headache phenotypes were observed in relation with COVID-19 status. One phenotype seems to associate migraine symptoms with hematologic and inflammatory biomarkers of severe COVID-19; while another phenotype would link tension-type headache symptoms to milder COVID-19.Background Previous studies had investigated the association between polymorphism of IVS5N+5 G>A in SCN1A and the risk of febrile seizure and epilepsy. However, the results were inconsistent. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between SCN1A IVS5N+5 G>A polymorphism and risk of febrile seizures and epilepsy. Methods We searched Embase, Medline, Scopus, and CNKI for studies on the association between SCN1A IVS5N+5 G>A polymorphism and risk of febrile seizures and epilepsy up to 19 February 2020. We pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by different genetic models. To explore the source of heterogeneity, we performed the subgroup analysis by ethnicity and source of control. Results We included a total of 12 studies in the meta-analysis. We found a significant negative association between G allele SCN1A IVS5N+5 G>A polymorphism, febrile seizures [G vs. Y-27632 order A OR (95% CI) 0.690 (0.530-0.897); GG vs. AA 0.503 (0.279-0.908); AG vs. AA 0.581 (0.460-0.733); GG + AG vs. AA 0.543 (0.436-0.677); AA + GG vs. AG 1.309 (1.061-1.615)], and epilepsy [G vs. A 0.822 (0.750-0.902); GG vs. AA 0.655 (0.515-0.832); AG vs. AA 0.780 (0.705-0.862); GG vs. AG + AA 0.769 (0.625-0.947); GG + AG vs. AA 0.743 (0.663-0.833); AA + GG vs. AG 1.093 (1.001-1.193)]. The subgroup analysis shows the association varied by type of disease, ethnicity, and source of control. Conclusion The present meta-analysis suggests that G allele in SCN1A IVS5N+5 G>A polymorphism is a protective factor of febrile seizures and epilepsy. It is possible to determine the vulnerability of each individual to develop febrile seizures or epilepsy genotype by these genetic variants. Future studies with better study designs are needed to confirm the results. Study Registration This study was registered in the International Prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42020163318).