Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Researchers identify link between autoimmune diseases, medications and Long QT syndrome

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, professor of medicine, cell biology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has led a study with international collaborators identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant medications.

7 Jul 2015

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

A blood-borne molecule that increases in abundance as we age blocks regeneration of brain cells and promotes cognitive decline, suggests a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Stanford School of Medicine.

7 Jul 2015

Centene to acquire Health Net shares for approximately $6.8 billion

Centene Corporation and Health Net, Inc. announced that the Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Centene will acquire all of the shares of Health Net in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $6.8 billion, including the assumption of approximately $500 million of debt.

2 Jul 2015

Educational messages about naloxone's lifesaving benefits can bolster support for its use

While most Americans do not support policies designed to increase distribution of naloxone - a medication that reverses the effects of a drug overdose - certain types of educational messages about its lifesaving benefits may bolster support for its use, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

2 Jul 2015

Study: Around 6% survive cardiac arrest outside of hospital setting

Cardiac arrest strikes almost 600,000 people each year, killing the vast majority of those individuals, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Every year in the U.S., approximately 395,000 cases of cardiac arrest occur outside of a hospital setting, in which less than 6 percent survive. Approximately 200,000 cardiac arrests occur each year in hospitals, and 24 percent of those patients survive. Estimates suggest that cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. behind cancer and heart disease.

1 Jul 2015

Multiple courses of antibiotics may have significant impact on child development

A new animal study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers adds to growing evidence that multiple courses of commonly used antibiotics may have a significant impact on children's development.

1 Jul 2015

Different neurobiological pathways lead to expression of Alzheimer's disease

The amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) posits that sticky aggregations or plaques of amyloid-beta peptides accumulate over time in the brain, triggering a series of events that ultimately result in the full-blown neurodegenerative disorder. The hypothesis has been a major driver of AD research for more than 20 years.

26 Jun 2015

Alabama scientists show how phytochemical in magnolia works against head and neck cancers

Magnolias are prized for their large, colorful, fragrant flowers. Does the attractive, showy tree also harbor a potent cancer fighter?

26 Jun 2015

Stanford researchers find how neurons work together to control movement in people with paralysis

Stanford University researchers studying how the brain controls movement in people with paralysis, related to their diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease, have found that groups of neurons work together, firing in complex rhythms to signal muscles about when and where to move.

24 Jun 2015

Michael Charness named recipient of Henry Rosett Award for FASD research

Michael Charness, MD, professor of neurology and associate dean of veterans affairs at Boston University School of Medicine and Chief of Staff of the VA Boston Health Care System has been selected by the Rosett Committee of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group as the 2015 recipient of the Henry Rosett Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) field.

23 Jun 2015

Rapamycin drug reduces obesity, preserves lean body mass in older rats

Aging can cause many changes to the body, including obesity and a loss of lean mass. Now, a group of University of Florida Health researchers has discovered that an existing drug reduces body fat and appetite in older rats, which has intriguing implications for aging humans.

17 Jun 2015

Spending more time in intensive physical therapy program may benefit stroke survivors

Time may heal all wounds, but in the case of stroke survivors, the key to better recovery is to spend more time in an intensive physical therapy program, according to a University of Florida Health study.

15 Jun 2015

Study can help VHA to target suicide prevention efforts for high-risk patients

Clinicians are challenged every day to make difficult decisions regarding patients' suicide risk. Using Veterans Health Administration health system electronic medical record data, Veterans Affairs and National Institute of Mental Health scientists were able to identify very small groups of individuals within the VHA's patient population with very high, predicted suicide risk -- most of whom had not been identified for suicide risk by clinicians.

15 Jun 2015

Veterans who died from drug overdoses also prescribed benzodiazepines for pain

In a recent study, nearly half of all veterans who died from drug overdoses while prescribed opioids for pain were also receiving benzodiazepines, or benzos, which are common medications for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and alcohol withdrawal. Veterans prescribed higher doses of benzodiazepines while concurrently receiving opioids were at greater risk of overdose death than those on lower doses of benzodiazepines.

15 Jun 2015

Researchers show how a new drug speeds tissue regeneration in animal models

The concept sounds like the stuff of science fiction: take a pill, and suddenly new tissues grow to replace damaged ones. Researchers at Case Western Reserve and UT Southwestern Medical Center this week announced that they have taken significant steps toward turning this once-improbable idea into a vivid reality.

12 Jun 2015

Daily dose of aspirin effective at blocking breast tumor growth

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning" has been the punchline for countless jokes. Could it also be good advice for cancer patients? A lab study to appear in the July 2015 issue of Laboratory Investigation found that a daily dose of aspirin was effective at blocking breast tumor growth. Previous studies have already shown a similar effect on colon, gastrointestinal, prostate, and other cancers.

12 Jun 2015

Keeping blood sugar levels under control can help protect hearts from diabetes-related damage

Day in and day out, for years on end, millions of people with diabetes prick their fingers to test their blood sugar level. And many may wonder if all the careful eating, exercise and medication it takes to keep those levels under control is really worth it.

4 Jun 2015

Wounded Warrior Project initiates $100 million commitment to launch national medical care network

Wounded Warrior Project, a national nonprofit veterans service organization based in Jacksonville, Florida, has initiated a $100 million commitment to launch a first-of-its-kind national medical care network to connect wounded veterans and their families with world-class, individualized health care.

3 Jun 2015

ACA urges NINDS to include recommendations for use of conservative forms of pain management

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), in recent comments submitted to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Office of Pain Policy on the draft National Pain Strategy, strongly urges the agency to include recommendations encouraging patients and health care providers to first exhaust conservative forms of pain management, when appropriate.

1 Jun 2015

Study highlights recent trends in non-fatal suicidal events in the U.S. Army

Although the U.S. Army suicide rate is known to have risen sharply over the past decade, information about medically documented, non-fatal suicidal behaviors is far more limited. According to findings published in Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes incidence rates of suicide ideation and suicide attempts increased annually among Soldiers during the years 2004-2009.

29 May 2015

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Researchers identify link between autoimmune diseases, medications and Long QT syndrome

Blood-borne molecule promotes age-related cognitive decline

Centene to acquire Health Net shares for approximately $6.8 billion

Educational messages about naloxone's lifesaving benefits can bolster support for its use

Study: Around 6% survive cardiac arrest outside of hospital setting

Multiple courses of antibiotics may have significant impact on child development

Different neurobiological pathways lead to expression of Alzheimer's disease

Alabama scientists show how phytochemical in magnolia works against head and neck cancers

Stanford researchers find how neurons work together to control movement in people with paralysis

Michael Charness named recipient of Henry Rosett Award for FASD research

Rapamycin drug reduces obesity, preserves lean body mass in older rats

Spending more time in intensive physical therapy program may benefit stroke survivors

Study can help VHA to target suicide prevention efforts for high-risk patients

Veterans who died from drug overdoses also prescribed benzodiazepines for pain

Researchers show how a new drug speeds tissue regeneration in animal models

Daily dose of aspirin effective at blocking breast tumor growth

Keeping blood sugar levels under control can help protect hearts from diabetes-related damage

Wounded Warrior Project initiates $100 million commitment to launch national medical care network

ACA urges NINDS to include recommendations for use of conservative forms of pain management

Study highlights recent trends in non-fatal suicidal events in the U.S. Army

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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