Veterans Affairs News and Research

RSS

Urinary levels of novel biomarkers linked to adverse long-term outcomes in AKI patients

High levels of two novel urinary biomarkers early in critical illness are associated with adverse long-term outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), according to an international, multi-center study led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Researchers.

14 Jan 2015

Man-made insulin nasal spray may improve memory in adults with Alzheimer's-related dementia

A man-made form of insulin delivered by nasal spray may improve working memory and other mental capabilities in adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease dementia, according to a pilot study led by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

9 Jan 2015

Improving headache treatment could reduce health care spending, new study suggests

Each year more than 12 million Americans visit their doctors complaining of headaches, which result in lost productivity and costs of upward of $31 billion annually. A new study by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests some of that cost could be offset by physicians ordering fewer tests and an increased focus on counseling about lifestyle changes.

8 Jan 2015

New therapeutic approach shows potential for treating cancer

Case Western Reserve researchers have identified a two-pronged therapeutic approach that shows great potential for weakening and then defeating cancer cells.

31 Dec 2014

Real-time radiation-exposure feedback can help medical workers adopt safer radiation practices

It's a sound that saves. A "real-time" radiation monitor that alerts by beeping in response to radiation exposure during cardiac-catheterization procedures significantly reduces the amount of exposure that medical workers receive, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found.

17 Dec 2014

Researchers develop new eye tracking technology that can assess impact of brain injury

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have developed new technology that can assess the location and impact of a brain injury merely by tracking the eye movements of patients as they watch music videos for less than four minutes, according to a study published Friday on-line in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

17 Dec 2014

Landmark GRACE study helps shape the practice of geriatric medicine

The seminal 2007 GRACE study from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute has been identified as one of 27 studies conducted over the past quarter century that have helped shape the practice of geriatric medicine. The GRACE study involved community-dwelling seniors and their primary-care physicians in a team approach to optimize health and decrease cost of care.

16 Dec 2014

UT Southwestern researchers identify cell signaling mechanism that plays vital role in brain cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center neurology researchers have identified an important cell signaling mechanism that plays an important role in brain cancer and may provide a new therapeutic target.

16 Dec 2014

Apheresis: A potent therapeutic in extracorporeal photopherisis

Apheresis, the simple process of drawing blood, becomes a powerful therapeutic in extracorporeal photopherisis (ECP) according to clinicians and scientists who met at the NIH State of the Science Symposium in Therapeutic Apheresis. Nora Ratcliffe, MD, of Dartmouth Hitchcock, looked at current methodology and opportunities for research in a paper recently published in Transfusion Medicine Review, titled "National Institutes of Health State of the Science Symposium in Therapeutic Apheresis: Scientific Opportunities in Extracorporeal Photopheresis."

14 Dec 2014

Study: Obese children's brains light up differently when tasting sugar

A new study led by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine finds that the brains of obese children literally light up differently when tasting sugar.

12 Dec 2014

New study finds that poor sleep may lead to dementia

People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a new study published in the December 10, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2014

Highly-paid doctors make more money by ordering multiple procedures for patients: UCLA

In results characterized as "very surprising," UCLA researchers found for the first time that higher-earning clinicians make more money by ordering more procedures and services per patient rather than by seeing more patients, which may not be in patients' best interest.

9 Dec 2014

Case Western Reserve selected to lead $27.3 million international effort to identify causes of SUDEP

Case Western Reserve is one of two universities in the country selected to lead a $27.3 million international effort to identify the causes of a mysterious and deadly phenomenon that strikes people with epilepsy without warning.

9 Dec 2014

Primary care can help tackle mental health care disparities among ethnic minorities

Primary care that includes mental health screenings and treatments that take into account a patient's language and cultural background can help address mental health care disparities among ethnic minorities, according to psychologists, physicians and other health care experts writing in a special issue of Psychological Services, published by the American Psychological Association.

5 Dec 2014

New chemical compound shows promise in restoring function lost to spinal cord injury

Case Western Reserve scientists have developed a new chemical compound that shows extraordinary promise in restoring function lost to spinal cord injury. The compound, which the researchers dubbed intracellular sigma peptide (ISP), allowed paralyzed muscles to activate in more than 80 percent of the animals tested.

4 Dec 2014

Study provides insight into variable impact of TBI on long-term memory

Kessler Foundation researchers have authored a new article that provides insight into the variable impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on long-term memory. The article, "Working memory capacity links cognitive reserve with long-term memory in moderate to severe TBI: a translational approach," was epublished ahead of print on October 7 in the Journal of Neurology (10.1007/s00415-014-7523-4).

2 Dec 2014

Study finds that starting ART treatment soon after HIV infection improves immune health

HIV-1-infected U.S. military members and beneficiaries treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after infection were half as likely to develop AIDS and were more likely to reconstitute their immune-fighting CD4+ T-cells to normal levels, researchers reported Nov. 24 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

25 Nov 2014

A new method for determining onset of elevated influenza activity at community level

Predicting the beginning of influenza outbreaks is notoriously difficult, and can affect prevention and control efforts.

20 Nov 2014

More breast cancer patients choosing to undergo mastectomy, finds Vanderbilt study

Far more breast cancer patients are choosing to undergo mastectomy, including removal of both breasts, instead of choosing breast conservation surgery even when they have early stage disease that is confined to one breast, a Vanderbilt study shows. In the past decade, there have also been marked trends toward higher proportions of women opting for breast reconstruction.

19 Nov 2014

Research breakthrough offers hope for patients with severe spinal cord injuries

Case Western Reserve researchers have developed a procedure that restores function to muscles involved in the control of breathing - even when they have been paralyzed for more than a year. The breakthrough offers hope that one day patients with severe spinal cord injuries will be able to breathe again without the assistance of a ventilator.