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GOP accuses VA of interfering with report on deaths

Meanwhile, the health-tracking device company Fitbit hires a D.C. lobbying firm to deal with privacy questions from lawmakers.

16 Sep 2014

GOP Senate may not be able to repeal health law, but it could cripple key provisions

News outlets examine what the future could hold for the health law especially as the Senate increasingly appears to be within GOP reach.

16 Sep 2014

Breathing-based meditation practice can be effective treatment for PTSD

One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.

12 Sep 2014

New class of compounds protect brain cells from traumatic brain injury

A new class of compounds has now been shown to protect brain cells from the type of damage caused by blast-mediated traumatic brain injury (TBI).

12 Sep 2014

Clinical trial of stem cell-derived therapy for patients with Type 1 diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, in partnership with ViaCyte, Inc., a San Diego-based biotechnology firm specializing in regenerative medicine, have launched the first-ever human Phase I/II clinical trial of a stem cell-derived therapy for patients with Type 1 diabetes.

11 Sep 2014

Study shows how stress can impact men’s health

Older men who lead high-stress lives, either from chronic everyday hassles or because of a series of significant life events, are likely to die earlier than the average for their peers, new research from Oregon State University shows.

11 Sep 2014

Senate panel hears testimony from VA inspector general

During a hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Inspector General Richard J. Griffin said administrators at 13 VA health facilities lied during the investigation of waiting list issues and other improprieties.

11 Sep 2014

New VA director details plan for fixing health system

The new head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday he is working to streamline the VA's sprawling bureaucracy, simplify the process for veterans to receive care and hire thousands of new doctors and nurses.

10 Sep 2014

Genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely driving force behind human skin cancers

A genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely the driving force behind millions of human skin cancers, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

8 Sep 2014

Amida launches Blue Button-branded software component, Data Reconciliation Engine

Amida is pleased to announce the second release of its Data Reconciliation Engine (DRE). The DRE is a Blue Button-branded software component that supports the aims of the Blue Button Initiative, a nationwide public-private effort that enables patients and consumers to gain easy access to their own health information.

2 Sep 2014

Serelaxin reduces occurrence of in-hospital worsening heart failure

Serelaxin reduces the occurrence of in-hospital worsening heart failure by almost half in patients admitted for acute heart failure, according to the RELAX-AHF trial. The results were presented for the first time today at ESC Congress by co-principal investigator Professor John R. Teerlink.

1 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: GOP's 2015 Obamacare opportunities; the need for community health workers; WHO's Ebola response

In another sign that the politics of Obamacare continue to shift, the Medicaid expansion is now all but certain to come to another big state whose Republican governor had previously resisted it: Pennsylvania. ... The details of the final deal will matter. But broadly speaking this looks like another sign of just how hard it is for Republican governors in non-deep-red states to resist the expansion -; and of how the politics of this issue continue to change (Greg Sargent, 8/28).

30 Aug 2014

Researchers find method to expand blood stem cells used to treat cancer patients

A team of scientists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine has reported the breakthrough discovery of a process to expand production of stem cells used to treat cancer patients.

30 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Medicare no longer 'busting' the budget; a 'nightmare' trying to get coverage in D.C.

You're looking at the biggest story involving the federal budget and a crucial one for the future of the American economy. Every year for the last six years in a row, the Congressional Budget Office has reduced its estimate for how much the federal government will need to spend on Medicare in coming years.

29 Aug 2014

Obama's plans for vets include development of computer chips to stop pain

The novel effort will be spearheaded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Also, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tells an American Legion convention that Congress will continue to revamp the VA.

29 Aug 2014

Obama vows better health care, other initiatives, for vets, military

Addressing the American Legion's national convention, the president announced steps to expand access to mental health care and an initiative to lower home loan costs for military families. He also promised a new "culture of accountability' at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

28 Aug 2014

New evidence puts into doubt the long-held depression belief

New evidence puts into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin - a chemical messenger in the brain - plays a central role in depression. In the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, scientists report that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus should have been "depressed" by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

28 Aug 2014

VA watchdog stops short of tying deaths to delayed care

In a report released Tuesday, the VA's Office of Inspector General criticized a Phoenix VA hospital for "troubling lapses in follow-up, coordination, quality and continuity of care." Investigators said that numerous veterans died after receiving substandard care, but they could not substantiate allegations that delays had caused at least 40 deaths.

28 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 27, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about Kevin Counihan, the person who take on the challenge of running healthcare.gov.

27 Aug 2014

Findings encourage investigation on fear, safety and sleep in human PTSD

The effectiveness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment may hinge significantly upon sleep quality, report researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System in a paper published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

27 Aug 2014