Veterans Affairs News and Research

RSS

Ketamine can help improve brain function in Rett syndrome mice

A promising study out today in the prestigious Journal of Neurosciences showed that in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, researchers were able to reverse abnormalities in brain activity and improve neurological function by treating the animals with an FDA-approved anesthesia drug, ketamine.

4 Oct 2012

State roundup: AP probes Va. hospital's actions in woman's death; Supreme Court won't hear Neb. abortion case; Kancare preps assessment for in-home Medicaid needs

An Associated Press examination of her care highlights the dizzying array of federal, state and private agencies charged with regulating hospital care, and the differing standards they use when investigating the most serious cases of possible neglect. In addition, an investigation report filed by Virginia regulators appears to have been altered to delete parts of the report that substantiated most of the family's complaints. That prompted a former top federal regulator to say the case warrants further investigation.

3 Oct 2012

Research report helps explain how macrophages accumulate triglycerides

A research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology helps explain how specific immune cells, called macrophages, accumulate triglycerides to support their function.

2 Oct 2012

ED discharge satisfaction related to symptom understanding, duration

While the majority of older patients treated and released from emergency departments understand their discharge information, half do not understand how long their condition could last, and a third do not understand medication warnings, show study results.

1 Oct 2012

Bipolar patients show poor HRQoL regardless of treatment setting

Patients with bipolar disorder who present for treatment in primary care settings and those who present at community mental health clinics have equally poor health-related quality of life, US research shows.

21 Sep 2012

Case Western Reserve researcher to identify mechanistic link between psoriasis and CVD

Armed with a new $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, dermatology researcher Nicole Ward, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and neurosciences at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, will lead a study examining the link between psoriasis and heart attack and stroke.

21 Sep 2012

MU endocrinologist to receive American Heart Association lifetime achievement award

One of the first researchers to study the deadly link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes will receive an American Heart Association lifetime achievement award today at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award presented to University of Missouri endocrinologist James Sowers, MD, recognizes his more than 30 years of accomplishments as a physician, scientist and educator.

21 Sep 2012

Health IT firms scrambling for workers

Technicians are needed to help hospitals develop and use electronic health records. Other reports look at the efforts to develop secure and efficient digital records.

20 Sep 2012

Study examines link between drug or alcohol use disorders and death in veterans with PTSD

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who are also battling drug or alcohol problems face a higher risk of death, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

19 Sep 2012

IOM report: Military needs to do more to treat, prevent drug and alcohol abuse

The Institute of Medicine found that the military's programs don't keep up with standard medical practices used in civilian life and that health care providers aren't adequately trained at all levels.

19 Sep 2012

No association between XMRV/pMLV and chronic fatigue syndrome

The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have long eluded scientists. In 2009, a paper in the journal Science linked the syndrome-sometimes called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)-to infection with a mouse retrovirus called XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus).

18 Sep 2012

Biomedical scientists identify set of genes essential for A. baumannii gram-negative bacteria

Biomedical scientists collaborating on translational research at two Buffalo institutions are reporting the discovery of a novel, and heretofore unrecognized, set of genes essential for the growth of potentially lethal, drug-resistant bacteria.

15 Sep 2012

Study assesses hand contamination of healthcare workers after disinfection procedures

New research demonstrates that daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces in isolation rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) significantly reduces the rate of the pathogens on the hands of healthcare personnel.

15 Sep 2012

New initiative to improve in-hospital management of stroke across VA medical system

Researcher-clinicians from the Regenstrief Institute, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Indiana University School of Medicine are leading a national effort to coordinate and organize acute stroke care across the entire VA medical system.

14 Sep 2012

Case Western Reserve researcher discovers new antivirulence drugs against MRSA and strep

Menachem Shoham, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has discovered novel antivirulence drugs that, without killing the bacteria, render Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus pyogenes, commonly referred to as strep, harmless by preventing the production of toxins that cause disease.

13 Sep 2012

Ginkgo biloba supplements fail to improve cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis

A research study conducted by Dr. Jesus Lovera, Assistant Professor of Neurology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues has found that the herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not improve cognitive function in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

12 Sep 2012

Intern work-hour restrictions? Get a physician extender, night float

The most common response by surgical chiefs at Veterans Affairs medical centers to the work-hour restrictions put in place by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in July 2011 is to hire a physician extender, report US investigators.

10 Sep 2012

Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation to hold Transform 2012 symposium

The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is holding Transform 2012, its fifth symposium on redesigning how health care is experienced and delivered.

7 Sep 2012

RSV virus selectively kills cancer cells

RSV, a virus that causes respiratory infections in infants and young children, selectively kills cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, researchers from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio said.

7 Sep 2012

Study finds little significant difference in health benefits between organic and conventional foods

You're in the supermarket eyeing a basket of sweet, juicy plums. You reach for the conventionally grown stone fruit, then decide to spring the extra $1/pound for its organic cousin. You figure you've just made the healthier decision by choosing the organic product - but new findings from Stanford University cast some doubt on your thinking.

4 Sep 2012

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Ketamine can help improve brain function in Rett syndrome mice

State roundup: AP probes Va. hospital's actions in woman's death; Supreme Court won't hear Neb. abortion case; Kancare preps assessment for in-home Medicaid needs

Research report helps explain how macrophages accumulate triglycerides

ED discharge satisfaction related to symptom understanding, duration

Bipolar patients show poor HRQoL regardless of treatment setting

Case Western Reserve researcher to identify mechanistic link between psoriasis and CVD

MU endocrinologist to receive American Heart Association lifetime achievement award

Health IT firms scrambling for workers

Study examines link between drug or alcohol use disorders and death in veterans with PTSD

IOM report: Military needs to do more to treat, prevent drug and alcohol abuse

No association between XMRV/pMLV and chronic fatigue syndrome

Biomedical scientists identify set of genes essential for A. baumannii gram-negative bacteria

Study assesses hand contamination of healthcare workers after disinfection procedures

New initiative to improve in-hospital management of stroke across VA medical system

Case Western Reserve researcher discovers new antivirulence drugs against MRSA and strep

Ginkgo biloba supplements fail to improve cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis

Intern work-hour restrictions? Get a physician extender, night float

Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation to hold Transform 2012 symposium

RSV virus selectively kills cancer cells

Study finds little significant difference in health benefits between organic and conventional foods

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

Latest News