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Research roundup: Racial disparities in cancer screening and VA treatment

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Screening Persisted Despite Expansion Of Medicare's Screening Reimbursement. This study looked at the effect in minority groups of expanded reimbursements by Medicare for colorectal cancer screenings.

7 May 2011

VA and DoD produce new collaboration guidebook on clinical health research

Researchers from the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense have produced a new 56-page guidebook to spur more collaboration between the agencies on clinical health research.

7 May 2011

Clinicians must address limited health literacy of patients with kidney disease

Many patients on dialysis may not understand medical information critical to their wellbeing, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

6 May 2011

H. pylori DNA may help treat severe colitis

DNA from Helicobacter pylori, a common stomach bacteria, minimizes the effects of colitis in mice, according to a new study by University of Michigan Medical School scientists.

6 May 2011

U.S. Army and VA team up to provide simulation-based training for medical staff

The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of the Army are working together to provide cutting-edge simulation-based training for medical staff to enhance the quality of patient care at VA medical facilities across the Nation.

6 May 2011

Coronary artery bypass graft surgeries have declined by 30% between 2001 and 2008

Between 2001 and 2008, the annual rate of coronary artery bypass graft surgeries performed in the United States decreased by more than 30 percent, but rates of percutaneous coronary interventions did not change significantly, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

4 May 2011

New nano-vault delivery system can fight cancer

UCLA scientists have discovered a way to wake up the immune system to fight cancer by delivering an immune system-stimulating protein in a nanoscale container called a vault directly into lung cancer tumors, harnessing the body's natural defenses to fight disease growth.

4 May 2011

Military members with prior mental health disorders are more likely to develop PTSD

Military service members who screened positive for mental health disorders before deployment, or who were injured during deployment, were more likely to develop post-deployment posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms than their colleagues without these risk factors, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 May 2011

Case Western Reserve launches new scientific and computational programs in Ohio

The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is pleased to announce it has established the first PhD and MS program in Systems Biology and Bioinformatics in the State of Ohio. Based in the School of Medicine, with the Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics as its administrative home, the faculty cohort will include faculty from multiple departments and schools, and the fundamental core competencies for this program will include: genes and proteins; bioinformatics; and quantitative analysis and modeling.

3 May 2011

VA develops FATE survey to access treatment quality at the end of patients' lives

Though there have been significant improvements in the treatment of head and neck cancer, there is still a lack of data on the experience of end of life care for head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study published in the May 2011 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

2 May 2011

Henry M. Jackson Foundation to honor Heroes of Military Medicine

A U.S. senator, an Army leader and a military surgeon are among the "Heroes of Military Medicine" to be honored May 4 by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine's Center for Public-Private Partnerships.

30 Apr 2011

American Legion supports proposed legislation that will help MST victims

The American Legion is supporting proposed legislation that, if enacted, would require records on military sexual trauma incidents to remain permanently filed by the Department of Defense.

30 Apr 2011

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation honors University Of Colorado researcher for preeclampsia study

A University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher, hoping to find the cause of preeclampsia in pregnant women, won a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Thursday which funds innovative global health and development projects.

29 Apr 2011

Antibiotics may serve as effective treatment for appendicitis than surgery

Antibiotics rather than surgery may be the better treatment for cases of appendicitis in which the appendix hasn't burst, according to a new study.

29 Apr 2011

Cotinine can reduce plaques linked with dementia and prevent memory loss

Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, a study led by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found.

28 Apr 2011

Study finds gender difference in immune responses to PTSD

Men and women had starkly different immune system responses to chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, with men showing no response and women showing a strong response, in two studies by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

27 Apr 2011

Heparan sulfate may have a key role in tumor-spurred lymphatic vessel growth

Cancer has a mighty big bag of tricks that it uses to evade the body's natural defense mechanisms and proliferate. Among those tricks is one that allows tumor cells to turn the intricate and extensive system of lymphatic vessels into something of a highway to metastasis. Yet research unveiled this week may aid in the development of therapeutics that will put the brakes on such cancer spread, and the researchers who completed the study say the findings may extend to other lymphatic disorders.

27 Apr 2011

Multipolar electrocoagulation is a safe, effective therapy for Barrett's esophagus

A new study reports that multipolar electrocoagulation in combination with acid suppression is a safe and effective method to ablate nondysplastic Barrett's esophagus over the long term.

26 Apr 2011

BCBSMA develops goals to support four Massachusetts community areas

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, a locally-based, community-focused health plan, today announced its goals for advancing the company's four community focus areas - developed to support those living and working in Massachusetts.

26 Apr 2011

Adults with PTSD and history of childhood trauma have shorter telomeres

Adults with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of childhood trauma had significantly shorter telomere length than those with PTSD but without childhood trauma, in a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

25 Apr 2011