Veterans Affairs News and Research

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LLNL employs high-performance computing for better understanding of TBI

Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began in 2001, more than 350,000 cases of traumatic brain injury in servicemen and women have been reported to the Department of Defense.

3 Jul 2018

Established lung fibrosis can be reversed using diabetes drug treatment

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have shown - for the first time - that established lung fibrosis can be reversed using a drug treatment that targets cell metabolism.

2 Jul 2018

Study reports greater psychosocial well-being in amputees using sensory-enabled prostheses

In the first known study of how amputees use advanced sensory-enabled prostheses outside the lab, subjects used a mechanical hand more regularly and for longer periods of time compared to traditional prostheses--and also reported a greater sense of psychosocial well-being.

30 Jun 2018

New study links air pollution to increased risk of diabetes globally

New research links outdoor air pollution - even at levels deemed safe - to an increased risk of diabetes globally, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

30 Jun 2018

Educational intervention increases sunscreen use, reduces sunburns among operating engineers

Implementation of educational interventions among operating engineers in Michigan significantly increased the use of sunscreen and decreased the number of reported sunburns.

28 Jun 2018

New approach needed to treat type 2 diabetes in youth

A major study has found that medicines used to treat diabetes in adults are not effective on youth. The researchers say the finding is disturbing because type 2 diabetes among youth is a growing problem.

27 Jun 2018

Study introduces novel strategy to obtain reasonable drug cost estimates for cost-effectiveness analyses

Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR, announced today the publication of a study introducing a novel strategy for obtaining reasonable drug cost estimates for US-based cost-effectiveness analyses

19 Jun 2018

Microglia play protective role in response to retinal detachment, shows study

A research team at Massachusetts Eye and Ear has shown that microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain and retina, play a protective role in response to retinal detachment.

19 Jun 2018

Safety protocol violations in health care: Researchers explore ways to avoid infection transmission

The medical community is losing its biggest gun in fighting infection, antibiotics. Researchers are turning to safety protocols to reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms, like Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and influenza. The health care environment, however, may be setting health care workers up for failure.

12 Jun 2018

New study shows how alcohol contributes to development of Alzheimer's disease

Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago has found that some of the genes affected by alcohol and inflammation are also implicated in processes that clear amyloid beta -- the protein that forms globs of plaques in the brain and which contributes to neuronal damage and the cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease.

5 Jun 2018

Study: Most hospitals push workers to get vaccinated against influenza, except VA hospitals

In just a few short months, hospitals across the country will start their annual push to make sure their workers get vaccinated against influenza, to protect themselves and others. Memories of the last flu season – one of the worst in years – still linger.

4 Jun 2018

New study shows how to personalize lung cancer screening decision for every patient

For smokers and former smokers, the threat of lung cancer always lurks in the shadows.To flush it out of the darkness, some decide to get their lungs scanned by a CT machine, which can find a tumor early enough to stop it – or set off a false alarm that turns out to be nothing.

29 May 2018

Antioxidant-enriched multivitamin may decrease respiratory illnesses in CF patients, finds study

Researchers at Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found that taking a specially formulated antioxidant-enriched multivitamin may decrease respiratory illnesses in people with cystic fibrosis.

24 May 2018

CU research sheds light on liver disease caused by intravenous nutrition

Research by physician-scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus offers hope for improved quality of life for people who rely on intravenous nutrition due to intestinal damage.

24 May 2018

New LIVE scoring tool effectively predicts future risk of hospitalization for COPD patients

Researchers have developed a new tool that utilizes basic laboratory tests to effectively identify patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are at high risk of being hospitalized due to a flare up of the condition.

22 May 2018

Natural antioxidant bilirubin may provide cardiovascular benefits

Bilirubin, a yellow-orange pigment, is formed after the breakdown of red blood cells and is eliminated by the liver. It's not only a sign of a bruise, it may provide cardiovascular benefits, according to a large-scale epidemiology study.

18 May 2018

HIV patients on single-tablet regimen show better outcomes than those taking multiple pills

HIV patients on a single-tablet daily regimen had better treatment retention and viral suppression than patients taking multiple pills, in a study by a Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center researcher and his colleagues.

18 May 2018

VA health care study: Many prostate cancer patients choose active surveillance over immediate therapy

Record numbers of American veterans diagnosed with non-aggressive prostate cancer are heeding the advice of international medical experts and opting out of immediate surgery or radiation to treat their cancer.

16 May 2018

Choices of protein intake have significant impact on infant growth, finds study

A new study by CU School of Medicine researchers has determined that choices of protein intake from solid foods has a significant impact on infant growth during the first year of life.

14 May 2018

Gene variant may be linked to worse psychiatric symptoms in TBI patients

A variant of the APOE gene may be linked to worse psychiatric symptoms in people who have had a traumatic brain injury, found a Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System study. Study participants with both the gene variant and at least one TBI had more severe symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression than comparison participants.