Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Non-invasive approach increases colorectal cancer screening among uninsured patients

Organized mailing campaigns could substantially increase colorectal cancer screening among uninsured patients, a study published in the August 5 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine reveals.

6 Aug 2013

Practice makes more efficient generation of neuronal activity in brain’s motor cortex

Not only does practice make perfect, it also makes for more efficient generation of neuronal activity in the primary motor cortex, the area of the brain that plans and executes movement, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

5 Aug 2013

Researchers show that JQ1 drug can block molecular pathway responsible for heart failure

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have made a fundamental discovery relevant to the understanding and treatment of heart failure - a leading cause of death worldwide. The team discovered a new molecular pathway responsible for causing heart failure and showed that a first-in-class prototype drug, JQ1, blocks this pathway to protect the heart from damage.

2 Aug 2013

Rate of inappropriate cancer scans for low-risk prostate cancer patients reduces in Sweden

The rate of inappropriate cancer scans for low-risk prostate cancer patients in Sweden plummeted in the decade following a joint campaign to curtail such tests by Swedish County Councils and the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR) of Sweden, a professional association of Swedish urologists.

25 Jul 2013

Study finds that higher-frequency electric current stimulation of the spinal cord reduces pain faster

An animal study in the August issue of Anesthesiology suggests that higher-frequency electric current stimulation of the spinal cord reduced pain quicker and better reached nerves not affected by traditionally used frequencies. A higher frequency and intensity controlled pain faster and more effectively, the study found.

25 Jul 2013

Abortion is energizing both parties on Capitol Hill

Roll Call reports that even though no legislation is expected to pass this year on abortion, the issue is galvanizing partisans. Also in congressional news, outlets look at GOP efforts to end funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and an effort to improve VA health records.

24 Jul 2013

Scientists take important step toward pharmacologic development of treatment for fatal brain disorders

A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a mechanism that can prevent the normal prion protein from changing its molecular shape into the abnormal form responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. This finding, published in the July 18 issue of Cell Reports, offers new hope in the battle against a foe that until now has always proved fatal.

19 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: USA Today says 'GOP poisons' Obamacare, McConnell counters, calls for repeal

Making Obamacare work was always going to be hard, which is exactly what you'd expect for a complex new program that affects one-sixth of the U.S. economy. ... That explains - but hardly excuses - Republicans' latest assault on Obamacare. Having lost in Congress and in court, they're now using the most cynical of tactics: trying to make the law fail. Never mind the public inconvenience and human misery that will result. Their assault is under way on several fronts (7/9).

11 Jul 2013

Obama touts health care in government technology push

President Obama says government should do what his administration did with the new healthcare.gov and health insurance application -- make better use of technology to make government more efficient.

10 Jul 2013

Kessler Foundation scientists receive more than $1.2 M grants from NJ Commission for SCI research

The New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Injury Research awarded three grants to scientists at Kessler Foundation. The grants, which exceed $1.2 million, fund studies of assisted walking with Ekso, the impact of aging in the population with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the effects of electrical stimulation on bone loss.

10 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 9, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a look at HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' challenges and a delay in implementing insurance penalties on smokers.

9 Jul 2013

Study reveals that low-income patients use hospital care more often than primary care

Patients with low socioeconomic status use emergency and hospital care more often than primary care because they believe hospital care is more affordable and convenient, and of better quality than care provided by primary care physicians, according to the results of a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jul 2013

CPAP reduces nightmare frequency, motivates treatment compliance in patients with PTSD and OSA

A new study suggests that CPAP therapy reduces nightmares in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

9 Jul 2013

Study shows possible biological cause of narcolepsy

In 2000, researchers at the UCLA Center for Sleep Research published findings showing that people suffering from narcolepsy, a disorder characterized by uncontrollable periods of deep sleep, had 90 percent fewer neurons containing the neuropeptide hypocretin in their brains than healthy people.

4 Jul 2013

State highlights: Dartmouth joins N.H. Medicaid managed care

New Hampshire's largest health care provider signed contracts Monday with three health care plans to join the state's managed care network for Medicaid -- a key to getting the network operating. Dartmouth-Hitchcock announced it will work with Well Sense Health Plan, Granite State Health Plan and Meridian Health Plan of New Hampshire to provide coordinated care for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries (Love, 7/1).

3 Jul 2013

FDA-approved formoterol drug improves cognitive function in mouse model of Down syndrome

An existing FDA-approved drug improves cognitive function in a mouse model of Down syndrome, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

3 Jul 2013

UH and Case Western Reserve University to develop diagnostic tests to determine HIV drug resistance

Case Western Reserve University has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement granting University Hospitals Case Medical Center rights to a series of diagnostic tests to determine drug resistance and co-receptor tropism in human immunodeficiency virus.

2 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Americans are used to hearing that health care will bust the budget. The Congressional Budget Office projected last year that Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs would eat up 9.6 percent to 10.4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2037, crowding out many other vital programs. But a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that the United States is not the only country that will struggle to contain public spending on medical care (Eduardo Porter, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

Stanford researchers take new step in deciphering of histone code

A chemical code scrawled on histones - the protein husks that coat DNA in every animal or plant cell - determines which genes in that cell are turned on and which are turned off.

28 Jun 2013

People who have TBI may be more likely to have future stroke, says study

People who have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be more likely to have a future stroke, according to research that appears in the June 26, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2013

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Non-invasive approach increases colorectal cancer screening among uninsured patients

Practice makes more efficient generation of neuronal activity in brain’s motor cortex

Researchers show that JQ1 drug can block molecular pathway responsible for heart failure

Rate of inappropriate cancer scans for low-risk prostate cancer patients reduces in Sweden

Study finds that higher-frequency electric current stimulation of the spinal cord reduces pain faster

Abortion is energizing both parties on Capitol Hill

Scientists take important step toward pharmacologic development of treatment for fatal brain disorders

Viewpoints: USA Today says 'GOP poisons' Obamacare, McConnell counters, calls for repeal

Obama touts health care in government technology push

Kessler Foundation scientists receive more than $1.2 M grants from NJ Commission for SCI research

First Edition: July 9, 2013

Study reveals that low-income patients use hospital care more often than primary care

CPAP reduces nightmare frequency, motivates treatment compliance in patients with PTSD and OSA

Study shows possible biological cause of narcolepsy

State highlights: Dartmouth joins N.H. Medicaid managed care

FDA-approved formoterol drug improves cognitive function in mouse model of Down syndrome

UH and Case Western Reserve University to develop diagnostic tests to determine HIV drug resistance

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Stanford researchers take new step in deciphering of histone code

People who have TBI may be more likely to have future stroke, says study

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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