Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Interactive talking books delivered to Afghanistan

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has announced the delivery of thousands of interactive women's health books built with the LeapPad learning system technology to Afghanistan and an additional $6 million in aid to improve the health of the Afghan people.

13 Dec 2004

Study supports the use of the internal mammary artery in coronary artery bypass grafting

Long-term follow up with heart bypass patients treated in Veterans Affairs hospitals shows that 85 percent of left internal mammary artery grafts and 61 percent of vein grafts remain open (patent) after 10 years, and that these grafts are more likely to offer long-term success when they are attached to larger arteries on the heart, according to a new study in the Dec. 7, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

8 Dec 2004

Benefits of weight loss may depend on alignment of affected leg, study suggests

A painful and sometimes crippling disease characterized by progressive cartilage loss, osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee affects an estimated 6 percent of adults over age 30.

2 Dec 2004

Long-term use of opioid prescriptions by veterans

Veteran patients who receive long-term opioid prescriptions generally are treated with modest and stable medication dosages, according to an article in the November 22 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 Nov 2004

Research shows that even bacteria don't put their eggs in one basket

Diversification helps reduce overall risk by putting your eggs in more than one basket and is a strategy that strengthens groups of all kinds -- from forests challenged with environmental stress to stock market portfolios in uncertain times. Findings from University of Iowa researchers show that even bacteria have learned this important lesson.

16 Nov 2004

Financial impact of diabetes on the American economy

Sick days, disability, early retirement, and premature death of diabetic Americans born between 1931 and 1941 cost the country almost $133.5 billion by the year 2000, according to a new estimate by researchers with the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

16 Nov 2004

Use of the drug etodolac instead of drugs like Celebrex or Bextra could save $40 million annually

People in search of pain relief who take the generic anti-inflammatory etodolac suffer 60 percent fewer gastrointestinal complications than those who take similar drugs, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

14 Nov 2004

A new medication has dramatically reduced mortality among African-American patients suffering from heart disease

A new medication has dramatically reduced mortality among African-American patients suffering from heart disease, according to results of a study including UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers.

9 Nov 2004

Scientists have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking

The researchers studied the brain waves of normal and schizophrenic patients as they responded to images. Those with the disorder showed no electrical activity in a certain frequency-the “gamma” range, from 30 to 100 brain waves per second-that healthy brain cells use to exchange information about the environment and form mental impressions.

9 Nov 2004

Doctors must choose and manage implanted cardiac defibrillators patients carefully

Implanted devices that can shock a failing heart back into regular rhythm do an excellent job of keeping patients alive, two new University of Michigan studies find.

8 Nov 2004

People active in their 50s and 60s about 35 percent less likely to die in the next eight years

A new study gives people in their 50s and 60s another reason to get off the couch and be physically active — especially if they have conditions or habits that endanger their hearts, like diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking.

8 Nov 2004

Scientists are trying to determine what goes on inside the brain when it sees a face

Ever catch a glimpse of someone but can't quite fit a name to go with the face? While it's something that happens to everyone, for older people especially, difficulty in retrieving names is a common frustration.

28 Oct 2004

Mail-order prescriptions exposed to excessive heat may become significantly less effective for patients

Mail-order prescriptions exposed to excessive environmental heat, such as temperatures found in mailboxes and car interiors, may become significantly less effective for patients.

28 Oct 2004

New imaging technology gathers valuable information about the brains of people with schizophrenia

Researchers at the Boston Veterans Affairs Health Care System – Brockton Division, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Massachusetts-Boston are using new imaging technology to gather valuable information about the brains of people with schizophrenia.

24 Oct 2004

Researchers are one step closer to understanding how high carbohydrate diets lead to obesity and diabetes

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas are one step closer to understanding how high carbohydrate diets lead to obesity and diabetes.

19 Oct 2004

We are at the very beginning of 'gene finding' for alcohol response

Alcoholism is a complex, genetically influenced disorder. Multiple phenotypes – measurable and/or observable traits or behavior – contribute to the risk of developing alcoholism, particularly disinhibition, alcohol metabolizing patterns, and a low level of response (LR) to alcohol.

16 Oct 2004

18 percent of seniors with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip medicines due to costs

A recent nationally representative survey of older adults finds that 18 percent of those with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip some of their prescription medicines because of out-of-pocket cost pressures, and 14 percent do so at least every month.

6 Oct 2004

Veterans in rural areas are in poorer health than their urban counterparts

The findings, reported in the October American Journal of Public Health, validate recent and ongoing VA efforts to expand health care for rural patients.

5 Oct 2004

Contrary to popular belief, women do not suddenly start to lose their memory when menopause begins

Contrary to popular belief, women do not suddenly start to lose their memory when menopause begins, according to a study presented October 4, 2004, at the 129th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in Toronto.

4 Oct 2004

Research shows specific damage to nervous system in veterans with Gulf War syndrome

UT Southwestern researchers report that damage to the parasympathetic nervous system may account for nearly half of the typical symptoms - including gallbladder disease, unrefreshing sleep, depression, joint pain, chronic diarrhea and sexual dysfunction - that afflict those with Gulf War syndrome. Their findings will be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Medicine and are currently available online.

27 Sep 2004