Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Researchers take an important step forward in treating combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

Study findings out today in JAMA Network Open show an important step forward in treating the psychological injuries of war.

5 Jan 2023

UH researchers work towards a mobile intervention for Black American smokers with HIV

HIV remains a critical global public health issue and a significant threat to global health security after having claimed more than 40 million lives, according to the World Health Organization.

4 Jan 2023

Research offers a cost-effectiveness analysis of anticoagulant drugs for cancer-associated thrombosis

Newly published research out of the University of Cincinnati and the University of California-Davis shows that direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) drugs are more effective and are more cost-effective than low molecular weight heparin for treating cancer-associated thrombosis.

4 Jan 2023

Study compares effectiveness of Pfizer vs. Moderna booster COVID vaccines after third dose

In a recent scientific paper published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers reproduced two target trials using electronic health records (EHRs) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to compare the effectiveness of the third dose of BNT162b2 or messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-1273 vaccine among United States (US) veterans.

3 Jan 2023

Cost-effectiveness analysis of four interventions for treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis

A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) found that DOACs are both more medically effective and cost-effective than LMWH when treating cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT).

27 Dec 2022

Targeting defective tau proteins may be needed to treat Alzheimer’s patients

In November, researchers reported the drug lecanemab slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The effect was modest, but it has generated tremendous excitement because it was the first time a drug had been shown to be able to affect the course of this relentless, incurable disease.

26 Dec 2022

Researchers show how motor memory is consolidated during sleep

When the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry makes a free throw, his brain draws on motor memory. Now researchers at UC San Francisco have shown how this type of memory is consolidated during sleep, when the brain processes the day's learning to make the physical act of doing something subconscious.

19 Dec 2022

Study discovers four genes linked to increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors

A large study of military members led by researchers at Duke Health and the Durham VA identified four genes that are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

15 Dec 2022

Mass shootings reopen the debate over whether crime scene photos prompt change or trauma

John Lites was one of the first police officers to respond to a 911 call from Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015, when a white gunman murdered nine Black people attending a Bible study.

15 Dec 2022

Study finds a novel therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of gout

Many Americans think of gout as a disease from a bygone era, akin to rickets or scurvy. The condition commonly afflicted the rich and royal, including American historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

14 Dec 2022

The effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and molnupiravir for the treatment of COVID-19 among US veterans

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, and molnupiravir among Veterans in the United States of America.

13 Dec 2022

Study discovers link between a lesser-known hormone and lipid levels in midlife women

Step aside estrogen. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a predictor of blood lipid -; or cholesterol -; status for midlife women that may be key to understanding how hormone replacement therapy contributes to heart health.

12 Dec 2022

KHN investigation: The system feds rely on to stop repeat health fraud is broken

The federal system meant to stop health care business owners and executives from repeatedly bilking government health programs fails to do so, a KHN investigation has found.

12 Dec 2022

Newly identified genetic mutation may be a root cause of severe childhood glaucoma

An international team of scientists led by Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, and Boston Children's Hospital, has discovered a new genetic mutation that may be a root cause of severe cases of childhood glaucoma, a devastating condition that runs in families and can rob children of their vision by 3 years of age.

1 Dec 2022

When malpractice occurs at community health centers, taxpayers pay

Silvia Garcia's 14-year-old son was left permanently disabled and in a wheelchair after a community health center doctor in New Mexico failed to diagnose his appendicitis despite his complaint of severe stomach pain.

28 Nov 2022

Should older seniors risk major surgery? New research offers guidance

Nearly 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, according to an important new study that sheds much-needed light on the risks seniors face when having invasive procedures.

28 Nov 2022

Single drug compound may offer a promising new strategy for treating prostate cancer patients

A single drug compound simultaneously attacks hard-to-treat prostate cancer on several fronts, according to a new study in mice and human cells.

23 Nov 2022

Scientists identify a class of drugs that may prevent alcohol use disorder in people with PTSD

Survivors of abuse and trauma are vastly more likely than other people to develop alcohol use disorder (AUD); according to some estimates, as many as three-quarters of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report drinking problems.

21 Nov 2022

Among US veterans with COVID-19, few used antivirals or monoclonal antibodies

In a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network, researchers in the United States investigated factors that restricted the use of antivirals directed at severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States (US) between January and February 2022.

16 Nov 2022

Weak evidence that programs to mitigate housing insecurity lead to positive health outcomes

Research finds low-certainty evidence that programs such as emergency rent assistance, legal assistance with waitlist priority for public housing, long-term rent subsidies and homeownership assistance lead to positive health outcomes.