In its first meeting of the 117th Congress, the House VA Committee advanced a proposal that would allocate $17 billion for VA as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Comorbidities Led to More Severe COVID-19 Cases Among MHS Beneficiaries
About a third of COVID-19 cases among MHS beneficiaries were diagnosed with at least one comorbidity linked to more severe infection
Statins Are Protective Against Some Cancers in HIV+ Patients
Do statins help decrease cancer, especially non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mortality risk in persons with HIV (PWH) and uninfected people?
IBD Drugs Linked to Increased Leukemia Risk
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are rare myeloid clonal disorders that commonly affect the elderly population and have poor prognosis.
DoD Takes Aim at Vaccine Hesitancy With Targeted Public Health Campaign
The DoD cannot mandate immunization against COVID-19, but it can strongly encourage servicemembers to take a jab for the team.
VA Patients With New Anemia Are Under-Evaluated
Anemia occurs frequently, and clinicians often underappreciate its importance, even though up to 10% of adults with incident iron deficiency anemia (IDA) could have gastrointestinal cancer, according to a new study.
A Third of Military Healthcare Beneficiaries Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine
About one-third of military servicemembers, civilian contractors and military family members are declining to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and that has DoD officials concerned.
Rising T2D Rates Increase VA’s Lower Extremity Amputations
Incidence rates of lower extremity amputation increased at the VA between 2008 and 2018, and burgeoning rates of diabetes played a role in the trend.
Uncontrolled Diabetes Limits Bariatric Surgery Benefits
About a third, 34%, of veterans 28% of military healthcare beneficiaries are considered obese.
Metformin Appears Underused for T2D in Veterans
About 80 million prescriptions are written in the United States each year for metformin.
Sedative Selection Led to More Brain Dysfunction in COVID-19 ICU Patients
Whether because of drug shortages or other challenges, many hospital intensive care units apparently reverted to older protocols in treating early COVID-19 patients.
VA Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Veterans With COPD
There’s some good news for veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Servicemembers With Asthma Can Breathe Easier About Deployment Risks
A significant number of servicemembers deployed to southwest Asia report an increase in respiratory symptoms during and after their tours of duty
Union Survey: VA Staff Not Adequately Protected Against COVID-19
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, VA staff have complained about shortages of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against the virus.
FDA Updates Covid-19 Vaccine Label to Urge Use of ‘Sixth Dose’
The Food and Drug Administration has approved an updated label for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, urging that the sixth dose in vaccine vials be used.
COVID-19 Mortality Increased at VA When ICUs Were Most Slammed
Strain on intensive care units at the VA during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to increase patient mortality.
VA Emergency Care, Urgent Care Units Challenged by the Pandemic
Every aspect of VA hospitals has been affected by the ongoing pandemic, but emergency care and urgent care have been disproportionately challenged, according to a VA Office of the Inspector General report.
VA Hospitals Grapple with COVID-19 Readmissions, Post-Discharge Deaths
Two approved vaccines and a drop in cases and hospitalizations in late January provided a spot of light after a year of grim news on the COVID-19 front.
Depression Exacerbates Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis patients often suffer from depression which exacerbates disease activity and can decrease response to first-line disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
Metabolic Changes Over Time Lead to RA
Rheumatoid arthritis tends to develop slowly over years. To better understand the process, a study looked at metabolic changes prior to RA onset using a large nontargeted metabolomics platform to identify novel pathways.
More RA Disease Activity Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
Considering that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a higher risk of diabetes mellitus, a new study sought to determine associations between inflammatory disease activity and incident DM.
Pharmacists Play Critical Role in VA’s Dual Missions with COVID-19 Vaccination
Throughout the pandemic, VA’s healthcare professionals have risen to the challenge of meeting two of the department’s missions: providing healthcare to veterans and improving the nation’s preparedness to national emergencies.
What Affects Acute Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery?
Acute postoperative pain following surgery can complicate recovery, according to a study which said the condition has been associated with chronic pain development and lower quality of life.
Monocyte Counts Aren’t Predictive of Prostate Cancer Results
How effective are circulating inflammatory markers such as monocyte counts for predicting prostate cancer outcomes? Not very, according to a study of veterans.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates Low in MHS
Even universal healthcare doesn’t assure that patients will take advantage of colorectal cancer screening.
Concerns Raised About Lack of Continuity of Care for VA’s IBD Patients
The lack of continuity of care among VA patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with poor outcomes, such as disease flares requiring corticosteroid treatment, hospitalization and surgical intervention.
Apps, Wearable Devices Increasingly Help Veterans Improve Diabetes Management
Like Americans everywhere, veterans have integrated smartphones and wearable devices into many aspects of their lives.
Pandemic Highlights Benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitors
For veterans with diabetes, managing their numbers has never been more important. While diabetes does not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19,
Technology Helps Veterans Better Manage Diabetes During Pandemic Restrictions
Across the country, diabetes patients have faced extraordinary challenges throughout the pandemic.
DOACs Deemed Safer for Obese Veterans with Atrial Fibrillation Compared to Warfarin
Nine years after their first introduction, direct acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) hit the big time.
