WASHINGTON—A new executive order is aimed at increasing the manufacturing efficiency and effectiveness of flu vaccines. The DoD and Department of Health and Human Services are co-chairing a task force in the process of implementing the order signed in September by...
Intensifying Diabetes Treatment Increases Short-Term Mortality for Veterans
NASHVILLE, TN—Adding insulin or sulphonylurea to metformin increased the risk of death among veterans with diabetes in the initial six- and 12-month period, according to a recent study. Insulin increased the risk of death 66% more than sulfonylurea at six months, but...
Metformin Linked to Reduced Cardiovascular Events in Certain Veterans
Compared to Sulfonylureas in Patients with Impaired Kidney Function NASHVILLE, TN—It wasn’t that many years ago that prescribing metformin for Type 2 diabetes patients with impaired kidney function was discouraged for safety reasons. Now, in an about-face, a new VA...
Testosterone Therapy Increases PSA in 5% of Older Users
HOUSTON – How does testosterone treatment of older hypogonadal men affect prostate specific antigen (PSA) changes? That is the question raised by a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Baylor College of Medicine researchers and...
Successful PTSD Treatment Halves Diabetes Risk for Veterans
LOUIS—Improving post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, a laudable goal itself, has the added benefit of lowering patients’ risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report. A cohort study by Jeffrey Scherrer, PhD, professor of family and community...
PSA Bounce Affects Races Differently in Prostate Cancer
RICHMOND, VA -- African American men have historically had poorer prostate cancer biochemical and survival outcomes than Caucasians. The question is why? So asked a new study suggesting that emerging data point to nononcologic factors for much of this disparity. The...
Current, But Not Past, Smoking Increases Prostate Cancer Death Risk
SAN DIEGO – While cigarette smoking is a risk factor for mortality in other genitourinary cancers, which appears to be linked to the accumulation of carcinogens in urine, the link has been less clear with prostate cancer, according to a new study. Researchers from the...
Resting, Resuming Specific Activities Enhance Servicemembers’ mTBI Recovery
Acute Period Expanded from 48 to 72 Hours After Injury SILVER SPRING, MD—Successful and speedy recovery from mild traumatic brain injury or concussion is more complex than previously thought. A pair of studies by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center determined...
When Is Surgery the Best Option for GERD Unresponsive to PPIs?
VA Study Offers Guidance, Decries Limited Treatment Alternatives DALLAS—At the VA, proton pump inhibitor prescriptions are first-line treatment for veterans who complain of heartburn and other gastrointestinal reflux issues. The real challenge comes, however, in the...
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy As Cost-Effective As Medications After Five Years
VA Study: More Depression Patients Should Get Access to Talk Therapy BOSTON – Nationwide, about a fourth of patients diagnosed with major depression are treated with talk therapy by a trained counselor. Many more might prefer that approach to taking medication, but...
New Comprehensive VA/DoD Guideline Seeks to Stem Tide of Suicides
Servicemembers, Veterans Take Their Own Lives at Higher Rates
WASHINGTON—In recent decades, suicide rates have soared in the United States, increasing 25% from 1999 to 2016.
The issue has been especially acute among military servicemembers and veterans.
Surgeon Recognized Need for Better Battlefield Care of Orthopedic Injuries
SAN DIEGO—During his first deployment as part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Dana Covey, MD, noticed a gap between the injuries that were occurring on the battlefield and the ones that forward surgical teams were most equipped to handle.
Menstrual Suppression Could Help Deployed Women Avoid Discomfort, Inconvenience
The role of women in the military is changing. Whereas they may have acted as support personnel in earlier conflicts, they now play an active part in combat support and counterinsurgency operations.1 As of September 2010, there were 208,271 women on active duty in the...
Concerns About GI Events Continue With Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate
OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Continuing concerns are being raised about the gastrointestinal safety of sodium polystyrene sulfonate, which is commonly prescribed for the treatment of hyperkalemia.
Advocates Square Off Against VA on Women’s Veterans Task Force’s Role
WASHINGTON—It’s been nearly six months since the House VA Committee launched its bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, and the result is a legislative docket filled with bills geared toward ensuring VA has the resources it needs to care for the growing number of...
Women, Chronically Ill Veterans Value Veterans Choice Access Most
HINES, IL—Women and veterans with multiple comorbidities used and valued the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) more than other veterans, according to recent research by the VA.1 To help these veterans and others, the VA has taken steps under the MISSION Act to improve...
Pharmacist Medication Management Helps Diabetic Veterans, Physicians
Older age, obesity and Agent Orange exposure create a trifecta of diabetes risk for the VA.
Service Factors Affecting Pain Reports in Gulf War Veterans
SAN DIEGO — Headaches and other type of pain are frequent complaints among veterans of Gulf War I (1990-91) and Post-Gulf War I (1992-2015), according to a new study.
Menopausal Symptoms Increase Long-Term Opioid Use Risk
Unrecognized by many in healthcare is that the greatest increases in long-term opioid use and opioid-related overdose mortality in recent years have been among women in midlife.
Best Pain Rating Scales for Cognitively Impaired Veterans
Cognitive-behavioral impairment can be intensified by pain in traumatic brain injury patients and impede rehabilitation efforts
Effective Metrics Help VA Exceed National Goal for Colorectal Cancer Screening
More than four out of five veterans eligible for colorectal cancer screening have been screened, putting the largest healthcare system in the United States among the top performers nationwide in this important metric.
More Options, Better Survival for Veterans With Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies in the United States, but new therapies can extend life and improve quality of life for many patients.
Sacubitril/Valsartan Underused in VA Heart Failure Patients
A preponderance of evidence supports the use of sacubitril/valsartan, the first angiotensin II receptor blocker-neprilysin inhibitor-for mortality reduction in patients with heart failure, but the medication remains underprescribed, according to new research.
VA TAVR Results Comparable to Outside Care
How do veterans fare when they undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the VA? That was the question asked by a study which sought to examine their association with short- and long-term mortality, length of stay, and rehospitalization within 30 days.
Cardiologist Visits Increase Statin Use at VA
HOUSTON—Statin use remains suboptimal in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a VA study trying to find out why. Michael E. DeBakey VAMC researchers and colleagues assessed whether outpatient care with a cardiology provider is associated...
Seeing Combat Can Make Aging More Difficult for Veterans
PORTLAND, OR—Being exposed to combat makes a significant difference in how military veterans fare during aging, according to a new study, which also found that the experience increases the risk for depression and anxiety later in life. “There are a lot factors of...
VA Implements National Structure for Prostate Cancer Precision Medicine Initiative
WASHINGTON — The VA has adopted aggressive goals and a new national structure to bring precision medicine to the 15,000 veterans diagnosed each year with prostate cancer.
Better Imaging and Testing at VA Improves Risk Classification in Prostate Cancer
NEW YORK — National guidelines recommend conservative management for men with low-risk prostate cancer, but concern about misclassification and other issues could lead patients and physicians to pursue treatment. Recent in diagnosis and monitoring at the VA could simplify the decision for veterans.
VA Clinical Trials Play Vital Role in Development of New Prostate Cancer Drugs
SEATTLE — The treatment options for prostate cancer are rapidly evolving, in no small part as a result of the VA’s expanded commitment to clinical trials and precision medicine.
VA Leads Nation in Quality Assessment of Radiation Oncology for Prostate Cancer
RICHMOND, VA — A study on the VA’s pioneering use of quality metrics in radiation oncology for prostate cancer went into this month’s 2019 American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago preselected as a “Best of ASTRO” presentation that will be presented around the world as a highlight of this year’s advances in radiation oncology.
