Inhaled glucocorticoids do not appear to be effective in shortening the time to symptom resolution or preventing hospitalization or death among outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, according to a recent study.
Liver Cancer Risk Low for Veterans Who Clear HCV Without Treatment
The risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is low for veterans who spontaneously clear hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
No Excess Late Mortality for Veterans Who Survived COVID-19
The devastating toll of acute COVID-19 infections on human lives is well documented. Yet a pressing question remains: Do survivors of acute COVID-19 face a higher risk of mortality in the aftermath of their infection and, if so, for how long does this risk persist?
Heat-Related Illness Among Veterans Showing Nationwide Rise
Environmental heat can adversely affect health, resulting in heightened healthcare demands, disability and even mortality. The combination of particular medical conditions with the ongoing global temperature increase may exacerbate susceptibility to heat-related ailments.
Genetic Risk Factors Lead to Potential Therapeutic Targets for Heart Failure
Heart failure affects nearly 6.2 million adults in the United States and disproportionately impacts veterans. The long-term prognosis of heart failure is poor, with a five-year mortality rate of 50%, raising the demand for new therapeutic opportunities.
Deportation Increases Risk of Poor Health for Noncitizen U.S. Veterans
For noncitizen U.S. military servicemembers, deportation can increase the risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes, making this group a vulnerable and often overlooked health disparity population, according to a recent study.
Healthy Older Veterans Not Getting CRC Screening That Could Benefit Them
Even though clinical guidelines recommend that clinicians selectively offer colorectal cancer (CRC) screening to older adults aged 76 to 85 years, taking into account their life expectancy, values, and preferences.
Concern Is Growing About Sharp Increase in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Veteran Suicide Rates
Growing suicide rates among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) veterans are of increasing concern, according to a new study.
Army Files Charges Against Anesthesiologist, Alleges Inappropriate Sexual Conduct
Sexual-assault charges have been filed by the Army against Maj. Michael Stockin, MD, an anesthesiologist stationed at the pain clinic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Madigan Army Medical Center.
TBI Triples Suicide Rate Among Veterans vs. General US Population
As suicide deaths have reached shocking highs among American adults as a whole, the rates for U.S. veterans are even higher—57.3% greater than for nonveterans.
With Influx of Patients, VA Loses Ground in Filling Key Healthcare Positions
Despite a recent hiring surge, VA has been losing ground in filling key healthcare positions, with the number of severe shortages rising from this time last year.
Number of VA Patients Prescribed Opioids Has Plummeted in the Last Decade
The number of VHA patients with opioid prescriptions has plummeted by 67% since 2012, primarily because of the agency’s Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) beginning a decade ago.
Statin, Ezetimibe Therapy Combo Shows Promise for Reducing CVD Risk
Combining two different medications used to lower high cholesterol levels, optimized statin therapy and ezetimibe, appears to be associated with reducing cardiovascular risk in U.S. military veterans with coronary artery disease, according to a new study.
Review Looks at Higher Alzheimer’s Rates Among Blacks in U.S.
Why do Black/African-American (AA) individuals have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than white non-Hispanic persons of European ancestry (EUR)?
More Flexible Lookback Periods for Dementia Also Useful
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) often are identified using a list of claims codes and a fixed lookback period of three years of data.
Monogalactosyl Diglyceride Levels Rise With Alzheimer’s Progression
While many clinical studies have reported brain lipidomic abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that affect glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and fatty acids, no consensus exists about those abnormalities and whether they relate to disease progression.
New Journal Article Decries Lack of Recognition for Military Medicine;
A new Special Communication in JAMA Network Open decried that military medicine’s contribution to healthcare advances often are overlooked and that not enough communication occurs between civilian and military clinicians.
Sarah Krein Researches Whatever Is Necessary to Improve Veterans’ Care
Most VA researchers begin their research career because of a fascination with a certain clinical subject–a niche area usually discovered early in their studies that starts them off on a long, relatively straight, journey. Not for Sarah Krein, PhD, RN, who is interested in many subjects but none so deeply as the methodology of research itself.
Veteran Firearm Owners Support Some Safety Counseling in Clinical Settings
Most U.S. veterans who own firearms believe that clinicians should discuss firearm safety, if the patient or the patient’s family members are at increased risk of firearm injury, according to a recent study.
VA Will Assess Leukemias, Multiple Myeloma as Presumptive Service Conditions
In what could be the first conditions added to the new PACT Act, the VA is conducting a scientific review to determine any relationship between three conditions—acute leukemias, chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma outside of the head and neck—and toxic exposures for servicemembers who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, and the entire Southwest Asia theater of operations.
Legislators Raise Concerns About VA Roll Out of New Acquisition System
VA is slowly rolling out its Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management System (iFAMS), which seeks to replace a 40-year-old legacy system and shore up a material weakness that leaves the department unable to accurately track billions in expenditures.
Women Serving in Gulf War Demonstrated Worse Health Outcomes Than Others
Women veterans who deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War report poorer health than Gulf War Era veterans who served during that time but didn’t deploy and women in the U.S. general population, according to a recent study.
Flexible Prevention Bundle Appears to Reduce Some Surgical Site Infections
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, prolonged length of hospital stay and readmission.
Statins Affect Coronary Artery Calcium Score Used to Determine CVD Risk
A retrospective study involving more than 1,000 U.S. veterans has called into question the use of a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) to assess risk of atherosclerosis.
VAMCs Outperform Community Hospitals Overall in CMS Quality Measures
The first time VA hospitals were included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, they aced it.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Raises the Risk of Aortic Stenosis Development
For rheumatoid arthritis patients, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of death and leads to much of the excess mortality associated with the condition.
Overestimation of Oxygen Saturation Delayed COVID-19 Care, Despite Race
The overestimation of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry in patients led to the delay of COVID-19 treatment and potentially increased hospital readmissions, according to a new study.
Real-World Prognostic Data for Radiation Therapy in Localized Prostate Cancer
Accurate information regarding treatment outcomes after radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer is important for shared decision-making.
Diabetes Has Surprising Effect on Prostate Cancer Prognosis
How diabetes affects the prognosis of advanced prostate cancer (PC) is not well documented, according to a new study which sought to provide more information.
Mast Cell Depletion Affects Prostate Cancer Progression
Better understanding of the cellular immune components underlying aggressive prostate cancer, especially among African American (AA) men who are disproportionately affected by the disease compared with white men, could help improve precision medicine treatment strategies, according to a new study.
