INDIANAPOLIS, IN—The paradigm of schizophrenia treatment through most of the 20th century was a relatively simple one. The disease could be managed with drugs or therapy, many times on an inpatient basis at a hospital facility, but therapy provided little hope.

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BETHESDA, MD—Few youths with early-onset schizophrenia who are treated with antipsychotic medications for up to a year appear to benefit from their initial treatment choice over the long term, according to results from an NIMH-funded study. The study was published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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WASHINGTON, DC—While the nation’s attention is heavily focused on the treatment of war-related mental health issues, military providers are also busy caring for those psychiatric conditions that may not be war related.

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BETHESDA, MD—Treating a complex disease like schizophrenia is difficult, and that difficulty is only compounded when it comes to prescribing medications to treat the disease. The antipsychotics generally used to treat schizophrenia are accompanied by a variety of sometimes-powerful, often inconvenient, side effects.

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Schizophrenia is a chronic and incapacitating brain disorder that impacts both the patient with the condition and those who must care for them.

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PLANS TO DEVELOP A FULLY AUTOMATED ONLINE CLAIMS SYSTEM for handling veterans’ disability compensation claims was announced by VA last month. According to the agency, the system will be more than a simple digitization of existing paper-based claims. It is designed to substantially reduce processing time and increase accuracy while simplifying the way that veterans interact with the claims process.

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Warfarin vs Aspirin in Reduced Cardiac Ejection Fraction (WARCEF)

Objectives: Warfarin has proven effective in patients with ischemic heart disease, especially in the reduction of stroke, death, and re-infarction following myocardial infarction, and in the reduction of stroke in atrial fibrillation. Warfarin is the most promising unstudied intervention in patients with cardiac failure. This randomized, double-blind, multi-center study will define optimal antithrombotic therapy for patients with cardiac failure and patients with low ejection fraction.

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PENTAGON—The Army’s top doctor says leaders are embarking on efforts to standardize pain management across the Army. In May, a pain task force appointed by Lt Gen Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker, MD, released a report that found that MEDCOM and MHS lacked a comprehensive pain management strategy.

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Ph I/II of Vitamin D on Bone Mineral Density & Markers of Bone Resorption

Purpose: Aromatase inhibitors are potent suppressors of breast cancer growth, but side effects include bone loss, fractures, arthralgias, and myalgias. We hypothesize vitamin D administration might be beneficial in treating these symptoms and to protect bone.

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Implantable Telescope Approved for AMD FDA approved the Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) to improve vision in some patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) last month. Surgically implanted in one eye, the IMT is a small telescope that replaces the natural lens and provides an image that has been magnified more than two times.

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