HINES, IL — Receiving appropriate amounts of information from valid sources may affect adherence to infection control recommendations during pandemics.

SAN DIEGO — Trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) were similarly effective in preventing influenza, influenza-like illness and pneumonia in active duty U.S. servicemembers, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON — Ending more than five years of litigation on the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling in a class-action lawsuit that claimed VA does not provide mental healthcare in a timely fashion.

SEATTLE — Buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP) and methadone (MET) are effective in treatment of opioid dependence, but some concerns have been raised about a link between the use of BUP and drug-induced hepatitis.

SAN FRANCISCO — Telephone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and education (EDU) were helpful in management of chronic pain in older military veterans, according to a new study which calls for further study of the interventions for the rural-living elderly with chronic pain.

WASHINGTON — The DoD’s lack of a formal policy for transitioning medication management means some servicemembers fall through the cracks when moving to the VA, especially when they are prescribed pain or psychiatric drugs, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

HAMPTON ROADS, VA — The recent Food and Drug Administration approval of eltrombopag to boost thrombocytopenia, or low platelet counts, in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may permit thousands more veterans to start standard therapy for the disease.

WASHINGTON — For servicemembers and veterans suffering from PTSD, support is as close as their smartphone.  Thanks to a free mobile application known as PE Coach, available on Apple and Android devices, it is now possible for military and veteran patients to use their phones as a tool to support their Prolonged Exposure sessions.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX --Even though spinal injuries can be extremely disabling for wounded servicemembers, exactly how the injuries occur and what damage they cause has not been fully understood.

HOUSTON — Wounded patients with battlefield chest injuries sustained in Afghanistan and Iraq had higher mortality rates than did patients during the Korean and Vietnam wars, but that likely was because better transport and triage got more of the severely wounded to trauma centers for treatment than in the past conflicts.