Alcohol’s relationship with health is complicated: The same pattern of drinking that can be associated with lower rates of cardiovascular events and death in a large study of U.S. veterans also was linked to increased cancer risk.
Combination Treatment With Radiation Therapy Showed Promise for Prostate Cancer Survival
Adding pelvic lymph node radiation therapy (PLNRT) and short-term androgen deprivation therapy (STADT) to salvage prostate bed radiation therapy (PBRT) is beneficial for biochemical progression-free survival for patients treated for prostate cancer, according to a new study.
Coast Guard Acknowledges Brain Injury Risk from Its High-Speed Craft
Coast Guard leaders have acknowledged the risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to its servicemembers caused by repetitive, violent impacts while riding in high-speed craft and promised to improve how the service identifies and prevents brain injury.
Exposure to Explosive Devices Linked to a Various Conditions Years Later for U.S. Veterans
Exposure to high-level blasts from incoming explosive devices or land mines appear to increase the risk for veterans to later develop conditions affecting a range of body systems, according to a new study.
Specific NSAID Use Is Linked With Lower Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease Prevalence
Do NSAIDs show promise in reducing the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in patients who use them? A new study says the answer is yes, especially with diclofenac and naproxen. Find out what differences were found and what the researchers believe to be the effects of NSAIDs on cognitive decline.
Routine EHR Data Can Help Assign Probable Dementia Status
More than half of older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are undiagnosed, limiting timely access to person-centered care, according to a new study.
Need for Early Initiation Affects Usage of Amyloid-Targeting Therapies for Alzheimer’s
When should amyloid-targeting therapies for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease?
Who in the Military Is Most Likely to Get a Devastating ALS Diagnosis?
Military service is considered one of the most consistent risk factors for the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Yet, not much research has been done to determine which characteristics make servicemembers more or less likely to develop the rare, progressive disease characterized by the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
Rare Neurologic Syndromes Can Reveal Hidden Cancers Before Diagnosis
Neurologists rarely address hematology and oncology audiences directly, but at the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology (AVAHO) annual meeting in Austin Sept. 11-13, Tammy L. Smith, MD, PhD, made the case that they should listen more closely to what the nervous system is telling them.
Targeted Therapies Expand Options for Servicemembers, Dependents With Brain Tumors
For decades, standard care for most primary brain tumors changed little: Surgery to remove what could be extracted safely, radiation when surgery wasn’t option or following surgery and a short list of chemotherapies that were often nearly as hard on patients as the tumors themselves.
For Liver Cancer, Screening, Not Treatment, Poses the Biggest Challenge
Liver cancer treatment has been transformed over the past 30 years, with new ablation techniques, transplantation, targeted radiation and immunotherapy combinations joining what in 1995 was limited to surgery, ethanol injection or one form of embolization. Screening for the disease, by contrast, has barely changed in those three decades.
Hybrid Decentralized Trial Design Helps VA Reach More Prostate Cancer Patients
Fewer than 5% of adult cancer patients in the United States enroll in a clinical trial, and the reasons are familiar to any oncologist: Patients live too far from a research center, the time and cost of frequent visits are simply too much on top of a cancer diagnosis, or the facility where they receive treatment does not participate in trials.
Hearing Loss, Tinnitus Are Common in Veterans; Earlier and More Severe Than in Civilians
Hearing loss and tinnitus are highly prevalent among U.S. veterans who use VA healthcare services, and the conditions appear to occur earlier and with greater severity than in civilians, according to a recent study.
An Increasing Percentage of Veterans Not Being Treated for Major Depressive Disorder
Most veterans with major depressive disorder (MDD) received recommended treatment within the VHA, but a new study warned that there was an increasing trend in the proportion who did not.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Linked to Greater Risk of Musculoskeletal Injury in Servicemembers
In U.S. servicemembers, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) was associated with a greater risk of subsequent musculoskeletal injury. A recent study highlighted the importance of focusing on musculoskeletal injury risk following an mTBI event.
Severe Maternal Morbidity, 30-Day Readmissions Linked to Delivery Volumes at Military Hospitals
In women who delivered at U.S. military hospitals between fiscal years 2019 and 2023, obstetric delivery volume, the number of annual births was significantly associated with severe maternal morbidity and the possibility of 30-day readmissions, according to a recent study.
Combo Treatment Showing Promise in Radiation Therapy-Treated Prostate Cancer
Adding pelvic lymph node radiation therapy (PLNRT) and short-term androgen deprivation therapy (STADT) to salvage prostate bed radiation therapy (PBRT) is beneficial for biochemical progression-free survival for patients treated for prostate cancer, according to a new study.
Pharmacist Outreach Nearly Doubles SGLT2 Inhibitor Uptake in Veterans
Despite a plethora of compelling evidence supporting sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD), many eligible patients still do not receive them.
VA Study Finds No Link Between GLP-1 RA Use, Risk of Hematologic Malignancies
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are widely used for the management of diabetes mellitus and obesity, but is there a link between their use and a greater risk of hematologic malignancies?
Higher Early Cytokine Levels Linked to Greater COVID-19 Severity in Veterans
U.S. veterans experience a high burden of COVID-19; characterizing immune responses associated with COVID-19 outcomes could help improve treatment of U.S. veterans, who experience a high burden of COVID-19, according to a recent study.
New Ferritin Thresholds Recommended in Guidelines Have Benefits, Disadvantages
Clinical management guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) in 2020 sought to standardize iron deficiency anemia (IDA) management.
Pentagon to Reimburse Troops for Sperm and Egg Freezing Before Deployment
Nearly 2,000 U.S. troops suffered debilitating injuries to their groins or genitals during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2000 and 2013, and about 307,000 more sustained some type of head injury over the same period, all injuries that can compromise fertility and sexual function.
Financial Distress Linked to Higher Suicide Risk in Veterans
Approximately 17 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the latest VA data. As such, identifying factors to assist clinicians in recognizing a veteran’s increasing suicide risk has become increasingly important. A new study pointed to one factor that might deserve more attention—financial distress.
Coast Guard Acknowledges Brain Injury Risk from Its High-Speed Craft
Coast Guard leaders have acknowledged the risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to its servicemembers caused by repetitive, violent impacts while riding in high-speed craft and promised to improve how the service identifies and prevents brain injury.
New CDC Director Confirmed as Childhood Vaccine Executive Order Sparks Controversy
Last month, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD, a former Navy physician and chief medical officer of the Coast Guard, as director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite fears from both Republicans and Democrats that she will fail to push back against the anti-vaccine agenda of the Trump administration.
Approval of New Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Will Benefit Veterans
Pancreatic cancer is recognized by the VA as a presumptive service-connected condition linked to toxic burn pit exposure under the PACT Act.
VA Study: Beta Blockers Might Help Extend Prostate Cancer Survival
Even though neural regulation contributes to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development, the effects of neural-targeting medications on presentation or outcomes haven’t been well-documented according to a new study.
Active Surveillance Chosen by 93% of Veterans With Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
Three decades after the VA and the University of California-San Francisco helped pioneer active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer, the strategy has become the default choice for veterans diagnosed with the disease, according to a study published Aug. 13 in JAMA.
Pilot Study Indicates Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Safe, Promising for Veterans With PTSD
Psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who got no relief from conventional treatments appears to be safe, according to the first U.S. clinical trial. It reported no serious adverse events or increases in suicidal thinking or behavior.
Vancomycin Taper-and-Pulse Strategy Shows Promise for Recurrent C. difficile Infection
Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most difficult challenges facing clinicians. Although vancomycin taper-and-pulse regimens have been used for decades to reduce the risk of recurrence, high-quality randomized evidence supporting the approach has been limited.