New PubMed Articles 22 April 2010

1.

Time to Depression Treatment in Primary Care Among HIV-infected and Uninfected Veterans.

Hooshyar D, Goulet J, Chwastiak L, Crystal S, Gibert C, Mattocks K, Rimland D, Rodriguez-Barradas M, Justice AC; for the VACS Project Team.

J Gen Intern Med. 2010 Apr 20. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20405335 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

2.

Intensive glycemic control and cardiovascular disease: an update.

Brown A, Reynolds LR, Bruemmer D.

Nat Rev Cardiol. 2010 Apr 20. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20404853 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

3.

Comparison of laparoscopic and open repair with mesh for the treatment of ventral incisional hernia: a randomized trial.

Itani KM, Hur K, Kim LT, Anthony T, Berger DH, Reda D, Neumayer L; Veterans Affairs Ventral Incisional Hernia Investigators.

Arch Surg. 2010 Apr;145(4):322-8; discussion 328.PMID: 20404280 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

4.

Relationship between Clinical Conditions and Use of Veterans Affairs Health Care among Medicare-Enrolled Veterans.

Petersen LA, Byrne MM, Daw CN, Hasche J, Reis B, Pietz K.

Health Serv Res. 2010 Apr 6. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20403056 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

5.

Aggression in war veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder with co-morbid alcoholism.

Babić D, Martinac M, Bjelanović V, Babić R, Sutović A, Sinanović O.

Coll Antropol. 2010 Mar;34 Suppl 1:23-8.PMID: 20402291 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

6.

Caregiver burden and burnout in partners of war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Klarić M, Francisković T, Pernar M, Nembić Moro I, Milićević R, Cerni Obrdalj E, Salcin Satriano A.

Coll Antropol. 2010 Mar;34 Suppl 1:15-21.PMID: 20402290 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

7.

A review of driving simulator parameters relevant to the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran population.

Kraft M, Amick MM, Barth JT, French LM, Lew HL.

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2010 Apr;89(4):336-44. Review.PMID: 20299851 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

8.

Toward the development of national telehealth services: the role of Veterans Health Administration and future directions for research.

Tuerk PW, Fortney J, Bosworth HB, Wakefield B, Ruggiero KJ, Acierno R, Frueh BC.

Telemed J E Health. 2010 Jan-Feb;16(1):115-7.PMID: 20043704 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

9.

NIH conference on the future of telehealth: essential tools and technologies for clinical research and care--a summary. June 25-26, 2009 Bethesda, Maryland.

Doarn CR, Portilla LM, Sayre MH.

Telemed J E Health. 2010 Jan-Feb;16(1):89-92.PMID: 20043701 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

House Passes Bill to Increase Benefits to Veterans' Caregivers. Bill Now Goes to Senate.

House OKs benefits for veterans' caregivers 04/22/2010. The House voted 419 to 0 on Wednesday to approve new benefits and financial support for the primary live-in caregivers of seriously wounded veterans who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. LA Times

Mimicking the Human Nervous System for Prosthetic Applications

New ORNL carbon composite holds promise for bionics 04/22/2010.  Mimicking the human nervous system for bionic applications could become a reality with the help of a method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to process carbon nanotubes. While these nanostructures have electrical and other properties that make them attractive to use as artificial neural bundles in prosthetic devices, the challenge has been to make bundles with enough fibers to match that of a real neuron bundle. With current technology, the weight alone of wires required to match the density of receptors at even the fingertips would make it impossible to accommodate. Now, by adapting conventional glass fiber drawing technology to process carbon nanotubes into multichannel assemblies, researchers believe they are on a path that could lead to a breakthrough. DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory via Eurekalert!

Shutting Off Specific Gene Aids Spinal Cord Healing

Blocking single gene aids spinal cord injuries: researchers 04/22/2010. The discovery potentially opens the door to new treatments and improved long-term recovery from such injuries which often result in life-long damage and sky-high rehabilitation and hospitalization costs. Researchers said they administered a drug to lab mice and rats that shut off a specific gene which kicks in after a spinal cord injury. The gene, Abcc8, is part of the body's protective reaction in the event of spinal cord damage. AFP via PhysOrg

New PubMed Articles 21 April 2010

1.

Posttraumatic growth in Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Pietrzak RH, Goldstein MB, Malley JC, Rivers AJ, Johnson DC, Morgan CA 3rd, Southwick SM.

J Affect Disord. 2010 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20399504 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

2.

Prospective study of externalizing and internalizing subtypes of posttraumatic stress disorder and their relationship to mortality among Vietnam veterans.

Flood AM, Boyle SH, Calhoun PS, Dennis MF, Barefoot JC, Moore SD, Beckham JC.

Compr Psychiatry. 2010 May-Jun;51(3):236-42.PMID: 20399332 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

3.

Barrett's surveillance identifies patients with early esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Wong T, Tian J, Nagar AB.

Am J Med. 2010 May;123(5):462-7.PMID: 20399324 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

4.

Prevalence of dementia in Puerto Rican veterans is higher than in mainland U.S. veterans.

Carrión-Baralt JR, Suárez-Pérez E, del Rio R, Moore K, Silverman JM.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Apr;58(4):798-9. No abstract available. PMID: 20398171 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

5.

Tooth loss and periodontal disease predict poor cognitive function in older men.

Kaye EK, Valencia A, Baba N, Spiro A 3rd, Dietrich T, Garcia RI.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Apr;58(4):713-8.PMID: 20398152 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

6.

Choice of initial antiepileptic drug for older veterans: possible pharmacokinetic drug interactions with existing medications.

Pugh MJ, Vancott AC, Steinman MA, Mortensen EM, Amuan ME, Wang CP, Knoefel JE, Berlowitz DR.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Mar;58(3):465-71.PMID: 20398114 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

7.

Long-term effectiveness of screening for hearing loss: the screening for auditory impairment--which hearing assessment test (SAI-WHAT) randomized trial.

Yueh B, Collins MP, Souza PE, Boyko EJ, Loovis CF, Heagerty PJ, Liu CF, Hedrick SC.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Mar;58(3):427-34.PMID: 20398111 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

8.

Anticholinesterase duration in the Australian veteran population.

Gadzhanova S, Roughead L, Mackson J.

Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2010 May;44(5):469-74.PMID: 20397790 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

9.

Situational challenges that impact health adherence in vulnerable populations.

Pascucci MA, Leasure AR, Belknap DC, Kodumthara E.

J Cult Divers. 2010 Spring;17(1):4-12.PMID: 20397568 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

10.

Grants to states for construction or acquisition of state home facilities--update of authorized beds. Final rule.

Department of Veterans Affairs.

Fed Regist. 2010 Apr 8;75(67):17859-61.PMID: 20387316 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

11.

An observational study of musculoskeletal pain among patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy.

Caplan L, Pittman CB, Zeringue AL, Scherrer JF, Wehmeier KR, Cunningham FE, Eisen SA, McDonald JR.

Mayo Clin Proc. 2010 Apr;85(4):341-8. Epub 2010 Mar 15.PMID: 20231335 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Free PMC ArticleFree textRelated citations

12.

Short- and long-term prognosis among veterans with neurological disorders and subsequent lower-extremity amputation.

Prvu-Bettger JA, Bates BE, Bidelspach DE, Stineman MG.

Neuroepidemiology. 2009;32(1):4-10. Epub 2008 Nov 8.PMID: 18997471 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Free PMC ArticleFree textRelated citations

DoD Required to Conduct Medical Exams Before Separating Combat Veteran Under Less-Than-Honorable Conditions

Services Improve Brain Diagnoses 04/21/2010. Better understanding of post-combat brain injuries and psychological trauma, coupled with a host of measures to diagnose and treat such disorders, are preventing servicemembers from being unfairly discharged due to undiagnosed conditions, Defense Department officials told Congress members yesterday. DoD

Two New VAOIG Reports

Healthcare Inspection Alleged Endoscope Reprocessing Issues St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Report Number 10-01141-133, 4/21/2010 | Summary | Report (PDF)

Community Based Outpatient Clinic Reviews Payson and Sun City, AZ Sidney, NE and Fort Collins, CO Eureka and Ukiah, CA
Report Number 09-01446-132, 4/21/2010 | Summary | Report (PDF)

VA Funds going to New Veterans Homes

VA Targets $17 Million for Tucson Veterans Home 04/21/2010. The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved a $17.1 million grant for the new 120-bed Tucson State Veterans Home in Arizona.

VA Targets $24 Million for Kinston, Swannanoa Veterans Homes 04/21/2010. The Department of Veterans Affairs has approved $24.2 million in grants for new North Carolina state Veterans homes in Kinston and Swannanoa, with funds coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

New PubMed Articles 20 April 2010

1.

Oral Bisphosphonate Prescriptions and the Risk of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in Patients with Barrett's Esophagus.

Nguyen DM, Schwartz J, Richardson P, El-Serag HB.

Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Apr 16. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20397052 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

2.

Patterns of drug use and abuse among aging adults with and without HIV: A latent class analysis of a US Veteran cohort.

Green TC, Kershaw T, Lin H, Heimer R, Goulet JL, Kraemer KL, Gordon AJ, Maisto SA, Day NL, Bryant K, Fiellin DA, Justice AC.

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010 Apr 14. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20395074 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

3.

Assessment of the duration of protection in Campylobacter jejuni experimental infection in humans.

Tribble DR, Baqar S, Scott DA, Oplinger ML, Trespalacios F, Rollins D, Walker RI, Clements JD, Walz S, Gibbs P, Burg EF 3rd, Moran AP, Applebee L, Bourgeois AL.

Infect Immun. 2010 Apr;78(4):1750-9. Epub 2010 Jan 19.PMID: 20086085 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

4.

Are psychiatric disorders independent risk factors for new-onset epilepsy in older individuals?

Ettinger AB, Copeland LA, Zeber JE, Van Cott AC, Pugh MJ.

Epilepsy Behav. 2010 Jan;17(1):70-4. Epub 2009 Nov 12.PMID: 19913462 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

5.

Outcomes following diagnosis of acute renal failure in U.S. veterans: focus on acute tubular necrosis.

Amdur RL, Chawla LS, Amodeo S, Kimmel PL, Palant CE.

Kidney Int. 2009 Nov;76(10):1089-97. Epub 2009 Sep 9.PMID: 19741590 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

6.

Changes in relative glucose metabolic rate following cortisol administration in aging veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: an FDG-PET neuroimaging study.

Yehuda R, Harvey PD, Golier JA, Newmark RE, Bowie CR, Wohltmann JJ, Grossman RA, Schmeidler J, Hazlett EA, Buchsbaum MS.

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009 Spring;21(2):132-43.PMID: 19622684 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Free ArticleRelated citations

7.

Therapeutic intent of proton pump inhibitor prescription among elderly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users.

Dries AM, Richardson P, Cavazos J, Abraham NS.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Sep 15;30(6):652-61. Epub 2009 Jul 2.PMID: 19573167 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

Disturbing Rise in Suicides Amongst Servicemembers and Veterans

VA and DoD Mental Health Leaders Address Rising Suicide Rates 04/20/2010. Suicide rates among servicemembers and veterans remain high, causing concern that VA and military health care could be doing more in terms of prevention and treatment. Now some legislators have questioned whether certain treatments—what some are describing as an overuse of antidepressant medications, which have been linked to increased suicidal ideations—might be doing more harm than good. U.S. Medicine

DoD Creating TBI Database

Defense develops traumatic brain injury databases 04/20/2010. To get a better handle on traumatic brain injury, one of the invisible wounds of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Defense Department is developing databases to track cases to aid diagnosis and treatment. NextGov

Three New VA Twitters

VeteransHealth: Women #Veterans in Wisconsin spoke out, VA listened, & great things progressed @ WI demob info event: http://ow.ly/1Ap6m

VeteransHealth: Alcohol Awareness month is going on & it’s a good idea to know more about the dependency: http://ow.ly/1ykmO

VeteransHealth: Have you heard about the Fisher House Program @ VA? Learn how it supports #Veteran families in need: http://ow.ly/1yyTg

New PubMed Articles 19 April 2010

1.

Female veterans of the OEF/OIF conflict: Concordance of PTSD symptoms and substance misuse.

Nunnink SE, Goldwaser G, Heppner PS, Pittman JO, Nievergelt CM, Baker DG.

Addict Behav. 2010 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20378259 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

2.

Social anxiety disorder and social fears in the Canadian military: Prevalence, comorbidity, impairment, and treatment-seeking.

Mather AA, Stein MB, Sareen J.

J Psychiatr Res. 2010 Apr 6. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20378128 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

3.

Osteoporosis screening: factors associated with bone mineral density testing of older women.

Davisson L, Warden M, Manivannan S, Kolar M, Kincaid C, Bashir S, Layne R.

J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2009 Jul;18(7):989-94.PMID: 20377374 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

4.

Quality of care among obese patients.

Chang VW, Asch DA, Werner RM.

JAMA. 2010 Apr 7;303(13):1274-81.PMID: 20371786 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

5.

Use of intensive care, mechanical ventilation, both, or neither by patients with acute lung injury.

Cely CM, Rojas JT, Maldonado DA, Schein RM, Quartin AA.

Crit Care Med. 2010 Apr;38(4):1126-34.PMID: 20173631 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

iPad for the Disabled

iPad drawing interest as device for disabled 04/19/2010.  “Say you have somebody who's had a stroke, for example, and they wake up and they can't communicate… Instead of buying a 5,000-dollar communications aid you take out your iPad and download an app and -- bam! -- they can communicate,” he told AFP.  The Trace Center helps those who are unable to speak and cannot communicate properly, and researchers from the center, including Vanderheiden, are excited about the potential the iPad is showing for a relatively-low cost communications tool. AFP via RedOrbit

New PubMed Articles 18 April 2010

1.

Impact of combination medical therapy on mortality in vascular surgery patients.

Barrett TW, Newton K, Koudelka C, Mori M, Radcliffe L.

J Hosp Med. 2010 Apr;5(4):218-25.PMID: 20394027 [PubMed - in process]Related citations

2.

Ascertainment of Colonoscopy Indication Using Administrative Data.

Fisher DA, Grubber JM, Castor JM, Coffman CJ.

Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Apr 16. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20393875 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]Related citations

3.

Racial disparities in prescriptions for cardioprotective drugs and cardiac outcomes in Veterans Affairs Hospitals.

Mehta JL, Bursac Z, Mehta P, Bansal D, Fink L, Marsh J, Sukhija R, Sachdeva R.

Am J Cardiol. 2010 Apr 1;105(7):1019-23. Epub 2010 Feb 13.PMID: 20346324 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Related citations

PTSD: Healing vs Curing

Healing Combat Trauma: "Healing" vs. "Curing": What's in a Name? 04/18/2010.  "OMG," the new reader appears to shriek, "PTSD can't be CURED, my doctor just told me so!" "He told me I'd have this the rest of my life," with the implication being, "so get used to it." So how can you have the audacity to call this "Healing Combat Trauma?" If PTSD can't be cured...  Healing Combat Trauma