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November 28, 2012

News for Federal Health Professionals

Top Story

VA continues battle against claims backlog
The wait time for processing disability claims has increased in 2012 despite efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs to make headway into the claims backlog. Part of the problem is that around 45% of recent veterans are seeking help, and the VA is dealing with between 11 and 15 health issues per veteran. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (11/23)

Military Health Systems

Study provides insight into Gulf War illness
Researchers who spent 15 years investigating the cause of Gulf War illness have concluded that the condition is caused by autonomic nervous system damage. Researchers conducted 25 different tests on 97 veterans and said the illness has three categories, including chronic body pain and problems with cognition and depression. The results were published in the Archives of Neurology. USA Today (11/26)

Veterans Health Administration

Foundation and VA to seek cause of multiple myeloma
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation announced plans to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify the causes of multiple myeloma. Researchers will analyze patients' tissue samples to learn how molecular and genetic profiles affect how the disease develops in particular patients and how they respond to treatments. GenomeWeb Daily News (free registration) (11/26)

National Health Care

Dartmouth, IHS partner to improve Native American health care
Dartmouth College and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center are joining forces with the Indian Health Service to improve health care for Native Americans. The joint effort will seek to recruit Native American health professionals from within Dartmouth, provide education for IHS health care providers and help undergraduates become more familiar with health issues facing Native Americans. The Boston Globe/The Associated Press(tiered subscription model) (11/22)

Health and Medical Research

Muscle regeneration therapy might prevent amputations
Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine are working on an oxygen gel that can be injected into wounded muscles to sustain tissue and limbs, and perhaps lives. Eventually, the technique could be used with bone, skin, ligaments and tendons in complex regenerative treatments. The research is part of a larger program to treat battlefield injuries. WFMY-TV (Greensboro, N.C.) (11/16)

Low-calorie diet may reduce the risk of age-related diseases
Calorie restriction was associated with a slower aging process in the mitochondria of cells, resulting in a lower risk of age-related diseases including diabetes and heart disease, researchers wrote in the journal Nature. A low-calorie diet appeared to retain the cell membrane's acidity levels, which reduced the degradation of the mitochondria, researchers reported. Yahoo/Asian News International (11/22)

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