VA Palo Alto Health Care System

How the Utilization of Occupational Therapy in Adult End-of-Life Care is Determined

Date presented: April 24, 2026 Primary Author and Speaker: Janice Kishi Chow, jkishi@yahoo.com

Prehistoric global migration of vanishing gut microbes with humans

The gut microbiome is crucial for health and is affected strongly by lifestyle1. Many microorganisms commonly found in non-industrialized populations are disappearing or have become extinct in industrialized populations2–6. Studying which microorganisms have been long-term reside...

Burden, healthcare utilization, and costs of chronic liver disease–related hospitalizations in California: a population-based study of trends and projections, 2005–2035

Background Long-term trends in hospitalization burden, healthcare utilization, and costs of chronic liver disease (CLD) in the United States remain poorly characterized. Using statewide hospital discharge data, we quantified trends from 2005 to 2018 and projected future burden th...

Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Identifies Central Role for Inflammatory Pathways

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic mechanisms underlying susceptibility to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remain poorly understood. Identifying causal DNA methylation markers for AAA can elucidate the regulatory processes that drive aneurysm formation and accelerate translational applicatio...

Medial temporal default mode network selectively encodes autobiographical visual imagery

The human brain’s capacity to imagine visual scenes from memory is thought to rely on the medial temporal subsystem of the default mode network (MT-DMN), yet the neural codes supporting this ability remain poorly understood. We combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI...

Alchemical Free Energy Perturbation Predicts Relative Binding Affinities of Propofol Analogs and Etomidate Stereoisomers at the GABAAR

Abstract General anesthetics such as propofol and etomidate exert their clinical effects primarily through positive allosteric modulation of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAAR). Despite decades of research, the quantitative structure–activity relationships governing ane...

Maximum Allowable Contrast Dose and Risk of Acute Kidney Injury After Coronary Procedures

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have questioned whether iodinated contrast is causally related to acute kidney injury (AKI). AIM: We pursed a contemporary analysis to determine the impact of contrast dose on AKI following coronary procedures in an era of lower contrast doses and less...

Radiology considerations for the PREMIUM study: a multicenter randomized controlled trial of abbreviated MRI versus ultrasound for liver cancer screening in cirrhosis

Abstract This paper describes the rationale and radiology considerations in the implementation of the Preventing Liver Cancer Mortality through Imaging with Ultrasound versus MRI (PREMIUM) study. PREMIUM is a multicenter, randomized controlled trial sponsored by the Department of...

Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure Hospital Participation and Its Association With Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy and Outcomes

Abstract Purpose Despite strong evidence, real-world adoption of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains suboptimal. The Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) program was designed to close gaps in care....

Statins Use in Veterans With Peripheral Artery Disease: Insights From the PEARLS Study

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend high-intensity statins in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). We examined contemporary use of statins among real-world patients with a new diagnosis of PAD. METHODS: Within a national registry of Veterans with incident PAD, we used phar...

Neurophysiological signatures of Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy in treatment resistant depression

ABSTRACT Objective Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) has demonstrated impressive efficacy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but its neurophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated the neurophysiological correlates of SNT using transcra...

Considerations for Ecological Momentary Assessments in Alcohol Use: A Narrative Review

Background: Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs), a newer method assessing alcohol use, present advantages over Timeline Follow Back (TLFB). EMAs have progressed from telephone calls to smartphone applications, providing opportunities for growth in a naturalistic assessment. T...

Therapeutic selective leukotriene b4 antagonism for human lymphedema

Despite a high prevalence and extensive morbidity, there are no approved pharmacological interventions for lymphedema. Selective inhibition of leukotriene B 4 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target to address the morbidity and symptomatology associated with lymphed...

Impact of Time to Buprenorphine Initiation on Patient-Directed Discharge in Concurrent Alcohol and Opioid Withdrawal

BACKGROUND: Treatment for alcohol and opioid withdrawal when managed independently is well-established; however, specific guidance on their concurrent management is lacking. This review evaluated the relationship between buprenorphine initiation and time to initiation on key subs...

Genetic Predisposition and Pharmacological Effects Shape the Divergent Effects of Type 2 Diabetes on Atherosclerosis

Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) increases the risk of atherosclerotic diseases, including coronary artery disease (CAD), but decreases that for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), forming an intriguing diabetes-atherosclerosis paradox. We investigate how genetic underpinning...

MemTrax as a scalable digital triage tool for mild cognitive impairment screening: primary validation in Alzheimer’s disease and exploratory analysis in Parkinson’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) pose escalating global health challenges, with early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) being critical for timely intervention. The 2023 Delphi consensus highlights the need for scalable tools suitable for primary ca...

Watson's Caring Science-Based Interventions in Holistic Nursing and Health Care: A Scoping Review of Patient Satisfaction and Clinical Outcomes

PurposeTo map and summarize the literature on Watson's Caring Science Theory-based interventions in relation to patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Watson's Caring Science Theory provides a foundational framework for relational and holistic nursing care, yet evidence on p...