Veterans Health Administration

Real‐Life Psychological Experiences and Cardiac Autonomic Physiology Among Survivors of a Myocardial Infarction in Midlife

Abstract Middle-aged women with ischemic heart disease have a higher burden of psychosocial factors compared with male counterparts. Data on daily life stress and autonomic physiology could help guide targeted interventions. We studied 302 individuals ≤ 61 years of age (129 women...

Sex-specific skeletal muscle fiber atrophy and reduced macrophage inflammation in a rodent transverse aortic constriction model

Abstract Heart failure is associated with systemic skeletal muscle remodeling, where sex-specific differences suggest differential peripheral involvement in disease progression. Skeletal muscle macrophages regulate angiogenesis and tissue remodeling and may contribute to early al...

Population pharmacokinetics modeling of albendazole and its active metabolite, albendazole sulfoxide in mass drug administration against lymphatic filariasis

ABSTRACT Albendazole (ALB), a benzimidazole antiparasitic, is widely used in mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns against lymphatic filariasis (LF). It is rapidly metabolized to its active form, albendazole sulfoxide (ALB-OX), which exhibits considerable interindividual varia...

Myeloid cell reprogramming drives enhanced defense against Streptococcus pneumoniae lung infection following exposure to commensal Prevotella

Clinical data link the prevalent respiratory tract anaerobe Prevotella with reduced pneumonia mortality, but the mechanisms directing Prevotella regulation of lung immune homeostasis are unclear. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing was employed to define the transcriptional immune s...

Identifying incident medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw and antiresorptive drug holidays using natural language processing on clinical notes in men and women prescribed bisphosphonates or denosumab for fracture prevention

OBJECTIVE: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a rare complication of antiresorptive therapy for osteoporosis, with risk potentially influenced by "drug holidays" around dentoalveolar procedures. MRONJ risk is higher in rheumatic diseases. Epidemiologic studies...

Bioengineered microtissue model of the human nigrostriatal pathway featuring centimeter-scale axon tracts and structural maturation over 6 months in vitro

The basal ganglia (BG) comprise a critical neural system involved in voluntary motor coordination and balance. While small animal models have been useful to improve our basic understanding of the development and function of neural systems, they are relatively low-throughput, lack...

Successful Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention in Reducing Unnecessary Stool Testing for Clostridioides difficile in a Veterans Affairs Hospital

Introduction: Clostridioides difficile is a highly transmissible bacterium that causes diarrhea and colitis, particularly in patients recently treated with antibiotics. Because inappropriate testing may identify patients who are colonized rather than infected, the Infectious Dise...

Natural Language Processing to Improve Vertebral Fracture Identification in Older Adults Receiving Osteoporosis Therapy

INTRODUCTION: Vertebral fracture identification using administrative codes is challenging because diagnoses often occur outside hospital and orthopedic care settings. Outpatient diagnoses improve capture but increase misclassification. Accurate methods are important for populatio...

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...

SOX2 and cytokeratins 5, 8 and 18 as potential stem cell biomarkers in botryoid odontogenic, lateral periodontal and gingival cysts.

The aim of this study was to compare the immunohistochemical expression of SOX2 and cytokeratins (CKs) 5, 8 and 18 in the lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) and gingival cyst of the adult (GCA) with the more aggressive botryoid odontogenic cyst (BOC), to evaluate diagnostic or progno...

Circulating lipids are associated with PTSD severity and predict symptomatic PTSD in a cohort of veterans and service members

Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by chronic stress, alterations in mood, and avoidance after a traumatic event has occurred. While recovery can occur, many PTSD patients suffer life-long impairments. In combat veterans, high rates of PTSD contribute...

Endothelial Cell Proteins as Biomarkers in Susac Syndrome

ABSTRACT Objective Susac syndrome (SS) is a rare CD8 + T cell–mediated microangiopathy affecting the brain, retina, and auditory labyrinth. Endothelial injury is thought to be a central mechanism; however, no circulating disease biomarkers are known. We performed targeted proteom...

Multimodal radiopathological integration for prognosis of limited and extensive stage small cell lung cancer

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor survival and no validated prognostic biomarkers. We developed and validated a multimodal artificial intelligence–based radiopathomic framework to predict progression-free survival (PFS) by integrating radiologic...