VA Research Highlights: Suicide Prevention, Blast Exposureโค & Lymphoma Treatment
Recentโ research from the department of Veterans โAffairs is yielding promisingโค results in several key areas of Veteran health. Here’s a look at recent findings from the VA Office of Research and Development:
Telehealth Improvesโ Access to Suicide โPrevention Therapy
A study by VA’sโฃ Office of Suicideโ prevention demonstrated the effectiveness of the Suicide Prevention 2.0 Clinical Telehealth Program. Over โ2,700 Veterans participated in approximately nine โsessionsโ of Cognitive โBehavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) delivered via telehealth over three months. Results showed significant improvements in Veterans’ coping skills,reduction in depressive symptoms,increased self-efficacy,and decreased suicidal thoughts and hopelessness. CBT-SP is a proven suicide prevention โtreatment, but limited availability of trained clinicians has historically been a barrier to access. Thisโข telehealth program offers a practical solution to reach moreโฃ Veterans in need. (Source: Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41059601/)
Low-Level Blast Exposure Linked to Gut Permeability & โคCognitive Issues
Researchers at the โJames J. Peters VA Medical Center in New York have found a potential link between low-level blast exposure – specifically during mortar fireโค training – and increased intestinal permeability, frequently enough referred to as “leaky gut.” Theโ study โคinvolved 22 service members exposed to mortar fire duringโข a 3-month training period, compared to a control groupโฃ of nine. Blood samples and cognitive assessments revealed that blast exposure substantially increased โbiomarkers indicating intestinal permeability. Service members exhibiting these biomarkers also experienced declines in cognitiveโข function,including โdizziness โคand difficulty concentrating. Notably, those with a history of mild traumatic brain injury โshowed even greater increases in intestinal permeability biomarkers. These โขfindings suggest a connection between โคblast exposure, gut health, and cognitive performance. (Source: Military Medicine – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41048049/)
Alpha-Ketoglutarate Shows Promise in Lymphoma โTreatment
Researchers at South Texas VA haveโฃ identified alpha-ketoglutarate, a naturally occurring dietary supplement, as a potential treatment for B cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.In studies with mice,โ administering the compound led to a rapid and sustained reduction in energy available to cancer cells, without causing any observed adverse health effects.The supplement works by reducing the amino acids available to cancer cells, effectively starving them of the energy needed for growth and replication.โ While further research is needed to determine it’s efficacy in humans, these findings represent โฃa promising new avenueโฃ for lymphoma prevention and treatment. (Source: Blood – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40700634/)
For more information on these and other research updates, โฃplease visit โฃtheโ VA office โof Research and Development website โat https://www.research.va.gov/ or https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/.
