Veterans Health Administration

About: Veterans Health Administration is a government organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Veterans Affairs. The organization has 63820 authors who have published 98417 publications receiving 4835425 citations. The organization is also known as: VHA.

De novo conditioning in trauma-exposed individuals with and without posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract: Differential conditioning was assessed in 15 medication-free individuals meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 18 trauma-exposed individuals who never developed PTSD (non-PTSD). Conditioned stimuli (CSs) were colored circles, and the unconditioned stimulus was a "highly annoying" electrical stimulus. Individuals with PTSD had higher resting heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) levels and produced larger SC orienting responses. During conditioning, the PTSD group showed larger differential SC, HR, and electromyogram responses to the reinforced vs. nonreinforced stimuli (CS+ vs. CS-) compared with the non-PTSD group. Only PTSD participants continued to show differential SC responses to CS+ vs. CS- during extinction trials. Results suggest that individuals with PTSD have higher sympathetic nervous system arousal at the time of conditioning and are more conditionable than trauma-exposed individuals without PTSD.

The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, part 2: co-norming and standardization.

Abstract: Objective: The consensus cognitive battery developed by the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH’s) Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative includes 10 independently developed tests that are recommended as the standard battery for clinical trials of cognition-enhancing interventions for schizophrenia. To facilitate interpretation of results from the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery using a common scaling across tests, normative data were obtained from a single representative U.S. community sample with the battery administered as a unit. Method: The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery was administered to 300 individuals from the general community at five sites in differing geographic regions. For each site, recruitment was stratified by age, gender, and education. A scientific survey sampling method was used to help avoid sampling bias. The battery was administered in a standard order to each participant in a single session lasting approximate...

Impact of medication therapy discontinuation on mortality after myocardial infarction.

Abstract: Background: Nonadherence to medications is common, but the determinants and consequences are poorly defined. The objectives of this study were to identify patient and myocardial infarction (MI) treatment factors associated with medication therapy discontinuation and to assess the impact of medication discontinuation 1 month after MI on 12-month mortality. Methods: This was a multicenter prospective cohort of patients with MI enrolled in the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction: Event and Recovery study.Theoutcomeswereuseofaspirin,-blockers,and statins at 1 month after MI hospitalization among patients discharged with all 3 medications as well as 12month mortality. Results: Of 1521 patients discharged with all 3 medications,184discontinueduseofall3medications,56discontinued use of 2 medications, 272 discontinued use of 1 medication, and 1009 continued taking all 3 medications at 1 month. In multivariable analyses, patients not graduating from high school (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95%confidenceinterval[CI],1.20-2.60)weremorelikely to discontinue use of all medications. The effect of increasing age on medication therapy discontinuation was greater for females (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.34-2.34) than males (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02-1.47). Patients who discontinued use of all medications at 1 month had lower 1-yearsurvival(88.5%vs97.7%;log-rankP.001)comparedwithpatientswhocontinuedtotake1ormoremedication(s). In multivariable survival analysis, medication therapy discontinuation was independently associated with higher mortality (hazards ratio, 3.81; 95% CI, 1.887.72). Results were consistent when evaluating discontinuation of use of aspirin, -blockers, and statins separately.