Integrating Medical Genetics Into Precision Oncology Practice in the Veterans Health Administration: The Time Is Now.

Purpose: Increased access and utilization of tumor profiling of cancers in our veteran population uncovered a modest number of potentially pathogenic germline variants (PPGVs) that require genetics referral for follow-up evaluation and germline sequencing. Challenges identified specific to the veteran population include paucity of genetics providers, either at a veteran's VA facility or nearby non-VA facilities. We sought to investigate the number of veterans who would benefit from having such resources at both local and national levels.

Teleoncology for Veterans: High Patient Satisfaction Coupled With Positive Financial and Environmental Impacts.

Purpose: There was rapid adoption of teleoncology care in the Veterans Health Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. One third of 9 million Veterans Health Administration enrolled Veterans live in rural areas. Although digital solutions can expand capacity, enhance care access, and reduce financial burden, they may also exacerbate rural-urban health disparities.

It's not 'just a tube of blood': principles of protocol development, sample collection, staffing and budget considerations for blood-based biomarkers in immunotherapy studies.

Immunotherapy for cancer is now a standard pillar in the armamentarium of treatments for many cancers. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, in particular, have resulted in significant therapeutic benefit and prolongation of survival in solid organ cancers, such as melanoma and lung cancer. However, the extent of benefit is not uniform.

Using the behavioral flexibility operant task to detect long-term deficits in rats following middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability and currently only has one FDA approved pharmacological treatment (tissue plasminogen activator), which is only administered to a fraction of stroke patients due to contraindications. New treatments are desperately needed but most treatments fail in clinical trials, even after showing benefit in animal models of stroke. To increase the translatability of animal stroke research to humans, sensitive functional measures for both the acute and chronic stages in animal models of stroke are needed.

Rats bred for low and high running capacity display alterations in peripheral tissues and nerves relevant to neuropathy and pain.

Introduction: Diet and activity are recognized as modulators of nervous system disease, including pain. Studies of exercise consistently reveal a benefit on pain. This study focused on female rats to understand differences related to metabolic status and peripheral nerve function in females.