Full Article at: Defense Department investigating WV Guardsmen exposure claims
By Keri Brown
October 2, 2009 · The Defense Department has announced an investigation into the exposure of hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iraq to the chemical hexavalent chromium.
The Defense Department’s Inspector General will investigate both the chemical exposure and the Army’s response to it.
National Guard members from West Virginia, Indiana and Oregon say they’ve become ill from the fine red dust they breathed as they protected civilian contractors at an Iraqi water plant in 2003.
It was hexavalent chromium – the chemical made famous in the movie “Erin Brokovich.”
Friday, October 2, 2009
American Legion Calls for Transparency Regarding Disclosure of Inspection Reports
As we voiced yesterday, we feel that Veterans have a right to any information that shows the condition of the medical facilities and/or the quality of care they are exposed to and receive from the VA.
One only has to look back at the endoscopy incidents to realize that the VA will not keep its own house in compliance, especially when they failed an VAOIG inspection carried out after assurances of compliance.
Full article at: The American Legion Calls for “Transparency” at VA
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The leader of The American Legion says he is concerned over a Department of Veterans Affairs directive that refuses public disclosure of inspection reports that might reflect negatively upon VA facilities.
National Commander Clarence E. Hill says, “I am bothered by VA’s practice of designating facility reports that measure timeliness and quality of care as ‘protected documents’ for internal use only. VA administrators as well as veterans who turn to VA for their healthcare would benefit from knowing the state of affairs at VA facilities.”
“That is all well and good, but we still believe it is the responsibility of the VA to make the findings in this report, and others like it, accessible to its stakeholders – America’s veterans,” Hill said. “We can work together to improve the VA healthcare system by identifying any deficiencies realized in these reports. If, for instance, The American Legion is aware of deficiencies and problems affecting the health and welfare of our veterans in VA care, we can assist with resolving them, as we have for decades.
One only has to look back at the endoscopy incidents to realize that the VA will not keep its own house in compliance, especially when they failed an VAOIG inspection carried out after assurances of compliance.
Full article at: The American Legion Calls for “Transparency” at VA
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The leader of The American Legion says he is concerned over a Department of Veterans Affairs directive that refuses public disclosure of inspection reports that might reflect negatively upon VA facilities.
National Commander Clarence E. Hill says, “I am bothered by VA’s practice of designating facility reports that measure timeliness and quality of care as ‘protected documents’ for internal use only. VA administrators as well as veterans who turn to VA for their healthcare would benefit from knowing the state of affairs at VA facilities.”
“That is all well and good, but we still believe it is the responsibility of the VA to make the findings in this report, and others like it, accessible to its stakeholders – America’s veterans,” Hill said. “We can work together to improve the VA healthcare system by identifying any deficiencies realized in these reports. If, for instance, The American Legion is aware of deficiencies and problems affecting the health and welfare of our veterans in VA care, we can assist with resolving them, as we have for decades.
NARA IT manager says 70 million veterans been put at risk of identity theft
A NARA IT manager has charged that the failure of proper Hard Drive procedures, has "put 70 million veterans at risk of identity theft, and that NARA’s practice of returning hard drives unsanitized was symptomatic of an irresponsible security mindset unbecoming to America’s record-keeping agency."
“This is the single largest release of personally identifiable information by the government ever,” Bellomy told Wired.com. “When the USDA did the same thing, they provided credit monitoring for all their employees. We leaked 70 million records, and no one has heard a word of it.”
However, "NARA says the lost drive is not a problem because its contractors signed privacy promises in their contracts, though the agency has since changed its policy to require that sensitive media be destroyed by NARA itself."
Full article at: Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets
By Ryan Singel
October 1, 2009
“This is the single largest release of personally identifiable information by the government ever,” Bellomy told Wired.com. “When the USDA did the same thing, they provided credit monitoring for all their employees. We leaked 70 million records, and no one has heard a word of it.”
However, "NARA says the lost drive is not a problem because its contractors signed privacy promises in their contracts, though the agency has since changed its policy to require that sensitive media be destroyed by NARA itself."
Full article at: Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets
By Ryan Singel
October 1, 2009
Researchers Show that Commonly Prescribed Drug Effective Against Some Cancer Stem Cells
These research findings are of important to not only veterans suffering from breast cancer but potentially against a wider variety of cancers. This research is directed at cancer stem cells, which resist chemotheray and the proposed reason for cancer recurrence. It has been suggested that if one can eliminate the cancer stem cells, then the patient's own immune system will rid the body of non-stem cell cancer cells.
In short if you can kill or prevent cancer stem cell growth, the person can beat cancer.
Researchers have shown "that low doses of metformin, a standard drug for diabetes, inhibits cellular transformation and selectively kills cancer stem cells in four genetically different types of breast cancer. The combination of metformin and a well-defined chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin, kills both cancer stem cells and non–stem cancer cells in culture. Furthermore, this combinatorial therapy reduces tumor mass and prevents relapse much more effectively than either drug alone in a xenograft mouse model. Mice seem to remain tumor-free for at least 2 months after combinatorial therapy with metformin and doxorubicin is ended."
Abstract: Metformin Selectively Targets Cancer Stem Cells, and Acts Together with Chemotherapy to Block Tumor Growth and Prolong Remission
[Cancer Res 2009;69(19):7507–11]
In short if you can kill or prevent cancer stem cell growth, the person can beat cancer.
Researchers have shown "that low doses of metformin, a standard drug for diabetes, inhibits cellular transformation and selectively kills cancer stem cells in four genetically different types of breast cancer. The combination of metformin and a well-defined chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin, kills both cancer stem cells and non–stem cancer cells in culture. Furthermore, this combinatorial therapy reduces tumor mass and prevents relapse much more effectively than either drug alone in a xenograft mouse model. Mice seem to remain tumor-free for at least 2 months after combinatorial therapy with metformin and doxorubicin is ended."
Abstract: Metformin Selectively Targets Cancer Stem Cells, and Acts Together with Chemotherapy to Block Tumor Growth and Prolong Remission
[Cancer Res 2009;69(19):7507–11]
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