Saturday, August 17, 2019

New drug GVT progresses in research aimed at helping Gulf War Illness and other neurodegenerative diseases

(91outcomes.com - August 17, 2019) - A small pharmaceutical company has taken positive findings from a Gulf War Illness (GWI) treatment research pilot study and now working on the next steps to test it to verify that it may indeed help alleviate Gulf War Illness symptoms.

The original work on this formulation was funded through a Fiscal Year 2013 treatment study by the treatment-focused, veteran-driven Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) funded by Congress at the request of ill Gulf War veteran advocates and within the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP).

Saturday, August 10, 2019

I think I might have Gulf War Illness, what should I do?

(91outcomes.com) - If you think you might have Gulf War Illness (GWI), below are some basic suggested steps.



1) Read this overview about GWI: 

Review this "state of the science" overview of Gulf War Illness (GWI):  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cortex.2015.08.022

While it's fairly technical, skim and read the parts you can understand.  You can also share this with your doctor or others.

Does it sound like you meet the following GWI criteria? 

"The Kansas definition of GWI requires that cases have moderately severe or multiple chronic symptoms in at least three of six categories: fatigue/sleep problems, pain, neurological/cognitive/mood symptoms, respiratory complaints, gastrointestinal problems or skin symptoms (Steele, 2000) [lasting at least 6 months in duration]. Veterans who have severe psychiatric disorders or other medical conditions that might predict similar symptoms are excluded." 
Most 1991 Gulf War veterans with GWI have had the symptoms for a very long time.  Many had their symptoms begin during or soon after Gulf War deployment.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Funding Pre-Announcement - Gulf War Illness Treatment Research Grant opportunities



SOURCE:  CDMRP, April 10, 2019

****

---------- Original message ---------
From: Communications@cdmrp.org <Communications@cdmrp.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 10, 2019 at 11:00 AM
Subject: JUST RELEASED! FY19 GWIRP, LRP, MRP and VRP Pre-Announcements



This e-mail is to notify the research community of recently released pre-announcements for the Gulf War Illness, Lupus, Melanoma, and Vision Research Programs managed by the Department of Defense office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/cdmrp_presses to allow investigators time to plan and develop ideas for submission to the anticipated FY19 funding opportunities.


FY19 funding opportunities are anticipated for the following programs:

Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP)

*       Idea Award
*       Idea Development Award
*       Clinical Evaluation Award
*       Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award
*       Patient-Provider and Health Communications Award
*       New Investigator Award

Lupus Research Program (LRP)

*     Concept Award
*     Impact Award

Melanoma Research Program (MRP)

*     Concept Award
*     Idea Award
*     Team Science Award
*     Translational Research Award

Vision Research Program (VRP)

*     Focused Translational Team Science Award
*     Investigator-Initiated Research Award
*     Translational Research Award
   

Descriptions of each of the anticipated funding opportunities, eligibility, key mechanism elements, and funding can be found in the Program pre-announcement.  FY19 pre-announcements can be found in the CDMRP home page features at https://cdmrp.army.mil . Subsequent notifications will be sent when the program announcements/funding opportunities are released.

Please do not respond directly to this message.  To be added or removed from this email list please use the “Subscribe/unsubscribe” to program specific news and updates at https://ebrap.org.
                                                                                    
………………………………………………………………………………

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Monday, March 18, 2019

GWIRP-funded study finds elevated rates of 7 chronic health conditions in Gulf War Veterans


(91outcomes.com – March 18, 2019) – Newly published results of a study of a large cohort of U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf War show a higher risk of numerous chronic health conditions, as compared to the general population.  The excess risk was linked to reported exposure to Gulf War chemical weapons or an experimental drug troops were forced to take without informed consent.  

Seven of nine surveyed conditions were shown to be at elevated risk among the veterans, including high blood pressure (HBP), high cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, arthritis and chronic bronchitis.

For veterans reporting chemical weapons exposure, they showed higher risk of HBP, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic bronchitis. Those who reported taking pyridostigmine bromide (PB) nerve agent protective pills (NAPP’s), showed increased risk of heart attack and diabetes.

“Gulf War veterans are showing accelerated aging patterns resulting in

Boston University: Gulf War Veterans “Aging” Faster

SOURCE:  Boston University School of Public Health, Michelle Samuels reporting, March 18, 2019

https://www.bu.edu/sph/2019/03/18/gulf-war-veterans-aging-faster/

ARCHIVED ARTICLE:

Gulf War Veterans “Aging” Faster

Washington, D.C., USA - May 28, 2018: Veterans of the Gulf War Operation Desert Storm marching in the 2018 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington DC.
Veterans of the Gulf War march in the 2018 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC.
About 200,000 veterans of the 1991 Gulf War continue to suffer from Gulf War Illness (GWI), a set of symptoms including chronic pain, fatigue, and memory impairment caused by sarin chemical warfare agent, pesticides, and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills meant to protect soldiers from nerve gas during deployment.
Decades later, these exposures may also be causing higher rates and earlier onset of

**URGENT ACTION ALERT** -- Gulf War Illness Treatment Research in Congress




Updated April 4, 2019


(91outcomes.com) -- For the last several years, there has been gradually building momentum to develop treatments for Gulf War Illness, a debilitating chronic health condition that science has shown to affect between one-fourth and one-third of the veterans from the 1991 Gulf War and that likely resulted from a combination of toxic exposures.


SPECIFIC ACTION NEEDED:   The current targeted effort seeks co-signers in Congress before the fast approaching deadline for

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Public Draft of Common Data Elements Released; Aim is to Improve Gulf War Illness Treatment Research

(91outcomes.com) - Gulf War Illness treatment researchers have completed the first public draft of a project to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of GWI clinical research studies and treatment, increase data quality, facilitate data sharing and aggregation of information across studies, and help educate new clinical investigators.  

Researchers, veterans, and advocates met for several months to define Common Data Elements (CDE's) useful for

Friday, February 22, 2019

Mouse model points to gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption as contributing mechanism of Gulf War Illness


SOURCE:  FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY 
Press Release (via AAAS Eureka Alert!), https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/foas-tfj021219.php 

ARCHIVED ARTICLE:

PUBLIC RELEASE: 

The FASEB Journal: GI neuroimmune disruption contributes to Gulf War Illness

Mouse model points to gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption as contributing mechanism of Gulf War Illness
FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
Many Persian Gulf War veterans experience Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic condition with symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal to neurological. While exposure to the anti-nerve gas pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is linked to the development of GWI, the exact cause and mechanisms of the illness remain unclear. Recently, an animal study published in The FASEB Journal tested the hypothesis that exposure to PB contributes to the development of GWI by disrupting the neural and immune systems of the intestine. 
A team of researchers