In This Issue
Key Findings
Study finds 'observation' as effective as surgery in early prostate cancer
A major federal study led by VA researchers found no difference in survival between men with early-stage prostate cancer who had their prostate surgically removed and those who were simply watched by their doctors, with treatment only as needed to address symptoms if they occurred...
Study links gene to PTSD risk
Based on DNA analysis on hundreds of trauma-exposed Veterans and other volunteers, researchers with VA and Boston University have pinpointed a gene variant they say substantially increases the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder...
Technology horizons
For a new generation of cancer drugs, scientists look to targeted nanomedicine
A team at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the University of Minnesota is developing a form of smart chemotherapy they think holds special promise. It relies on a capsule so small that 40,000 of them could fit on the head of a pin
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Ongoing research
Healing words: Study looks at the power of expressive writing to aid in Veterans' readjustment
VA researchers are studying the power of expressive writing to help Veterans readjust...
Journal Scan
Couple therapy helps with PTSD
A clinical trial conducted by psychologists at the Boston VA Healthcare System and a university research center in Toronto found benefits from a 15-session therapy program for couples in which one partner had posttraumatic stress disorder...
Vitamin D and prostate cancer
Investigators at the Charleston VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina have seen encouraging, if somewhat mixed, results so far from research on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on men with low-risk prostate cancer
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Hormone boosts resistance to obesity
In a recent review article, researchers with VA and the University of Minnesota explained what they have learned so far about an obesity-fighting hormone called orexin...
Women with back pain may benefit from yoga
A study at the VA San Diego Healthcare System suggests that women Veterans with chronic low back pain can see improvements in pain and energy levels and overall mental health status from participating in yoga...
Millennium Cohort Study finds sparse evidence of lung damage from burn pits
Analyzing the military and health records of nearly 23,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, researchers with VA and the Department of Defense found little evidence of a higher risk of respiratory problems among those who served near burn pits...
Career milestones
Career milestones
Natalie Dell, MPH, a project manager for mental health research at the Bedford (Mass.) VA Medical Center, was part of the U.S. women's quad rowing team that won a bronze medal at the Olympics on Aug. 1.
