In This Issue
Technology horizons
VA researcher Dr. Michael Weiner, leader of the nationwide Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Imitative, talks about the latest findings in early detection...
Related stories:
As a combat infantryman in Vietnam, Leon Douglas Bryant lost his right arm and part of his left hand. The injuries didn't stop him from raising a family and enjoying a long career as a benefits counselor for VA. Decades later, he would lose another part of himself. This time, the impact on his life was far more devastating...
A new study funded by the Department of Defense and involving VA researchers will look at whether Vietnam Veterans with traumatic brain injury or posttraumatic stress disorder are at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease as they age...
Impact on care
HIV screening rates in VA are up sharply since the early 2000s. One reason is the advent of rapid tests that return results in minutes instead of days. The other is a VA policy change that streamlined the consent process. VA Research Currents spoke with Dr. Henry Anaya, who studies HIV screening in VA, about the trend...
Key findings
Using a type of brain scan called magnetoencephalography, or MEG, scientists at the Minneapolis VA have identified patterns of brain activity that appear to be a marker of resilience to trauma...
In a study by VA, Harvard, and other institutions, bathing patients daily with antiseptic-soaked washcloths dramatically dropped the rate of hospital-acquired infections...
Journal scan
In a national survey of women Veterans from various eras, 13 percent screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder. The study is the first to establish the overall prevalence of PTSD among women Veterans in the U.S. Previous efforts have focused only on those who use VA care, or women who served during a specific era...
For patients with skin problems who live far from a dermatology clinic, telemedicine can be an effective tool for managing their condition, shows a study of 326 Veterans in Missouri and Minnesota...
A new VA analysis suggests that obesity doesn't affect the results patients obtain from proton pump inhibitor drugs, which block acid production in the gut...
Special events
National VA Research Week will take place this year May 13 - 17 and will include activities at VA medical centers nationwide and a national kickoff event at the Washington, DC, VA Medical Center
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