PTSD May Have Delayed Onset

PTSD Can Surface up to 2 Years after Trauma 05/06/09. New research by Geisinger investigator Joseph Boscarino shows a startling development: It can take two years to develop posttraumatic stress disorder. Delayed PTSD can be attributed to a variety of factors, primarily if the trauma victims has existing problems beforehand. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. Geisinger Health System via Newswise

PTSD & Alcohol Problems in Returning Troops

PTSD, Alcohol Problems Co-Occur In Returning Troops 05/06/09. Military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders simultaneously, a serious co-morbidity that is likely to rise as troops continue to come home. These co-occurring illnesses present treatment challenges that will be addressed as part of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) track at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. American Psychiatric Association via Medical News Today

New Robotic Hand

Low Cost, Dexterous Robotic Hand Operated by Compressed Air 05/04/09. The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has developed a unique robotic hand that can firmly hold objects as heavy as a can of food or as delicate as a raw egg, while dexterous enough to gesture for sign language. Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) via Newswise

5th Veteran Tests HIV Positive

VA: 5th HIV case linked to unsterile equipment 05/03/09. A fifth patient has tested positive for HIV, and seven more tested positive for hepatitis after being exposed to contaminated medical equipment at three Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, the agency said Friday. That brings the total who have tested positive for hepatitis to 33. AP via PhysOrg.com