Health And Medicine

A simple blood test is allowing Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed varenicline (Chantix) to stop smoking and which patients could do just as well, and avoid side effects, by using a nicotine patch. Read More

This summer the Vanderbilt Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center (MMPC) began its 17th year of continuous operation and federal support with a $5.5 million, five-year renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read More

To develop strategies for preventing radiation-induced lung fibrosis (scarring), Vanderbilt investigators are exploring the cell types and factors that contribute to the fibrotic response. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a pathway that links excess sodium, inflammation and hypertension. Read More

Lipids in the plasma membrane regulate the position of the contractile ring that is required for cell division, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

When chronic disease patients let their care lapse and fail to show for clinic appointments, it may behoove clinics to reach out and encourage a return to care. Read More

Amid the intense discussions around head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment and survivorship planning, sexuality — an important quality of life issue — may understandably not be discussed. When and in what manner do patients with HNC want to talk about the impact the disease may have on their sexuality? Read More

A combination of two antibiotics is often prescribed to treat community-acquired pneumonia in children, but a JAMA Pediatrics study is now showing that using just one of the two has the same benefit to patients in most cases. Read More

Research by a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) scientists suggests that older people whose hearts pump less blood have blood flow reductions in the temporal lobe regions of the brain, where Alzheimer’s pathology first begins. Read More

Three years ago Reece Dean, of Nashville’s Bellevue community, retired at age 69 from a career as a busy truck driver. Mary Ann, his wife, began to notice some changes in his memory and behavior since he was home more consistently. Read More

An enzyme that produces bioactive fatty acids has elevated activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, supporting further studies to understand its biologic roles in the disease. Read More

Neighborhood determinants – represented by census tract data – contribute to the risk of influenza hospitalization and could be used to guide interventions such as vaccinations to high-risk areas. Read More

Seven outstanding Ph.D.’s with diverse backgrounds and experiences have come to Vanderbilt to pursue postdoctoral training with an eye toward academic careers. Read More

A noninvasive MRI technique may help predict a troubling side effect of common medications for Parkinson’s Disease and improve clinical treatment plans. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that would protect everyone against all strains of the flu anywhere in the world. Read More

Vanderbilt researcher Tonia Rex, Ph.D., is accustomed to performing studies in her lab with a goal of translating the findings into better diagnoses and treatment tools for the visually impaired. Read More

Collaboration between a mechanical engineer at Vanderbilt University and a pulmonologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has resulted in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant that will be used to develop a steerable robotic needle to safely biopsy hard-to-reach lung nodules. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) has received $2.3 million to fund a clinical research trial testing a combination of three immunotherapy compounds for patients with a specific type of advanced breast cancer. Read More

A high school science class discussion about how genetic traits are passed down from one generation to another inspired Tuya Pal to pursue a career in clinical genetics. Pal is a physician who specializes in cancer health disparities among diverse populations. Read More

Renã A. S. Robinson’s interest in aging dates back to her childhood. Her mother spent her spare time as a caregiver attending to elderly people with dementia. Now an analytic chemist, Robinson is investigating the science behind this very human condition. She is employing the emerging field of proteomics to study the process of aging as well as neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Read More