Health And Medicine

According to annual figures available through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) continues to be ranked among the top 10 in the nation among U.S. medical schools in total grant support provided through the nation’s medical research agency. Read More

A mere 30 months since it was first described in the online edition of Science magazine, a new genome editing technique has, by many accounts, revolutionized the study of genes and disease. Read More

Alterations of the vestibular system - the part of our inner ear that controls balance - may contribute to bone loss related to both aging and space travel. Read More

Patients with orthostatic intolerance – problems when standing – have cognitive changes, even when seated, compared to healthy individuals. Read More

Growing evidence suggests that fish oil, thought to directly prevent inflammation, oxidative stress and heart disease, may have limited clinical utility. Read More

Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, with high mortality rates. While new drugs have been approved to treat the disease, patients nearly always develop resistance to the therapies and the cancer advances. Read More

A study appearing in the January edition of Pediatrics, led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, looks at how Nashville children ages 6 months through 5 years fared over 11 consecutive flu seasons concluding in 2010-11. Read More

One of the most promising new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease may already be in your kitchen. Curcumin, a natural product found in the spice turmeric, has been used by many Asian cultures for centuries, and a new study indicates a close chemical analog of curcumin has properties that may make it useful as a treatment for the brain disease. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have made an important advance in understanding lung development, which one day could lead to improvements in treating lung disease in premature infants and adults. Read More

A protein that degrades the “matrix” between cells participates in the development of lung metastases from primary breast cancer in mouse models and may be a good target for breast cancer treatment. Read More

Vanderbilt University researcher William Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues in Germany and Canada have demonstrated a method for detecting “cell-free” tumor DNA in the bloodstream. Read More

High consumption of trans fatty acids (TFA) has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Read More

Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences, has been honored by Autism Speaks, a national autism advocacy and research organization, for dedicated service. Read More

The following is a roundup of the news that made headlines at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2014. Read More

A “transformational” $6.4 million gift from Dallas couple Donald Test Jr., and his wife, Charlotte, who have a very personal connection to the devastating disease of schizophrenia, is supporting Vanderbilt Department of Psychiatry research and treatment into schizophrenia and related disorders. Read More

New findings suggest that misfolded proteins accumulate in the heart atria, particularly in patients with hypertension, and may contribute to atrial heart disease. Read More

A newly identified “atheroprotective” gene is a tool for exploring plaque pathophysiology and may be a good target for therapies to slow atherosclerosis progression. Read More

Understanding how the protein TRPV1 helps neurons survive after glaucoma-related stressors could lead to new therapeutic strategies for glaucoma and other neurodegenerative conditions. Read More

New structural findings reveal how "gatekeeper" proteins participate in the secretion systems bacteria use to infect host cells. Read More

When it comes to taking care of our hearts, there is a big divide between what we should do and what we actually do, a new multi-institution study reports. Read More