Research

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

Writing in the Office of Cross-College Initiatives' BreakThru blog, political science Ph.D. student SangEun Cecilia Kim finds that poverty is the most common factor driving the tax aversion of Malawi citizens. 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 scientists have teamed up with the Italian Scientific Police to apply nanoscience techniques to improve the accuracy of forensic investigations. Read More

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

The recent decriminalization of homosexuality in Mozambique has not made it easier for LGBT advocacy groups to support these populations within the country. 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

Many incarcerated South Africans find religion in prison, found undergraduate Zoe Psakis. 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

Teams having more experience with a prior practice learn new tasks quickly, though their performance lags behind less-seasoned counterparts immediately after a new practice is implemented. Read More

A new study shows for the first time that there is a broad range of differences in people’s visual ability and that these variations are not associated with individuals’ general intelligence, or IQ. Read More

Sinead Miller was headed for the Olympic games. Now, thanks to a Department of Defense grant to find new sepsis treatments, the Vanderbilt Ph.D. has developed a device that cleans the blood. 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

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