Research
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Apology laws don’t help doctors avoid malpractice payouts
Letting doctors apologize to patients without letting the apology be used in court does not lessen malpractice claims, say three researchers from Vanderbilt University. Read MoreFeb 1, 2017
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$2.5M grant supports study that examines link between math and reading comprehension
The research represents one of four Learning Disabilities Innovation Hubs established by the NIH in 2012. Read MoreFeb 1, 2017
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Vanderbilt study finds that as leaders gain power, dissent against unethical behavior declines
New research suggests that holding high-ranking positions may blind people to the unethical practices they are responsible for stopping. Read MoreJan 31, 2017
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Baroud receives inaugural Littlejohn Dean Faculty Fellowship
Hiba Baroud is a civil engineer who develops tools that improve infrastructure systems’ reliability and recovery from disasters like hurricanes and floods. Read MoreJan 27, 2017
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Climate change helped kill off super-sized Ice Age animals in Australia
A new study has compared the diet of a variety of Australian megafaunal herbivores from the period when they were widespread (350,000 to 570,000 years ago) to a period when they were in decline (30,000 to 40,000 years ago) by studying their fossil teeth. The analysis suggests that climate change had a significant impact on their diets and may well have been a primary factor in their extinction. Read MoreJan 26, 2017
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Studies find tonsillectomies offer only modest benefits
Removing tonsils modestly reduced throat infections in the short term in children with moderate obstructive sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent throat infections, according to a systematic review conducted by the Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Read MoreJan 26, 2017
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Flu vaccine response in older adults
High dose flu vaccine boosts the immune response in older adults by increasing activation of certain immune cells. Read MoreJan 25, 2017
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Saliva test for obesity risk
“Epigenetic signatures” in DNA may present an opportunity for prevention of or early intervention in childhood obesity. Read MoreJan 24, 2017
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New juvenile drug treatment courts guidelines grounded in research
Vanderbilt researchers helped re-write the guidelines for America's Juvenile drug treatment courts. Read MoreJan 20, 2017
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Improving vaccine formulations
The compound MPLA is an attractive vaccine component, designed to elicit a robust immune response. Read MoreJan 20, 2017
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Colorectal cancer clues
Although cancers arising from different areas of the large intestine are heterogeneous, they appear to use similar important tumorigenic pathways. Read MoreJan 19, 2017
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Surprising finding by VU team sheds light on fibrotic disease
Integrins are membrane proteins made up of combinations of different “alpha” and “beta” subunits that enable cells throughout the body to interact with their surroundings. Read MoreJan 19, 2017
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Metastatic pancreatic cancer ‘reprograms’ for malignancy
Metastatic pancreatic cancer — cancer that has spread from the pancreas to other tissues and is responsible for most patient deaths — changes its metabolism and is “reprogrammed” for optimal malignancy, according to new findings reported Jan. 16 in Nature Genetics. Read MoreJan 19, 2017
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GRE may be poor predictor of science success: study
Since it was created in 1949, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) has been one of the most widely used requirements for admission to U.S. graduate schools. As a predictor of performance and success in graduate school, however, the exam is not without its critics. Read MoreJan 19, 2017
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Amount of daylight may impact serotonin programming
The duration of exposure to daylight, or the “photoperiod,” may affect development of seasonal affective disorder by programming serotonin neurons in the brain, according to Vanderbilt University researchers. Read MoreJan 19, 2017
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A heart-brain connection
Cognitive and attention deficits observed in children following surgery before age 5 to repair congenital heart defects likely will persist into their teens and young adulthood. Read MoreJan 17, 2017
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Softening tumor tissue could aid cancer treatments
Tumors cause the intracellular material surrounding them to stiffen. Softening this protective layer could make existing cancer treatments more effective, according to new research. Read MoreJan 16, 2017
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Access to health care strengthens communities: Vanderbilt study
A new study shows that access to health insurance can help hold a community together socially, and lack of it can contribute to the fraying of neighborhood cohesion. The study, Beyond Health Effects? Examining the Social Consequences of Community Levels of Uninsurance Pre-ACA, published by the… Read MoreJan 16, 2017
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Team’s discovery offers new insight on lung cancer risk
Researchers in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering at Vanderbilt University have discovered a proteomic “signature” from the airways of heavy smokers that could lead to better risk assessment and perhaps new ways to stop lung cancer before it starts. Read MoreJan 12, 2017
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Investigators apply game theory to study of genomic privacy
It comes down to privacy — biomedical research can’t proceed without human genomic data sharing, and genomic data sharing can’t proceed without some reasonable level of assurance that de-identified data from patients and other research participants will stay de-identified after they’re released for research. Read MoreJan 12, 2017