Health And Medicine

Vanderbilt University’s Roger D. Cone, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Heitman, Ph.D., have been appointed to the National Academies’ Board on Life Sciences, which advises the government and scientific community on a wide range of topics, from stem cell research to bioterrorism. Read More

Parent sleep education is beneficial in improving sleep and aspects of daytime behavior and family functioning in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), according to a Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Read More

A coronavirus protein is required for replication of the viral genome and may be a good treatment target for SARS and other diseases caused by coronaviruses. Read More

VUMC researchers have reported promising results in using oral antimycobacterial therapy to treat chronic cutaneous sarcoidosis, considered by clinicians a difficult illness to effectively control. Read More

A study of 381 non-Vanderbilt physicians referred to the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Assessment Program has shown that those referred for mental health, substance abuse and improper sexual boundary issues are less likely to receive a fit for duty recommendation than those referred for disruptive behavior. Read More

Vanderbilt research shows that human antibodies to the natural strain of H5N1 also protected against a dangerous lab-created airborne strain developed several years ago by scientists in the Netherlands and at the University of Wisconsin. Read More

When it comes to government funding of basic science training programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, Vanderbilt University Medical Center hit a grand slam this year, officials said. Read More

A new in vitro system will allow investigators to explore how immune system T cells develop specialized functions. Read More

A study of 381 non-Vanderbilt physicians referred to the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Assessment Program (VCAP) in the Department of Psychiatry has shown that those referred for mental health, substance abuse and improper sexual boundary issues are less likely to receive a fit for duty recommendation than those referred for disruptive behavior. Read More

A newly identified factor regulates blood vessel growth in colorectal tumors and could be a promising target for cancer therapies. Read More

Alkaline phosphatase enzymes appear to play roles in promoting pregnancy and in protecting the uterus from bacterial infection. Read More

Prescribing “atypical” antipsychotic medications to children and young adults with behavioral problems or mood disorders may put them at unnecessary risk for type 2 diabetes, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows. Read More

Utpal Davé, M.D., and Sandra Zinkel, M.D., Ph.D., have each received one-year, $100,000 “bridge grants” from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to support research that has not been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) due to budget cuts. Read More

The nuclear receptor TR3 contributes to ovarian cancer cell death in response to platinum-based chemotherapy – and may be a good target for overcoming cell resistance to certain treatments. Read More

Robert Coffey Jr., M.D., Ingram Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University, has received a five-year, $5.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the role of extracellular RNA (ex-RNA) in colorectal cancer. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators are receiving $1 million in breast cancer research grant funds from Susan G. Komen, the largest nonprofit foundation supporting breast cancer research. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered a new critical component in the obesity pathway. Read More

In an effort to understand how neurons develop different “architectures,” Vanderbilt developmental biologists have discovered a genetic switch that controls one type of neuron branching in the nematode worm. Read More

A biomarker for oxidative stress is elevated in patients with both autism spectrum disorder and gastrointestinal dysfunction, suggesting opportunities for individualized approaches to clinical care. Read More

A noninvasive test can be used to identify the presence of Helicobacter pylori and evaluate its virulence, which will be useful in areas with high rates of H. pylori-associated gastric cancer. Read More