Health and Medicine
Research bolsters thyroid function, atrial fibrillation link
Jan. 31, 2019—Jonathan Mosley and colleagues have found that genetic varations in thyroid function can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm.
Study explores genetic risk for suicide attempt
Jan. 31, 2019—While there is no single culprit, genetic factors account for a small but significant percentage of an individual's suicide risk.
Designing antibodies to fight the flu
Jan. 31, 2019—James Crowe Jr. and colleagues have developed a new computational method that may allow researchers to develop flu antibodies that can protect against more strains of the disease.
In utero antibiotics and obesity risk
Jan. 31, 2019—Exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy does not raise the risk of obesity in children.
Destructive ‘telegrams’ in asthma
Jan. 31, 2019—Heather Pua and colleagues have identified the source of cellular signals that may play a role in triggering an asthma attack.
Long-term unemployment linked to increase in babies born with drug withdrawal
Jan. 30, 2019—Babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome are more likely to be delivered in regions of the U.S. with high rates of long-term unemployment and lower levels of mental health services.
Major grant to bolster research on inflammation-related cancers
Jan. 25, 2019—Cancer Research UK has awarded a 20-million-pound grant (about $26 million U.S.) to a team of international investigators, including Vanderbilt’s James Goldenring, Eunyoung Choi and Jimin Min to study inflammation-related cancers.
Study to track teen development in those with, without autism
Jan. 25, 2019—A new Vanderbilt study examining stress in teens with and without autism spectrum disorder is now enrolling participants, thanks to a $2.3 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.
VUMC scientists ‘sprint’ to find anti-Zika antibodies
Jan. 25, 2019—Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues in Boston, Seattle and St. Louis are racing to develop — in a mere 90 days — a protective antibody-based treatment that can stop the spread of the Zika virus.
Study finds unique form of chronic sinusitis in older patients
Jan. 18, 2019—Older patients with a diagnosis of chronic sinusitis have a unique inflammatory signature that may render them less responsive to steroid treatment, according to new research led by Justin Turner.
DNA’s on/off switch
Jan. 18, 2019—Walter Chazin and colleagues have identified how a chemical "switch" in DNA primase, an enzyme essential to the replication of our genomes, works in order to hand off genetic information to the next enzyme.
Signals from the “conveyor belt”
Jan. 18, 2019—Carlos Lopez, Tina Iverson and Vsevolod Gurevich propose that a conveyer belt best describes the mechanism by which cellular signals are handed off from enzyme to enzyme in the brain.