Health And Medicine

Disruption of the integrity of the intestinal lining or epithelium contributes to a “leaky” gut and is a common feature of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Yash Choksi, Christopher Williams and colleagues found that low levels of a certain protein exacerbated the condition. Read More

Researchers led by James Crowe Jr. are a step closer to developing a broadly effective antibody treatment against the three major Ebola viruses that cause lethal disease in humans. The hope is that the antibodies — like heat-seeking missiles — would seek out and destroy the viruses before they can wreak havoc in the body. Read More

In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a new Vanderbilt study found. Read More

A drug used to treat diabetes, liraglutide, may point to new therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis — inflammation and obstruction of the lungs’ small airways. Read More

One of the first studies to examine the health impacts of legal marriage for LGBT individuals has found gay men were more likely to receive routine medical care following marriage legalization. Read More

New findings by Jörn-Hendrik Weitkamp and colleagues provide the first account of bacterial signatures in mammalian fetal intestinal tissue. The results suggest that bacterial DNA moves from the mother’s microbiome into the fetal intestine, which may be a critical stimulus for normal mucosal immune development. Read More

Chronic inflammation is a predisposing condition for colorectal cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Anna Means, Ph.D., and colleagues have now linked inflammation-driven carcinogenesis in the colon to loss of an important signaling protein called SMAD4. Read More

Vanderbilt and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are combining their expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computation to tackle some of the most pressing problems in biology. Read More

Lipid molecules that bind to HDL can modify its function — and blocking that modification can protect HDL and potentially lower the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Read More

The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections. Read More

Symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, including psychosis, depression and manic behavior, have both shared and distinguishing genetic factors, an international consortium led by researchers from Vanderbilt University and Virginia Commonwealth University is reporting. Read More

A drug in use clinically to help make vaccines more effective may be a powerful new tool for fighting antibiotic-resistant infections. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers describe how certain tuberculosis treatments work and suggest these medications may overcome the threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Read More

A five-year National Cancer Institute grant will fund an interdisciplinary research center for the study of small cell lung cancer, a highly aggressive, incurable form of the disease. Read More

Common sequences of antibodies against HIV may be key to developing a successful vaccine strategy for the virus. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists have discovered that a certain enzyme plays a crucial role in preventing obesity-related cardiac dysfunction. Read More

Student-run free health clinics, a hallmark of most medical schools across the country, not only provide valuable clinical experience for the students who volunteer there, but may actually reduce hospital utilization by the patients in their care, according to a Vanderbilt study recently published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Read More

A research-dedicated PET/CT scanner installed recently in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) will expand opportunities for Vanderbilt researchers to conduct studies of a wide range of disorders, from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Although HPV vaccination in adolescence can successfully prevent six kinds of cancer, rates in Tennessee remain relatively low, while occurrence of these cancers remains relatively high compared to the rest of the country.  Pamela Hull, assistant professor of medicine, and her colleagues are conducting a study funded by the HPV ACTIVE TIPs award, in collaboration with the Cumberland Pediatric Foundation, to test a model for disseminating a web-based quality improvement coaching program to pediatric clinics. Read More

New research from Vanderbilt suggests that repeated seizures reduce brainstem connectivity, a possible contributor to unexplained neurocognitive problems in epilepsy patients. Read More