Department Of Medicine
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Vitamin D impact on disease biomarkers
In a randomized controlled trial, vitamin D supplementation did not improve biomarkers for cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Read MoreAug 10, 2021
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Gene expression in diabetic nephropathy
Vanderbilt researchers are looking to mRNA populations in podocytes — kidney cells that help filter blood — to help identify potential targets for treating diabetic kidney disease. Read MoreAug 5, 2021
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For more precise drug treatments, ‘squeeze’ the genome: study finds
Large-scale studies will be required to identify the complexity of genetic variations that affect how patients respond to a given drug and whether they will have side effects, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read MoreJul 22, 2021
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Influenza network sizes up COVID
Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients. Read MoreJul 22, 2021
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Establishing HIV care in Tennessee
Vanderbilt researchers find that heterosexually active Black males are the least likely to establish HIV care within one month of diagnosis and suggest that targeted interventions focus on this population. Read MoreJul 13, 2021
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Probing statin-associated diseases with genetics
Vanderbilt researchers used genetics tools and biobanks with linked electronic health records to explore the associations between statins and noncardiovascular diseases. Read MoreJul 12, 2021
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Nature’s “recycler” could reduce heart disease risk: study
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified potential new targets for the prevention of atherosclerosis through the enhancement of autophagy, a natural process for recycling damaged cellular material. Read MoreJul 8, 2021
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Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness
A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness. Read MoreJul 8, 2021
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Genetics of hydrocephalus
Fluid build-up in the brain — hydrocephalus — increases pressure and risk for brain damage; Vanderbilt researchers have now identified genes and signaling pathways associated with the condition. Read MoreJul 8, 2021
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Gene variant linked to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies in African Americans
A gene variant that lowers white blood cell levels and is common in individuals with African ancestry contributes to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies, according to a study published June 28 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The findings, led by investigators at VUMC, are an example of how using genetic data could reduce a health disparity. Read MoreJun 28, 2021
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COVID-19 complication underdiagnosed
A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read MoreJun 17, 2021
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Heat for hypertension in autonomic failure
Heat therapy could offer a novel nonpharmacologic approach for treating the overnight hypertension that affects patients with autonomic failure. Read MoreMay 25, 2021
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Beta cell regeneration
Vanderbilt researchers dissected the complex microenvironment of the pancreatic islet to discover the signals that drive beta cell regeneration — as a possible treatment for diabetes. Read MoreMay 20, 2021
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People at high genetic risk for colorectal cancer benefit more from lifestyle changes
People with a high polygenic risk score for colorectal cancer could benefit more at preventing the disease by leading healthy lifestyles than those at lower genetic risk, according to a study by Vanderbilt researchers published in the April issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Read MoreMay 13, 2021
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Nine faculty named 2021 Chancellor Faculty Fellows
Nine outstanding faculty members from across the university have been selected for the 2021 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. This group is composed of highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from a wide variety of disciplines and areas of expertise. Read MoreMay 12, 2021
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Genetic ancestry and hypertension risk
Racial disparities in hypertension risk are due in part to genetic differences between ancestries, Vanderbilt investigators find in a study of participants in the Million Veteran Program. Read MoreApr 29, 2021
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New therapeutic strategy for leukemia syndrome
Using primary cells from patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, Vanderbilt researchers found synergistic inhibition of cell viability and proliferation, suggesting a new treatment strategy. Read MoreApr 20, 2021
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New insights into kidney development
Integrin-linked kinase, a central component of a complex that coordinates cell signaling involved in migration, proliferation and cell death, plays a role in kidney development and epithelial cell function. Read MoreApr 15, 2021
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Personalized Structural Biology aids cancer treatment decisions
Cancer specialists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in partnership with biochemists and structural biologists across the Vanderbilt University campus, are taking “personalized” cancer therapy to a new level. Read MoreApr 8, 2021
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Study revises understanding of cancer metabolism
Tumors consume glucose at high rates, but a team of Vanderbilt researchers has discovered that cancer cells themselves are not the culprit, upending models of cancer metabolism that have been developed and refined over the last 100 years. Read MoreApr 7, 2021