Department Of Pediatrics

“Epigenetic signatures” in DNA may present an opportunity for prevention of or early intervention in childhood obesity. Read More

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 More

Preschool-age children from low-income families are more likely to be physically active if parents increase activity and reduce sedentary behavior while wearing movement monitors (accelerometers), according to a Vanderbilt study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read More

To improve medical management of crisis situations, clinicians should be trained to use cognitive aids – checklists and concise manuals. Read More

Doctors at the Vanderbilt’s Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program (ASAP) have continued to see an increase in the number of patients being treated for alpha-gal syndrome, commonly known as the red meat allergy, and with that increase has come more knowledge about management and treatment of the restrictive allergy. Read More

An increasing number of newborns are being born with drug withdrawal symptoms from opioids in rural areas of the United States as compared to births in urban areas, according to a JAMA Pediatrics study. Read More

A new study has found that the type of psychotherapy used to treat the gastrointestinal disorder irritable bowel syndrome makes a difference in improving patients' daily functioning. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have made the surprising discovery that the protease plasmin, known for its clot-busting role in the blood, protects soft tissue from turning to bone after severe injuries and certain orthopaedic surgeries. Read More

A new microfluidic device containing human cells that faithfully mimics the behavior of the blood-brain barrier is providing new insights into brain inflammation, the silent killer. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) are leading a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate whether a shorter course of antibiotics — five days instead of 10 — is effective at treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children who show improvement after the first few days of taking antibiotics. Read More

Blood-forming stem cells play a role in immune tolerance and acceptance of organ transplants, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

Specific interactions between inflammatory cells and epithelial cells contribute to lung fibrosis, according to a study published last week in JCI Insight fromVanderbilt’s Lisa Young, M.D., associate professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, and colleagues. Read More

Lengthening sleep duration and reducing sleep disturbances in children with type 1 diabetes may improve diabetes outcomes and reduce parental stress. Read More

To prepare for the potential of a smallpox return, Vanderbilt researchers are isolating and studying naturally occurring antibodies from the blood of previously infected or immunized people. Read More

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of life-threatening viral pneumonia in infants worldwide, yet despite repeated efforts, scientists have been unable to develop an effective vaccine against it. Read More

Rizwan Hamid, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, has been named chief of the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Genomic Medicine, effective Jan. 1, 2017. Read More

Representatives from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt joined Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and other local officials on Sept. 26 to cut the ribbon on a specialty and after-hours clinic in Murfreesboro. Read More

New discoveries will guide efforts to develop vaccines or antiviral agents for norovirus, the most common cause of infectious diarrhea. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is part of a 6-year, $4.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve the use of prescribed medication by sickle cell patients. Read More

Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, delivered the annual State of the Department of Pediatrics address on Tuesday, stressing the continued importance of the enterprise’s four mission areas — research, clinical care, education and advocacy and service. Read More