Health And Medicine
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Rational vaccine design
Understanding immunity generated by smallpox vaccine may hold lessons for COVID-19 vaccine development. Read MoreSep 22, 2020
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Throwing weight around on the internet
What users mention in online weight loss forum tracks with how much weight they lose. Read MoreSep 21, 2020
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Probing pathogen antibiotic resistance
Understanding how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics and host stresses could guide the development of more effective antimicrobial therapeutics. Read MoreSep 17, 2020
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New predictors of prostate cancer risk
An international group of researchers including Vanderbilt epidemiologists has identified new DNA methylation biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk. Read MoreSep 17, 2020
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Award supports integration of genomic data, electronic health records
Eric Gamazon, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop novel computational tools that integrate functional genomic data and electronic health records. Read MoreSep 10, 2020
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VUMC to lay groundwork for Tennessee’s first federally funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Angela Jefferson, PhD, professor of Neurology and director of the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, has been awarded a $3.7 million, three-year grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support establishment of a prospective NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read MoreSep 10, 2020
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Fibroids and birth outcomes
Women with three or more uterine fibroids — non-cancerous growths — during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with reduced birthweight and may need additional surveillance. Read MoreSep 8, 2020
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Possible key to COVID-19 infectivity
New findings demonstrate how genetic variations in the receptor that binds SARS-CoV-2 impact virus recognition and infectivity and offer insights to COVID-19 susceptibility and treatment. Read MoreSep 7, 2020
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New clue to Alzheimer’s disease
Combining studies of genetically diverse mouse populations and human data led to the identification of a gene associated with cognitive decline and brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease. Read MoreSep 3, 2020
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Assembling cell power plant machinery
Tina Iverson and colleagues provide a structural view into the assembly of a protein machine essential for cellular energy production. Read MoreSep 3, 2020
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Study to track if COVID can spread during minimally invasive surgery
Physician-scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are investigating whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be spread through aerosolized emissions (microscopic droplets and particles) during minimally invasive surgery in children. Read MoreAug 27, 2020
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Blocking tumor ‘signals’ and ‘fuel’
Combining two drugs reduced colorectal cancer cell growth in vitro and in an animal model, suggesting the combination may be a promising treatment for patients. Read MoreAug 25, 2020
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Land of plenty (of opioids)
Surgical patients are being given more opioids than they need for postsurgical pain management, raising the risk of addiction. Read MoreAug 24, 2020
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VUMC awarded $34 million to lead nationwide convalescent plasma study
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of “convalescent plasma” as a treatment for COVID-19. Read MoreAug 21, 2020
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Salt, immune cells and hypertension
Excess dietary salt activates immune cells to induce inflammation and hypertension, supporting current recommendations for low sodium consumption. Read MoreAug 20, 2020
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A “torque” for tumor blood vessels
Vanderbilt scientists have discovered a new target for normalizing tumor blood vessels to improve cancer immunotherapies. Read MoreAug 20, 2020
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‘Scavenger’ molecule may point to new atherosclerosis treatment
A small-molecule “scavenger” that reduces inflammation and formation of atherosclerotic plaque in blood vessels in mice potentially could lead to a new approach for treating atherosclerosis in humans, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read MoreAug 20, 2020
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Study identifies antibodies that block alphaviruses
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified antibodies that, in animals, block infection by alphaviruses, which can cause chronic and debilitating joint pain and arthritis and are an increasing global health concern. Read MoreAug 20, 2020
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Cashew shell compound appears to mend damaged nerves
In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported Aug. 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read MoreAug 17, 2020
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Risk marker for repeat sinus surgery
An inflammatory factor in mucus could be a biomarker of treatment-resistant chronic sinusitis used to determine which patients are at risk for repeat sinus surgery. Read MoreAug 11, 2020