Health And Medicine
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The role of polarity in early cancer
Mutations in the protein epiregulin, an EGF receptor ligand, affect larger epithelial cell reorganization and may contribute to early cancer development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered. Read MoreSep 21, 2021
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Brain circuits in schizophrenia
Vanderbilt psychiatrists are probing brain circuit hyperactivity implicated in schizophrenia, with the idea that normalizing the hyperactivity may improve cognitive processes. Read MoreSep 20, 2021
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Structural variants in breast cancer risk genes
Vanderbilt epidemiologists conducted in-depth whole genome sequencing of breast cancer risk genes in Black women, who die at higher rates and have more aggressive disease, to discover mutations that may improve testing and treatment selection. Read MoreSep 16, 2021
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‘Pre-conditioning’ restores immune tolerance
A treatment targeting T-cell metabolism could reinvigorate immune tolerance mechanisms to combat autoimmune disease and transplant rejection, Vanderbilt researchers discovered. Read MoreSep 16, 2021
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Using billing codes to count cancers
The billing codes in electronic health records are useful for counting skin cancers over time — an important metric for cancer risk assessment and prevention. Read MoreSep 2, 2021
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Study shows gene-drug interactions are common
When a drug or combination of drugs causes different responses in different people, genetic variation is often at play. Pharmacogenomics, through discovery of genetic risk and use of clinical genotyping, aims to reduce trial-and-error approaches to drug prescribing. Read MoreSep 2, 2021
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COVID-19 antibody ‘cocktail’ discovered at VUMC protects chronically ill: study
A monoclonal antibody cocktail against the COVID-19 virus discovered at VUMC is the first non-vaccine modified to demonstrate the prevention of COVID-19 in a clinical trial of more than 5,000 participants. The antibody treatment could afford up to 12 months of protection from COVID-19, and preliminary laboratory findings also suggest that it can neutralize the delta variant. Read MoreAug 20, 2021
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Potential protection from atherosclerosis
Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a potential way to reduce atherosclerosis: blocking the modification of an HDL-associated enzyme by reactive molecules called isolevuglandins. Read MoreAug 19, 2021
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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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Sudden death from deep in the brain?
Vanderbilt neurologists found altered excitability in deep brain structures that they note may drive respiratory dysfunction and sudden death in a rare form of epilepsy. Read MoreAug 9, 2021
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Motor protein linked to intestinal cell differentiation
The motor protein MYO5B, a cause of the congenital intestinal disorder microvillus inclusion disease, does more than move cellular cargo, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read MoreAug 5, 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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Prediction models for breast cancer
Vanderbilt researchers developed new prognostic models for breast cancer outcomes and found that adding postdiagnostic weight change as a factor improves the prediction. Read MoreJul 27, 2021
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Mood and cognition after chemotherapy
Validation of cognitive complaints appears to improve mood in patients with persistent chemotherapy-cognitive impairment, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read MoreJul 26, 2021
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Researchers discover that protein switches functions to regulate DNA replication
Vanderbilt biochemists have discovered that the protein RADX has different biological effects at sites of DNA synthesis, depending on the cellular conditions — even though it works the same way in both stressed and unstressed cells. Read MoreJul 22, 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