Health And Medicine

A multicenter study of ICU patients found that in the hospital, delirium was associated with a nearly three-fold increase in risk of death the following day, but after discharge there was no association between delirium and mortality. Read More

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 More

Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, will deliver the next web-based Discovery Lecture on Thursday, July 22. Doudna is recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the co-development of the revolutionary genome editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9. Read More

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 More

An indirect comparative effectiveness study using published data suggests that the targeted therapy olaparib should be re-evaluated for treating metastatic prostate cancer. Read More

The sedative dexmedetomidine, when administered during or after heart surgery, is associated with postoperative delirium and adverse outcomes. Read More

A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read More

Heat therapy could offer a novel nonpharmacologic approach for treating the overnight hypertension that affects patients with autonomic failure. Read More

Vanderbilt Vaccine Center researchers have isolated monoclonal antibodies against hantaviruses, an emerging source of human disease with pandemic potential. Read More

Vanderbilt neonatology team pinpoints signaling pathways involved in the progressive lung fibrosis that occurs in rare genetic diseases. Read More

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 More

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 More

The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) has been awarded a major federal grant to lead a national trial of treatments targeting the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Read More

Vasorelaxing peptides could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for reducing the neurological deficits caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced cerebral blood vessel constriction. Read More

Voluntary data sharing across a region’s health systems and ambulatory care practices is important for measuring and improving health care quality and safety, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read More

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 More

A compound that increases lifespan in yeast is offering clues to pharmacological approaches that might slow the aging process and improve health. Read More

Aviv Regev, PhD, an internationally known computational biologist and executive vice president of Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED), is the recipient of the 2021 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced this week. Read More

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 More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been named Data Coordinating Center (DCC) for a nationwide platform of studies aimed at “repurposing” existing drugs to treat mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. Read More