Heart Disease

Vanderbilt research finds that GLP1 receptor agonists — a class of diabetes medications — are associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events than another type of diabetes drug (DPP4 inhibitors) in older veterans with no prior heart disease. Read More

Vanderbilt research found that sleep irregularity — chronically disrupted sleep and highly variable sleep durations night after night — may increase the risk for atherosclerosis. Read More

An international team of investigators has found that mild to moderate reduction in kidney function may cause cardiovascular disease, even in people without symptoms of heart disease or diabetes. Read More

New acquisition and reconstruction solutions for ultrasound imaging developed by a Vanderbilt team aim to fundamentally improve the ability to obtain high quality, clinically relevant images, especially in cases of heart disease. With a new, $2.3 million National Institutes of Health grant, the researchers will evaluate their advances on a specific subset of cardiac imaging... Read More

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 More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers are enrolling adults aged 75 and over to study whether taking atorvastatin, a drug commonly used to lower cholesterol also called Lipitor®, can help maintain health by preventing dementia, disability, and heart disease. Read More

A single pill containing low doses of three medications to treat high blood pressure and one to lower cholesterol reduced the estimated risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, according to a VUMC study. Read More

Scott Baldwin and colleagues have discovered early signaling events during heart development, findings that could guide cell replacement therapies for heart disease. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists have discovered that a certain enzyme plays a crucial role in preventing obesity-related cardiac dysfunction. Read More

Studies of alpha-B crystallin in zebrafish could ultimately lead to improved treatment for cataracts and heart disease. Read More

The 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States are likely to die from something other than cancer, thanks to early detection, effective treatment and the disease’s slow progression. Read More

Two vastly different causes of heart failure, both of which can devastate a patient’s life, are being studied at Vanderbilt University Medical Center thanks, in part, to the generosity of a grateful patient whose own damaged heart was repaired at Vanderbilt more than five years ago. Read More

A metabolic change in adult stem cells makes them less “fit” for regenerative heart therapies, suggesting that strategies to prevent this response may boost the therapeutic usefulness of the cells. Read More

Growing evidence suggests that fish oil, thought to directly prevent inflammation, oxidative stress and heart disease, may have limited clinical utility. Read More

New findings suggest that misfolded proteins accumulate in the heart atria, particularly in patients with hypertension, and may contribute to atrial heart disease. Read More

In some cases, HDL, the "good cholesterol," may not function properly and may actually accelerate atherosclerosis. Read More

Endothelial cells residing in the coronary arteries can function as cardiac stem cells to produce new heart muscle tissue, Vanderbilt University investigators have discovered. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of four institutions that are part of a new research network aimed at preventing heart disease and stroke, the two leading causes of death in the world. Read More

Smooth muscle cells that line the aorta differ in development but not in the adult, a finding that has implications for understanding aortic development and disease. Read More

Hypertension Clinic members include, from left, Sandy Berryhill, LPN, Lynn Christman, Cheryl Laffer, M.D., Matt Luther, M.D., Fernando Elijovich, M.D., Robert Manning, R.N., and Karen Gore, R.N. (Not pictured: Nancy Brown, M.D., Barb Dotson, R.N., and Mena Mangrum, LPN. The American Society of Hypertension (ASH) has… Read More