Reporter March 14 2014

A compound identified at Vanderbilt has therapeutic potential in protecting the kidney filter barrier. Read More

Despite 40 years of definitive data that confirms increased deaths and medical costs in states that do not support universal motorcycle helmet laws, members of Tennessee’s legislature have again this year filed legislation — Senate Bill 548/House Bill 44, Helmet Exemption for Certain Motorcycle Operators — to amend the state’s law so that wearing a motorcycle helmet would be optional for riders 25 and older. Read More

Patients who suffer a longer duration of delirium in the intensive care unit are more likely to experience long-term disability after discharge. Read More

An ion channel protein called TRIPV1 helps retinal neurons survive the elevated eye pressure associated with glaucoma. Read More

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and Vanderbilt University have discovered a “missing link” in the structure of a transmembrane receptor that could lead to new treatments for autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Circulating “autoantibodies” possibly triggered by a viral illness may contribute an abnormally rapid heart rate or tachycardia upon standing that affects 500,000 Americans, mostly young women, according to researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Vanderbilt University. Read More

Support for Medical Center operations is now named Health Informatics Technologies and Services or HITS. The group’s tagline is “Powering Care, Discovery and Learning.” Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered small molecules that turn off cancerous Ras signals in a new way. Read More

Four Vanderbilt University faculty members have been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Read More

As an industry, health care is uniquely positioned to promote the need for, and benefits of, a more diverse and encompassing workforce. Read More

Sheri Haun, MBA, director of the Office of the Health System Chief Executive Officer, has assumed the new role of associate vice president for Managed Care Contracting for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will serve as the lead site for a $500,000 grant focused on building capacity of faith communities, such as churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations, to support employment for members with disabilities. Read More

Medical professionals in the Department of Otolaryngology will provide free head and neck cancer screenings, Saturday, March 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Craft Brewed, a local craft brew and home supply store, 2502 Franklin Pike. Read More

(photo by Steve Green) Richard Lifton, M.D., Ph.D., of Yale University, discusses next-generation DNA sequencing’s role in discovering disease genes and pathways at his recent Flexner Discovery Lecture. To see archived video of previous lectures, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries. Read More

“Safety Pharmacology” will be the topic of the 23rd annual Joel G. Hardman Student-Invited Pharmacology Forum Tuesday, March 18, in 202 Light Hall. Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student Kristen Eckstrand, Ph.D., was recently elected to the board of GLMA, the largest and oldest association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health care professionals in the world. She is the first student to hold an at-large board position since the organization was founded in 1981. Read More

The next Bedside Matters, an hourlong, monthly rounds geared toward helping Vanderbilt University Medical Center health care providers deal with the social and emotional issues of caring for patients and families, will take place on Wednesday, March 19. Read More

Vanderbilt University scientists have found evidence that the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas, which are either killed or become dysfunctional in the two main forms of diabetes, have the capacity to regenerate. Read More

A new advanced stroke treatment suite debuts this month at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, offering better care for patients with blood circulation problems in the head and neck, such as stroke and aneurysm. Read More

Vanderbilt Behavioral Health (VBH) opened a neuromodulation suite this week for two brain stimulation procedures that can offer relief to patients diagnosed with disabling psychiatric conditions when psychotherapy and medications don’t work or aren’t advised. Read More