Craig Boerner

June 9, 2021

COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in cigarette smoking: study

Smokers who believed they were at increased risk of getting COVID-19 during the pandemic, or having a more severe case, were more likely to quit while those whoperceived more stress increased smoking, according to new research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

By Craig Boerner
May 20, 2021

Type 2 diabetes medication shown to benefit asthma patients

Type 2 diabetes patients who also have asthma are benefitting from a diabetes medication, typically given to help the pancreas produce more insulin, that also improves asthma symptoms and may reduce lung and airway inflammation.

By Craig Boerner
May 12, 2021

Heparin, platelets discouraged as treatment for blood clots after COVID vaccine

Heparin and platelets are discouraged as treatment for patients who develop blood clots in the brain and low platelet counts 6-15 days after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, following a clinical investigation review of 12 U.S. cases conducted by the CDC and institutions including Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Craig Boerner
March 15, 2021

Preterm births in Tennessee decreased during pandemic

Statewide stay-at-home orders put in place as Tennessee fought to control the spread of coronavirus last March were associated with a 14% lower rate of preterm birth, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

By Craig Boerner
March 8, 2021

Stimulation device helps patients with bladder disorders reprogram

A neurostimulator surgically implanted above the buttocks to reprogram how the bladder senses the filling of urine is helping patients with debilitating bladder and bowel disorders that are often life-limiting.

By Craig Boerner
January 12, 2021

Study shows drastic increases in opioid-affected births

The rate of mothers who had an opioid-related diagnosis when delivering their baby increased by 131% from 2010-2017, as the incidence of babies diagnosed with drug withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), increased by 82% nationally during that same time period.

By Craig Boerner
November 17, 2020

Statins to be studied for prevention of dementia, disability and heart disease 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center 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.
By Craig Boerner
November 16, 2020

Younger parents less likely to vaccinate their children and themselves against COVID-19

Younger parents were much less likely than older parents to say they planned to vaccinate their children and themselves against COVID-19.
By Craig Boerner
August 14, 2020

Study finds patients’ access to opioid treatment cumbersome

Women are having a difficult time getting into treatment for opioid addictions, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published today in JAMA Open.
By Craig Boerner
July 20, 2020

Post-surgical bleeding associated with more deaths when compared to blood clots after surgery

Post-surgical bleeding is associated with more deaths than blood clots from surgery, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.
By Craig Boerner
May 26, 2020

Doxycycline ineffective at shrinking aortic aneurysms in two-year study

Common antibiotic doxycycline reduces inflammation without changing aneurysm growth
By Craig Boerner
April 29, 2020

Vanderbilt investigators encouraged by early results of placebo-controlled remdesivir trial

A preliminary look at data from hospitalized adults diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational antiviral remdesivir is showing promising results.
By Craig Boerner