Aliquots - Research Briefs

April 30, 2020

Antibody finding raises hopes for Marburg, COVID-19 treatments

Monoclonal antibodies against Marburg virus — a more lethal cousin of the RNA virus that causes COVID-19 — may aid in the development of antibody “cocktails” to counter viral infection.

By Bill Snyder
April 21, 2020

Reducing stress in parents of children with autism

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders benefited from the addition of mindfulness-based stress reduction to parent-implemented behavioral interventions.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 20, 2020

Damage, disruption, delirium

New findings suggest that treatments that decrease oxidative damage might help with postoperative delirium that occurs in up to 30% of cardiac surgery patients.

By Paul Govern
April 16, 2020

‘Tuning’ cell shape for division

Dylan Burnette and colleagues have discovered that two forms of the molecular motor protein myosin have distinct roles in regulating cell shape during cell division.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 16, 2020

Transporter’s role in gut barrier

A disease-associated mutation in a transporter protein impairs gut barrier function, leading to gastrointestinal disease and chronic infections.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 24, 2020

Spasticity underdiagnosed

Spasticity — a consequence of stroke and other disorders of the central nervous system — may be underdiagnosed and undertreated in nursing home residents.

By Paul Govern
March 23, 2020

Cellular factor helps package flu genome

New insights on influenza genome packaging could guide strategies for interfering with the virus’s life cycle and ability to cause infection.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 19, 2020

Race, hormones and diabetes risk

Variation in the levels of hormones called natriuretic peptides may contribute to racial differences in susceptibility to diabetes, suggesting that this hormone system may be a target for reducing risk of the disease.
By VUMC News and Communications
March 19, 2020

Blocking stress-induced relapse

Danny Winder and colleagues are teasing apart the actions of neurotransmitter receptors in a brain region linked to anxiety and addiction, with a goal of finding treatments for substance use disorders.
By Bill Snyder
March 10, 2020

Loss of ‘Jedi’ alters neuron activity

This is not the Jedi you're thinking of. This Jedi is a receptor that helps clear away dead neurons during development, and its loss changes the activity of dorsal root ganglia neurons, which could have implications for treating chronic pain.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 9, 2020

Meat intake and colorectal polyps

Red and processed meat intakes are strongly associated with increased risk of sessile serrated polyps, which are not as well studied as conventional adenomas.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 5, 2020

Clues to lung injury in preterm babies

Jennifer Sucre and colleagues have discovered a factor that contributes to the pathological changes of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the most common complication of preterm birth.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 5, 2020

One-two punch for cancer

A drug combination effectively killed aggressive blood cancers in cell and animal models; now it’s being tested in patients.
By Sanjay Mishra