Aliquots - Research Briefs

Regulation of the enzyme Sirtuin 1 in blood vessel endothelial cells may drive altered metabolism and vascular dysfunction during sepsis, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

Vanderbilt epidemiologists found 32 blood metabolites associated with obesity and showed that adding these to traditional disease prediction models improves accuracy of determining Type 2 diabetes risk.

Blocking thromboxane-prostanoid receptor signaling protected animals from lung fibrosis in preclinical models, suggesting a new treatment for IPF — a chronic, progressive lung disorder that often kills within 3-5 years of diagnosis.

Vanderbilt investigators have found that aging induces chronic cellular stress in pancreatic beta cells, which could contribute to the development of diabetes as we age.

Black patients in the ICU were more likely to have low or high blood oxygen levels than white patients, even when a pulse oximeter indicated 92-96% oxygen saturation, Vanderbilt researchers found.

A metalloprotease enzyme plays an important role in retinal ganglion cell development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered; studying it and other family members may lead to the identification of novel targets for treating glaucoma.

Data drawn from four unrelated patients with a childhood epilepsy syndrome — and from in vitro and in vivo studies — link novel variants in a GABA transporter gene to seizure activity, Vanderbilt researchers reported.