Aliquots - Research Briefs

New target for lung fibrosis

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.

Insulin in vials

Aging beta cells hasten Type 2 diabetes

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.

Skin pigment affects oxygen monitor

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.

Opening a window to glaucoma

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.

Gene tied to childhood epilepsy

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.

Stress, obesity and food intake

Vanderbilt researchers are elucidating the neuronal pathways that contribute to food consumption in response to stress — “comfort feeding” — and how they differ in males versus females and in the context of obesity.

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