Aliquots - Research Briefs

October 24, 2022

Metabolic signatures of Type 2 diabetes risk

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.

By Kelsey Pinckard
October 20, 2022

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.

By Leigh MacMillan
Insulin in vials
October 20, 2022

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.

By Bill Snyder
October 11, 2022

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.

By Sarah E. Glass
October 10, 2022

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.

By Bill Snyder
October 6, 2022

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.

By Paul Govern
October 6, 2022

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.
By Kelsey Pinckard
September 27, 2022

Diagnostic biomarker for bone disorder

A urine chemical performs better as a diagnostic biomarker for the soft bone disease hypophosphatasia than other laboratory measures, Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 26, 2022

Gender differences with bladder pain

Gender differences in the pain experiences and treatment needs of people with a urologic pain syndrome could be used to improve interventions, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 22, 2022

Reduced exercise capacity in ICU survivors

ICU survivors who have impaired exercise capacity months after discharge may have damaged muscle mitochondria — the energy powerhouses of the cell, Vanderbilt researchers propose.
By Kelsey Pinckard
September 22, 2022

Nerve cells and cancer progression

Immature nerves and neural precursor cells increase in density as a type of premalignant tumor in the pancreas progresses to invasive disease, suggesting that blocking these cells may arrest malignant progression.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 13, 2022

Cancer registries and sarcoma research

The number of sarcoma research studies that use the two largest U.S. cancer registries is increasing, but over one-third of studies that asked the same research question reported conflicting findings.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 12, 2022

Enhancing innate immunity in the lung

Vanderbilt researchers show that a TLR4 agonist improves lung immune response and survival in a mouse model of bacterial pneumonia, supporting the development of this drug to protect against pneumonia in hospitalized patients.
By Leigh MacMillan