Reporter

cells

Searching for beta cell stimulators

Vanderbilt researchers describe a new technique for identifying factors that stimulate the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells – factors that might offer therapeutic options for diabetes.

iPods for patient transporters helping boost response times

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s 55 patient transporters average approximately 550 transports per weekday and 425 per day over the weekend. The dispatch system that coordinates transport is fully automated.

A pain in the … genes

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that variation in the gene encoding the potassium channel GIRK1 plays a role in modulating human pain perception.

Employment may lead to improvement in autism symptoms

More independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms and improve daily living in adults with the disorder, according to a Vanderbilt study released in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Brain-gut connection in autism

An association between rigid-compulsive behaviors and gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder may point to a common biological pathway that impacts both the brain and the gut.

Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D.

Rounds: A message from the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

Could anything be more complicated than health care has become — particularly at VUMC where we are educating, discovering and caring for patients all at once?