Health and Medicine

green traffic light
December 3, 2015

Microtubules act as cellular ‘rheostat’ to control insulin secretion

Microtubules — cellular “highways” that deliver cargo to the cell membrane for secretion — have a surprising role in pancreatic beta cells. Instead of facilitating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, they limit it, a team of Vanderbilt investigators reported recently in Developmental Cell.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 3, 2015

Caucus explores crucial role of NIH research funding

James Crowe Jr., M.D., director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, and Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently participated in a U.S. Senate National Institutes of Health (NIH) caucus briefing held in Washington, D.C., by Senate NIH caucus co-chairs Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

By John Howser
ashtray full of cigarette butts
December 1, 2015

Higher cigarette taxes linked to fewer infant deaths

Higher taxes and prices for cigarettes are strongly associated with lower infant mortality rates in the United States, according to a new study from Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan released Dec. 1 in the journal Pediatrics.

By Christina Echegaray
November 23, 2015

Ten Vanderbilt faculty members elected AAAS fellows

Ten members of Vanderbilt University’s faculty have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

By Bill Snyder
Image of pain pills (iStock Photo)
November 19, 2015

Study links opioids, infection risk for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Use of opioid analgesics is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for serious infections among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a Vanderbilt study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

By VUMC News and Communications
Insulin in vials
November 18, 2015

Fighting type 2 diabetes with FGF1

The growth factor FGF1 induces the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells and may help treat type 2 diabetes.

By VUMC News and Communications
November 16, 2015

Children, heart disease, and IQ

Treatment for congenital heart disease during infancy may result in cognitive and attentional deficits during adolescence and young adulthood, Vanderbilt researchers have found.
By VUMC News and Communications
November 13, 2015

Computer extracts cancer stage

Vanderbilt investigators developed a computerized natural language processing algorithm to extract cancer stages from electronic medical records.
By Paul Govern
November 12, 2015

Immune system a must for kidney repair

A signaling protein that is essential for recovery from acute kidney injury works by increasing the population of tissue-repairing immune cells.
By Lorena Infante
November 12, 2015

Study helps clarify components of DNA ‘copy machine’

Vanderbilt investigators have generated a “parts list” for the molecular machinery that duplicates DNA each time a cell divides. The research has implications for cancer therapies that target components of this machinery.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 5, 2015

New awards honor contributions to translational research at VUMC

Two physician-scientist leaders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were honored last week with newly created awards for helping to build and nurture Vanderbilt’s vibrant culture of clinical and translational research.
By Bill Snyder
November 5, 2015

Initiative speeds clinical trials contract negotiations

An initiative promoted by the Vanderbilt Institute of Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) offers an opportunity to reduce by more than half the time it takes to negotiate clinical trial contracts.
By Bill Snyder
November 5, 2015

Research by VUMC nurses highlighted at annual event

Nursing research was on full display on Oct. 28 in Light Hall during the Research Day Poster Presentations, organized by the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and Nursing Research Committee.
By Matt Batcheldor