Health and Medicine

March 28, 2013

Acetaminophen: protective in sepsis?

In critically ill patients with sepsis, plasma hemoglobin may be a new indicator of disease severity – and a potential target for treatment with acetaminophen.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 21, 2013

Novel push-pull action clue to brain disorders

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered a new “push-pull” mechanism in the brain that one day could lead to new treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, as well as stress-related disorders and addiction.

By Bill Snyder
March 21, 2013

Breast cancer study explores therapy to slow recurrence

Many patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have recurrence of their disease after an initial response to chemotherapy because the cancer cells have become resistant to treatment. TNBC has a lower survival rate because of this pattern of resistance and there are no targeted agents to treat this form of breast cancer.

By VUMC News and Communications
March 20, 2013

New drugs a good BET for brain cancer

A novel class of drugs that target “BET” proteins may have broad utility for treating genetically diverse brain tumors.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 18, 2013

IRF6 on the tip of tongue development

The factor IRF6 plays important roles in the development of the tongue.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 15, 2013

Diagnostic codes identify smoking status

Diagnostic codes used for billing purposes effectively identify smokers in a general clinic population and can be used to adjust smoking status in genetic and epidemiologic studies.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 14, 2013

Bacterial resistance breaks bridges

Understanding how bacteria become resistant to quinolone antibiotics could guide strategies for developing new antibacterial drugs.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 7, 2013

Eye disorder’s genetic risk factors come into focus

An international group of investigators has identified seven new genetic regions associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of blindness in older individuals.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 6, 2013

Scientific American: Putting tests to the test

The overuse of many medical tests and interventions wastes money and can actually harm patients, say more than two dozen medical societies. Daniel Barocas, assistant professor of urology, is quoted.
By VUMC News and Communications
March 6, 2013

Tick-tock – predicting menopause

An ultrasound count of potentially egg-producing follicles could predict the timing of menopause.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 4, 2013

Study finds maternal diet may predict RSV severity

An important predictor of the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants may be what their mothers ate during pregnancy.
By VUMC News and Communications
March 4, 2013

Gene ‘dose’ may be key to autism

Individuals with overexpression of the gene MECP2 have core features of autism spectrum disorder.
By Bill Snyder
March 1, 2013

Target for inflammatory bowel disease

The factor STAT6 appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of an inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting it may be a promising target for new treatments.
By Leigh MacMillan