Health and Medicine

brain illustration
June 14, 2012

Roots of childhood brain tumors

Cells in the back of the developing brain can give rise to brain tumors, suggesting they may be a target for treatment.

By Leigh MacMillan
report card
June 12, 2012

Mixed results define 2012 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death for men in Tennessee and cancer deaths continue to move further away from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People 2020 goal, according to the 2012 Tennessee Men’s Health Report Card.

By Craig Boerner
June 12, 2012

Making order out of ordinal data

A new statistical tool developed by Vanderbilt biostatisticians will help medical researchers make sense of a commonly encountered – but hard-to-analyze – type of data.

By Leigh MacMillan
DNA sequence
June 11, 2012

Vanderbilt identifies genes linked to breast cancer chemo resistance

A study led by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators has identified a gene expression pattern that may explain why chemotherapy prior to surgery isn’t effective against some tumors and suggests new therapy options for patients with specific subtypes of breast cancer.

By VUMC News and Communications
insurance card
June 8, 2012

Study sees eligibility confusion ahead for Affordable Care Act applicants

A Vanderbilt expert on health policy and economics says that many people who get subsidized private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act in 2014 could face confusing changes in eligibility and cost sharing, and some will be required to pay the government back after the first year of participation.

By VUMC News and Communications
June 8, 2012

DNA: From modification to mutation

Understanding how an environmental hazard damages DNA may shed light on processes of tumor formation.

By Leigh MacMillan
May 22, 2012

Vanderbilt lands significant patient-centered research grant

Patients and their families will have a more active role and voice in research designed to improve the quality and safety of patient care, thanks to a federal grant received by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.
By Jill Clendening
May 17, 2012

Long live the therapeutic stem cells

Enhancing stem cell survival is key to improving cell-based therapies for regenerative medicine, and a new drug could help.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 15, 2012

New clue to ADHD

A rare genetic change adds support to the idea that altered dopamine signaling is a key risk factor for ADHD.
By Bill Snyder
May 14, 2012

Intestinal artillery launches anti-bacterial attack

The epithelial cells that line the intestines have a newly discovered mechanism for protecting us against microbes: they fire anti-bacterial "bullets" into the gut.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 11, 2012

Perfect timing for sensory processing

Identification of brain regions involved in processing sights and sounds may offer insights into disorders like autism and dyslexia.
By VUMC News and Communications
May 10, 2012

Vision study changes how we see the brain

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the pulvinar, a mysterious structure buried in the center of our brains, determines how we see the world — and whether we see at all.
By Bill Snyder
May 10, 2012

Probing epilepsy’s molecular sparks

Understanding how mutations in neuronal receptors contribute to epilepsy could lead to improved therapies.
By Leigh MacMillan