Health and Medicine

June 9, 2016

Landmark report urges caution before releasing gene drive-modified organisms

A new report released this week raises questions about “gene drives,” a biological process that can profoundly and rapidly alter the characteristics of entire species.

By Bill Snyder
June 9, 2016

Uninsured heart attack patients more likely to be transferred to another facility: study

A new study finds that uninsured heart attack patients are more likely to be transferred.

By Kathy Whitney
June 6, 2016

Pulmonary fibrosis culprits

New findings identify isoketal-modified proteins as a previously unrecognized feature of pulmonary fibrosis and as a potential therapeutic target for this disease.

By Leigh MacMillan
June 3, 2016

Pregnancy-related heart disorder clues

Vanderbilt researchers have identified biomarkers that could be useful for evaluating and treating pregnancy-related heart failure.

By Yan Su
June 2, 2016

Alzheimer’s risk gene in younger adults

A genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in later life appears to benefit younger adults as they age.

By Leigh MacMillan
June 2, 2016

VICC’s Levy named Komen Scholar for breast cancer research

Mia Levy, M.D., Ph.D., Ingram Assistant Professor of Cancer Research and director of Cancer Health Informatics and Strategy at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been named a Komen Scholar by the Susan G. Komen organization.

By VUMC News and Communications
June 2, 2016

Tool sought for doctors to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline

Katherine Gifford, Psy.D., is testing simple questions to see which ones yield the most reliable results as she develops a questionnaire for primary care providers to quickly identify patients at risk for cognitive decline.
By Tom Wilemon
June 2, 2016

‘Crowdsourcing’ project aims to refine data extraction from electronic health records

A research team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) will develop a crowdsourcing solution for generating a wide range of labeled data sets from electronic health records (EHRs).
By Paul Govern
June 2, 2016

VUMC researchers seek to crack the code of neonatal sepsis

Sepsis, an exaggerated and overwhelming inflammatory response to infection, is a major worldwide killer of babies in the first four weeks of life (neonatal period).
By Bill Snyder
June 2, 2016

New software tracks cancer mutations, survival

A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has developed and tested software that scans electronic health records in real time to monitor cancer patient survival (from time of diagnosis) according to which genes, if any, are found to carry mutations.
By Paul Govern
May 26, 2016

Study links hyperglycemia in pediatric stroke patients to poor outcomes

Childhood stroke patients with hyperglycemia may be more at risk for disability, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) study that sought to determine if vital sign measurements and blood glucose levels could be associated with poor neurological outcomes.
By Tom Wilemon
May 26, 2016

Study finds family history may play role in young athletes’ recovery from concussion

Young athletes who experience a sports-related concussion are more likely to suffer a prolonged period of symptoms if they also have a family history of mood disorders, psychiatric illnesses or migraines, according to a study from the Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center (VSCC) published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
By VUMC News and Communications
May 23, 2016

Chloride “switch” turns on membrane formation: study

Chloride plays a key role in the formation of the basement membrane, a suprastructure on the outside of cells that undergirds and guides the function of most of the tissues of the body.
By Bill Snyder