Research

October 29, 2015

Inflammation, obesity and diabetes

Vanderbilt study adds to the mounting role for inflammatory signaling in obesity.

By Leigh MacMillan
disabled man plays with his daughter
October 29, 2015

Compound developed at VUMC may delay Huntington’s disease

A compound developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University can improve early symptoms and delay progression of Huntington’s disease in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative disorder.

By Bill Snyder
October 29, 2015

Study explores nicotine patch to treat memory loss

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to test the effectiveness of a transdermal nicotine patch in improving memory loss in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

By Nancy Humphrey
October 29, 2015

Investigators find clues to melanoma treatment resistance

Nearly half of all patients with malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, have a mutation in the BRAF gene found in their tumors. Mutations in the BRAF gene turn on a cancer growth switch known as the MAP kinase pathway.

By VUMC News and Communications
October 29, 2015

Access to specialists in ACA plans may be inadequate: study

While 12 million Americans are enrolled in health care networks through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) insurance marketplace, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) raises concerns about patient access to specialists within these insurance plans.

By Jessica Pasley
October 22, 2015

Chazin honored with international biophysics award

Walter Chazin, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology, is a recipient of a 2016 Fellow of the Biophysical Society award.

By Bill Snyder
October 22, 2015

Guillamondegui: One standard needed to track concussions

Data in sports concussion studies will continue to be disputed as long as the injuries are diagnosed by differing standards instead of universal guidelines, a Vanderbilt investigator concludes in a recent review.
By Tom Wilemon
October 22, 2015

Revised regulations proposed for human subject research

Eighteen departments and agencies of the federal government have joined to propose revised regulations for scientific research involving human subjects.
By Paul Govern
October 22, 2015

Study sheds light on side effects of COX-2 drugs

A team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center scientists are closer to understanding why COX-2 inhibitors — drugs that relieve arthritis pain and inflammation without the gastrointestinal side effects of other painkillers — cause heart problems in some patients. Now
By Bill Snyder
October 22, 2015

Neimat: Emotional disturbance is an overlooked symptom of Parkinson’s

Despite benefiting from dramatic improvements in movement after deep brain stimulation surgery, patients with Parkinson’s disease can be inadequately served when physicians and researchers focus only on its motor manifestations, says a Vanderbilt neurosurgeon.
By Tom Wilemon
October 22, 2015

New faculty: Lisa Kachnic is pioneering advances in radiation therapy

New Department of Radiation Oncology Chair Lisa Kachnic wants to make Vanderbilt's program one of the best in the country.
By Nancy Humphrey
October 21, 2015

Biomarker for intestinal tumors

A new marker could be useful for diagnosing and treating neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestines.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 20, 2015

A bundle, a dashboard and lasting pneumonia reduction

A “bundle” of electronically implemented care guidelines reduced intensive care unit patient complications related to mechanical ventilation.
By Paul Govern