Research

When chronic disease patients let their care lapse and fail to show for clinic appointments, it may behoove clinics to reach out and encourage a return to care.

Amid the intense discussions around head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment and survivorship planning, sexuality — an important quality of life issue — may understandably not be discussed. When and in what manner do patients with HNC want to talk about the impact the disease may have on their sexuality?

A combination of two antibiotics is often prescribed to treat community-acquired pneumonia in children, but a JAMA Pediatrics study is now showing that using just one of the two has the same benefit to patients in most cases.

Research by a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) scientists suggests that older people whose hearts pump less blood have blood flow reductions in the temporal lobe regions of the brain, where Alzheimer’s pathology first begins.

Three years ago Reece Dean, of Nashville’s Bellevue community, retired at age 69 from a career as a busy truck driver. Mary Ann, his wife, began to notice some changes in his memory and behavior since he was home more consistently.

An enzyme that produces bioactive fatty acids has elevated activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, supporting further studies to understand its biologic roles in the disease.

Neighborhood determinants – represented by census tract data – contribute to the risk of influenza hospitalization and could be used to guide interventions such as vaccinations to high-risk areas.