Department of Medicine

August 5, 2021

Clinical trial to test immunotherapy for rectal cancer

A new clinical trial seeks to determine whether immunotherapy in combination with short-course radiation followed by surgical resection could be a curative treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer.

By Tom Wilemon
August 4, 2021

Study finds genetic factor undermines H. pylori treatment

Helicobacter pylori, a stomach-dwelling bacterium, is a strong risk factor for gastric cancer, peptic ulcers and other debilitating gastrointestinal disorders. Yet efforts to eradicate it using a combination of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which suppress gastric acid production, often fail.

By Bill Snyder
July 27, 2021

Using Patients’ Allergy History as Screening Tool for mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Works Well: Study

A report of more than 23,000 health care workers and employees at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine shows that a risk stratification screening mechanism for potential allergies to the vaccine worked exceedingly well as the vaccine program rolled out in December 2020.

By Nancy Humphrey
From left, Dan Roden, MD, Ayesha Muhammad, Jonathan Mosley, MD, PhD, and Sara Van Driest, MD, PhD, found that a genome-wide approach can improve the prediction of drug responses.
July 22, 2021

For more precise drug treatments, ‘squeeze’ the genome: study finds

Large-scale studies will be required to identify the complexity of genetic variations that affect how patients respond to a given drug and whether they will have side effects, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Bill Snyder
July 22, 2021

Influenza network sizes up COVID

Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients.

By Paul Govern
July 15, 2021

Ciombor chosen for NCI clinical investigator team leadership award

Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, is one of 10 physicians nationwide selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the 2021 Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award.

By Tom Wilemon
July 15, 2021

Study shows continuous glucose monitors improve management of type 2 diabetes

For patients with type 2 diabetes treated with basal or long-acting insulin, the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can result in significantly lower hemoglobin A1C (a blood test that reflects average blood glucose levels over three months), and better management of the disease according to a study recently published in the journal JAMA.
By Jill Clendening
July 12, 2021

Probing statin-associated diseases with genetics

Vanderbilt researchers used genetics tools and biobanks with linked electronic health records to explore the associations between statins and noncardiovascular diseases.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 8, 2021

Nature’s “recycler” could reduce heart disease risk: study

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified potential new targets for the prevention of atherosclerosis through the enhancement of autophagy, a natural process for recycling damaged cellular material.
By Bill Snyder
July 8, 2021

Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness.
By Bill Snyder
July 8, 2021

Genetics of hydrocephalus

Fluid build-up in the brain — hydrocephalus — increases pressure and risk for brain damage; Vanderbilt researchers have now identified genes and signaling pathways associated with the condition.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 17, 2021

COVID-19 complication underdiagnosed

A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report.
By VUMC News and Communications
June 16, 2021

VUMC joins national effort to improve disease prediction in diverse populations

Vanderbilt University Medical Center will participate in a new federal initiative aimed at improving the use of polygenic risk scores (PRS) to predict complex diseases in diverse populations.
By Bill Snyder
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