NICHD

October 25, 2018

Grant to help explore critical issues in Down syndrome

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) has received a one-year $604,000 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to use Vanderbilt University Medical Center electronic medical record information and biological samples to develop a deeper understanding of critical issues in Down syndrome and to provide an infrastructure for future analyses.

By Jan Rosemergy
October 1, 2018

Probing the genetics of fibroids

A new study identified multiple genetic locations associated with the size and number of uterine fibroids — common non-cancerous uterine tumors.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 30, 2018

Investigators find that bile acids reduce cocaine reward

Bile acids — gut compounds that aid in the digestion of dietary fats — reduce the desire for cocaine, according to a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 16, 2018

Risk factors for faulty rhythms

Risk factors for arrhythmias after heart surgery in infants include medications, infant age and higher surgical complexity, but not two genetic variants examined by Vanderbilt researchers.

By Leigh MacMillan
July 2, 2018

Mother knows best

The first demonstration of bacterial DNA in mammalian fetal intestinal tissue suggests that the mother’s microbiome moves into the fetal intestine.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 5, 2018

Lung diseases share molecular signature

Lung diseases of infancy and aging share a molecular signature, pointing to a potential target for treatment and prevention.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 15, 2018

Boys, girls reach activity levels in different ways

Most preschool-age children manage to get enough recommended daily physical activity, but how they move varies with noticeable differences between boys and girls, a new Vanderbilt study found.
By Christina Echegaray
February 28, 2018

Structure of a stem cell niche

Understanding the specialized environment where stem cells reside is important for developing stem-cell based regenerative therapies.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 12, 2018

BOLD view of white matter

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that functional MRI detects neural activity in both gray and white matter in the brain, suggesting new ways to investigate diseases such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
By Bill Snyder
December 21, 2017

Obesity interventions: ideal dose?

The optimal “dose” for behavioral interventions to treat childhood obesity are not clear, Vanderbilt researchers concluded after analyzing 133 clinical trial that occurred over the course of 17 years.
By Leigh MacMillan
December 19, 2017

Forming memories through CaMKII

Vanderbilt researchers have identified an interaction between two proteins that play a role in learning and memory.
By Sanjay Mishra
September 20, 2017

NSAIDs, genetics and miscarriage

A certain genetic variant, in combination with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen during early pregnancy, may protect women from miscarriage.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 3, 2017

NOTCH1 role in heart development

The identification of a genetic culprit for hypoplastic left heart syndrome could lead to new treatments for the condition.
By VUMC News and Communications