Reporter June 29 2018

SMAD4 clue to colon cancer

Loss of a gene that is part of the TGF-beta signaling pathway increased inflammation in the colon and was observed in half of human colitis-associated cancers.

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.

Scavengers “protect” HDL

Jun. 29, 2018—Lipid molecules that bind to HDL can modify its function — and blocking that modification can protect HDL and potentially lower the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Vanderbilt doctors urge caution with Fourth of July fireworks

Jun. 29, 2018—Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are urging caution with consumer fireworks as the Fourth of July approaches.

New staph virulence factor

Jun. 28, 2018—The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections.

Ikizler to succeed Harris as Nephrology and Hypertension director

Jun. 28, 2018—T. Alp Ikizler, MD, an internationally known expert on the nutritional and metabolic aspects of kidney disease, will succeed Raymond Harris, MD, as director of the Department of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine effective July 1.

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