Aliquots Archives
Alzheimer’s risk factor and cognition
Nov. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers found that a protein with roles in innate immunity worsens memory at baseline in carriers of APOE-e4, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, further implicating neuroinflammation in cognitive decline.
Gene mutations impair gut barrier
Nov. 7, 2022—Mutations in a cell membrane transporter protein impair the integrity of the gut lining, contributing to chronic gastrointestinal distress for people with the mutations, Vanderbilt researchers report.
C. diff infections drop in children
Nov. 3, 2022—The number of pediatric infections caused by Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) decreased from 2013 to 2019, likely due to an increase in antibiotic stewardship programs and improved hospital contact protocols, Vanderbilt researchers found.
Social behavior brain circuitry
Nov. 3, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have identified a novel mechanism regulating social behavior: Neuropeptide Y signaling in the nucleus accumbens brain region.
Vascular dysfunction during sepsis
Oct. 25, 2022—Regulation of the enzyme Sirtuin 1 in blood vessel endothelial cells may drive altered metabolism and vascular dysfunction during sepsis, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
Metabolic signatures of Type 2 diabetes risk
Oct. 24, 2022—Vanderbilt epidemiologists found 32 blood metabolites associated with obesity and showed that adding these to traditional disease prediction models improves accuracy of determining Type 2 diabetes risk.
New target for lung fibrosis
Oct. 20, 2022—Blocking thromboxane-prostanoid receptor signaling protected animals from lung fibrosis in preclinical models, suggesting a new treatment for IPF — a chronic, progressive lung disorder that often kills within 3-5 years of diagnosis.
Aging beta cells hasten Type 2 diabetes
Oct. 20, 2022—Vanderbilt investigators have found that aging induces chronic cellular stress in pancreatic beta cells, which could contribute to the development of diabetes as we age.
Skin pigment affects oxygen monitor
Oct. 11, 2022—Black patients in the ICU were more likely to have low or high blood oxygen levels than white patients, even when a pulse oximeter indicated 92-96% oxygen saturation, Vanderbilt researchers found.
Opening a window to glaucoma
Oct. 10, 2022—A metalloprotease enzyme plays an important role in retinal ganglion cell development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered; studying it and other family members may lead to the identification of novel targets for treating glaucoma.
Gene tied to childhood epilepsy
Oct. 6, 2022—Data drawn from four unrelated patients with a childhood epilepsy syndrome — and from in vitro and in vivo studies — link novel variants in a GABA transporter gene to seizure activity, Vanderbilt researchers reported.
Stress, obesity and food intake
Oct. 6, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers are elucidating the neuronal pathways that contribute to food consumption in response to stress — “comfort feeding” — and how they differ in males versus females and in the context of obesity.
