Aliquots Archives
Obesity genes linked to uterine cancer
Jan. 20, 2012—In addition to body mass index, genetic markers of obesity may provide value in predicting endometrial cancer risk.
Fishing for heart attack repair tools
Jan. 5, 2012—Managing myocardial infarction – and the resulting heart failure – remains a clinical challenge. To search for chemicals that can stimulate cardiac muscle cell production, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology investigators led by Tao Zhong, Ph.D., Terri Ni, Ph.D., and Eric Rellinger, M.D., turned to a novel drug discovery tool: zebrafish. The researchers visually screened...
Clues to flattened faces
Jan. 5, 2012—Mutations in the Jagged1 gene cause Alagille syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects the liver, heart, kidneys and facial structure. Patients with Alagille syndrome often have a prominent forehead, a flattened midface and a prominent chin; some have a cleft palate. To investigate how mutations in Jagged1 cause facial anomalies, Steven Goudy, M.D., and colleagues...
Meds’ benefits differ in dialysis patients
Jan. 5, 2012—About half of kidney patients will die from heart disease within five years of starting dialysis, yet patients with kidney failure are rarely included in heart disease research. Jorge Gamboa, M.D., T. Alp Ikizler, M.D., and Nancy Brown, M.D., completed a small study that suggests a more personalized approach to selecting medication for heart disease...
Green tea totals colorectal cancer
Jan. 5, 2012—Tea and its phytochemical constituents have demonstrated anti-cancer properties in cell and animal experiments – particularly green tea, which has higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than other types of tea. Gong Yang, M.D., MPH, and colleagues evaluated the association between green tea consumption and colorectal cancer risk in participants of the Shanghai Men’s Health Study....
Clues to skeletal form in ‘feelgood’ fish
Dec. 16, 2011—Ela Knapik, associate professor of medicine, and colleagues are using zebrafish to explore the molecular and cellular mechanisms that cause birth defects of the face and skeleton.
Divvying up chromosomes
Dec. 16, 2011—Mitosis, or the separation of chromosomes during cell division, is driven by dynamic interactions between the kinetochore region on chromosomes and string-like structures called microtubules. A number of proteins, including the enzyme Cdk1, regulate these interactions, but it is unclear what kinetochore components such enzymes work upon. Kathy Gould, professor of cell and developmental biology,...
Young stem cells counter kidney aging
Dec. 15, 2011—Young bone marrow cells alleviate aging-related kidney changes in mice.
Divvying up chromosomes
Dec. 15, 2011—Protein helps ensure proper division of chromosomes during cell division.
Virus-linked cancer gets help from host
Dec. 15, 2011—Host cell protein may be a target for strategies to limit spread of virus-induced squamous cell cancers.
Move out, cholesterol
Dec. 8, 2011—Compounds developed at Vanderbilt could offer a whole new way to treat atherosclerosis.
Lung nodule surgery not always “futile”
Dec. 7, 2011—Even when lung operations for suspected cancer resection results in a benign diagnosis, there still may be significant benefits to the procedure, new research suggests.
