Aliquots Archives
Drugs reverse lung cancer cell changes
Feb. 1, 2012—Drugs that target “epigenetic” changes may help treat or slow the progression of lung cancer.
Protein repairs esophageal DNA damage
Jan. 25, 2012—A protein involved in repairing DNA damage associated with gastric reflux may play a tumor suppressor role in the esophagus and could represent a target for therapies to combat esophageal cancer.
Alcohol’s molecular mediators
Jan. 23, 2012—Therapeutic agents focusing on the brain region involved in stress-induced relapse may be effective in preventing relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders.
Pumping up the pancreas in pregnancy
Jan. 20, 2012—A strain of mutant mice provide a novel model for studying glucose intolerance and gestational diabetes during pregnancy and suggest that certain molecules may be useful for therapeutic applications.
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.
