American Heart Association Archives

Protein interactions and brain function

Feb. 20, 2020—Roger Colbran and colleagues have discovered new molecular details about the function of an enzyme with a key role in shaping learning and memory.

Zinc uptake by a deadly pathogen

Jan. 13, 2020—The increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii requires zinc to cause infection, and Vanderbilt researchers have identified the zinc uptake system it uses.

Cell fate signaling

Dec. 17, 2019—A newly identified protein interaction that affects cell cycle regulation may be an attractive target for cancer therapy.

Genetic screen in worms reveals critical step in insulin synthesis

Dec. 4, 2019—The identification of a protein important for insulin synthesis may hold clues for understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes.

Understanding cell division

Nov. 18, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers have uncovered another piece in the puzzle of how cells divide — a process that goes awry in cancer cells.

Microscopic spines connect worm neurons

Oct. 17, 2019—Worm neurons have microscopic “spines” — where nerve-to-nerve communication happens — that share features with mammalian neurons, supporting the use of worms to study spine genetics and biology.

Less inflammation = better healing

Oct. 17, 2019—Immune cells that produce an anti-inflammatory factor are enriched in fat tissue around the heart and may be good targets to improve heart attack outcomes.

AI maps routes to heart disease

Oct. 7, 2019—Machine learning on unlabeled electronic health record data has shed light on the emergence of cardiovascular disease.

Study shows heat therapy helps ease supine hypertension

Sep. 19, 2019—Heat therapy has been shown to lower high blood pressure in patients with a rare condition called supine hypertension, or elevated blood pressure when lying down, according to preliminary results of a Vanderbilt study.

How salt increases blood pressure

Sep. 5, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that a protein called SGK1 in immune cells is activated by sodium, leading to the development of salt-sensitive hypertension.

Pampee Young, MD, PhD, left, Sarika Saraswati, PhD, and colleagues are studying the different ways fibroblasts function following tissue injury.

Cellular engines of wound repair have distinct roles

Aug. 8, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that, in contrast to prevailing dogma, fibroblasts are not all alike; instead, they have distinctive functions following tissue injury.