Department of Veterans Affairs Archives
Switching breast cancer off
Apr. 14, 2016—Signaling by a receptor that is overexpressed in aggressive forms of breast cancer has been linked to glutamine metabolism, suggesting new anti-cancer therapeutic targets.
Immune defenses in asthma
Apr. 5, 2016—Vanderbilt researchers show that a certain factor negatively impacts the first-line responder cells in the lungs, providing one explanation for why patients with asthma are at greater risk for invasive bacterial disease.
Powers receives award from Nutrition and Dietetics association
Mar. 31, 2016—James Powers, M.D., associate professor of Medicine and chief of Geriatric Medicine at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center, was recently named to receive the Iris Award from the Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Readmission prediction face-off
Mar. 23, 2016—Using patients’ health records to assess preparedness for hospital discharge is more effective at predicting readmission or death than commonly used questionnaires.
Study suggests cancer’s ‘clock’ can be rewound
Mar. 17, 2016—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have “turned back the clock” in a mouse model of metaplasia — precancerous stomach lesions — raising hopes that gastric cancer, a worldwide scourge that’s rising in the United States, can be prevented.
Combining treatments for melanoma
Feb. 18, 2016—Combining therapies for melanoma that induce cell senescence and that activate the immune response may improve outcomes for patients.
Wound-healing scaffolds
Jan. 27, 2016—The elasticity of a scaffold used for healing skin wounds is a key factor in promoting regeneration versus scarring.
DISSECTing cell signaling networks
Dec. 14, 2015—Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new method to study cell signaling networks at single-cell resolution.
Microtubules act as cellular ‘rheostat’ to control insulin secretion
Dec. 3, 2015—Microtubules — cellular “highways” that deliver cargo to the cell membrane for secretion — have a surprising role in pancreatic beta cells. Instead of facilitating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, they limit it, a team of Vanderbilt investigators reported recently in Developmental Cell.
Immune system a must for kidney repair
Nov. 12, 2015—A signaling protein that is essential for recovery from acute kidney injury works by increasing the population of tissue-repairing immune cells.
Detect and defend against pathogens
Nov. 4, 2015—Understanding factors, such as the receptor TLR9, that detect and defend against pathogens may lead to therapeutic approaches that promote an effective immune response to treat infections.
Inflammation, obesity and diabetes
Oct. 29, 2015—Vanderbilt study adds to the mounting role for inflammatory signaling in obesity.