A particular gene is associated with a specific type of inflammatory response in people with asthma – a finding that could suggest new therapeutic targets for treating asthma.

Drugs such as aspirin and indomethacin may increase sensitivity to airborne allergens by suppressing production of the signaling molecule PGI2, which in turn may offer a new treatment for allergies.

Applicants to the Vanderbilt Medical Scholars Program, a yearlong, in-depth research experience, have been successful in obtaining both internal and external research funding this year.

Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, has been named assistant vice chancellor for Translational Science.

Patients treated in intensive care units across the globe enter their medical care with no evidence of cognitive impairment but often leave with deficits similar to those seen in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that persist for at least a year, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

An immune system factor associated with severe asthma may actually reduce asthma attacks induced by viral infections.