Reporter March 3 2023

Treating delirium detected in the ED

Mar. 7, 2023—Higher intensity physical or occupational therapy may be a useful intervention to shorten delirium duration in older hospitalized adults, Vanderbilt researchers recently reported.

Cell-free hemoglobin in pulmonary hypertension

Mar. 6, 2023—Cell-free hemoglobin generated by the lungs may be a therapeutic target for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension, Vanderbilt researchers found.

Sex counts in the brain as seasons change

Mar. 2, 2023—Photoperiod, or length of day, has sex-specific impacts on dopamine dynamics in the brain, offering insights into sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders, Vanderbilt researchers report.

Sex-specific regulation of kidney signals

Mar. 2, 2023—Links between estrogen signaling and sodium excretion by the kidney could help explain a reduced risk of hypertension in females versus males.

VUMC joins group to accelerate implementation of research findings to improve patient outcomes

Mar. 2, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is part of a select group of health systems nationwide brought together to accelerate the implementation of medical research results that will improve patient outcomes.

Aspirnaut Sahra Hassan, right, a senior at Burlington High School in Burlington, Vermont, worked on mitochondrial DNA maintenance with postdoctoral scientist Iva Chitrakar, PhD.

VUMC’s Aspirnaut program to install science lab at Wynne High School in Arkansas

Mar. 2, 2023—A chemical biology research lab fit for an academic medical center is being installed at Wynne High School (WHS) in Wynne, Arkansas, as part of a pilot project of Aspirnaut STEM pipeline at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Global study tracks brain infection in people with HIV

Mar. 2, 2023—A Vanderbilt study is shedding new light on the incidence and mortality of cryptococcal meningitis among people with HIV

VUMC Information Technology is seeing increased use of the automated chat feature available through the Medical Center’s help desk.

Medical Center help desk adds automated chat services

Mar. 2, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s information technology help desk has an online component called Pegasus, which has added an automated chat feature to help serve VUMC employees, patients and families seeking technical assistance.

Cannula shortage led to more invasive lung support for infants

Mar. 2, 2023—A Vanderbilt study found that a three-year shortage of a common cannula used in young infants needing lung support forced hospitals across the United States to switch to a more invasive form of lung support,

Andrew Wiese, MPH, PhD, left, Carlos Grijalva, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that the risk of a heart attack diagnosis was highest in the first week after onset of pneumococcal infection.

Serious pneumococcal infections increase the risk of heart attack

Mar. 2, 2023—A Vanderbilt study found that patients with serious pneumococcal infections, including pneumonia and sepsis, are at a substantially increased risk of heart attack after the onset of infection.

Renowned orthopaedic surgeon W. Ben Kibler, MD, delivered the new lecture bearing his name.

Orthopaedics lectureship honors legend in sports medicine

Mar. 2, 2023—The First Annual W. Ben Kibler Sports Medicine Lectureship supports an annual educational series in sports medicine for athletic trainers, medical students, residents, fellows and practicing physicians.