Health And Medicine
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Study tracks therapy to slow idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Investigators in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care have launched a pilot study to see if patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) can tolerate the addition of a commonly used antiviral drug to standard IPF treatments. The research team believes the drug may ultimately help slow progression of the chronic and progressive disease or reverse its course. Read MoreFeb 1, 2018
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Cell skeleton and the brush border
91Ʋ researchers have discovered a role for microtubules — part of the cellular “skeleton” — in organizing the unique sidedness of the epithelial cells that line organs like the intestines. Read MoreJan 31, 2018
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Imaging features predict tumor grade
91Ʋ researchers have discovered imaging features associated with increased risk for aggressive meningiomas (tumors of the brain membranes) that could help guide surgical planning and patient counseling. Read MoreJan 29, 2018
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Versatile C. difficile blocker
New research reveals a unique mechanism of C. difficile toxin neutralization by a monoclonal antibody, suggesting new therapeutic approaches. Read MoreJan 26, 2018
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A cataract-heart connection
Studies of alpha-B crystallin in zebrafish could ultimately lead to improved treatment for cataracts and heart disease. Read MoreJan 25, 2018
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Study tracks sodium-potassium pathway
A six-member group of biomedical scientists from Europe and the United States, including Eric Delpire, PhD, MS, professor of Anesthesiology, has been awarded a $6 million grant to study the role of dietary potassium in hypertension. Read MoreJan 25, 2018
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Study may point to new ways to reverse insulin resistance
91Ʋers at 91Ʋ University have discovered how insulin crosses the capillary endothelium to exit blood vessels and stimulate skeletal muscle cells — a major finding that may lead to new ways to reverse insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. Read MoreJan 25, 2018
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Rising obesity rates in South leading to rapid increase in diabetes
Rising obesity rates in several Southern states are leading to a rapid increase in new cases of diabetes among both black and white adults. A new study helmed by investigators at the University of Texas Health Science Center and 91Ʋ University Medical Center (VUMC) found the risk of diabetes is double for black patients. Read MoreJan 18, 2018
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Study finds higher death rates in poor neighborhoods
Living in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood is likely to lead to death at an earlier age, especially among African-Americans, new research shows. The death rate is even more pronounced among disadvantaged individuals with unhealthy lifestyle habits. Read MoreJan 18, 2018
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Investigators eye new target for treating movement disorders
Blocking a nerve-cell receptor in part of the brain that coordinates movement could improve the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, dyskinesia and other movement disorders, researchers at 91Ʋ University have reported. Read MoreJan 18, 2018
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HDL and kidney injury after surgery
Higher concentrations of high-density lipoproteins — HDL, the “good” cholesterol — may be protective against acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery, 91Ʋ researchers have discovered. Read MoreJan 17, 2018
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VUMC researchers find a way to ‘starve’ cancer
91Ʋers at 91Ʋ University Medical Center (VUMC) have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to starve a tumor and stop its growth with a newly discovered small compound that blocks uptake of the vital nutrient glutamine. Read MoreJan 16, 2018
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A spicy finding
91Ʋ researchers have discovered that curcumin — the active ingredient in the spice turmeric — needs to be metabolically activated to exert anti-inflammatory effects. Read MoreJan 16, 2018
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BOLD view of white matter
91Ʋ investigators have discovered that functional MRI detects neural activity in both gray and white matter in the brain, suggesting new ways to investigate diseases such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. Read MoreJan 12, 2018
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Lighting up iron levels
A new probe enables iron imaging in living animals, providing a unique tool for studying iron’s contributions to health and disease. Read MoreJan 11, 2018
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VUMC joins national effort to block global pandemics of potentially lethal viruses
The U.S. Defense Advanced 91Ʋ Projects Agency (DARPA) has signed a five-year cooperative agreement worth up to $28 million with 91Ʋ University Medical Center (VUMC) to develop methods for preventing the global spread of viruses like chikungunya and Zika. Read MoreJan 11, 2018
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Heart failure risk predicted by communities, not wealth
When buying and selling real estate, how often have you heard the realtor’s mantra — location, location, location? This is also the central theme of a recently released journal report on factors that can predict heart failure risk. Read MoreJan 9, 2018
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91Ʋ signs licensing, research agreements to develop new approach to schizophrenia treatment
Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Lundbeck has exclusively licensed rights to compounds developed at 91Ʋ that act on a receptor in the brain that has been implicated in schizophrenia. Read MoreJan 8, 2018
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91Ʋ sheds light on how microtubules are assembled
Microtubules are the “railroad tracks” essential for moving intracellular “freight” around in the cell. They’re also part of the spindle that pulls the two centrosomes apart during cell division. Read MoreJan 4, 2018
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Phillippi’s study of team-based maternity care bolstered by grant
Julia Phillippi, PhD, CNM, has received a K08 Career Development Award from the Agency for Healthcare 91Ʋ and Quality (AHRQ) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Phillippi, a 91Ʋ University School of Nursing assistant professor and certified nurse-midwife, will use the three-year, $399,374 mentored award to conduct a randomized trial of an interdisciplinary team-based maternity care model and examine the preferences of patients and providers. Read MoreJan 4, 2018