News
Halasa finds high-dose flu vaccines most effective for pediatric stem cell transplant patients
Mar. 24, 2023—Vanderbilt was the lead site for an NIH-funded, phase 2, multicenter influenza vaccine study in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients that may lead to a change in the current flu vaccine recommendations in this vulnerable population. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the authors found that two...
Pfizer should reconsider RSV vaccine effectiveness after two reported cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, says Griffin
Mar. 23, 2023—The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisors on Tuesday recommended what would be the world’s first RSV vaccine, a shot from Pfizer for adults ages 60 and older, despite safety concerns after two trial participants developed a rare neurological disorder. A majority of the FDA committee members backed the vaccine, but they wrestled with separate votes...
Was the COVID-19 pandemic an occurrence of natural phenomena or an unfortunate lab accident? Schaffner weighs in.
Mar. 21, 2023—The Department of Energy’s recent conclusion that COVID-19 likely originated from a Chinese research lab has reignited debate over whether the pandemic occurred naturally or was the result of a human error. Republican backers of the “lab leak” theory have claimed vindication, yet the intelligence and scientific communities remain torn over the question. The origins...
McKernan discusses using hypnosis in clinical psychology practice
Mar. 20, 2023—In the 1770s, a German physician named Franz Mesmer made a splash when he said he could cure physical and mental ailments by putting people in a trance to realign their magnetic fields. “Mesmerism” was popular for about a decade until it was publicly discredited in 1784, but some elements of the practice persisted. In...
Self elected to American Society for Clinical Investigation: 1 of 66 VUMC faculty members to be inducted since 1974
Mar. 16, 2023—Four Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members have been elected this year to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the organization has announced. Four others from VUMC have received ASCI Council Young Physician Scientist Awards this year, and two have received ASCI Emerging Generation Awards. Founded in 1908, the ASCI is one of the...
Tennessee parents reportedly trust their children’s health care providers the most for information about vaccines, says Williams
Mar. 15, 2023—New analyses of the latest annual Tennessee Child Health Poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy in late 2022 has found parents across the state reporting their children’s health care providers as the most trusted source for information about vaccines. The analysis is the latest in an ongoing study of annual poll results of more than...
Vasilevskis develops Shed-MEDS protocol to limit unnecessary medications for overprescribed patients
Mar. 14, 2023—An estimated one in six older adults in the United States who take multiple prescription drugs risk major drug-drug interactions and other adverse drug effects that can worsen their medical conditions, increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment and falls, and lead to hospitalization or death. Deprescribing is a systematic effort to identify, reduce the dose...
Ahonkhai discusses decreased HIV control funding and community impacts in Tennessee
Mar. 13, 2023—A 67-year-old grandmother arrived at an emergency room in Nashville recently with a broken toe. But she left with a life-saving diagnosis. In this ER, the nonprofit Nashville Cares offers free HIV testing, funded by a long-running grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “She must have been living with HIV for around...
Self leads study on sepsis interventions for blood pressure management
Mar. 10, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a leading role in a large national study designed to compare two early interventions in the treatment of patients with sepsis, the body’s severe response to an uncontrolled infection. Sepsis can cause dangerously low blood pressure, which is typically treated with intravenous (IV) fluids and/or a vasopressor, a drug that...
MYO5B genetic mutations disrupt maturation of intestinal epithelial cells, says Acra and colleagues
Mar. 9, 2023—Mutations in the gene MYO5B cause microvillus inclusion disease (MVID), which prevents nutrient absorption in the intestines and is characterized by severe watery diarrhea that typically starts in the first hours after birth. People with MVID usually require lifelong intravenous feedings (parenteral nutrition) or small bowel transplantation. Izumi Kaji, PhD, and colleagues developed a mouse...