NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 27 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: Taking new actions that focus on the well-being and safety of customers and team members, American Airlines announced that it has created a new Travel Health Advisory Panel that includes Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) infectious disease experts to advise on health and cleaning matters as travelers return over the summer. The panel will include VUMC experts David Aronoff, MD, Director o  more

BRENTWOOD, Tennessee, June 22 -- The American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, a journal that says it provides a forum for experimental and clinical investigations of the genetic, epigenetic and protein signaling mechanisms underlying neurologic and psychiatric disorders, published research articles, including the following topics, in its July 2020 edition: * The Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology 42nd Annual Meeting NEW SYNDROME: * An   more

BEVERLY, Massachusetts, June 23 -- The American Thoracic Society issued the following news release: In a new article, scientists provide an exhaustive, evidence-based review of how COVID-19 droplets from infected patients spread through the air and describe how health care professionals can protect themselves. This Pulmonary Perspective is published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In "Coughs and Sneezes: Their Role in Transm  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The Arc of the United States issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of a federal complaint filed against Tennessee, one of nearly a dozen complaints filed by a coalition of national disability advocates - the Center for Public Representation, The Arc of the United States, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Disability Rights Education and Def  more

WASHINGTON, June 25 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued the following news release: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned vandalism of Black Lives Matter signs at Rock Spring Congregational church in Arlington, Va., and at the Islamic Center of Nashville in Tennessee. Someone had cut the word "Black" out of the Virginia church sign. The same thing had been done to a Black Lives Ma  more

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Education Trust issued the following news release: You can't fix what you can't see. It wasn't that long ago that our systemic failures to serve students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities -- who had long gone underserved in Tennessee's schools -- were invisible, hidden behind averages. We are now able to see and begin to address chronic gaps on a range of metrics, but only because of transparent and accessible  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 26 -- Beryl Institute issued the following news release: Reinforcing its commitment to elevate the human experience in healthcare, The Beryl Institute publishes the Human Experience 2030 (HX2030) vision report. HX2030 began as a community inquiry focused on establishing fundamental actions to guide healthcare in ensuring an unwavering commitment to the human experience over the next decade. Over 1,000 members of The Beryl Institute community provided input through a  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, June 25 -- LeadMN, an association of the Minnesota public two-year college students, issued the following news: Minnesota, like many other states is seeing the impact of Covid-19 on its college enrollments as students wait to see what the fall semester will bring. Because of the uncertainty and hardship brought upon by the pandemic many current and potential students have not completed their FAFSA. Minnesota currently Ranks 42nd in FAFSA completions with only 43.9% of hig  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The Autistic Self Advocacy Network issued the following news release on June 26: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of a federal complaint filed against Tennessee, one of nearly a dozen complaints filed by a coalition of national disability advocates - the Center for Public Representation, The Arc of the United States, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Disability Rights   more

WASHINGTON, June 23 -- NARAL Pro-Choice America issued the following news release: Anti-choice Republicans in Tennessee passed a sweeping set of anti-choice provisions meant to chip away at and ultimately end the right to abortion. Among the bill's provisions were bans on abortion at almost every stage of pregnancy, including before many women even know they're pregnant, a forced ultrasound mandate; a requirement to interrogate women about why they're ending a pregnancy; and criminalizing docto  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 25 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol announced a new agreement that formalizes a partnership between the two organizations to document and accelerate sustainable outcomes for U.S. cotton production. The new partnership strengthens the ability of cotton growers and the value chain to drive continuous improvement, combining two of the industry's lea  more

WASHINGTON, June 27 -- The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law issued the following news release on June 26: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of a federal complaint filed against Tennessee, one of nearly a dozen complaints filed by a coalition of national disability advocates - the Center for Public Representation, The Arc of the United States, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Disability R  more

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts, June 27 -- The Center for Public Representation issued the following news: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced the resolution of a federal complaint filed against Tennessee, one of nearly a dozen complaints filed by CPR, together with a coalition of national disability advocates that includes The Arc of the United States, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Disability Rights Educatio  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, June 24 -- The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy issued the following news release: The third annual Solar in the Southeast Report from Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) released highlights solar data and trends throughout the region, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Using the metric "watts per customer," which measures the amount of installed solar relative to the total number of customers served, S  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 23 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release on June 22: The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is honoring St. Jude President and CEO James R. Downing, M.D., with its inaugural AACR-St. Baldrick's Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pediatric Cancer Research. AACR and the St. Baldrick's Foundation created the award last year as a means to bring major research discoveries to the attention of the pediatric cancer  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 25 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release on June 24: Genomic research helps explain why some people with a common TP53 mutation widespread in Brazil get cancer while others do not. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital alongside global partners are studying a common TP53-R337H variant found among people of Brazilian descent. The researchers found that a variant in the tumor suppressor gene XAF1 increases cancer risk wh  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 27 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: An innovative, interactive cloud-based data portal debuted this week that lets academic researchers mine the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of scientific resources for studying pediatric solid tumors and their related biology. The Childhood Solid Tumor Network (CSTN) data portal on St. Jude Cloud was created to improve access to the detailed data available through the netwo  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 24 -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital issued the following news release: Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have created orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) models representing a variety of pediatric brain tumor types. The models are molecularly characterized and available through a cloud-based data portal. Acta Neuropathologica recently published a report detailing these models. Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors affecting ch  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: Zinc supplementation did not reduce mortality, cardiovascular risk, levels of inflammation or microbial translocation among people with heavy alcohol use living with HIV/AIDS, according to a Vanderbilt-led study. Although low adherence likely influenced the outcome in the trial, zinc significantly lowered mortality risk among those who were adherent, said the study's lead author, Matthew Freiberg,   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 22 -- The Planned Parenthood Federation of America issued the following news release: A bill passed by the Tennessee legislature late last night banning abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy was challenged in court today by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee. The bill also prevents patients from obtaining an abortion depending on the  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release: The Tennessee Supreme Court has refused to block a ruling ordering the state to comply with a June 4 order that required it to make absentee voting available to every eligible voter for all elections in 2020 due to COVID-19. The American Civil Libert  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 24 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news on June 23: Two Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers -- Jennifer (Piper) Below, PhD, associate professor of Medicine, and Ivelin Georgiev, PhD, associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology -- have been selected for the 2020 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows at Vanderbilt University. They are among 10 fellows across the university who recently received promotions to te  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 23 -- The National Cotton Council issued the following news release: The NCC is pleased with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's denial of an emergency motion to halt dicamba use a ruling that provides U.S. cotton producers with a very important weed control tool this season and prevents devastating financial losses. The National Cotton Council is pleased with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's denial of an emergency motion to halt dicamba   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 27 -- USA Rice Federation issued the following news: Dr. Merle Anders was honored this week as part of Field to Market's 2020 Trusted Adviser Spotlight Series, recognizing his outstanding leadership in implementing innovative approaches to scale sustainable agriculture. Through his role with the Rice Stewardship Partnership and his work as an independent crop consultant, Anders supports rice farmers across Arkansas in scaling their adoption of sustainable practices to i  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: Enrollment in the Vanderbilt Health patient portal, My Health at Vanderbilt (MHAV), has surged in recent months. "Before COVID, we were enrolling about 3,000 new users per week. After COVID, it spiked to about 9,000 per week for a bit, then stabilized to around 5,000 per week," said Trent Rosenbloom, MD, MPH, director of MHAV. According to Rosenbloom, MHAV already had a strong infrastructure that   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR), which provides comprehensive support for clinical and translational research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named Administrative Coordinating Center (ACC) of a national effort to streamline the research response to life-threatening lung and heart problems caused by COVID-19. Supported by a one-year, $2.1-mi  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: The Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4) held its third annual symposium last week as a virtual, online event to preserve social distancing during COVID-19. VI4 Director Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, moderated the event, which was attended by more than 300 people. Skaar holds the Ernest W. Goodpasture Chair in Pathology and is vice chair for Research in the Department of Pa  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's (VUMC) Center for Biomedical Ethics & Society were recently awarded a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) to explore LGBTQ+ perspectives on a range of issues related to biomedical research. Precision medicine, health care tailored to specific patient populations, is an impor  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 24 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: The insula, Latin for island, is a small region of the cerebral cortex involved in diverse brain functions including cognition, self-awareness and emotion. Schizophrenia is associated with structural abnormalities of the insula, but less is known about how those abnormalities may affect functional connectivity of insula subregions. Julia Sheffield, PhD, and colleagues conducted a functional neuroi  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: The Vanderbilt Dayani Center for Health and Wellness is now offering exercise planning consultations for people with cancer diagnoses. The exercise plans are tailored according to someone's medical condition and personal goals. Exercise physiologists develop the personalized plan for a one-time fee of $45. The Medical Fitness Cancer Rehab assessment session can be done in person or via a virtual vi  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 22 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: The Outcomes Related to COVID-19 Treated with Hydroxychloroquine among In-patients with Symptomatic Disease (ORCHID) trial stopped enrolling new patients based on the fourth scheduled interim analysis showing no evidence of benefit or harm. The ORCHID trial enrolled 479 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in 11 weeks at 34 hospitals in the United States. It was a multicenter, blinded, placebo  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 23 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a severe early-onset seizure disorder that includes cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Its pathophysiology is largely unknown. Recent whole-exome sequencing in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome identified a spontaneous mutation in the gene encoding a GABA-A receptor subunit implicated in other childhood epilepsies. Robert Macdonald, MD, PhD, and colleagues have   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 25 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following news: People with inoperable anal cancer treated with carboplatin-paclitaxel had fewer complications and lived longer than those who received another chemotherapy that has been more often administered. The results from an international trial, published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology,suggest that carboplatin-paclitaxel become the standard of care for anal cancer, a rare disease that accounts for less  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 22 -- Vanderbilt University Medical Center issued the following transcript: Hello everyone. Juneteenth -- an important day in American history. It was this day on June 19, 1865, when the last group of enslaved Africans held in Texas were freed, years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It took far too long for this date to be recognized. There is a widespread awakening in our country that is causing us all to look closer -- at what we overlook and what  more