news 2010

Neuroscientists at the University of Bristol have discovered a new form of synaptic interaction in the brain involved in memory function which could open up the possibility of a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Synaptic plasticity, one of the neurochemical foundations of learning and memory, is predominantly controlled by NMDA receptors.

Liverpool, UK - 17 September 2010: Research at the University of Liverpool could lead to faster and more accurate diagnoses of liver damage. The team used paracetamol as the basis for the study: research indicates that paracetamol can place temporary stress on the liver in around a third of people who take a normal dose (4g per day) but the liver returns to normal when the drug has left the system.

New clue to diabetic heart disease discovered 17 Sep 2010, PR 198/10 Scientists from King's College London have identified a molecule that could help predict type 2 diabetes and identify diabetics that are most vulnerable to heart and circulatory disease. The study, led by Dr Manuel Mayr, Senior Lecturer in the Cardiovascular Division and British Heart Foundation (BHF) Senior Research Fellow, is the first to analyse the 'fingerprint' of microRNAs, small molecules that affect the activity of suites of genes, in people with type 2 diabetes.

Native Scots are more than twice as likely to die of alcohol-related causes as Scottish residents born south of the border, a study suggests. People born in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland living in Scotland were also more than twice as likely to die from alcohol-related conditions as the Welsh or English, the research showed.

Key genetic players in diabetes identified Scientists have discovered a network of genes for type 1 diabetes and identified a key player that controls the network. Adapted from a media release issued by the Medical Research Council Wednesday 8 September 2010 Scientists have discovered a network of genes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and identified a key player that controls the network.

Sex differences determined not simply by gender Scientists have uncovered an inherent difference in the way the genes of males or females can be "switched off" or silenced in the body's developing immune system. Adapted from a media release issued by the Medical Research Council Monday 13 September 2010 Researchers at Imperial College London have uncovered an inherent difference in the way the genes of males or females can be "switched off" or silenced in the body's developing immune system.

Our ability to reflect on our own thoughts, emotions and behaviour is one of the key aspects of consciousness and what makes us human, but the biological basis of this process - known as 'introspection' - has until now been unknown. Now, researchers at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) have identified an area of the brain that is larger in people who are good at introspection, suggesting that this area may play a key role in the process.

PA239/10 Scientists at The University of Nottingham have re-established the lethal role of a toxin in the leading healthcare associated infection Clostridium difficile.

The review, carried out on behalf of World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) by researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Leeds, has updated the findings of WCRF's landmark 2007 report, which found convincing evidence that being overweight increases bowel cancer risk. But research published since then has increasingly shown abdominal fatness - fat around the waist - is particularly harmful for bowel cancer.

Science 10 Sep 10 An unusual wildflower that accumulates metals in its leaves has been found to use them as a kind of 'armour' against bacterial infection. Alpine pennycress ( Thlaspi caerulescens ) is a small plant in the mustard family that grows on metal-rich soils scattered around Britain and Europe, such as the sites of former mine workings.

Health Jonathan Wood | 09 Sep 10 A story on our news pages today explains how a study published in the journal PLoS One found that taking daily high-dose tablets of certain B vitamins reduced the rate of brain shrinkage in people aged over 70 with mild memory problems. All our brains shrink, especially with age.

Health | Science 09 Sep 10 Daily tablets of certain B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people who suffer from mild memory problems, an Oxford University study has shown. The two-year randomised clinical trial is the largest to study the effect of B vitamins on mild cognitive impairment, and one of the first disease-modifying trials in the Alzheimer's field to show positive results in people.

Liverpool, UK - 8 September 2010: An international trial led by medics at the University of Liverpool has shown a commonly used chemotherapy drug is as effective at helping prevent pancreatic cancer returning after surgery as the more expensive standard chemotherapy treatment. The results of the Cancer Research UK- funded study raise hopes that a new trial looking at giving both drugs after surgery could lead to a more effective treatment for pancreatic cancer patients who are eligible for surgery.

Claims that a tomb at Vergina, Greece, the ancient burial place of the Macedonian royal family in the fourth century BC, contains the body of King Philip III Arrhidaios, half-brother of Alexander the Great, and not Philip II, Alexander's father, are called into question by researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

Bipolar disorder by itself does not increase the risk of committing violent crime, suggests a new study by Oxford University and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Instead, the over-representation of individuals with bipolar disorder in violent crime statistics is almost entirely attributable to concurrent drug or alcohol abuse.

Consuming energy drinks during team sports could help young people perform better, a study suggests. Sports scientists found that 12-14 year olds can play for longer in team games when they drink an isotonic sports drink before and during games. Researchers at the University measured the performance of 15 adolescents during exercise designed to simulate the physical demands of team games such as football, rugby and hockey.

Protecting the lungs against "collateral damage" from the immune system A new study has provided fresh insights into how immune responses can cause damage in conditions such as cystic fibrosis. Adapted from a media release issued by the Wellcome Trust Thursday 2 September 2010 A study published online today shows how our bodies try to minimise potential 'collateral damage' caused by our immune system when fighting infection.

Genetic link for ALS risk confirmed 06 Sep 2010, PR 187/10 Genetic variations on a specific chromosome appear to play a role in a fatal motor neuron condition known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, research has found. The study by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London was published in the online edition of The Lancet Neurology .

Sugar given to newborn babies as a routine form of pain relief does not work, according to a new study led by UCL researchers and published today in The Lancet . Instead, sucrose changes the facial expressions of some babies giving the impression that pain is being relieved. The finding could lead to future changes in healthcare policy as oral sucrose is frequently given to relieve procedural pain in newborn babies who must undergo invasive procedures, such as taking blood from a vein or heel lances.

Young, Black women are significantly more likely to self-harm than people from other ethnic groups, according to new research. And people from Black and minority ethnic groups are less likely to receive specialist psychiatric assessment and access to follow-up services after an episode of self-harm than people from the White population.