news 2010

An even all-over tan may be unattainable as some body areas are more resistant to tanning than others, a study has found. Researchers at the University say the results explain why some holidaymakers find it so hard to achieve an even tan all over their body. The findings, published in the journal Experimental Dermatology, show that the buttock is much more resistant to sunshine.

PA 201/10 People suffering from diabetes-related foot ulcers show different rates of healing according to the way they cope and their psychological state of mind, according to new research by a health psychologist at The University of Nottingham. The large study published in the journal Diabetologia this month has shown that the way patients cope with the condition and their levels of depression, affect how the wound heals or worsens.

Competition among hospitals saves patients? lives and decreases their overall length of stay in hospital, according to a new study involving researchers from the University of Bristol, who found there was no corresponding increase in overall expenditure. English NHS hospitals located in areas where patients have more choice had lower death rates and shorter patient stays than hospitals in less competitive areas.

A team of researchers from the UK and Finland has discovered why people who stay in education longer have a lower risk of developing dementia - a question that has puzzled scientists for the past decade. Examining the brains of 872 people who had been part of three large ageing studies, and who before their deaths had completed questionnaires about their education, the researchers found that more education makes people better able to cope with changes in the brain associated with dementia.

An international team involving scientists from the University of Nottingham has unveiled an innovative approach to understanding better the origin of cancer sub-types. The team used high resolution comparative genomic information to investigate the biology that drives the formation of different variations of the disease.

PA 191/10 An international team involving scientists from the University of Nottingham has unveiled an innovative approach to understanding better the origin of cancer sub-types. The team used high resolution comparative genomic information to investigate the biology that drives the formation of different variations of the disease.

Scientists have identified key genes responsible for a severe inflammatory disease that has spread along the old silk trading routes from the Far East to the edge of Europe. University of Manchester researchers, working as part of a large international consortium, have revealed some of the genetic mutations that lead to Behçet's disease.

The mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the body has been discovered by scientists at UCL - a finding that has implications for the development of new cancer treatments. The study, which used embryonic cells, points to a new way of treating cancer where therapy is targeted at the process of cancer cells grouping together.

Health | Science 20 Jul 10 The chains of sugar molecules, or carbohydrates, that cover the outside of the highly variable HIV virus remain constant, are different from those found on human cells, and could form the basis of a promising new approach to an AIDS vaccine, according to research led by the University of Oxford.

Astrocytes (brain cells named after their characteristic star-shape) that were previously thought to act only as the 'glue' between neurons have a central role in the regulation of breathing, according to new research from the University of Bristol and UCL. The finding provides a new dimension for research into fundamental principles of brain organisation and function and may be relevant for understanding causes of devastating conditions associated with respiratory failure such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The researchers at the University's Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit hope that drugs that target this gene could in future help to prevent cancer spread. This gene could well be responsible for the spread of the cancer. It causes the cells to detach from the original tumour and to start spreading inside the breast and further afield.

Astrocytes - brain cells named after their characteristic star-shape and previously thought to act only as the 'glue' between neurons, have a central role in the regulation of breathing, according to scientists. The finding provides a new dimension for research into fundamental principles of brain organization and function and may be relevant for understanding causes of devastating conditions associated with respiratory failure such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

A new stem cell technology is to be used by Oxford University researchers to better understand the causes of Parkinson's disease. The technique will use skin samples to grow the brain cells thought to be responsible for the onset of Parkinson's disease, allowing these important neurons to be studied in detail.

The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) of Oxford University and the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched a new poverty measure that gives a 'multidimensional' picture of people living in poverty, which its creators say could help target development resources more effectively.

UCL researchers have discovered that two genes, called Mahjong and Lgl, could be star players in helping to identify how the body's own cells fight back against cancer cells. This discovery could lead to future treatments to make healthy cells better-equipped to attack cancer cells, an entirely new concept for cancer research.

The key to losing weight could lie in manipulating our beliefs about how filling we think food will be before we eat it, suggesting that portion control is all a matter of perception. Studies showed that participants were more satisfied for longer periods of time after consuming varying quantities of food when they were led to believe that portion sizes were larger than they actually were.

Research scientists from Bristol have joined forces with colleagues from America to unravel one of the fundamental problems of molecular biology, paving the way for better engineering of biological systems. Proteins are considered the workhorses of biology, performing a wide variety of tasks including transporting oxygen around blood vessels, contributing to the fabric of tissues such as skin, and mediating most of the chemical reactions in the body.

PA 177/10 "I have had major bone problems and an operation on my spine, and I am now questioning whether that was to do with the beatings?"..the words of a 63 year old woman who took part in new research just published, into the effects of domestic violence on older women. The year-long study by researchers at The University of Nottingham's Division of Nursing has concluded that more needs to be done to identify, support and protect these victims.

Methadone treatment improves long-term survival of drug users and reduces the risk of death with each year of treatment, a study has shown. Research carried out by the universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Edinburgh found that opiate substitution treatment reduced the frequency of drug use and led to a drop in the risk of death by 13 per cent each year.

Research carried out by the universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Edinburgh found that opiate substitution treatment reduced the frequency of drug use. The team say the findings support the long term use of opiate substitution treatment (methadone), even in those who continue their drug use. This study confirms that methadone works and works best when prescribed for as long as is needed.