news 2012

The younger a women starts her periods, and the later she finishes, the more at risk she is from developing breast cancer. Now a new study led by Oxford researchers shows that these factors are particularly relevant for specific types of breast cancer. The findings reveal more about the way female sex hormones are linked to risk of breast cancer.

Scientists at the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester, and King's College London, have found that mothers who stroke their baby's body in the first few weeks after birth may change the effects that stress during pregnancy can have on an infant's early-life development. Researchers world-wide have been studying whether stress in pregnancy can lead to emotional and behavioural problems in children for many years.

A new study suggests that the system used by the Government to inform key decisions about the performance of NHS hospitals is inadequate. Research published online today in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety shows that Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs) are not a reliable indicator of the quality of hospital care and therefore should not be used to trigger inquiries such as the high-profile probe being conducted into the performance of Mid Staffordshire Hospital.

Results from a major phase III Cancer Research UK-funded trial show that elderly patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who developed a rash within 28 days of receiving the targeted drug erlotinib (Tarceva) survived on average 6.2 months, compared to 4.1 months for patients who were given a placebo.

A study by UCL researchers at University College Hospital's intensive care unit has suggested that psychological interventions could reduce the mental health problems experienced by many patients. The research, published in Critical Care Journal , found that more than 50 per cent of patients in the study discharged from intensive care went on to suffer adverse psychological problems.

Ice-sheet retreat can halt temporarily during long phases of climate warming, according to scientists. A UK team led by Durham University has found that the geometry of channels beneath the ice can be a strong control on ice behaviour, temporarily hiding the signals of retreat. The findings, which provide the first simulation of past ice-sheet retreat and collapse over a tenthousand year period in Antarctica, shed new light on what makes ice stable or unstable and will help refine predictions of future ice extent and global sea-level rise, the researchers say.

Ice-sheet retreat can halt temporarily during long phases of climate warming, a UK team including an expert from the University of Sheffield have revealed. The team has found that the geometry of channels beneath the ice can be a strong control on ice behaviour, temporarily hiding the signals of retreat.

Researchers have released the first-ever footage of a little-known seahorse species. The video shows a West African seahorse ( Hippocampus algiricus ) being caught and released by local fishers off the coast of Senegal. The animal swims away, unharmed. Footage was captured by researcher Kate West during an investigation into West Africa's burgeoning seahorse trade, The study is being carried out by scientists at Zoological Society of London 's (ZSL) Project Seahorse , Imperial College London, and the University of British Columbia (UBC).

For the first time a planet has been found that orbits one pair of stars and has a second pair of stars revolving around it - so that four stars illuminate its skies. The discovery was made by volunteers using the planethunters.org website alongside a team led by astronomers from Oxford University, Yale University, and Adler Planetarium.

Children at risk for eating disorders on average have a higher IQ and better working memory but are less able to control automatic thoughts, according to researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health. The study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine , looked at what characteristics might make some children more likely to develop an eating disorder later in life.

Scientists have proved a 60-year-old theory about how nerve signals are sent around the body at varying speeds as electrical impulses. University researchers tested how these signals are transmitted through nerve fibres, which enables us to move and recognise sensations such as touch and smell.

Illuminated manuscripts are revealing their secret histories thanks to the application of techniques more commonly found in scientific laboratories. Art historical and linguistic research can take you a long way towards answering questions but scientific analysis can clinch arguments and dispel myths." —Dr Stella Panayotova Fairy-tale pinnacles stretch to the horizon in an azure sky, scarlet flags flutter, an angel plays a golden horn, and the Madonna, shrouded in folds of tumbling ivory, serenely cradles her newborn baby.

Pioneering research conducted by the University of Sheffield is paving the way for new treatments which could benefit patients suffering from the fatal lung disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). For the first time scientists have found an antibody treatment that not only stops PAH getting worse, but also reverses the condition in mice and rats.

The conventional wisdom would be that one of the products of this enzyme's activity is a chemical 'second messenger' that binds to and activates the channel. However, years of research had previously failed to find compelling evidence for such a straightforward mechanism." —Professor Roger Hardie, lead author of the study from the University of Cambridge's Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Fly eyes have the fastest visual responses in the animal kingdom, but how they achieve this has long been an enigma.

Researchers part-funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Wellcome Trust have identified how particular parts of the intestinal immune system and the bacteria in the gut can interact to alter an individual's risk of developing Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Results are published online today in Immunity .

Erosion research at iconic St Paul's shows benefit of declining pollution levels One of London's most iconic buildings, St Paul's Cathedral, is safer from pollution eroding its limestone façade than it has been since it was built 300 years ago, according to scientists - but it might turn green in the future.

The emergence and spread of a deadly strain of Salmonella, Salmonella  Typhimurium, in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to the HIV virus, according to researchers from the University of Liverpool. The scientists, working as part of an international team, tracked the spread of invasive Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) in sub-Saharan Africa, where it kills one in four people who catch it.

New privacy threats have been discovered by University of Birmingham researchers which allow the physical presence of mobile phones operating on 3G networks to be tracked by third parties. This research will be presented at the ACM conference on Computer and Security in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday 16th October 2012.

Hospital superbugs can float on air currents and contaminate surfaces far from infected patients' beds, according to University of Leeds researchers. The results of the study, which was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), may explain why, despite strict cleaning regimes and hygiene controls, some hospitals still struggle to prevent bacteria moving from patient to patient.

In a UCL-led study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, an international consortium of over 180 scientists report the identification of 21 new gene variants associated with cholesterol predictors of heart disease and metabolic disorders. The findings expand the list of potential targets for drugs and other treatments for lipid-related cardiovascular disease, a leading global cause of death and disability.