news 2012

Obesity in school-age children may be having a significant effect on the health of their hearts, an Oxford University study suggests. The researchers show that obese children and adolescents have several risk factors for heart disease - including raised blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and a thickening of the heart muscle - compared with normal weight children.

Stunning 3D images of 300 million-year-old insects have been revealed for the first time by University of Manchester researchers. Writing in the journal PLoS One , the scientists have used a high resolution form of CT scanning to reconstruct two 305-million year old juvenile insects. Without the pioneering approach to imaging, these tiny insects - which are three-dimensional holes in a rock - would have been impossible to study.

A study by Human Nutrition researchers at the University of Glasgow has revealed that Scots' waistlines have become bigger in the last 10 years. The research by Professor Mike Lean and colleagues in the School of Medicine also suggests that muscle mass is falling. The researchers compared data from the Scottish Health Surveys from 1998, 2003, 2008 and concluded that people were heavier and fatter in 2003 than in 1998, with a less marked increase between 2003 and 2008.

A low-cost new material that could lead to innovative technologies to tackle global warming has been discovered by scientists at The University of Nottingham. The porous material, named NOTT-300, has the potential to reduce fossil fuel emissions through the cheaper and more efficient capture of polluting gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2).

Adding a missing protein to infertile human sperm can 'kick-start' its ability to fertilise an egg and dramatically increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, a team of University scientists have uncovered. The team from the School of Medicine first found that sperm transfers a vital protein, known as PLC-zeta (PLCz), to the egg upon fertilisation.

Researchers at King's College London have for the first time identified a gene linked to age-related degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the spine, a common cause of lower back pain. Costing the UK an estimated £7billion a year due to sickness leave and treatment costs, the causes of back pain are not yet fully understood.

An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to a study. Fragile X is a rare genetic disorder that affects about 1 in 4,000 boys and 1 in 8,000 girls. It usually results in intellectual impairment and — in many cases — some form of autism.

University of Nottingham Malaria experts have found a way of disabling one of the many phosphatase proteins which breathe life into the malaria parasite. The result is a mutant which is unable to complete the complex life cycle crucial to its development. The discovery could help to design drugs to save thousands of lives.

Research carried out at The University of Manchester has found further evidence that a simple solution, which is already used in IV drips, is an effective treatment for reducing inflammation. The researchers also identified that hypertonic solution, which is a solution with an elevated concentration of salt, can ease inflammation purely through bathing in it - proving the Victorians were right to visit spa towns to "take the waters” for ailments like rheumatoid arthritis.

People with degenerative neurological conditions could benefit from research that shows why their brain cells stop communicating properly. Scientists believe that the findings could help to develop treatments that slow the progress of a broad range of brain disorders such as Huntingdon's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

A major study of the experiences of older people moving between health and care services published today highlights significant problems in the quality of the service they received. The researchers from the University of Birmingham's Health Services Management Centre found that too often older people were excluded from decisions and carers in particular felt undervalued by statutory providers.

Research into neurodegenerative diseases could be helped by a project that shows for the first time where thousands of genes are located in the human brain. Scientists have created a map or "atlas” of genes in the brain and found that at least 84 per cent of all genes encoded in our DNA are active in the brain.

Melvyn shows how small molecules could help crack a big problem Chemistry undergraduate Melvyn Ansell's JRA project looked at small molecules to help solve one of the world's biggest problems - the environmental impact of CO2 emissions. The chemistry department at the University of Sussex is currently conducting research into clean fuels technology, looking at ways that greenhouse gases can be manipulated (eg conversion of CO2to other molecules) to mitigate their effect on global warming.

A way of printing lasers using everyday inkjet technology has been created by scientists. The development has a wide range of possible applications, ranging from biomedical testing to laser arrays for displays.

A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells. Published today (17th) in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the findings shed light on how the protein causes damage in the brain, and could be useful for monitoring the progression of HD, or testing new drugs aimed at suppressing production of the harmful protein.

Eight billion years ago, rays of light from distant galaxies began their long journey to Earth. On 12 September, that ancient starlight found its way to a mountaintop in Chile, where the newly-constructed Dark Energy Camera, the most powerful sky-mapping machine ever created, captured and recorded it for the first time.

Researchers have announced the results of the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe - including five British urban centres. The research examined and compared the health, life expectancy and lifestyles of the populations of 26 European cities (the Euro-26) and found major differences, not only between cities, but within individual urban areas too.

A new test designed to identify growth hormone misuse in sport has been developed by scientists at King's, the University of Southampton and University of Kent at Canterbury. Used for the first time at the anti-doping laboratory for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, operated by King's, the new test was responsible for identifying two powerlifters at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, who tested positive for growth hormones and subsequently received two-year suspensions.

Research indicates the out-of-Africa spread of humans was dictated by the appearance of favourable climatic windows. The idea that we can reconstruct climate, and estimate food availability and finally figure out the demographic changes and movements of our ancestors all over the world is simply amazing." —Andrea Manica By integrating genetics with high resolution historical climate reconstructions, scientists have been able to predict the timing and routes taken by modern humans during their expansion out of Africa.

In the last decade a raft of legislation has attempted to bring about equality for people of all religions and beliefs within British society. A University of Derby-led research team who have been investigating what and how much has really changed over this decade will present their preliminary findings at a series of workshops around the UK this autumn.