news 2012

People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23 per cent more likely to experience a heart attack compared with their counterparts without such work stress, according to a study of nearly 200 000 people from seven European countries. Professor Mika Kivimäki from UCL Epidemiology & Public Health led the research which is published today in The Lancet.

Latest research has discovered four new species of Horseshoe bat in Africa by piecing together clues such as DNA data and sonar frequency. This innovative approach could be used to tackle mysteries of other 'cryptic' species.

UCL has today published a paper - MMR and the development of a research governance framework in UCL - that sets out how the university's research governance framework has been updated to take account of institutional issues highlighted by the case of Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield was struck off the medical register by the GMC in 2010 following an investigation into allegations of serious professional misconduct relating to his research into a possible link between autism and MMR.

The first single gene cause of increased sensitivity to the hormone insulin has been discovered by a team of Oxford University researchers. The opposite condition - insulin resistance - is a common feature of type 2 diabetes, so finding this cause of insulin sensitivity could offer new opportunities for pursuing novel treatments for diabetes.

A cure for deafness is a step closer after University of Sheffield scientists used human embryonic stem cells to treat a common form of hearing loss. In research funded by the Medical Research Council and leading UK research charity, Action on Hearing Loss, experts from the University's Department of Biomedical Sciences developed a method to turn human embryonic stem cells into ear cells.

The most detailed picture of the disturbances created as an insect beats its wings and flies through the air has been recorded by researchers in the Animal Flight Group at Oxford University. They used new 3D imaging technology to capture the wake left behind a locust in fascinating definition. The Oxford researchers worked with the company LaVision to show how the set up involving lasers and high-speed cameras can capture the locust's wake in three dimensions.

Congratulations to Ulrike Eggert, who has just had her paper entitled "Dopamine receptor D3 regulates endocytic sorting by a Prazosin-sensitive interaction with the coatomer COPI" published in PNAS. Eggert et al. demonstrated that the drug Prazosin inhibits endocytic sorting. They implicate the G protein-coupled dopamine receptor D3 and the membrane transport complex coatomer COPI in this process, proposing a new biological role for G protein coupled receptors.

Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research. A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland.

Scientists at The University of Nottingham say adverse side-effects caused by the anti-parasitic drug quinine in the treatment of malaria could be controlled by what we eat. The research, carried out by Nottingham scientists on the University's campuses in the UK and Malaysia, indicates that natural variation in our levels of the amino acid, tryptophan, has a marked bearing on how we respond to quinine treatment.

Researchers are developing a new vaccine for hayfever which could be more effective, less invasive for patients and less expensive than vaccines already available to patients within the NHS. Scientists at Imperial College London and King's College London have carried out a study which showed a significant reduction in skin sensitivity to grass pollen that was associated with an increase in 'blocking antibodies' in the bloodstream.

Many plants used for their healing powers in traditional medicine around the world have been shown to be related to one another, despite being discovered continents and centuries apart. Scientists studied over 1,500 medicinal plants from three continents and found that time and again people were independently using closely related plants to treat the same ailments.

Researchers are developing a new vaccine for hayfever which could be more effective, less invasive for patients and less expensive than vaccines already available to patients on the NHS. Scientists at Imperial College London and King's College London have carried out a study that showed a significant reduction in skin sensitivity to grass pollen that was associated with an increase in "blocking antibodies" in the bloodstream.

Half of all people of South Asian, African and African Caribbean descent will develop diabetes by age 80, according to a new study published today. The study is the first to reveal the full extent of ethnic differences in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also provides some answers about the causes of the increased risk.

This obscure little plant has hit on a fantastic way of making an irresistible shiny, sparkly, multi-coloured, iridescent signal to every bird in the vicinity." —Beverley Glover The 'brightest' thing in nature, the Pollia condensata fruit, does not get its blue colour from pigment but instead uses structural colour - a method of reflecting light of particular wavelengths- new research reveals.

Critically low water levels in many rivers could lead to the partial collapse of food webs that support aquatic life, according to a study co-authored by a University of Leeds researcher. In one of the longest experiments on drought ever conducted in freshwaters, the team periodically lowered water flow in artificial streams, mimicking severe drought conditions in natural running water.

Critically low water levels in many rivers could lead to the partial collapse of food chains that support aquatic life, according to research led by the University of Birmingham published Climate Change today (09 September 12). This is the conclusion of one of the longest experiments on drought ever conducted in freshwaters.

A new study by the University of Oxford has shown that daily supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) improved the reading and behaviour of underperforming children in mainstream primary schools. The researchers worked with children aged between seven and nine who had underperformed in standardised reading tests.

Evidence suggests that progress towards universal health coverage generally results in substantial improvements to population health, according to a new paper from researchers at Imperial College London. The issues surrounding universal health coverage - how an adequate standard of healthcare can be provided to all people, while ensuring that use of health services does not expose people to financial hardship - have never been more controversial or politically relevant than now.

Professional ball game players report the sensation of the ball 'slowing-down' just before they hit it. Confirming these anecdotal comments, a new study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that time is perceived to slow down during the period of action preparation, as the result of an increased intake of visual information.

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have identified a protein which could help predict survival outcomes for women with the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Research funded by Breast Cancer Campaign could help predict survival outcomes for triple negative breast cancer and basal-like breast cancer — which affect up to 8,000 women each year in the UK.