news 2012

Scientists have discovered a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The international team, led by researchers at the UCL Institute of Neurology, studied data from more than 25,000 people and found a link between a rare variant of the TREM2 gene - which is known to play a role in the immune system - and a higher risk of Alzheimer's.

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London has identified a way in which Salmonella bacteria, which cause gastroenteritis and typhoid fever, counteract the defence mechanisms of human cells. One way in which our cells fight off infections is by engulfing the smaller bacterial cells and then attacking them with toxic enzymes contained in small packets called lysosomes.

Drinking one or two glasses of wine a week during pregnancy can influence a child's IQ, a new study led by Oxford and Bristol university researchers suggests. Lead researcher Ron Gray from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford said: 'This is a complex study but the message is simple: even moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can have an effect on future child intelligence.

PA 324/12 Researchers from Nottingham have played their part in the discovery of a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, in a study with major implications for understanding the causes of the disease. The international team, which involved a research team led by Kevin Morgan , Professor of Human Genomics and Molecular Genetics at The University of Nottingham, used data from more than 25,000 people to link a rare variant of the TREM2 gene — which is known to play a role in the immune system — to a higher risk of Alzheimer's.

Our study indicates the considerable potential of sequencing for the rapid identification of MRSA outbreaks" —Professor Sharon Peacock, lead author from the University of Cambridge For the first time, researchers have used DNA sequencing to help bring an infectious disease outbreak in a hospital to a close.

Headshaking syndrome is when a horse shakes or jerks its head uncontrollably for no apparent reason. There are striking clinical similarities between facial pain syndromes in people, most notably trigeminal neuralgia, and headshaking in horses. Although some progress has been made towards both diagnosing and treating the condition in horses, the pathology of the disease remains unknown and further research is needed.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have begun work on developing the ability of sugars to block a protein that causes damage in the brain in Alzheimer's patients. Jerry Turnbull and his team, from the University's Institute of Integrative Biology , discovered that a family of long chain sugars, called Heparan Sulphates (HS), which are found in nearly every cell of the body, can prevent the formation of small proteins that form clumps in the brain.

An international team of scientists, including researchers at Durham University, have revealed the genetic code of pigs for the first time, providing new insights into their domestication and the movements of early humans. Researchers compared the genome or genetic make-up of domestic pigs with those of wild boars - from which domestic pigs are descended.

Scientists at the University of Sheffield are investigating an enzyme - known to be responsible for kidney failure - to discover how it can be targeted and blocked before serious problems occur. The new research could pave the way for new drugs capable of halting the progression of kidney disease - a gradual irreversible damage to kidney function, for which there is no cure.

Researchers at King's College London have uncovered a protein required by cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body, highlighting it as a potential target for future treatments to prevent secondary cancers (metastases). Funded by Cancer Research UK, and published in the Journal of Cell Biology , the study looked at how cancer cells form new tumours in other parts of the body.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that the production of a protein that prevents the growth and spread of cancerous cells is impaired in patients with gastric cancer. Cancer of the stomach is the second most common cause of death due to malignant disease worldwide. New research findings at Liverpool, however, could contribute to the development of future gastric cancer therapies by restoring the functions of a protein called, TGF'ig-h3.

Recent studies questioning the role of specialist heart attack centres produced misleading results because doctors tend to send the sickest patients to have the best care, according to new research. Many heart attack patients in the UK are sent to a specialist centre for primary angioplasty - a surgical procedure to reopen the blocked artery.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) accounts for around a third of all leukaemias diagnosed in the UK. A new study has found Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) patients given a new type of 'smart drug' in addition to chemotherapy treatment are 22 per cent less likely to relapse and around 13 per cent less likely to die from their disease.

Children whose mothers were overly stressed during pregnancy are more likely to become victims of bullying at school. New research from the University of Warwick shows stress and mental health problems in pregnant women may affect the developing baby and directly increases the risk of the child being victimised in later life.

Psychologists have found that the use of harsh punishment in childhood increases the risk of disease in later life. They say the link could be caused because harsh punishment causes stress, and theincreased stress levels in childhood then cause biological changes that increase the risk of disease in later life.

Scientists studying the genes and proteins of human cells infected with a common cold virus have identified a new gene identification technique that could increase the genetic information we hold on animals by around 70 to 80 per cent. The findings could revolutionise our understanding of animal genetics and disease, and improve our knowledge of dangerous viruses such as SARS that jump the species barrier from animals to humans.

Have you ever experienced the feelings of itchiness while watching someone else scratch? Scientists University of Sussex and the University of Hull have found the part of the brain responsible for 'contagious' itching - and discovered why some people are more prone to it than others. Psychology lecturer Henning Holle and fellow researchers from the University of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex Medical School wanted to determine why some people are particularly vulnerable to itchiness when they see others scratching.

This work highlights the incredibly dynamic world of adaptive co-evolution in bacteria and their viruses." —Professor George Salmond In an extraordinary example of altruistic behaviour, bacteria are capable of giving up their lives rather than allowing a viral infection to spread through their population.

Scientists at the University of Bristol, together with collaborators at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, have solved the structure of an enzyme that breaks down carbapenems , antibiotics 'of last resort' which, until recently, were kept in reserve for serious infections that failed to respond to other treatments.

Scientists have developed a statistical image analysis method which can assist in the grading of breast cancer by automatically segmenting tumour regions and detecting dividing cells in tissue samples. The system, developed at the University of Warwick, promises to bring objectivity and automation to the cancer grading process which is used to determine the aggressiveness of the treatment offered to the patient.