news 2013

Imaging technique shows premature birth interrupts vital brain development processes, leading to reduced cognitive abilities in infants Researchers from King's College London have for the first time used a novel form of MRI to identify crucial developmental processes in the brain that are vulnerable to the effects of premature birth.

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival. The discovery could eventually lead to new therapies for stroke and other brain diseases. The research builds on earlier work by the team which identified a protein, known as SUMO, responsible for controlling the chemical processes which reduce or enhance protection mechanisms for nerve cells in the brain.

Scientists at King's College London have discovered that Vitamin D has the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of asthma. The study, led by Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from the MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King's, was published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and highlights Vitamin D as a possible new treatment for the condition.

The number of young people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has seen the sharpest rise over the last twenty years compared to a background of a general increase across the board, new University research has found. The research by Professor Craig Currie, School of Medicine, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism , examined the published data describing the incidence of newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes between 1991 and 2010.

University neuroscientists, stem cell biologists, psychologists and psychiatrists are set to break down scientific barriers in a bid to solve the mystery of mental illness and help develop new treatments. A team from the University's Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute have secured a £5.2M Wellcome Trust Strategic Award to help combine the latest findings in genetics, brain imaging, animal models and stem cells.

Non-surgical treatments for multiple tumours move one step nearer A study led by researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has for the first time revealed how the loss of a particular tumour suppressing protein leads to the abnormal growth of tumours of the brain and nervous system.

  Peptide molecules derived from the body's natural immune system can help boost the body's defence against life-threatening blood poisoning, joint University research has uncovered. In an article published in the journal Science Translational Medicine by Dr Anne-Catherine Raby et al , experts in infection and immunity from the University's School of Medicine led by Dr Mario Labéta, have found that peptide molecules derived from the body's natural immune sensors known as Toll-like receptors or TLRs can kick-start the body's natural immune defence that was affected by blood poisoning.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood tests to establish the cause of death in fetuses and newborn babies is virtually as accurate as a standard autopsy, according to a paper published in The Lancet . The study, led by Dr Sudhin Thayyil and Professor Andrew Taylor of UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital, found that full-body MRI scans combined with non-invasive investigations were as effective as a standard autopsy in detecting major abnormalities that led to a young child's death.

University of Nottingham researchers have developed a new predictive tool to help GPs identify and treat patients at risk of stroke. The QStroke algorithm has been shown to be better at predicting risk of primary stroke than current methods among those with atrial fibrillation who may need anticoagulants.

New study to reveal what happens to the human brain as we mature; research will also provide insight into the development of mental disorders You could imagine that it might be possible to develop computerised games or other training programmes that could help adolescents develop advance cognitive skills Ed Bullmore Despite adolescence being a high-risk time for developing major psychiatric and drug dependence disorders, very little is known about the teenage brain.

Having too much body fat makes arteries become stiff after middle age, a new study has revealed. In young people, blood vessels appear to be able to compensate for the effects of obesity. But after middle age, this adaptability is lost, and arteries become progressively stiffer as body fat rises - potentially increasing the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol shows that girls whose fathers were absent during the first five years of life were more likely to develop depressive symptoms in adolescence than girls whose fathers left when they were aged five to ten years or than boys in both age groups (0-5 and 5-10), even after a range of factors was taken into account.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that the human brain may be able to compensate for the age-related decline in the eye's ability to distinguish subtle differences between colours. Cone receptors in the human eye lose their sensitivity and the lens absorbs more bluish light when as the body ages.

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimise the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown. The team at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease reviewed research from around the world to see whether there was sufficient data available to suggest that omega-3s had a role to play in aiding weight loss.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed a smart phone app that helps users lose weight by carefully recording their food consumption. The app was developed in response to research from the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society , which showed that paying attention to what you eat while you eat it helps reduce food intake and prevents consuming excess calories at future meals.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed a smart phone app that helps users lose weight by carefully recording their food consumption. The app was developed in response to research from the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society , which showed that paying attention to what you eat while you eat it helps reduce food intake and prevents consuming excess calories at future meals.

Scientists at Imperial have identified four new proteins that act as receptors for an essential signalling molecule in bacteria such as MRSA. The receptors are thought to play an important role in enabling bacteria to respond to their environment. Their discovery provides scientists with vital clues in the hunt for new antibiotics, which are increasingly in need as bacteria become resistant to existing treatments.

An international team led by researchers at the UCL Institute of Neurology has identified a set of tests that could help identify whether - and how - Huntington's disease (HD) is progressing in groups of people who are not yet showing symptoms. The latest findings from the TRACK-HD study are published in The Lancet Neurology and could be used to assess whether potential new treatments are slowing the disease up to 10 years before the development of noticeable symptoms.

PA 151/13 Toddlers living in socially-deprived areas are at the greatest risk of suffering a scald in the home, researchers at The University of Nottingham have found. The study, published in the journal Burns, showed that boys aged between one and two years old and those with multiple siblings were statistically more likely to suffer a hot water-related injury, while children born to mothers aged 40 years and over were at less risk than those with teenage mums.

08 May 2013 An estimated 4,837,000 asthmatics with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) could benefit substantially from antifungal treatment, say researchers from The University of Manchester and the University of Toronto. Their work, published today in the journal Medical Mycology, has also re-estimated the total number of asthmatics worldwide - to reveal a staggering 193 million sufferers.