Ongoing Research

Childhood abuse 'quickens ageing'

(BBC 21/11/2009)

Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body's ageing process, US research suggests. A team from Brown University focused on telomeres, the protective caps on the chromosomes that keep a cell's DNA stable but shorten with age. They found the telomeres of 31 people who had reported abuse as children tended to shorten more rapidly, speeding up cells' ageing process. Experts cautioned that the study needed to be replicated on a larger scale.

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Scientists make mad cow discovery

(BBC 20/11/2009)

Scientists at the University of Leeds say they have made a significant discovery which could help in the treatment of "mad cow disease". The team found a protein which assists in the development of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD). The protein Glypican-1 was found to cause other proteins in the nervous system to become abnormal. Professor Nigel Hooper said the find may also help to fight Alzheimer's.

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New skin 'may help burns victims'

(BBC 20/11/2009)

French researchers say they have found a way of using human embryonic stem cells to create new skin which could help serious burns victims. They say the stem cells grew into fully formed human skin 12 weeks after being grafted on to mice. The researchers, writing in the Lancet journal, say the skin could solve the problems of rejection that burns patients currently face. One stem cell expert said they had made an important advance.

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'Enzyme clue' to breast tumours

(BBC 20/11/2009)

Scientists have identified an enzyme that is crucial for turning breast tissue into tumours, according to a study published in the journal Cell. The Institute of Cancer Research says blocking the enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) reduced the size and frequency of tumours in mice. They say LOX stiffens collagen, a major component of the supportive tissue in the breast. A cancer charity said the study added to knowledge about how tumours develop.

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Hope over Down's learning problem

(BBC 19/11/2009)

US research has raised hopes of developing a drug therapy to reverse the learning problems associated with Down's syndrome. At birth children with Down's syndrome are not developmentally delayed, but memory problems often mean they soon tend to fall behind. The new study, in mice, pinpoints the key defects in the brain, and suggests a possible way to tackle them. The study appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

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Bullying link to eating disorders

(BBC 19/11/2009)

Almost half of young people with eating disorders believe bullying contributed to their illness, it is claimed. The charity Beat has carried out the biggest ever study linking the two behaviours, which has been seen exclusively by Radio 1 Newsbeat. Researchers spoke to more than 600 16 to 25-year-olds suffering from anorexia, bulimia or overeating. Of those, 91% said they had been bullied, while 46% said they believed that bullying had contributed to their eating disorder.

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Immune tribe 'indicates CJD hope'

(BBC 19/11/2009)

Darwinian natural selection could help halt human "mad cow disease", experts say after finding a tribe impervious to a related fatal brain disorder. The Papua New Guinea tribe developed strong genetic resistance after a major epidemic of the CJD-like disease, kuru, spread mostly by cannibalism. Medical Research Council experts assessed more than 3,000 survivors of the mid-20th Century epidemic. Their findings appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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New weapon against superbugs

(The Scotsman 19/11/2009)

SCOTTISH scientists have developed a chemical to tackle infections such as MRSA by mimicking the body's ability to fight bacteria. The new compound could be added to detergents or used as a coating for hospital equipment in efforts to fight superbugs and cut infections. The researchers hope the chemical could be ready to use in products within two years. The compound is able to trap and release the gas nitric oxide, also produced by our own immune systems to kill bugs.

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Tiny chip could diagnose disease

(BBC 18/11/2009)

Researchers have demonstrated a tiny chip based on silicon that could be used to diagnose dozens of diseases. A tiny drop of blood is drawn through the chip, where disease markers are caught and show up under light. The device uses the tendency of a fluid to travel through small channels under its own force, instead of using pumps. The design is simpler, requires less blood be taken, and works more quickly than existing "lab on a chip" designs, the team report in Lab on a Chip.

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Thyroid 'risk from pre-eclampsia'

(BBC 18/11/2009)

Pregnant women with the potentially dangerous condition pre-eclampsia may be more likely to suffer from thyroid problems, research suggests. Teams from the US and Norway found those with the condition had a raised risk of an under-active thyroid, which can lead to fatigue and depression. They say women showing signs of pre-eclampsia need thyroid checks as well as standard heart and kidney checks. The study appears in the British Medical Journal.

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Half of women denied vitamin A source

(The Scotsman 18/11/2009)

ALMOST half Britain's women may lack an important source of vitamin A (derived from beta-carotene) due to a genetic defect, research has shown. The micronutrient helps the immune system ward off common infections such as flu and is important for healthy skin. Vitamin A can be obtained from certain foods such as dairy products, liver and eggs. But another key source is beta-carotene, the orange pigment in carrots, which is converted into the vitamin in the body.

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Diabetes bid needs overweight men

(BBC 17/11/2009)

Overweight men are wanted by researchers in Aberdeen aiming to better understand the connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes. Twenty overweight men with the condition and another 20 overweight men without are being sought for the study. It is hoped it could improve treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes. The study by the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health will assess if specific hormones produced by fat tissue are an issue.

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Medical debut for smart band aid

(BBC 17/11/2009)

Clinical trials have begun of a smart plaster - a sensor-studded band aid that wirelessly monitors vital signs. Once stuck to a patient's chest, the band aid monitors heart rate, blood pressure and other health indicators. Its creators hope it will eventually take over from the wired devices that limit a patient's movement. As well as monitoring standard vital signs, the gadget can be tuned to capture far more subtle indicators of a patient's condition.

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Food Allergy Prevalence Rises Dramatically (CME/CE)

(World health - EU Monitor 16/11/2009)

Reported food allergies -- along with related visits to doctors and hospitals -- have risen dramatically among children in the U.S. over the past decade, but the underlying causes are unclear, a new study found. The prevalence of self-reported food allergies increase by 18% from 1997 to 2007 (P<0.01), and outpatient visits to medical facilities for treatment of food allergies nearly tripled from 1993 to 2006, according to the paper published online Nov. 16 in Pediatrics.

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Link found between Alzheimer'sand heart disease

(The Scotsman 16/11/2009)

LINK has been found between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure. Scientists believe both conditions involve a build-up of harmful protein in the body. In heart disease, researchers have found that clusters of proteins called desmin amyloid are formed. They are similar in structure to the plaques in the brain believed to play a key role in Alzheimer's. Desmin is a protein that normally forms structural filaments in heart muscle cells. Researchers made the discovery in dogs.

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Genetic links to bowel disease

(The Scotsman 16/11/2009)

TWO large genetic studies have found new clues to the causes of serious bowel diseases which could lead to better treatments. A study in Nature Genetics, which included researchers at Edinburgh University, scanned the genetic make-up of more than 3,400 patients, including 500 in Scotland, with childhood IBD. Researchers found five new genetic regions linked to childhood IBD and another study found three to ulcerative colitis.

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Genes link points to Parkinson's cure

(The Scotsman 16/11/2009)

A CURE for Parkinson's disease has come a step closer after scientists identified five genes linked to the illness. A team of Japanese scientists found associations with four of the genes. A second US study of people with European ancestry also highlighted the genetic link.

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Food Poisoning May Hurt for Life - ABC News

(World health - EU Monitor 15/11/2009)

Episodes of food poisoning may have serious long-term consequences -- including kidney failure or mental retardation -- particularly among children, researchers say. A new US report that reviews previous data has found that five common foodborne pathogens may increase the risk of serious complications. The five major pathogens are Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Toxoplasma gondii. But more than 200 pathogens can contaminate food and cause disease, Roberts said.

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Mutant genes 'key to long life'

(BBC 15/11/2009)

There is a clear link between living to 100 and inheriting a hyperactive version of an enzyme that prevents cells from ageing, researchers say. Scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US say centenarian Ashkenazi Jews have this mutant gene. They found that 86 very old people and their children had higher levels of telomerase which protects the DNA. They say it may be possible to produce drugs that stimulate the enzyme.

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Synthetic booze bid for Scotland

(The Scotsman 15/11/2009)

ONE OF Britain's leading scientists has said that Scotland should be the test bed for his synthetic alcohol that creates the effect of drunkenness but without the damaging side-effects. Professor David Nutt, a psychopharmacologist recently sacked as the UK government's most senior drugs adviser, is developing a synthetic substitute. Nutt says the advantages would be that individuals could enjoy an alcohol that does not damage internal organs, then take an antidote before leaving the pub.

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