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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 44 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 346129 |
| Visitors Out: 3126 |
| Total Visitors Out: 13159 |
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| Gene therapy and stem cells unite |
| 2012-05-13 04:22:00 |
By James Gallagher
Health reporter, BBCNews
Two of the holy
grails of medicine - stem cell technology and precision gene therapy - have
been united for the first time in humans, say scientists.
It means patients
with a genetic disease could, one day, be treated with their own cells.
A
study in Nature corrected a mutation in stem cells made from a patient
with a liver disease.
Researchers said
this was a "critical step" towards devising treatments, but safety
tests were still needed.
At the moment, stem
cells created from a patient with a genetic illness cannot be used to cure the
disease as those cells would also contain the corrupted genetic code.
Scientists, at the
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge, were working
on cirrhotic liver disease.
It is caused by a
change to a single pair of letters, out of the six billion which make up the
genetic code.
Continue
reading the main story
“Start Quote
They functioned
beautifully”
Prof...
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| Being bilingual 'boosts brain power' |
| 2012-05-01 09:55:00 |
BBC News
Differences were seen in the brainstem (coloured orange in this picture)
Learning a second
language can boost brain power, scientists believe.
The US researchers
from Northwestern University say bilingualism is a form of brain training - a
mental "work out" that fine-tunes the mind.
Speaking two
languages profoundly affects the brain and changes how the nervous system
responds to sound, lab tests revealed.
Experts say the work
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides
"biological" evidence of this.
For the study, the
team monitored the brain responses of 48 healthy student volunteers - which
included 23 who were bilingual - to different sounds.
They used scalp
electrodes to trace the pattern of brainwaves.
Under quiet,
laboratory conditions, both groups - the bilingual and the
English-only-speaking students - responded similarly.
But against a
backdrop of noisy chatter, the bilingual group were far superior at processing
sounds.
They were b...
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| Big hearts 'have genetic problem' |
| 2012-04-29 06:53:00 |
BBC News
The exact role genes play in irregular heart growth is largely unknown
Scientists claim to have found a new genetic basis for
why some people develop an enlarged heart, a condition which can result in a
cardiac arrest.
Irregular heart
growth can be brought on by strenuous exercise, high blood pressure and
obesity, but the role played by genes is largely unknown.
Now an international
team say they have for the first time linked enlarged hearts with a gene,
osteoglycin (Ogn).
Writing in Nature
Genetics, they say the findings could mean new treatments.
Work carried out on
rodents and some 30 humans indicated that Ogn - which has never before been
linked with heart function - regulated the growth of the heart's main pumping chamber,
its left ventricle.
When this gene
behaves abnormally the heart can become enlarged, putting the person at an
increased risk of common heart problems.
Enlarged hearts are
found often, but not exclusively, in those who are obese, have d...
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| Light therapy potential probed in disease fight |
| 2012-04-22 03:23:00 |
Researchers hope light could be used to penetrate a cell and assess its health
BBC News
Scientists at the University of St Andrews have begun a project to develop new light technology that could improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
The team will work to overcome current obstacles that limit how light penetrates a cell to assess its health.
Researchers believe the work could eventually have implications for the detection and treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer's and epilepsy.
They have been given a grant of £5.6m for the project.
Their research focuses on the science of photonics - the generation and application of light - and explores how to shape or structure light at a micro and nano scale.
The team at the university's school of physics and astronomy, led by Professor Kishan Dholakia, say the benefits of the research would not be restricted to biomedicine, but could be used in other industries.
'Excellent advances'
Professor Dholakia said: "O...
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| Sugar warning for 'healthy' soft drinks |
| 2012-04-19 09:11:00 |
BBC News
People underestimate the amount of sugar in drinks which are perceived to be "healthy", research suggests.
The Glasgow University study asked more than 2,000 people in the UK to estimate how much sugar was in a range of drinks.
While many overestimated the amount in fizzy beverages, they underestimated levels in smoothies and fruit juices.
The research also found soft drinks could be accounting for a large chunk of their recommended calorie intake.
The British Soft Drinks Association says the sugar in soft drinks is not hidden because beverages carry clear labelling of nutritional content, including calorie and sugar content.
Risk factor
The reasearchers asked participants to assess their weekly drinking habits.
Their answers suggested 450 calories a day were being consumed - a quarter of the daily limit for women and a fifth for men.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
What you drink can be as damaging to the body as what you eat”
Professor Na...
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| Women's height linked to ovarian cancer |
| 2012-04-07 22:36:00 |
By Helen Briggs
BBC News
Obesity has been linked to several cancers
Taller women have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer, according to a review of studies.
Obesity is also a risk factor among women who have never taken HRT, say international researchers.
Previous studies have suggested a link, but there has been conflicting evidence.
The latest research, published in the journal PLoS Medicine, analysed all worldwide data on the topic.
It looked at 47 epidemiological studies in 14 countries,
including about 25,000 women with ovarian cancer and more than 80,000
women without ovarian cancer.
Lead researcher Prof Valerie Beral of the Oxford University
Epidemiology Unit told the BBC: "By bringing together the worldwide
evidence, it became clear that height is a risk factor."
The findings
A slight increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer for
every 5cm increase in height (taking into account other factors such as
...
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| Tanzania anger over red ribbon labels for HIV pupils |
| 2012-03-19 22:32:00 |
BBC News Pupils wearing ribbons are excused from chores like fetching water Campaigners in Tanzania have criticised some schools for making HIV-positive pupils wear a red ribbon on their uniforms. The headmaster of one school told the BBC it was done at the parents' request to ensure that all sickly pupils do not do tasks that may affect their health. But such stigmatisation was against the law, punishable by up to three years in jail, a campaign group warned. The health minister has said he cannot comment until it is investigated. According to UNAids, about 5% of the population - 1.4m people - in the East African nation are living with HIV. 'Confidential' The...
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| Edinburgh scientists grow human brain cells to study mental illness |
| 2012-02-29 23:42:00 |
BBC NewsScientists are growing brain cells from people in families with a history of mental illness to test new treatments. In the past, researchers have had to rely on brain tissue from deceased donors to study conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Using living cells from the skin or hair of people who have faulty genes will allow researchers to create more accurate tests. It also means they can reduce the reliance on animal testing. The Edinburgh University project has received a £1m funding boost from the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research. It aims to develop cell-based systems derived from the skin or hair of affected patients. Effective treatments These will all...
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| Deep brain stimulation surgery 'first' for depression |
| 2012-02-18 21:07:00 |
BBC News The first patient to receive the treatment, Sheila Cook, was featured on BBC Inside Out WestA medical team at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol is pioneering a new form of surgery to treat long term depression.The technique, deep brain stimulation, involves the use of electrodes which are implanted into the brain through holes drilled in the skull.The electrodes are attached to a battery pack which delivers small amounts of electricity to stimulate or inhibit specific areas in the brain.A trial is comparing the effects of stimulating two different brain areas.The first patient to have the electrodes inserted was Sheila Cook, 62, from Torquay who had been suffering from severe depression for nine years.She says: "I just wanted life to end. It was like being in a dark tunnel, but ins...
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| Cancer patients 'relying on charity handouts' for fuel |
| 2011-12-29 10:00:00 |
BBC News Cancer charity MacMillan says many patients need handouts from them to pay fuel bills Cancer patients are relying more on charity handouts as they struggle to pay rising fuel bills, figures reveal. Macmillan Cancer Support said it had paid out £2,548,563 to 12,669 cancer patients during 2011, up from £1.4m to 7,369 patients five years ago. The charity wants a government-commissioned independent review of fuel poverty to prioritise cancer patients. Macmillan's campaign manager, Laura Keely, said it was "shocking" cancer sufferers needed such help. 'Unacceptable reality' She said: "To feel too scared to put the heating on because of soaring energy bills is an unacceptable reality for thousands of vulnerable ca...
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