Category: News
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Protein power: Dementia study reinforces role of damaging proteins in Alzheimer’s disease
A study, led by Professor Tara-Spires Jones at the University of Edinburgh, has elucidated the role of clusterin, a protein that accumulates at synapses in the brain, characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers studied brain tissue from deceased Alzheimer’s patients, which showed that the accumulation of clusterin occurs at synapses in addition to the aggregation of…
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Sperm in space: The sexual politics of space travel
A recent discovery about the survivability of sperm cells in space has strong implications about the future of space travel. It may be women, not men, who colonise other planets. This presents a tremendous opportunity for female astronauts, but it may also represent an ideological step back in our goal for equality among the sexes.…
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Research reveals how the body can detect cancerous cells
Cancer is a group of diseases characterised by excessive cell division due to DNA damage, and can afflict many different cell types. Mutations often arise in genes involved in cell growth and survival, which makes cancer difficult to target and treat. However, the field of cancer therapy is moving forward at a swift pace, thanks…
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Multiple sclerosis: Pinpointing risk factors
Because Scotland is of the countries with the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, many Scottish researchers are trying to figure out how it develops and working towards new treatments. A research group based at the University of Edinburgh has just published a new Scottish Multiple Sclerosis Register (SMSR) in the Journal…
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Functional neurological disorder: Investigating an invisible illness
Loretta had been hoping for a promotion. Instead, she woke up one morning to find that her entire left side, from her face to her leg, had stopped working. A&E suspected she’d had a stroke, but a battery of tests revealed nothing. Six weeks later, Loretta was still housebound. “I would have some days that…
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Dog DNA could aid quest to help breeds breathe more easily
If you have ever taken a stroll through a popular dog park, you will have seen this classic sight. A dog owner strides purposefully ahead while their pug or french bulldog struggles to keep up, a cacophony of snorts, grunts and wheezes. These noises are part of the awkward, bumbling nature of pugs and bulldogs…
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Can eating insects save the world?
If you had asked an average UK citizen before the 1970’s to try a bite of raw fish, you’d have been met with a strange look. And yet, today sushi is widely popular all over the UK, Europe, and the United States. Like anything else, food trends come in and out of fashion, and there…
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Researchers discovered placental stem cells that can regenerate heart after heart attack
Back in 2011, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai generated excitement in the cardiology community when they announced they had used placental stem cells to regenerate damaged hearts in pregnant mice. Now, they’ve taken that research a step further, isolating the precise population of cells that can regenerate healthy heart cells…
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Regulating bacteria in the gut may be an effective way to treat the symptoms of anxiety
A review of 21 studies investigating the benefits of regulating gut microbiota on symptoms of anxiety has found that use of probiotic and non-probiotic foods and supplements may help to alleviate symptoms. The NHS describes the feeling of anxiety as one of unease, worry, or fear that may be mild or severe. Anxiety is usually…
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For best results, start early: Healthy meal-prep kits boost children’s long-term ‘health’
CW: Discussion of BMI and health in relation to socio-economic status Your childhood might shape your eating habits more than you know, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath suggests. With poor diet posing a major risk factor for the development of a multitude of disorders, such as…