Category: Research in Edinburgh
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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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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…
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How old is HIV? The United Kingdom and HIV/AIDS research
The discovery of a viral cause for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1983 by Françoise Barré-Sinoussi at the Pasteur Institute in Paris marked a major achievement in scientific and LGBTQ+ history. In May 1986, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses gave it its current name: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV/AIDS ravaged the gay community…
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This contraception is just for women? Think again
The University of Edinburgh is part of a groundbreaking trial, alongside nine other global sites including the United States, Sweden, Kenya, and Chile, testing a male contraceptive gel. The enrolment target is 450 couples worldwide with a staggered start – the University of Edinburgh is hoping to have completed enrolment by the end of March.…
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New weapons in the fight against the ivory trade
Ivory trading has been illegal since 1989, but 40,000 elephants die each year because of this multibillion dollar industry. Could science end the ivory trade? With a recently published paper, Samuel Wasser and his team bring us one step closer. Ivory smuggling works in a pyramid-shaped hierarchy. At the base are poachers, who hunt elephants…
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HIV and CVD: one step forward, two steps back?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that damages the cells of the immune system, which weakens the body’s ability to fight off everyday infections and diseases. Global figures estimate that more than 35 million people are currently living with HIV. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the term used to describe the most advanced…
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Advances in malaria vaccine development
Each year approximately 500,000 people die from malaria. Most are children. In fact, by the time you have finished reading this article, around three more people will have succumbed to this disease. On top of the cost measured in human life, there is also an economic cost, with some nations spending 1% of their GDP…
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A genetic link between inflammation and depression?
Whilst there are many different cell types in our body, each contains the same DNA. In order to perform their particular roles, the cell types react differently to the DNA’s instructions by controlling when and how much each gene is expressed. There are entire subsets of genes whose only function is to regulate the expression…