News: March 2012
More mental health support for children and young people (UK)
UK government funding is being made available to centres that provide mental health support to children and young adults. According to Reading University, half of children and young people with lon...
Overuse of the herbicide glyphosate
Overuse of the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) has resulted in crops in the USA becoming infested with glyphosate-resistant weeds. Monster pigweed up to two metres tall was destroying yields in some...
Automated system to kill bacteria in hospital water systems and taps
Scientists at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) have developed a fully automated system that eradicates bacterial contamination in hospital water tanks, distribution systems and taps. Hospital washb...
Efforts to diagnose cancer early need to be better tailored to different age groups (UK)
Efforts to diagnose cancer early need to be better tailored to different age groups according to recent research. Older women with breast cancer have a higher risk of their breast cancer being diag...
Millennium Development Goal drinking water target met
The Millennium DEvelopment Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of the world's human population without access to safe drinking water has been achieved and exceeded well in advance of the 2015 targ...
Cancer genes differ in different parts of a tumour
Taking a sample from just one part of a tumour may not give a full picture of its genetic landscape. Scientists have conducted the first genome-wide analysis of the genetic variation between differ...
Heart disease medication shown to affect subconscious attitudes towards race
Recent research suggests that taking propranolol, a beta-blocker used to treat heart disease, can affect the person's subconscious attitudes to race. This is of interest to psychologists, psychiatr...
How the shape of animals' teeth suit their food
Scientific researchers at Bristol University have investigated the most efficient ways for teeth to slice food. Their results show how precisely the shape of an animal's teeth is optimized to suit ...
Results of study re. injectable contraceptive risks
Recent research has revealed information about some statistical links between use of injectable contraceptives and the development of certain types of female cancers. Results suggest that injectabl...
How plasminogen is converted into an enzyme that removes disease-causing clots
Australian researchers have revealed how the blood clot-busting enzyme plasmin is activated. They have have shown how the protein plasminogen is converted into plasmin, an enzyme that removes disea...
Campaign to thank paramedics
Monkey research and human health
Sports participation after knee reconstruction surgery
Knee repair is major surgery that can involve a long period of recovery. Recent research indicates that many athletes who have had anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery do not return to...
Abnormal copies of chromosomes in the cells of ependymoma tumours
Recent medical research considering abnormal copies of chromosomes in the cells of ependymoma tumours may lead to a new diagnostic test to allow specialists to identify children at the highest risk...
