news 2017

o Spinal muscular atrophy is a leading genetic cause of infant death worldwide o Approximately 1 in 40 of the general population are genetic carriers of SMA o Currently no screening programme for SMA in UK Research from the University of Warwick indicates that most people are in favour of newborn screening for the potentially deadly condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Tuberculosis could be fought more effectively with future drugs - thanks to new research into an old antibiotic by University of Warwick and Francis Crick Institute Deeper understanding of how simple but effective drug D-cycloserine attacks bacteria opens up possibility of development of new, desperately needed antibiotic drugs Bacterial infections are becoming increasingly resistant to drugs - new drugs needed to curb this deadly global crisis

A ground-breaking new pancreatic cancer trial, which aims to match patients with more targeted and effective treatment for their tumours, is to begin in Scotland. Run by Precision-Panc, a research programme and clinical trials project led by the University of Glasgow and majority-funded by Cancer Research UK, the trial will bring a precision medicine approach to pancreatic cancer treatment for the first time in the UK.

Research news A safety switch that automatically stops the device for example before it overheats are built into many electrical appliances. The body's cells are also equipped with this kind of "emergency stop" functions. They make sure that a defective cell doesn't grow uncontrollably, becoming a tumor cell.

The immediate effects of drinking too much alcohol are obvious, unpleasant and can even be life threatening, but a new study has shown that young people who drink excessively, to the degree that they are admitted into hospital because of it, are also at a much higher risk of sustaining injuries in the following 6 months.

Opioids should only be considered in limited circumstances for low back pain and greater efforts are needed to help people come off opioids, write University of Sydney researchers. Low back pain is a common problem affecting  more than 80% of us  at some point in our lives. Recommended treatments  include staying active and, if possible, avoiding strong pain medicines such as opioids.

Size matters when it comes to a hospital's operational efficiency and smaller hospitals have a higher risk of inefficiency, a study has found. When deciding on a hospital's optimal size, managers need to consider the clinical functions it will offer, according to researchers from The University of Queensland, Flinders University and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.

Many people are regularly missing GP appointments, according to the largest ever analysis of NHS patients who fail to attend. The study revealed that socio-economic deprivation is the most important indicator of why patients will miss multiple appointments. The study, which is published today in The Lancet Public Health, was led by researchers at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with colleagues from the Universities of Lancaster and Aberdeen.

University of Bristol research has revealed how cells rebuild their nucleus and organise their genome when they divide - a discovery which could have major implications for understanding cancer and degeneration. When cells divide, they need to rebuild their nucleus and organise their genome. New collaborative research from the University of Bristol demonstrates how cells achieve this through the unexpected deployment of filamentous actin (F-actin) to the nucleus.

Researchers are calling for a randomised clinical trial to investigate the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in improving live birth rates following assisted reproduction treatment (ART). This follows a review and meta-analysis published today in Human Reproduction, which shows a strong link between low vitamin D concentrations in women and lower live birth rates after ART compared to women who have the right amount of vitamin D in their bodies.

Scientists have found a direct link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs. Likely passed through 'huddling' behaviour and touch, the findings suggest implications for human health.

Deactivating pumps could make antibiotic-resistant bacteria treatable again The Laboratory's supercomputers were able to perform the first atomistic simulations of the entire MexAB-OprM pump embedded within a double membrane system on a microsecond time scale. LOS ALAMOS, N.M. Dec. 4, 2017 -New supercomputer simulations have revealed the role of transport proteins called efflux pumps in creating drug-resistance in bacteria, research that could lead to improving the drugs' effectiveness against life-threatening diseases and restoring the efficacy of defunct antibiotics.

For News Media EMBARGOED BY PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES UNTIL 2 P.M. CST, DEC. Adults who lived high-stress childhoods have trouble reading the signs that a loss or punishment is looming, leaving themselves in situations that risk avoidable health and financial problems and legal trouble.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Two studies - one in mice and the other in human subjects - offer the first definitive evidence that exercise alone can change the composition of microbes in the gut. The studies were designed to isolate exercise-induced changes from other factors - such as diet or antibiotic use - that might alter the intestinal microbiota.

Thyroid hormone therapy significantly resolves fibrosis, or scarring, in the lungs of mice, increasing their survival from disease, a Yale-led study shows. This provides a novel insight into the development of pulmonary fibrosis and could lead to alternative treatment for this serious condition, according to the researchers.

FINDINGS A new UCLA study suggests that the Y chromosome provides protection against the development of pulmonary hypertension and may be the reason the disease is less prevalent among men than women. The researcher found that mice with Y chromosomes were significantly less likely to develop severe pulmonary hypertension than mice without Y chromosomes.

Amniotic fluid, the protective liquid surrounding an unborn baby, is discarded as medical waste during caesarean section deliveries. However, there is increasing evidence that this fluid is a source of valuable biological material, including stem cells with the potential for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

HIV drug resistance is approaching and exceeding 10% in people living with HIV who are about to initiate or reinitiate first-line antiretroviral therapy, according to the largest meta-analysis to date on HIV drug resistance, led by researchers at UCL and the World Health Organization (WHO) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the WHO.

Residents and workers in a major Pakistan city are exposed to harmful levels of pesticides, new research reveals. Scientists from Pakistan's F Quaid-i-Azam University and Lancaster University have evaluated the organophosphate pesticide concentration in dust from farms and also from pesticide manufacturing plants in the megacity of Lahore.

FINDINGS Certain language patterns track the body's molecular response to stress more closely than a person's own description of the stress, anxiety or depression that they are experiencing. BACKGROUND Poverty, loneliness or post-traumatic stress disorder can have serious consequences on health, increasing the risk of cancer, Alzheimer's disease and heart disease, among other health problems.