An international team of scientists, led by mathematicians from the University of Exeter’s Living Systems Institute, have developed a ground-breaking new method that can identify regions of brain tissue most likely to generate seizures in people with epilepsy.
The innovative new method, which utilizes mathematical modelling, offers the potential to complement existing clinical approaches and could lead to enhanced surgical outcomes.
The new research is published in leading scientific journal, PLOS Computational Biology on August 17 2017.
Scientists have developed a new test that can pick out women at high risk of relapsing from breast cancer within 10 years of diagnosis.
Their study looked for immune cell ‘hotspots’ in and around tumours, and found that women who had a high number of hotspots were more likely to relapse than those with lower numbers.
The new test could help more accurately assess the risk of cancer returning in individual patients, and offer them monitoring or preventative treatment.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, analysed tissue samples from 1,178 women...
Scientists have developed a pioneering new approach to reveal how the body releases hormones in order to combat stress.
A team of researchers has uncovered the regulatory processes which govern how glucocorticoids – steroid hormones with powerful anti-inflammatory effects – are released into the body.
Using predictions from a mathematical model, the team showed for the first time how individual regulatory processes act holistically to govern changes in hormone secretion when the body is in a healthy state, compared to when it is exposed to stress-induced inflammation....
The more regularly people report doing word puzzles such as crosswords, the better their brain function in later life, a large-scale and robust online trial has found.
Experts at the University of Exeter Medical School and Kings College London analysed data from more than 17,000 healthy people aged 50 and over, submitted in an online trial. In research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017, the team asked participants how frequently they played word puzzles such as crosswords.
The study, one of the largest of its kind, used tests from...
Playing football can improve bone development in adolescent boys, new research shows.
In a study comparing adolescent footballers to swimmers, cyclists and a control group of boys not involved in regular sport, scientists at the University of Exeter found football led to significantly better bones after one year of training.
Adolescence is the key period for bone development, and poor development at this stage is linked to reduced peak bone mass (the amount of bone mass at the end of the skeletal maturation, around age 30), increased fracture risk and osteoporosis later in...
A simple brain-training game could help children choose healthy snacks instead of chocolate and sweets, according to a new study.
Children who played a seven-minute game devised by University of Exeter psychologists made healthier choices when asked to pick foods afterwards.
The game involves reacting to images of healthy food by pressing a button, and doing nothing if unhealthy foods are shown.
“The sight of foods like chocolate can activate reward centres in the brain at the same time as reducing activity in self-control areas,” said Lucy Porter, the lead...
Around two in every five GPs in the South West have said they intend to quit within the next five years, exposing the magnitude of the region’s impending healthcare crisis suggesting that the picture for the UK may be particularly challenging.
The University of Exeter’s recent largescale survey of GPs across the region also found that seven out of ten GPs intend to change their working patterns in a way that would mean less contact with patients. This included leaving patient care, taking a career break, or reducing their hours.
Medicine students at the University of Exeter Medical School have travelled to Cuba to get an insight into how the country delivers high quality healthcare on a tight budget.
The Year 3 students, based at the Medical School’s Exeter and Truro campuses, travelled to the Caribbean island to discover how the Communist country’s health outcomes are among the best in the world, despite operating on a much lower budget. The trip also involved students from the University of South Florida.
Dr Nicki Saulsbury, Academic Director of International Education at the University of Exeter...
Edible bananas have been grown for the first time by the talented gardeners at the University of Exeter.
The mini versions of the popular fruit of the Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ – normally only found in tropical countries - have been cultivated at a greenhouse at the University’s Streatham campus. They are of the same Cavendish variety found in shops but taste slightly sweeter.
The plant has been growing for five years, and the University’s grounds team are unsure as to why it has suddenly started producing fruit. It gets plenty of feed and attention, particularly...
A new research-backed risk assessment tool will support GPs in identifying the symptoms of bowel cancer and inflammatory bowel disease in patients aged under 50.
The research and the assessment tool is led by the University of Exeter, in partnership with Bowel Cancer UK Never Too Young campaign, Durham University and University Hospital of North Tees.
The assessment tool will calculate the risk of the patient’s bowel symptoms allowing the GP to decide whether they need further tests. This is the first of its kind for younger people and aims to speed up the diagnosis of...
