Recent Stories
- Social media plagued by privacy problems, say researchers
- Lancaster set to receive funding boost to stimulate UK's economy
- Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
- How do we find out about cyber criminals?
- First, carbon footprints... now you can calculate your 'nitrogen footprint'
- Lancaster to play leading role in UK-India cyber security team
- LEC PhD student, Beth Brockett, organises knowledge-exchange event for farmers
- Florence Nightingale Day successfully raises profile of women in mathematics and statistics
- LEC Volcanology Field Course sees erupting Mount Etna
- Company rewards Security Lancaster students for business solutions
Lancaster Scientists Contribute to Hydrocephalus Research
Story supplied by LU Press Office
A team of British scientists at Manchester and Lancaster Universities has turned established thinking on its head in a bid to understand the serious and often deadly condition, hydrocephalus, commonly known as 'water on the brain'.
A simple dietary supplement taken during pregnancy could prevent the brain defect resulting from hydrocephalus, revolutionary research suggests.
"Fetal-onset hydrocephalus results in a blockage in brain development which everyone has always thought was brain damage due to fluid accumulation," said Dr Jaleel Miyan, the University of Manchester scientist leading the research.
"There is currently no unequivocal prenatal diagnosis test or satisfactory treatment other than surgical diversion of the fluid through a tube, known as a shunt, from the brain to the abdomen or heart. Shunts are permanent and prone to infection and blockage so that patients may require several operations during their lifetime.
"This procedure is based on the established clinical view that this fluid is nothing more than a mechanical support system within the skull with little, if any, physiological properties and that hydrocephalus is simply a build up of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
"But our studies have shown that the condition may in fact cause a change in the composition of the fluid and that it is this chemical change that prevents normal cell division resulting in arrested brain development.
"We have also been excited by the results of tests that have shown it may be possible to 'unlock' the potential brain in fetuses with hydrocephalus using a simple dietary supplement during pregnancy."
Working with Dr Miyan will be Dr Jane Owen-Lynch, from Lancaster the University, Professor Carys Bannister, retired neurosurgeon and visiting Professor in Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences and Miss Sarah Cains an MRC funded postgraduate student working on this project in Manchester.
Mon 28 November 2005
Associated Links
- Biological Sciences - Department of Biological Sciences home page
- Eat your way to a better brain for your baby - LU News article
Latest News
Social media plagued by privacy problems, say researchers
The privacy management of 16 popular social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, is "seriously deficient," according to a study being published in the June issue of Computer magazine.
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Tue 21 May 2013
Lancaster set to receive funding boost to stimulate UK's economy
Lancaster is amongst leading universities who are set to benefit from a £50 million investment in cutting-edge research and innovation projects to drive growth. Lancaster's project will use the strong international reputation and links in China, in particular with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to address the Government's priorities to focus on high-growth SMEs and to increase exports. Using expertise from across the University, it focuses on improved leadership and new technology...
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Fri 17 May 2013
Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
A UK-Canadian team of scientists has discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Thu 16 May 2013
How do we find out about cyber criminals?
Security Lancaster and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics held a workshop to form a new collaborative group who will widen the knowledge of cybercrime and start developing innovative approaches to obtaining information on cyber criminals. The workshop included security researchers and statisticians, solicitors specialising in cybercrime, and experts from government agencies.
Thu 16 May 2013