Latest News Releases 15 September

As more countries consider legalizing non-medical cannabis, new research shows that prominent health warnings and less attractive packaging should be mandated to reduce its appeal to children.

Researchers from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine have discovered that the FDA-approved anti-fungal drug, sulconazole, exhibits anti-cancer properties towards glioblastoma cells. This was published in the latest issue of Science Advances. An in-depth investigation of this compound revealed that it competes with biotin (Vitamin H), an important co-factor for metabolic enzymes and modifier of histones, allowing it to inhibit the normal function of biotin-dependent metabolic enzymes and specific histone modification-associated gene expression. This compromises glioblastoma metabolism and epigenetics, thereby impairing the tumour growth and invasiveness of glioblastoma cells.

The cancer and Covid-19 research dashboard is a public resource that lists research projects looking at the impact of Covid-19 on cancer care and patients. The dashboard was developed by NCRI, Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), and the Cancer Alliance Data, Evaluation and Analysis Service (CADEAS). The intention is to drive collaborations in the field and identify gaps in research activity or opportunities for new research.

When it comes to teaching English Language, our primary teachers are in trouble — and have been for a very long time. Research evidence suggests that especially in the area of grammar teachers typically do not know enough and lack confidence. Willem Hollmann, Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University and former Chair of the Committee for Linguistics in Education (CLiE), argues that the gaps in teachers’ knowledge and confidence are not their fault

Some primate species may express grief over the death of their infant by carrying the corpse with them, sometimes for months, according to a new UCL-led study - with implications for our understanding of how non-human animals experience emotion.

Researchers have developed a real-time approach that can help prevent incidents like the large-scale disruption at London’s Gatwick Airport in 2018, where possible drone sightings at the perimeter of the airport caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Young people are at risk of falling seriously unwell with tuberculosis and spreading the disease. Therefore, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, among others, have mapped key factors that affect the treatment outcomes in 10- to 24-year-olds with tuberculosis in Brazil, where the disease is increasing. To deal with the global tuberculosis epidemic, researchers say that greater focus is needed on this age group in tuberculosis programs. The study is published in The Lancet Global Health.