A new study suggests childhood obesity is influenced by different factors for young boys and young girls. Eating too much takeaway food is the main reason for obesity in young Queensland boys but a major influence on girls is the marital status of their parents, a new study has found. Read more

A team of New Zealand researchers will investigate whether bacteria from mothers’ vaginas could protect babies born by caesarean section from a greater risk of obesity. There is growing evidence linking c-sections to an increased risk of the baby later developing obesity and immune disorders. A large international study last year found children born by…

In a world first, Australian researchers have mapped the entire genome of a prostate tumour, providing a new lens through which to view this disease. They mapped the most commonly diagnosed grade of prostate cancer. It was a tumour that scored 7 on the standard Gleason score and is clinically known to be highly unpredictable.…

Dr Jennifer Kruger from the University of Auckland has won a grant from the Health Research Council to develop a way to measure pelvic floor muscle health using a smartphone. “Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse affect one in four women,” says Dr Kruger, who leads the Auckland Bioengineering Institute’s Pelvic Floor Research Group. Read…

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Queen’s University have identified 26 new genes linked to intellectual disability. Currently most patients with intellectual disability receive no molecular diagnosis, which significantly affects their health and shortens their lifespan. The study, published online today in Molecular Psychiatry, has implications for the diagnosis and…

The Australian researchers from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research said it brought new hope to sufferers on World Parkinson’s Disease Day. They expect it will be the first of many diseases to be modelled in zebrafish, which can offer faster results than mice research. Read more

Three Massey University researchers have been awarded a combined $450,000 to explore poverty and nutrition, tobacco dependence and performance measurement frameworks for health care. Dr Geoffrey Kira and Dr Penelope Truman of the School of Public Health and Professor Nigel Grigg of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, will each will receive $150,000 for…

In a new study publishing in Nature Biotechnology researchers describe how they reprogrammed human astrocytes in vitro, and mouse astrocytes in vivo, into induced dopamine neurons. Prof. David Dexter, Deputy Director of Research, Parkinson’s UK, said: “This is a very robust study where the authors have provided good evidence of being able to turn astrocytes…

In a world-first discovery, scientists at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a protein that causes liver fibrosis (scarring), paving the way for new treatments for liver disease to be developed. For the first time, researchers have unequivocally shown that variations in the interferon lambda 3 (INLF3) protein are responsible for tissue damage…

Among 11 $150,000 grants announced by the Health Research Council is a project to grow new teeth, one to create bioprinted skin and develop faster ways to detect antibiotic resistance. ‘‘Developing a technique to re-grow teeth, for example, is an extraordinary concept and offers huge potential for people suffering dental health problems,’’ said Health Minister…