Brain-healing gas

The inert gas xenon has been found to limit brain damage and improve movement, balance and other functions when given to mice within a few hours of head injuries. The studies, by scientists at Imperial College London, could be followed by clinical trials. Because most brain damage from head blows occurs hours or days later, Dr Robert Dickinson believes xenon administered promptly may be “key to successful treatment”. In parallel research, Oxford University and Imperial are trialling xenon treatment for babies deprived of oxygen during birth.

The misfiring heart

New drugs could follow the discovery of a defect causing heart failure and strokes. A team from Cardiff University and the Slovak Science Academy has found a genetic change in the membrane protein RyR, which triggers every heartbeat. The mutation changes the calcium release pattern, creating a potentially fatal unstable heartbeat. Professor Tony Lai, who discovered RyR in 1988, said: “As in a car, if the thread of an engine valve is altered, it will continue to keep going, but it may be only a matter of time before it blows.”

Perk-up painkillers

Over-the-counter painkillers and anti- inflammatory drugs may be effective against depression. Analysts at Aarhus University, Denmark, reviewed 14 international studies of 6,262 patients and considered recent research showing links between depression and physical conditions, including infections. They said blood samples suggested anti-inflammatories as well as antidepressants are appropriate if inflammation is detected. Researcher Ole Köhler warned, however, that discovered inflammation may not be the only explanation for depression and that the findings need verification.

Bad Western ways

A trial fibrillation, increasingly common in the West, was found to be rare among middle-aged people in rural Ghana. Academics from Leiden in the Netherlands attributed this largely to an absence of the western lifestyle habits that produce the common risk factors, including obesity and hypertension. They studied African subjects because atrial fibrillation has previously been researched almost exclusively in western populations.

Better sight

A technique that stimulates the lens of a child’s eye to regrow normally after cataract surgery is being developed at Aberdeen University. Eye specialists are seeking a natural solution because artificial lenses do not focus satisfactorily, vision can be restricted, and a secondary cataract sometimes appears.

Depression has it uses

Hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk have better blood pressure control if they are depressives, reported a cardiology team at Barcelona University. They had studied nearly 6,000 patients as part of a long-term wide- ranging cardiovascular project.

Ten types to treat

A tool has been developed at Cambridge University to recognise ten breast cancer sub-types. The IntClust system shows the differences in the genetic mutations causing the cancers. The scientists, who created the system after examining more than 8,000 samples and existing clinical data, hope the classifications will result in more targeted approaches. They found one small group whose cancers appeared resistant to treatment and suggested early diagnosis under the system could determine new therapies and improve survival rates.