11 Sep 2018
Researcher to showcase the future of crime scenes
New technology may be able to help build a better picture of crime scenes, according to University of Dundee's Roy Mudie, who will discuss the future of crime scene investigation at a Café Science event next week. “Many of us are familiar with the typical tidy crime scenes in TV and films, but the white-suits is often where the similarities with real-life end,” said Roy, Application Specialist and PhD student at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS). “Real crime scenes can be cluttered, cramped and chaotic. Crime scene officers need all the help th...
10 Sep 2018
Public’s help sought on environmental “right to know”
Researchers from the University of Dundee are seeking the public’s help with a project exploring the efficacy of laws surrounding the right of access to environmental information. Legislation enshrines the right to access a range of environmental information held by Scottish public authorities but these laws are subject to considerable debate. While some denounce them as a pointless and costly burden on public authorities, others defend a valuable safeguard for the environment and argue that existing legislation does not go far enough. The research team, from the University’s School of Social...
10 Sep 2018
Study links widely-used drug azathioprine to skin cancers
A drug used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and vasculitis as well as to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients has been identified as an important contributor to skin cancer development, in a research study carried out at the University of Dundee, Queen Mary University of London and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. The research, published in Nature Communications, identified a `strong case for an association’ between the drug azathioprine and the mutational signature found in cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), a common form of skin cancer. It was already known ...
7 Sep 2018
University welcomes all with opening service
The University of Dundee will hold its traditional Opening Service next week. Professor Pete Downes, Principal of the University, and the Rev Dr Fiona Douglas, University Chaplain, invite all students and staff, and their family and friends to join them for this service and lunch reception. The service takes place at the University Chaplaincy at 12.30pm on Wednesday 12 September. Rev Douglas said, “Our non-denominational service takes place at the start of each academic year, and absolutely everyone is welcome. “The opening service is an opportunity for all to celebrate the start of a new a...
6 Sep 2018
Removal of GP incentives associated with decline in quality of care
The removal of financial incentives for doctors working in primary care is associated with a decline in performance on quality measures, according to new findings by researchers from the Universities of Dundee and Cambridge, and staff from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Researchers said the decline in performance measures may be partly accounted for by changes to documentation after incentives were removed. But they added that declines in measures involving laboratory testing suggested the removal of incentives had changed the actual care delivered to patients. Professor Br...
