17 Jul 2018

Blood in stools may indicate range of chronic diseases

Faecal bleeding may be a marker of a range of chronic disease, including several cancers, previously thought to be unrelated, according to new research from the University of Dundee. The presence of blood in stools has long been associated with colorectal cancer. The new study, led by Professor Bob Steele of Dundee’s School of Medicine, has shown that patients who recorded a positive faecal occult blood test (FOBT) were much more likely to die not only from colorectal cancer but also a range of other diseases. Professor Steele and his team looked at data for 134,000 patients who have participated i...

17 Jul 2018

Art to challenge assumptions of gender

Image: Poison Ladies, 2013 by artist Clara Ursitti Three leading artists will participate in a pioneering project at the University of Dundee that will aim to challenge unconscious bias around gender in respect to how we work. Doing Science in a Gendered World is a collaboration between Athena SWAN Dundee and LifeSpace Gallery which seeks to explore experiences of gender in the world of science, culminating in a major exhibition at the University in February next year.  Cicely Farrer, curator of the project, said, “These events are the first part of what I hope will be an ...

12 Jul 2018

Diabetes trial to test virtual coaching

Help for people living with Type 2 diabetes could be just a tap away thanks to a pioneering project launched by the University of Dundee. The Diabetes Human Information Behaviour Study, led by PhD student Dominic De Franco, is seeking people living with the condition to assist with the development of an app that would introduce patients to a panel of virtual coaches, enabling them to live more healthily and manage their chronic conditions. Dominic, said, “We need the help of locals to gather as much information as possible on what it is like to live with the condition. “Type 2 diabetes curre...

11 Jul 2018

Research could prompt changes in cancer treatment

Researchers at the University of Dundee have developed new drug modelling systems that could herald changes in the way patients are treated for the UK’s deadliest form of cancer. A team at the University’s School of Medicine say they have established a more accurate process of mimicking how anti-cancer medication metabolises in the human body, a move that could significantly benefit patients. It could lead to smaller, more targeted dosages of anti-cancer drugs being prescribed, reducing patient side-effects and allowing for more complex drug regimens to be tested to overcome the growing probl...

10 Jul 2018

Air pollution levels linked to 'spikes' in hospital and GP visits

Air pollution has been clearly linked to spikes in breathing problem-related admissions to hospitals and visits to GPs in a research project conducted at the University of Dundee. Researchers studied nearly 15 years of data for air pollution levels in Dundee, Perth and the surrounding area and matched it to medical records of 450 patients who suffer from bronchiectasis, a long-term chronic condition similar to COPD which can cause a persistent cough and breathlessness as well as frequent chest infections. “When we looked at these two sets of data side-by-side the links between the periods when air ...