2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Nobel prize winners for 2013

Martin Karplus, photo © Harvard University. Michael Levitt, photo: S. Fisch. Arieh Warshel, photo: Wikimedia Commons

Dementia in Mid-life

Mid-life stress 'precedes dementia'

The study only looked at women, not men.

Mid-life stress may increase a woman's risk of developing dementia, according to researchers.

In a study of 800 Swedish women, those who had to cope with events such as divorce or bereavement were more likely to get Alzheimer's decades later.

The more stressful events there were, the higher the dementia risk became, BMJ Open reports.

Risk factor for early childhood death

Young mothers 'risk factor for early childhood death'

Children born to mothers under 30 are more likely to die than those born to older mums, a report on child deaths in the UK suggests.

While overall child mortality fell by 50% in the past 20 years, young maternal age was found to be a risk factor for death in early childhood.

Support should be extended to mothers of all ages, not just first-time teenage mums, the report said.

Promising results on Type 1 diabetes : Skin drugs

Skin drug shows 'promising' results on type 1 diabetes

A drug that was used to treat a skin disorder has shown signs of being able to treat aspects of type 1 diabetes. A small trial on US patients suggests that alefacept helps the body produce its own insulin, which is key for people with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes affects around 400,000 people in the UK.

Researchers said the drug could be better than other treatments because it protects the immune system - but more research was needed.

Universal flu vaccine : Great steps of scientific discovery

Scientists take big step towards universal flu vaccine

Scientists say they have made a significant leap towards creating a vaccine that would protect against every form of flu. The influenza virus is a constantly shifting target so seasonal flu vaccines rapidly become useless and new ones are needed each year.

A team at Imperial College London say they have made a "blueprint" for a universal flu vaccine. Their discovery is published in the journal Nature Medicine. Influenza is able to change the proteins that protrude from the surface of the virus as readily as people change outfits. However, the material on the inside is common