Medical Detectives

Professor Peter Sandercock, Personal Chair in Medical Neurology, presents the fourth lecture in the 2014 Medical Detectives series entitled, Unravelling the Mystery of Stroke Disease - The Clue's in the Numbers... Ideas about the causes of stroke have evolved over the centuries from the mystical to the realisation that most strokes are due to a plumbing problem - a blocked or burst artery in the brain. In this lecture Professor Peter Sandercock will begin by describing early attempts to map stroke in the population and then explain how the numerical science of epidemics of infectious diseases in populations was successfully applied to stroke to identify its main causes. Recorded on 6 November 2014 at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, Professor of Primary Care Research & Development and Co-Director of the University's Centre for Population Health Scientist, delivers the third lecture in the 2014 Medical Detectives series entitled, "The Sign of Three: Progress Report on an Investigation into the Epidemic of Itch, Sneeze and Wheeze". In this lecture, Professor Sheikh will present a summary of the main culprits identified to-date and share his thoughts on where the investigation should now focus attention. Recorded on 23 October 2014, at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Dr Richard Chin, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Director of the Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre (MMEC) at the University of Edinburgh, delivers the second lecture in the 2014 Medical Detectives series, entitled "Unlocking the Mysteries of Childhood Epilepsy". This talk addresses some of the major challenges in childhood epilepsy: identifying the cause, finding better treatments, and dealing with the learning and behavioural problems in epilepsy. http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/2014/chin Recorded on 9 October 2014 at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Dr Jeffrey Schoenebeck, Career Track Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, delivers the first lecture in the 2014 Medical Detectives series, entitled "Doggedly Dependent: A Canine Story of Human Intervention and Form". No other terrestrial species of animal is as diverse in its morphology as man's best friend, the dog. Today more than four hundred breeds of dogs are recognized worldwide. Why and how did dogs evolve so rapidly and broadly? Dr Schoenebeck discusses the scientific advances that occurred in the last decade that have enabled researchers to begin unravelling the mysteries of canine diversity. http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/2014/schoenebeck Recorded on 25 September 2014 at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, Professor of Multiple Sclerosis Research, presents the Medical Detectives lecture, "Why Doesn't the Brain Repair Itself?". The patient disabled by spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis illustrates the consequences of the failure of repair in the brain after injury. But why does this fail? Other tissues such as skin repair very well, so what factors make the brain different? This talk examines the clues that experiments have given us as to the identity of the culprits. How is current research trying to deal with them, and why might it be that they turned to crime in the first place? Recorded on 7 November 2013 at the University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Professor Stephen Lawrie, Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the Division of Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, delivers his Medical Detectives lecture entitled "Scanning for a Diagnostic Test for Schizophrenia". Brain imaging can be used to distinguish patients with schizophrenia from their relatives, and from other patients with major psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and autism. This talk takes a journey through these investigations, lay out the evidence and show how outcomes may be enhanced and possibly even prevent psychosis in high risk populations. Recorded on 24 October 2013 at The University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Professor Stephen Wigmore, Professor of Transplantation Surgery and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at The University of Edinburgh, delivers his Medical Detectives lecture entitled "The Case of the Vanishing Yellow Man". In this talk, Professor Wigmore examines approaches to management of liver failure, particularly liver transplantation and will also look to future prospects for cell therapy. Recorded on 10 October 2013 at The University of Edinburgh's Anatomy Lecture Theatre.

Dr Angela Thomas is an honorary senior lecturer within Child Life and Health at the University of Edinburgh. From First World War observations that mustard gas caused lymphoid tissue to dissolve and that folate seemed to accelerate the leukaemic process, carefully chosen chemicals were used to tackle leukaemia, sometimes with startling success. In the early days, some children were cured with this minimal therapy. As more drugs were discovered, so treatment intensified and more children were cured. The current challenge is to identify which children will do well with less treatment and who need more. This is where the new DNA technologies have proved so helpful to ensure that children with leukaemia have the maximum chance of cure with the minimum side effects. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives Recorded on 26 September 2013 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Siddharthan Chandran is Director of the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research at the University of Edinburgh. Stem cells have heralded a revolution in research, offering genuine possibilities for the discovery and delivery of new treatments. Professor Chandran will explore the myths and hype surrounding stem cells and present the potential promise research in this area could bring to patients with neurodegenerative conditions. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 1 November 2012 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Brian Walker is Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Edinburgh. Great strides have been taken in preventing and treating heart disease, yet it remains one of the biggest serial killers and our understanding of its causes is incomplete. This lecture describes how clues from population databases, modern genetics, and detailed investigations in patients have implicated steroid stress hormones in heart disease and how this has led to the development of new drug treatments. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 18 October 2012 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Jean Manson is Head of the Neuropathogenesis Division of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. A prion is an intriguing and unique killer that became infamous in the UK when it attacked in the guise of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly termed “mad cow disease”. The prion, though, does not restrict its victims to cattle; it has attacked many different species including sheep, cows, goats, deer and humans. It moves between species, as occurred with BSE passing from cows to humans in the form of variant CJD. Once it infects its victim it slowly, sometimes after many years, reaches the brain and destroys nerve cells, the neurones, and leads to death because the brain can no longer function to keep the body alive. Medical detectives have spent years trying to solve the case of this elusive killer: how does it select its victim, does it have multiple identities and how do its actions finally lead to death? This talk will take a journey through those investigations, lay out the evidence and show how understanding the elusive prion may allow a much greater insight into other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 4 October 2012 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

David Cunningham Owens is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh and honorary consultant psychiatrist, the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Society has a complex relationship with drugs - especially those which alter ‘the mind’. In this talk, we shall chart the evolution of psychotropic drugs - agents used in the management of mental state disorders. That some compounds alter human experience has been known since pre-history, but the seeds of modern psychopharmacology go back to the mid-Victorian period and had nothing at all to do with medicine. It took three quarters of century before real breakthroughs were made, in which World War 2 played its part. The 1950s seemed like a golden age, when almost all the major types of psychotropics still in use were identified or found their applications. This explosion of new therapeutic tools had profound social consequences and for the first time in human history, it was possible to believe, not through faith but through science, that major psychiatric disorders were ‘illnesses’. But few psychotropics ‘cure’, and none modifies underlying disease processes. Furthermore, development of new compounds remains hampered by limited understanding of the complexity of the human brain. So, what does the future hold for some of the world’s most widely prescribed therapeutic agents? Are there any new developments on the horizon? This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 20 September 2012 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Jamie Davies is Professor of Experimental Anatomy at the University. During fetal life, cells have hidden conversations with each other as they build our tissues, such as kidney, heart and liver. In order to build tissues for ourselves, we need to speak their language. This lecture will reveal the clues we have picked up to help build tissues in the laboratory, which could help save the lives of people requiring an organ transplant. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on Thursday 11 November 2010 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor James Ironside is Professor of Clinical Neuropathology at the University and Director of the MRC Network of UK Brain Banks. Prions attack the brain, leading to such diseases as CJD in humans and BSE in cattle. Unlike bacteria and viruses, prions cannot be seen under a microscope, so we have to use detective skills to identify the traces they leave. There is no blood test to detect prion infections and no cure exists at present. This lecture will detail the detective work used to try to find answers to these problems. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on Thursday 4 November 2010 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Stuart Ralston presents Solving the Mysteries of Paget's Disease. Recent research has pinpointed genetic factors as major players in Paget's disease of the bone. Researchers have identified genes that are abnormal in people with the disease. This lecture will reveal what these genes are and how this knowledge can be harnessed to prevent complications of the disease occurring. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 3 November 2011 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Peter Kind is Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at the Centre for Integrative Physiology, the University of Edinburgh. Normal brain development depends upon brain cells (neurones) talking to each other at specialised sites called synapses. Disorders that affect this communication process include Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder. This talk will reveal how the development of neuronal communication at synapses is altered in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). We will also examine how basic research into the role of genetics has led to the development of new medicines for treating FXS and hopefully will result in treatment possibilities for some forms of autism. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on Thursday 20 October 2011 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor David Harrison is Honorary Consultant Pathologist at Lothian University Hospital NHS Division and Professor and Head of Pathology at the University of Edinburgh. We tend to assume that cell death is a bad thing, and indeed this is often the case. However, sometimes individual cells are sacrificed for the greater good, for example, killing virus-infected cells. But what happens when a cell that should die doesn't? Professor Harrison investigates. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 6 October 2011 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Michael Eddleston is a Reader in Clinical Toxicology and a Scottish Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Over 300,000 people die each year from pesticide self-poisoning, or suicide, in rural Asia. For many, death is unintentional, but the very high toxicity of pesticides means that deaths are all too common. This talk will engage this major public health problem and discuss the benefits of different prevention strategies. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 22 September 2011 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Brendan Corcoran is Professor of Veterinary Cardiopulmonary Medicine and Director of International Affairs in the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. Canine heart valves open and close millions of times during a dog’s lifetime. These valves are essential for healthy blood circulation, but of all the valves the mitral valve is most prone to degenerate and eventually fail. This causes heart failure. Approximately 15% of the UK’s dog population is affected by heart disease. This lecture will unravel the mysteries of mitral valve disease and the possible solutions to this problem. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on Thursday 28 October 2010 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Jane Norman is Professor of Maternal and Fetal Health at the University and Director of the Tommy’s Centre of Maternal and Fetal Health. Birth is the single event that unites us all. There is still much to learn about this process and there are few treatments when birth goes wrong. Pre-term birth is on the rise. It is the single biggest cause of death and disability amongst babies born in the UK. Maternal obesity is also increasing with associated problems for mothers and babies including increased risk of miscarriage, caesarean section and maternal death. This lecture will trace the detective work used to understand the process of labour and how we can improve outcomes for mums and babies. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on Thursday 21 October 2010 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor David Argyle is William Dick Professor of Veterinary Clinical Studies at the University of Edinburgh. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 19 November 2009 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor John Iredale, is Professor of Medicine at the University. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 12 November 2009 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Jonathan Seckl is Moncrieff-Arnott Professor of Molecular Medicine. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 5 November 2009 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Dorothy Crawford is Professor of Medical Microbiology and Assistant Principal of the Public Understanding of Medicine. This lecture is part of the Medical Detectives, a series of public lectures that show how keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors: http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/events/medical-detectives/ Recorded on 29 October 2009 in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at the University of Edinburgh.