Treatment coordinated by Oxford University has led to the first implantation of an electronic retina in a patient in the UK.

The surgical team, led by the Professor Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at Oxford University, inserted retinal implants in the backs of the eyes of two men.

The technology consists of a small microchip containing 1,500 tiny light-detectors, implanted below the retina, and a power source implanted behind the ear. The light-detectors, when powered, transmit a signal to the optic nerve, allowing restoration of some sight.

Professor MacLaren said there was some uncertainty about how much sight would be recovered, but that under “best conditions” patients might be able to see the top letter on an eye chart.

Dr Dolores Conroy, Director of Research at Fight for Sight, commented, “The news from this pioneering trial that some useful vision can be regained will be extremely welcome to those who are living with sight loss.”

Oxford students helped to make history as some of the first athletes ever to compete in the new London Olympic stadium.

Around 70 students from Oxford competed at the annual BUCS VISA Outdoor Athletics Championships, which this year also served as a test event for the Olympics.

The event was officiated by the same personnel that will be responsible for looking after Usain Bolt and other athletes this summer.

Stand-out Oxford performers included Clara Blättler of Univ, who took Bronze in the Women’s Pole Vault, Jessica Chen from Somerville, who came fifth in the Women’s 5000m and consequently tops the UK U20 rankings for 2012, and the Men’s 4X400 relay team, which is waiting for confirmation that it broke the OUAC record in the event.

Helen Hanstock, President of the Oxford Sports Federation, commented, “It was a pleasure to be involved. The organisation of the event was immaculate and I’d like to thank BUCS and the London Prepares series for providing this opportunity to all the student athletes who were able to compete.”

The competitors echoed Hanstock’s enthusiasm, telling Cherwell that the professional surroundings were an important factor in the high quality of the athletics on display.

Blättler commented, “Even while walking up to the stadium, it felt like we were approaching an exciting event. I think the atmosphere helped athletes raise their own standards, and I for one certainly felt as if I was centre-stage and performed to the best of my ability.”

Jake Shelley, a 1500m runner, agreed, adding that the venue made it “all the more exciting and nerve racking” He said, “It will be great to think that I was one of the first people to race at the Olympic stadium.”

There has been a major reduction in deaths involving a pain-relief drug since it was withdrawn in the UK in 2005, an Oxford University-led study has found.

The drug, Co-proxamol, was linked to a fifth of drug-poisoning suicides in England and Wales between 1997 and 1999.

Following concerns regarding its widespread use in suicidal poisonings, it was withdrawn from use in the UK between 2005 and 2007.

A previous study showed a reduction in the number of suicides related to co-proxamol suicides during this three year withdrawal phase and no evidence of an increase in deaths from other prescription pain killers.

The study showed that, following the drug’s withdrawal, there were 20 deaths related to co-proxamol per year, including suicides and accidental poisonings. It was more than 250 per year during the 1990s.

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research with support from the Oxford NHS Foundation Trust.

A team of black Oxbridge graduates has launched a scheme to improve the numbers of African and Caribbean students at the University.

The scheme, called Target Oxbridge, will mentor black students through sixth form and prepare them for the rigorous admissions procedures for Oxford and Cambridge.

Last year only seven black Caribbean students were admitted for undergraduate study at Oxford.

Raphael Mokades, founder of the organisation, explained, “Lots of black kids apply for the most competitive subjects like Law and Economics, when the ratio of applicants is lower for subjects such as Classics and Theology.” He claimed his project hoped to address this imbalance.

Naomi Kellman, an alumnus of Lincoln College, spoke last week at a conference hosted by Oxford discussing the problem of racial prejudice in higher education. She said that she hopes the programme will give black applicants “the help and support that their more privileged and connected counterparts are guaranteed both at home and at school”.

She added, “The scheme aims to make black students aware of the different opportunities and paths to success that the universities offer.”

Mentor Andre Flemmings hopes that mock interviews will be conducted in the impressive Oxford and Cambridge Club in London.

He said that many black students were put off by the universities reputations, arguing that “Oxford and Cambridge have that mystique that’s difficult to overcome.’

He also commented that many black potential undergraduates “self-select” themselves out of the process because they lack confidence and do not have a tradition of university attendance in their families.

Hannah Cusworth, the OUSU Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs, welcomed the scheme. She commented, ‘I hope it’s a resounding success.’

She added that she hopes the scheme’s emphasis on helping prospective applicants should improve the number of black students both applying and being accepted.

A University spokesperson echoed Cusworth’s comments, saying, “We support efforts by groups such as Target Oxbridge to provide students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds with free information and support through the Oxford admissions process.”

However, they also highlighted the university’s own “extensive work” to improve diversity, explaining that the University encourages “bright students from all backgrounds to apply to Oxford and make the most competitive application possible”.

Oxford’s best known reveller wowed students with his “all out” dance moves when he made an appearance at Somerville bop earlier this term.

In an exclusive interview with Cherwell, Old Man Bridge thanked law student Krish Neelendra for his invitation to the event, commenting, “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Krish and his friends for his kind invitation. I was very fortunate to take it up.

“I received an extremely warm welcome all round, and the dance floor was great. Indeed, I was asked by the resident DJ about his selections, and I was very happy to endorse his choices. Thanks also to a large group of Somervillians who came out to meet up with me a week later.”

Neelendra, who was responsible for inviting Mr Bridge to the bop, explained how he had first met him at a Christ Church bop, “I sort of struck up a bond with him after speaking to him. I had a found a friend indeed that night. I had found friendship in a hopeless place (Christ Church Bop).”

He added that on the evening of the Somerville bop, “Mr Bridge turned up fashionably early and grabbed a seat in our bar, eagerly anticipating the best bop on the college circuit. I dressed up, along with 10 pals, as those ‘hilair guys’ from Out of the Blue when they were on Britain’s Got Talent.

“OMB, because he is too meta for costumes, didn’t wear anything too significant. This didn’t stop him from having a ‘big one’ at the bop, with him making loads of friends and benefiting from the generously priced bop juices – only 50p.”

OMB refuted claims that his outfit was “conservative”, stating, “It was the first time I’d worn a leather jacket in a while, and as for the dancing, my moves were all out!”

He added, “A further unexpected pleasure at the bop was the opportunity to meet old college friends, with whom I have spent many happy hours on and off the field in the last term. I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to their experiences and success.”

OMB also attended Keble Ball on Saturday, after appearing in the ball’s trailer dressed as the Phantom of the Opera.

The Oxford SlutWalk Facebook group was the subject of controversy on Wednesday when “offensive” comments were deleted by moderators.

Some commentors posted links to the Ann Summers website accompanied by offensive comments and, according to Nicola Sugden, a student at Balliol, “made fun of the aims and nature of the event and were therefore considered offensive by most attendees”.

Sarah Pine, one of the administrators of the group, stressed that they had no problems with Ann Summers and added, “there were a mixture of comments, most aimed at trivialising the objectification of women. Some also used the word slut in a pejorative sense. I removed these because they threatened the safe space, trivialising sexual assault and rape apology.”

However, some were annoyed at the deletion of comments. Alex Bramham said, “What you meant to say was ‘Don’t bother typing, I’ll just delete it’.” Another user, Jamie Element posted, “Make an event to promote your opinion, don’t let others have theirs. Good job.”

Sugden, however, agreed with Pine, saying, “Sarah and the WomCam committee have been doing an excellent job of turning the page into a ‘safe space’, removing offensive content while facilitating discussion of the more controversial aspects of Slutwalk and making the event as inclusive as possible.

“Members of the Women’s Campaign are very open to discussion and debate on gender issues – it’s what we do, it’s what we enjoy doing. Trolling, however, is not debate: it is a waste of everyone’s time and distracts attention from the important issues we want to raise and tackle.”

SlutWalk, organised by the OUSU Women’s Campaign, will be held on Saturday 19th May and will see protestors walking through the streets of Oxford to show their resistance against the prevalence of sexual assaults against women and victim blaming.

PPE and History and Economics students will not be able to sit one of the optional Economics finals modules after the Said Business School suspended teaching for the year.

The Finance paper had been an option listed in the final honour schools of PPE, History and Economics, and Economics and Management (E&M). The University, however, announced this term that the option would only be available to E&M students next year.

The Economics department informed Cherwell that the cutback in course provision is due to a shortage of Finance tutors. With no economics tutors available to teach the paper, it has had to be suspended for PPE and History and Economics in the 2012/3 academic year.

They denied any notion that the inability to universally provide the Finance module was due to resourcing disputes with the Said Business School (SBS).

The department told Cherwell, “We have an amicable and cooperative relationship with SBS. Unfortunately the Business School has no extra capacity to give Finance tutorials.

‘If they did, I have no doubt that they would have been happy to help us find tutors for the PPE and HE students.”

The Finance option is taught to E&M students by the SBS, which provides both the lecture course and arranges E&M tutorials.

The Business School had agreed to make the module available to PPE and History and Economic students by allowing them to attend Finance lectures as well, providing that the University Economics department arranged tutorials separately for them.

Hannah Cusworth, OUSU Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs, told Cherwell, “I do not dispute the accuracy of their response, but I do question why the two departments don’t have enough tutors to give the tutorials.

“We have recently become aware of the perception that the Business School and the Economics department are not as fully committed to undergraduate tutorial teaching as they should be. OUSU have submitted a representation to the upcoming review of the Business School.

“I hope that no students are disadvantaged by this change and that the Economics department resolves the situation.”

The SBS commented, ‘The School remains fully committed to undergraduate tutorial teaching and undergraduate education. It endorses the view that there is a shortage of Finance tutors, however, which constrains our overall capacity to deliver Finance tutorials at present. We are working constructively to address these resourcing issues.’

Second year Itay Peer, studying E&M at Merton, expressed her regret at the decision, commenting, “It’s a shame they are not letting PPEists take the Finance paper anymore.’

First year Univ PPEist Leon Musolff added, “It is always sad when a PPE paper is suspended – the great variety of optional papers is one of the major selling points of the degree.”

A porter at St Catherine’s college died suddenly on Monday night. 23 year old David Lord’s death came as a surprise to staff and students. Further details of his death have not yet been released.

An email was sent to the college by the Master of St Catherine’s informing the students of Lord’s death. Professor Roger Ainsworth wrote, “I am very sorry to have to tell you that David Lord, a Lodge Porter, passed away last night. Details are sparse at the moment but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible because I know that a good many of you will have known David very well in his role as a Lodge Porter.”

Ainsworth described Lord as “always friendly, helpful and enthusiastic”, and added “he will be greatly missed”.

Benson Egwuonwu, JCR President, has organised a ‘JCR Extraordinary Meeting’ that will be held this Sunday evening to commemorate David Lord’s death, who he described in an email to students as “a truly good guy [who] will be greatly missed by many people here.”

He also stated, “In times like these, words may seem inadequate, but I think it’s the least we can do to pay our respects.” The JCR has also resolved to set aside £100 for a wreath for David Lord’s funeral and to support the creation of a memorial at the college in his honor.

Gareth Morgan, a 3rd year biochemist, spoke to Cherwell about David Lord. He said, “Dave was a very, very nice guy, very sharp and extremely intelligent. I don’t know his academic background but he was well-read in anything you would want to talk about. He was always cheery and always willing to help.”

He continued, saying that Lord was “really selfless”. He described the mood amongst the students as “rather downbeat”.

Camilla Turner, a third year History student at Catz added, “It was such a shock to hear about his sudden death, as many students had seen him around at Catz this week. My friend had a bike crash just a few days earlier and Dave had helped make sure she was okay on her way back to college.” She believes the JCR meeting will be “packed out with students wishing to show their respect for Dave.”

Lord was well known amongst the students outside a professional capacity. Morgan adds, “One time I was in Wahoo and it was a heavy metal night… I went upstairs and suddenly he’s bounding up to me, giving me a hug and asking me how I’m doing.” Students also described his distinctive goatee and ponytail.

The porters at St Catherine told Cherwell that he would be sadly missed. One porter commented, “There have been plenty of bouquets left here in the Lodge. We all knew and liked him – he was a valued colleague and will obviously be very sadly missed.”

James Bennett, Home Bursar at St Catherine’s told Cherwell, “David’s death came as great shock to us all at St Catherine’s. He was a much-loved and well-respected colleague and friend to many here. He will be very much missed by us all.”

The college offered their deep condolences to Mr Lord’s family and the Master has personally requested that the flag must be flown at half-mast until his funeral.