Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study looking at plastic chemicals and rat brains
A new study, published in JNeurosci, reports that adult rats that have been exposed before birth and during nursing to a mixture of chemicals have a smaller prefrontal cortex and perform worse on attention-switching tasks than rats not exposed to the chemicals early in life.
expert reaction to study looking at deletions and rearrangements due to the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique
A new study, published in Nature Biotechnology, investigates the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to make simple cuts in DNA in mouse cells and subsequent on-target mutagenesis due to the inaccuracy of the type of DNA repair process employed.
expert reaction to talc and ovarian cancer, re US court decision on Johnson & Johnson paying damages
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $4.7bn (£3.6bn) in damages to 22 women who claimed that its talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.
expert reaction to study looking at American blood pressure guidelines and how many people in the USA and China would be classed as having high blood pressure
A new study, published in the BMJ, examines the effect of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (AHA) hypertension guidelines on the prevalence of hypertension and eligibility for initiation and intensification of treatment in nationally representative populations from the United States and China.
expert reaction to Phase 2a trial looking at enhancing immune function and reducing infection in the elderly
A new study, published in Science Translational Medicine, examines whether TORC1 inhibition enhances immune function and reduces infection in the elderly.
expert reaction to Thai school children rescued from cave
The Thai school children and their football coach, who were trapped in a cave in Thailand, have now been rescued.
expert reaction to some of the Thai school children being rescued from the cave
Four out of twelve boys have been rescued from a waterlogged cave in Thailand. The mission to free the other boys and their football coach is still underway. read more
expert reaction to news that Wiltshire woman Dawn Sturgess has died eight days after becoming critically ill following poisoning by Novichok nerve agent
A women who was exposed to the Novichok nerve agent in Amesbury, Wiltshire, has died in hospital. read more
expert reaction to Thai school children in cave
Twelve boys and their football coach have been trapped in a waterlogged cave in Thailand for almost two weeks. read more
expert reaction to new scheme for overseas researchers to come to the UK
UK Research and Innovation has announced the new ‘UKRI-Science Research and Academia’ scheme, which allows non-EEA researchers, scientists and academics to come to the UK for up to two years. read more
expert reaction to the science minister’s first major speech
The science minister Sam Gyimah gave his first major science speech at the opening of the Schrödinger Building, Oxford Science Park. read more
expert reaction to news that Wiltshire pair were poisoned by Novichok nerve agent
A man and woman found unconscious in Wiltshire were exposed to Novichok – the same nerve agent that poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, police are reporting. read more
expert reaction to conference abstract about eating nuts and measurements of sperm quality and quantity, being presented at the ESHRE conference (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology)
A conference abstract presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) explores the effect of nut consumption on semen quality and functionality in healthy males.
Can we fix our plastic waste crisis?
From the government to the media to McDonalds, everyone agrees that something must be done about the environmental catastrophe caused … read more
expert reaction to publishing of part 1 of the cannabis scheduling review and commissioning of part 2
Prof Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK government, has reviewed evidence for the therapeutic benefit of cannabis-based medicinal products. read more
expert reaction to working hours and diabetes
Researchers examine working hours and diabetes risk, in a new study, published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. read more
expert reaction to antidepressant exposure and autism-like behaviour in mice
A new study, published in eNeuro, assesses antidepressant exposure during pregnancy and autism-like behaviour in mouse pups. read more
expert reaction to low-dose aspirin and amyloid plaques
A new study, published in JNeurosci, investigates if a low-dose aspirin regimen may represent a new avenue for reducing Alzheimer’s disease pathology. read more
expert reaction to research association between coffee and lower risk of death
Researchers publishing in JAMA Internal Medicine attempted to evaluate associations of coffee drinking with mortality by genetic caffeine metabolism score.
Pre- ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) conference briefing
The annual meeting for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) will take place in Barcelona from 1 – 4 July 2018. This briefing will offer an opportunity for journalists who plan to cover the key stories from the meeting the chance to hear from four leading fertility experts who will be familiar with the abstracts and can answer your questions on the studies, as well as offer comments on the significance or otherwise of the research, the strengths and limitations, and wider context and implications. read more