Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Q&A on winter flu outbreak
There is an ongoing outbreak of flu in the UK, which has resulted in hospitalisations and some deaths.
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Small modular reactors
In his December 2017 address to the Nuclear Industry Association’s Annual Conference in London, Energy Minister Richard Harrington set out the next steps for the Government’s plans to support Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology. read more
expert reaction to study looking at safety of statins for children with familial hypercholesterolaemia
Statins are safe for children living with genetically high cholesterol reports a new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. read more
expert reaction to media article about a leaked draft report from the IPCC on climate warming of 1.5°C
A media article reported some of the contents of a leaked draft report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) about global warming of 1.5°C.
expert reaction to reported developments in the winter flu outbreak
There is an ongoing outbreak of flu in the UK, which has resulted in hospitalisations and some deaths. read more
expert reaction to study looking at survival in young women with breast cancer, with and without the BRCA mutation
A new study, published in the Lancet Oncology, reports that survival for young women treated for breast cancer is the same weather or not they carry a BRCA mutation. read more
expert reaction to an investigation into the use of animal studies in the development of a TB vaccine
The BMJ has published an investigation into how researchers interpreted results of animal studies – before moving to human clinical trials – to test a new tuberculosis vaccine.
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expert reaction to HRT preventing depression in women around the menopause
Publishing in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers report results from a 12-month randomised clinical trial of estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy vs placebo for the prevention of depressive symptoms in non-depressed perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women. read more
expert reaction to study looking at ibuprofen use and testicular health in men
In a new study, published in PNAS, researchers examine ibuprofen consumption and hormonal balance in male participants between 18-35 years of age. read more
expert reaction to review paper looking at studies investigating paracetamol in pregnant mice and rats and fertility in their female offspring
A new study, published in Endocrine Connections, examines the association between taking paracetamol during pregnancy and future fertility of offspring in mice and rats. read more
fertility preservation in women and girls – new policy and practice guideline from the british fertility society
The British Fertility Society has produced a new policy and practice guideline for fertility preservation in women and girls for … read more
expert reaction to opinion piece about the health effects of sugar
An opinion piece in the BMJ by Gary Taubes discusses the health effects of sugar. read more
expert reaction to study looking at dietary trehalose (a sugar additive) and virulence of clostridium difficile infection in a mouse model
Publishing in Nature, researchers have looked at how two strains of the intestinal pathogen Clostridium difficile have acquired the ability to metabolise low levels of trehalose (a sugar additive) in mouse models. They report that this ability correlates with the severity of the disease in the mouse.
expert reaction to a mechanism in mice for blood stem cell damage from alcohol
Publishing in Nature, researchers have reported that a metabolite of alcohol, acetaldehyde, causes damage to the DNA of blood-forming stem cells, in a mouse model.
expert reaction to study investigating a type 2 diabetes drug for Alzheimer’s symptoms in a mouse model
Publishing in Brain Research, researchers have looked at the role of a drug that is used in treating type 2 diabetes in memory loss in mice. read more
expert reaction to air pollution and risk of death
Researchers, publishing in JAMA, estimate the association between short-term exposures to air pollution and ozone, and at levels below the current daily National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and mortality in the continental US. read more
expert reaction to study looking at exercise in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
A new study, published in PLOS ONE, examines the neuroprotective effects of running wheel exercise in mice.
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expert reaction to study looking at eating green leafy vegetables and rate of decline of memory and thinking skills
Researchers publishing in Neurology examine the association between consuming leafy green vegetables and a slower rate of brain aging. read more
expert reaction to study looking at using genome editing to restore hearing in deaf mice
Scientists have published a new study in Nature which reports the successful use of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique as a tool to correct hearing loss, in a mouse model of deafness.