Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Media roundtable on sharing patient data for health, care and research
The purpose of the meeting was primarily to introduce science and health reporters to a brand new organization called Understanding Patient Data which is supported by much of the medical research community in the UK. read more
European Perceptions of Climate Change
How worried about climate change are people in the UK, Germany, France and Norway and how do they view its … read more
Brain Prize 2017 – announcement of winners
Three neuroscientists from UK institutions were awarded the world’s most valuable prize for brain research. read more
expert reaction to White House proposed budget cut to NOAA
The White House is proposing to cut the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a leading government agency on climate science, by a reported 17 percent.
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Can we make cannabis safer?
In a Personal View article to be published in the Lancet Psychiatry, the authors explain that increasingly liberal cannabis laws in some countries and the increasing potency of cannabis worldwide mean that we need to think about whether and how cannabis can be made safer.
expert reaction to paper on creating an artificial mouse ‘embryo’ from stem cells
Researchers publishing in Science have created a structure resembling a mouse embryo in culture, using two types of stem cells and a 3d scaffold on which they can grow. read more
expert reaction to NICE reviewing cancer drugs on the old Cancer Drugs Fund, and recommending two bowel cancer drugs for routine use
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance which recommends Cetuximab and panitumumab, for previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, be moved from the Cancer Drugs Fund into routine use. read more
pyrethroid insecticides in pregnancy and in children, and childhood behavioural difficulties
Researchers publishing in the British Medical Journal investigated the associations between prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioural skills in 6-year-olds. read more
expert reaction to study looking at pyrethroid insecticides in pregnancy and in children, and childhood behavioural difficulties
Researchers publishing in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine investigated the associations between metabolite measures of prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioural skills in 6-year-olds. read more
BPA-free plastic and mice
A new study in Nature Communications reports that fluorene-9-bisphenol – a Bisphenol A substitute – has anti-oestrogenic effects in mice. read more
expert reaction to a new report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has published a new report, Non-invasive prenatal testing: ethical issues. read more
expert reaction to Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) and mice
A new study in Nature Communications reports that fluorene-9-bisphenol – a Bisphenol A substitute – has anti-oestrogenic effects in mice. read more
expert reaction to research on anti-clotting drugs and bleeding near the brain
Published in JAMA scientists investigated the association between use of antithrombotic drugs and subdural hematoma risk. read more
expert reaction to research into cardiac arrest in pregnancy
In BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology scientists describe the incidence, risks, management and outcomes of cardiac arrest in pregnancy in the UK population.
expert reaction to study looking at gene-edited pigs and resistance to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
Scientists publishing in PLOS Pathogens report that genome edited pigs show signs of resistance to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRSV) – a panzootic infectious disease of pigs, causing economic losses to the world-wide pig industry. read more
expert reaction to study looking at diabetes and a fasting-mimicking diet in mice, and in human cells
A study published in Cell looks at how a fasting-mimicking diet promotes the reprogramming of pancreatic cells to restore insulin generation in mouse models.
Leaving Euratom, consequences for the UK’s energy future
The nuclear energy research community in the UK has been shell shocked to learn that the Prime Minister’s Brexit Bill will also trigger the UK’s exit from the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). read more
expert reaction to study looking at glucose and Alzheimer’s disease
New research published in Scientific Reports investigates the underlying mechanism linking an association between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, suggesting excess glucose levels may be involved. read more
expert reaction to study looking at genome of human parechovirus (including the common cold)
Scientists publishing in Nature Communications claim to have identified – within the genome of Human Parechovirus – a “hidden code” of the common cold virus. read more
expert reaction to EAC report on the new Heathrow runway
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee have published ‘The Airports Commission Report Follow-up: Carbon Emissions, Air Quality and Noise’. read more