Author Archives: Science Media Centre
The Cancer Drugs Fund: was it worth it?
The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was launched in England in 2010 to provide patients with access to anti-cancer drugs not available through the NHS because the drugs had not been appraised, were in the process of being appraised, or had been appraised but not recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). read more
expert reaction to ruling on publication of air pollution strategy
The UK government has lost a court bid to delay publication of its air pollution strategy, and must now release it before the June election. read more
expert reaction to study investigating the association between grandmothers smoking during pregnancy and autistic traits in grandchildren
A new study, published in Scientific Reports, investigates the association between a female’s maternal grandmother smoking during pregnancy and grandchild being at increased risk of developing autism. read more
Cochrane review of evidence on tobacco packaging
After 20 May 2017, new legislation will require tobacco to be sold in standardised (plain) packaging across the UK. read more
expert reaction to two papers on modelling neural networks in the developing brain
Reported in Nature, two teams of scientists have created three-dimensional cellular models of the human brain to study and modify key aspects of early brain development. read more
expert reaction to study looking at inhalation of gold nanoparticles as a model of air pollution nanoparticles
Publishing in ACS Nano scientists report that inhalation of tiny particles of pollution could be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
read more
Air pollution nanoparticles
There is mounting evidence that air pollution is bad for our health – but what actually happens inside our bodies when we breathe in particulate matter? read more
expert reaction to editorial on saturated fat and heart disease
In an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers report that saturated fat does not increase the risk of a heart attack by clogging up arteries and the risk of coronary heart disease can be reduced by healthy lifestyle interventions. read more
expert reaction to supporting premature lambs in an external artificial womb
In a new study, published in Nature Communications, scientists created an artificial womb which kept lambs born at the equivalent of 23 weeks gestation, alive. read more
expert reaction to climate hiatus statistics
Publishing in Environmental Research Letters scientists examined global-mean surface temperature trends, taking in to consideration a recent series of three record-breaking years in a row. read more
expert reaction to bisphenol-A and autoimmunity in mice
Publishing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) scientists investigate whether gestational exposure to BPA increases susceptibility of adult male mice to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). read more
expert reaction to research on possible spread of C. difficile via food distribution networks
New research being presented at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), uses DNA fingerprinting to examine which particular types of bacteria were causing infections in patients and how widely they are distributed in Europe. read more
expert reaction to artificially-sweetened fizzy drinks, stroke and dementia
A new prospective cohort study publishing in Stroke investigates if there is an increased risk of stroke and dementia after sugar and artificially sweetened beverage consumption. read more
expert reaction to the march for science
A March for Science is taking place on Saturday 22nd April in London and other cities across the world. read more
expert reaction to research on inhaled asthma steroids and pneumonia risk
Publishing in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers looked at the relationship between use of inhaled corticosteroids and pneumonia risk in COPD patients. read more
expert reaction to study investigating two repurposed drugs and neurodegeneration in mice
A study published in Brain discusses the identification of two drugs (trazodone hydrochloride, a licensed antidepressant; and dibenzoylmethane) which reportedly block the brain cell death pathway and stop neurodegeneration in mouse models of prion disease frontotemporal dementia. read more
expert reaction to study looking at human cord-blood protein and cognitive function in old mice
Publishing in Nature, researchers have looked at the effect of human cord-blood protein on the hippocampus in the brains of old mice and reported an improvement in cognitive function. read more
expert reaction to review and meta analysis on use of antidepressants before and during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders
Publishing in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that examined the association between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and fetal exposure to antidepressants. read more
expert reaction to hydrothermal processes found on one of saturn’s moons, enceladus
Publishing in Science, researchers have reported that the Cassini spacecraft has detected molecular hydrogen on Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. read more
expert reaction to study looking at toddler touch screen use and sleep
Publishing in Scientific Reports, researchers have looked at the amount of screen time use and sleeping patterns in toddlers. read more