Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study looking at role of non-daytime shift work and physically demanding jobs on women’s fertility
Publishing in Occupational & Environmental Medicine new research claims women working non-daytime shifts and those with physically demanding jobs had fewer mature oocytes – on average – compared with women who worked day-only shifts. read more
expert reaction to study on teen vaping and future smoking
Published in Tobacco Control new research claims vaping can lead to tobacco smoking in teenagers. read more
toxicant exposure of users of e-cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy and tobacco
There is broad agreement that e-cigarettes are much less dangerous than tobacco but data on their actual health effects in humans are sparse. read more
expert reaction to study on contraceptive efficacy of Vasalgel in male rhesus monkeys
New research publishing in Basic and Clinical Andrology reports that new contraceptive “Vasalgel” provided effective birth control in rhesus monkey groups for more than one year. read more
expert reaction to research on toxin exposure of smokers, vapers and NRT users
In a new cross-sectional study publishing in the Annals of Internal Medicine scientists examined human exposure to cigarette smoke compared with e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement. read more
expert reaction to two papers on gene therapy for deafness in mice
Two papers publishing in Nature Biotechnology have reported – in a mouse model of Usher syndrome – the efficient delivery of genes to the inner ear, which led to an unprecedented correction of hearing loss and balance symptoms. read more
expert reaction to Prof Sir Mark Walport being appointed as chief executive of UKRI
It has been announced that the new CEO of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) will be Professor Sir Mark Walport. read more
expert reaction to e-cigarettes and cardiovascular risk
Researchers publishing in JAMA cardiology compared heart rate variability and markers of oxidative stress between e-cigarette users and non-users. read more
fighting restrictions on UK researchers is best way to show solidarity with our friends across the pond
There are worrying reports from the US suggesting that the Trump administration may be about to restrict government scientists from communicating their findings openly. read more
expert reaction to CRISPR cows with TB resistance
Scientists publishing in Genome Biology report that they have produced cloned cattle with increased resistance to bovine TB. The researchers used the genome editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 to alter the genetic code of the cattle. read more
expert reaction to study attempting to create human/pig chimera embryos using stem cells
Scientists publishing in Cell attempted to make interspecies chimeras – both rat/mouse chimera embryos, and human/pig chimera embryos, and reported both the successes and difficulties they faced. These techniques are of interest because they may advance understanding of the developing embryo, and may in future offer the possibility of growing human tissues in animals for transplants, although this is not yet possible.
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expert reaction to anti-Tau drug in animal models of Alzheimer’s
Publishing in Science Translational Medicine researchers claimed a drug targeting Tau – a protein that builds up in the brains of people with some neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s – prevented loss of brain cells in experimental animals.
expert reaction to study reporting functional mouse pancreatic islets grown in rats and transplanted into mice
Scientists publishing in Nature have shown that is it possible to generate rat/mouse chimeric pancreatic tissue by injecting mouse stem cells into rat early embryos. read more
Could overcooking some foods cause cancer?
Acrylamide is a chemical that is created naturally when many foods, particularly starchy foods like potatoes and bread, are cooked for long periods at high temperatures, such as when baking, frying, grilling, toasting and roasting. read more
expert reaction to sea levels and sea surface temperatures
Researchers publishing in Science have reported that sea surface temperatures during the last interglacial may have been no warmer than today. read more
Antibiotics in farming
Future dangers of antimicrobial resistance are widely acknowledged, with farming practices often blamed for the rise in resistance to common antibiotics in human diseases. read more
expert reaction to first reported case of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in a patient with MV genotype
In a Correspondence article published in the NEJM researchers report the first case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in a patient with a methionine valine (MV) heterozygous genotype for a prion protein. Prior to this all definite diagnoses were in humans with a homozygous genotype (MM). read more
expert reaction to confirmation that 2016 was the warmest on record
2016 was the warmest year on record according to a consolidated analysis by the World Meteorological Organization. read more
expert reaction to news of the birth of a baby in Ukraine through pronuclear transfer as a treatment for infertility
A baby has been born to a previously infertile couple in Ukraine using pronuclear transfer, a new type of “three-person IVF”. read more
expert reaction to eating disorders in middle-aged women
A population-based study published in BMC Medicine has examined lifetime and 12-month prevalence of eating disorders (ED) among women in mid-life. It claimed that a significant proportion of women will experience an ED by mid-life. read more