Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to a study, review and editorial looking at the effect on perinatal outcomes of different IVF culture media
Three articles published in the journal Human Reproduction have examined the effect of different liquids used for maintaining IVF embryos and report that the composition can influence success of implantation and pregnancy as well as other factors. read more
expert reaction to study investigating the long-term outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury in childhood
Researchers publishing in PLOS Medicine have assessed the long-term impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in young people and looked at the effect on early death, educational attainment, welfare requirements and need for psychiatric care. The study involved a large number of Swedish people who recorded a TBI (including concussion) before the age of 25 and compared them to siblings and others who had not had these injuries. read more
long-term impact of traumatic brain injuries in young people
Concerns over the long-term impacts of head injuries have frequently made the news, but the focus has largely been on professional sports players. Researchers have now assessed the long-term impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in young people and looked at the effect on early death, educational attainment, welfare requirements and need for psychiatric care. The study, published in PLOS Medicine, involved a large number of Swedish people who recorded a TBI (including concussion) before the age of 25 and compared them to siblings and others who had not had these injuries. read more
expert reaction to a study looking at the effect of the Zika virus on neural progenitors in the adult mouse brain
The Zika virus is known to negatively impact the growth of fetal brains and a group of researchers publishing in the journal Cell Stem Cell have investigated the effect of Zika on the adult brain reporting that infection can lead to cell death and reduced proliferation. read more
expert reaction to study investigating response to insulin in adipose tissue and the metabolic healthiness of obese individuals
Writing in the journal Cell Reports a group of scientists have reported that ‘metabolically healthy’ obese individual display similar genetic profiles to ‘metabolically unhealthy’ individuals in response to insulin suggesting that healthy obesity may be a false assertion. read more
expert reaction to childhood obesity strategy
The government has released its plan to tackle childhood obesity. read more
expert reaction to study investigating unhealthy diet in pregnancy and associated epigenetic changes linked to ADHD in children
A group of researchers publishing in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry have investigated prenatal high-fat and high-sugar diets, epigenetic markers and their relationship with ADHD in 164 children and report an association between an ‘unhealthy’ prenatal diet and higher ADHD symptoms. read more
expert reaction to study investigating neonicotinoid use on long-term population changes in bees
Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in the decline of bees, yet the evidence is derived from short-term laboratory studies on honeybees and bumblebees. Publishing in the journal Nature Communications scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology have investigated the long term, large scale impact of neonicotinoids on 62 wild bee species across England. read more
impacts of neonicotinoid use on long-term population changes in wild bees in England
Neonicotinoid insecticides have been implicated in the decline of bees, yet the evidence is derived from short-term laboratory studies on honeybees and bumblebees. Scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology have investigated the long term, large scale impact of neonicotinoids on 62 wild bee species across England and are publishing in Nature Communications on August 16th. read more
expert reaction to study investigating the association between paracetamol use in pregnancy and behavioural difficulties in children
The effect of a parent’s paracetamol use before and after a child’s birth and the child’s behavioural problems is a analysed in a paper published in JAMA Pediatrics in which the authors report that children who were exposed to paracetamol prenatally were at increased risk of multiple behavioural difficulties. read more
scientists respond to chancellor’s announcement on EU grant funding post Brexit
It has been announced that certain EU funding for research projects will be guaranteed by the UK government after Brexit. read more
expert reaction to study looking at weekly activity levels and five chronic diseases (breast cancer, bowel cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke)
A group of researchers publishing in The BMJ have examined the effect of physical activity on breast cancer, bowel cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke and report that people who significantly exceeded current minimum levels of exercise had a lower risk of those five diseases. read more
expert reaction to study looking at dog fertility and environmental contaminants
Publishing in the journal Scientific Reports a group of researchers have assessed fertility in a group of dogs and report a decline in sperm motility since 1988 and suggest a potential link to the presence of certain chemicals. read more
expert reaction to trial of drug for treatment of asthma symptoms
Inflammation of airways is often found in asthmatic patients and a group of researchers publishing in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal have reported that a drug taken as a pill alongside standard inhaler treatment was associated with reduce asthmatic inflammation, increase lung function and improved asthma control in a group of people with severe asthma. read more
new findings on badgers and cattle
As the government prepares to announce the widespread rollout of badger culling, intended to protect cattle from bovine tuberculosis (TB), new research, carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Imperial College London and published in Ecology Letters, has looked into how often badgers and cattle meet. Badgers clearly contribute to the cattle TB problem, but how the disease transmits between the two species has remained a mystery. Using cutting-edge technology to track large numbers of badgers and cattle simultaneously, the team looked into whether and how often badgers came close enough to cattle to transmit TB directly, and whether there may be other means of transmission through contamination of the environment. read more
expert reaction to study looking at air pollution and survival in people with lung cancer
The effect of air pollution on mortality in patients with lung cancer is explored in a paper published in the journal Thorax with the researcher team reporting that exposure to air pollution after lung cancer diagnosis can shorten survival time. read more
expert reaction to acupuncture and mild cognitive impairment
Researchers publishing in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine have conducted a meta-analysis of five trials and report that acupuncture appears to be effective for the treatment of a pre-dementia condition (amnestic mild cognitive impairment) though they caution that the studies in question had low methodological quality. read more
expert reaction to study looking at potential Zika vaccines in rhesus macaque monkeys
A research article published in the journal Science has reported the efficacy of three different vaccine platforms against the Zika virus in rhesus macaque monkeys. read more
liquid biopsies for cancer
To give cancer patients the best treatment, doctors need important information about the genetic and molecular make-up of their cancer. Tissue biopsies are often used but they do not always give a comprehensive view of the cancer, they can be invasive, and it may not be possible to repeat them very often. With major changes in the ease and cost of DNA sequencing, scientists are now working on the possibility of ‘fishing’ out genetic material from tumours via the blood in order to get information about the make-up of the patient’s cancer. The aim is for these ‘liquid biopsies’ to give a comprehensive view of the way a cancer progresses, which can help identify which treatments to give, and may spot when the cancer is becoming resistant to its current treatment. The tests can also give valuable information to cancer researchers that could develop treatments in the future. Already some UK patients on clinical trials are being given these liquid biopsies as part of their treatment. read more
expert reaction to genetic study looking at cholesterol levels, heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Publishing in JAMA Cardiology a group of researchers have reported an association between levels of cholesterol and triglycerides due to genetics and risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes. read more