Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study investigating proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and risk of dementia
A study published in JAMA Neurology has reported that patients who used a specific type of drug (proton pump inhibitors) for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases had an increased risk of dementia. read more
expert reaction to study looking at fish consumption during pregnancy and child obesity and growth
Publishing in JAMA Pediatrics, a group of researchers investigated the association between mother’s consumption of fish while pregnant and growth in infancy and obesity in their children, and reported that high intake of fish (defined as more than three times a week) was associated with increased risk of rapid growth in infancy and also childhood obesity in some but not all age groups. read more
expert reaction to study investigating possible effect of anticancer drug on Alzheimer’s disease protein build up
The aggregation of certain proteins is linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and a group of scientist publishing in the journal Science Advances have reported their use of an anticancer drug to prevent this build up in a worm model organism. read more
expert comments on Guillain-Barré Syndrome and the Zika virus outbreak in central and South America
The Zika outbreak in Central and South America has been linked to microcephaly, a small head with limited brain development, in babies as well as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder which brings about muscle weakness. read more
expert reaction to study investigating low dose iron treatments and DNA damage in human cells
Publishing in the journal PLOS One a group of scientists have reported that low dose iron medical treatments could modify the cells that they looked at and brought about DNA damage. read more
expert reaction to announcement on gravitational waves
It has been announced that, for the first time, scientists have detected gravitational waves which would confirm the theory of general relativity. read more
expert reaction to global scientific community commitment to sharing data on Zika
There has been a commitment from global health bodies including academic journals, research funders and institutes “to sharing data and results relevant to the current Zika crisis and future public health emergencies as rapidly and openly as possible”. read more
expert reaction to reports that four cases have been diagnosed in returned UK travellers in 2016, plus response to journalist questions on testing and diagnosis in UK
Public Health England reported that four cases of Zika infection in travellers returning from affected areas have been diagnosed in the UK since the start of the year. read more
expert reaction to inquiry into the future of UK Carbon Capture and Storage
The parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Select Committee has published a report on the future of UK carbon capture and storage which says that, without it, meeting climate change targets will be more difficult. read more
historic air pollution exposure and long-term health and mortality risks
Exposure to air pollution has been associated with numerous health conditions including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and death. However, investigating the precise impact of air pollution exposure on health outcomes is challenging, particularly when taking historic pollution levels into account. Nonetheless the subject of air pollution, especially in the UK’s major cities, is still a cause of great concern for doctors, policy makers, and the wider population. read more
historic air pollution exposure and long-term mortality risks
In one of the longest-running studies of its kind, researchers from Imperial College London have published in the journal Thorax their investigation into the possible effects of long-term air pollution exposure over nearly 40 years on various health outcomes including mortality. read more
expert reaction to Taiwan earthquake
A powerful earthquake has struck Tainan City in Taiwan. read more
expert reaction to reports of Zika virus being detected in urine and saliva of two patients in Brazil
Reports from Brazil say that active Zika virus has been detected in urine and saliva of patients. read more
concussion: a blockbuster issue?
Next week the UK will see the launch of Concussion, a Hollywood blockbuster starring Will Smith and Alec Baldwin, which tells the true story of how the sports-related brain trauma CTE was first discovered in former NFL players. This weekend, the Six Nations will kick off almost a year to the day after George North, the Welsh winger, was twice knocked unconscious in his side’s opening match against England but was controversially allowed to continue playing. Unlike America, the UK is only now waking up to the potential long-term consequences of concussion in contact sports. read more
expert reaction to pilot study on inositol plus folic acid in pregnancy, and neural tube defects
Publishing in the British Journal of Nutrition a group of scientists have examined the effect of inositol on using folic to prevent neural tube defects. read more
expert reaction reports of Zika case in a pregnant woman in Spain, who was infected in Colombia
A pregnant woman in Spain has been diagnosed with Zika virus having recently returned from Colombia where she is thought to have been infected. read more
expert reaction to continuing Zika outbreak, microcephaly clusters and mosquitoes
Further comments from experts on different aspects related to Zika, including microcephaly clusters and mosquitoes, as the outbreak continues to develop. read more
expert reaction to new review on the impact of smoking bans on harms of passive smoking
Passive smoking has long been known to pose a health risk to non-smokers, and efforts to reduce levels of second-hand smoke have seen bans on indoor smoking in public and work places introduced in a number of countries, states, and regions. Publishing in the Cochrane Library a group of scientists have reported that national smoking legislation does reduce the harms of passive smoking and that populations benefit from reduced exposure to passive smoke. read more
have national smoking bans worked in reducing harms in passive smoking?
Passive smoking has long been known to pose a health risk to non-smokers, and efforts to reduce levels of second-hand smoke have seen bans on indoor smoking in public and work places introduced in a number of countries, states, and regions. A previous Cochrane Review in 2010 examined whether these smoking bans had actually reduced the levels of smoke in public places, and now an updated review has looked at evidence into the effects of the bans on passive smoking. The most robust evidence yet, published in the Cochrane Library, suggests that national smoking legislation does reduce the harms of passive smoking and that populations benefit from reduced exposure to passive smoke. read more
expert reaction to study investigating removing so-called senescent cells from middle-aged mice, their lifespan and age-related decline
Publishing in the journal Nature a group of scientists have examined the effects of a particular gene on ageing in mice and report that removal of cells in which it was present could delay tumour formation and age-related deterioration of organs. read more