Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Future of Psychiatry – Professor Jeffrey Lieberman
Professor Lieberman was President of the American Psychiatric Association for DSM-5, the latest edition of the controversial diagnostic manual used in the US that caused a transatlantic row, he was involved in the early development of the antipsychotic drug Clozapine, led world-leading studies into treatments for schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s and worked on the US government’s Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. read more
house of lords report: EU membership- good or bad for UK science?
The EU Referendum continues to dominate the airwaves as Britain prepares itself to vote on the 23 June, and there has been a lot of back and forth about what impact an exit could have on the UK and what a post-EU Britain would look like. Science and innovation is a major thread in this debate. On Wednesday 20 April, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee published its report on the relationship between EU membership and the effectiveness of UK science. The committee inquired into how a possible British exit from the EU would impact on UK science and the scientific community, including how research funding, collaborations, and regulation might have to change. read more
expert reaction to UK dementia rates
In a new study, published in Nature Communications, researchers compared the actual number of dementia cases in the UK to earlier decades and previous predictions. They report a 20% drop in incidence of dementia between their two samples (1989-1994, 2008-2011) which they attribute mainly to a reduction in men. read more
dementia rates in the UK
As ageing populations increase, fears of a dementia ‘tsunami’ have grown, with some suggesting that dementia will be the main threat to future health and leading the Prime Minister to announce his dementia 2020 challenge. However, recent research has suggested that the number of cases may be more complicated than we initially thought. read more
expert reaction to today’s clarification of the anti-lobbying clause
The government has clarified in the House of Lords that it does not intend for the proposed anti-lobbying clause to cover academic researchers funded through the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, the research councils or national academies, and will consult further and make another announcement by May 1st. read more
expert reaction to the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on EU and UK Environmental Policy
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has published its third report on the EU and UK environmental policy in which they say that EU membership has a positive effect on the UK’s environmental policy. read more
expert reaction to IL-33 protein for dementia in mice
Finding the causes of, and treatments for, Alzheimer’s disease is important to reduce the burden of ageing, and the authors of a paper published in the journal PNAS report the use as a therapy of a particular protein which is involved in inflammation. read more
expert reaction to earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador
Two large earthquakes have struck in Japan and Ecuador, with dozens and hundreds dead, respectively. read more
Tributes following the death of Professor Sir David MacKay
We are sad to hear that Professor Sir David MacKay, the University of Cambridge’s Regius Professor of Engineering and former Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, died yesterday aged 48. read more
expert reaction to study looking at e-cigarettes, point-of-sale displays, and teenagers
E-cigarettes are a relatively new technology and their positive and negative effects are subject to extensive debate. Publishing in the BMC Public Health journal a group of researchers have reported that in their study adolescents who recalled seeing e-cigarettes in shops were more likely to have tried vaping. read more
the world’s largest imaging (scanning) study gets under way
Taking pictures of the inside of the body is well known as a clinical diagnostic tool, but it also holds tremendous promise for health research and a better understanding of a wide range of diseases, like dementia, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and stroke. Scientists in the UK are now embarking on the world’s largest ever imaging research study. Its goal is to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other state-of-the-art imaging methods to scan 100,000 people (at least 10 times bigger than any previous imaging study) in the coming years and provide the most detailed examination yet of major organs. These images will allow scientists all over the world to discover new early signs and risk factors of disease, to better understand why some people develop major diseases and others do not, and to develop interventions (such as new drugs, or changes in lifestyle) that could prevent these diseases. read more
expert reaction to study investigating the relationship between fertility treatment, dense breast tissue, and potential breast cancer risk
Breast density is a known risk factor for breast cancer and a paper published in journal Breast Cancer Research has examined an association with infertility. The authors report that in their study women reporting infertility had higher levels of dense breast tissue and that treatment for fertility may also contribute to increased density. read more
expert reaction to study on vegetable oil, cholesterol levels, and risk of heart disease
Various components of diet have been linked to a range of diseases and the contribution of different types of fats to heart disease is the subject of a paper published in The BMJ. The authors reanalysed results from a trial which replaced saturated fats with vegetable oils, and they report that this led to cholesterol reduction but didn’t have a protective effect in terms of heart disease. read more
expert reaction to case study of reconstruction of oesophageal tissue in a patient in the USA
Regeneration of tissues and organs following injury or other events is a complex task. A case study has been published in The Lancet journal which reports the use of a non-biological scaffold to bridge a gap in the oesophagus of a 24 year old man, which was then able to support regeneration of tissues and restoration of structure and function. read more
can we treat paedophilia?
The parents of April Jones last year threw their weight behind a controversial organisation offering treatment to paedophiles. Rather than only punishment after the event, this school of thought calls for research into potential strategies or even medical treatments that could prevent paedophiles from acting out their desires and reduce offending rates. The approach is obviously highly contentious and there is little or no research done in the UK. But researchers in the Karolinska institute in Sweden are looking at establishing a preventive treatment for men with paedophilic disorder, to intervene before the damage is done, in order to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse. As part of this programme of research Swedish scientists will launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money for a randomised control trial to test a new drug that could reduce sex drive. read more
expert reaction to Northern Hemisphere hydroclimate variability
In order to make accurate simulations of our future global climate, experts have required suitable instruments to measure data from the past. In this study published in the journal Science researchers describe the degree of hydroclimate variability in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 1200 years. read more
expert reaction to study on exposure to pesticides and the effect on learning in bees
One of the concerns of the use of pesticides has been its impact on insect pollinators in ecosystems. Publishing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal a group of researchers have reported that the pesticides that they tested affected the learning of honeybee and bumblebee differently and that this should be accounted for when creating accurate pollination models. read more
expert reaction to study on potential new technique of stem cell repair
Publishing in the journal PNAS a group of scientists have reported their use of specific compounds to convert normal cells in the body to stem cells which can be used to create multiple types of specialised cells. read more
Prof Myles Allen: Economic growth and CO2 disposal both essential to stabilizing climate
In a new paper to be published in Nature Climate Change, Prof. Myles Allen, from the Oxford Martin Programme on Resource Stewardship, argues that: large-scale capture and disposal of carbon dioxide is essential if we are to realistically stabilise the climate in the future; only a tiny fraction of the billions spent on combatting climate change is directed towards these vital ‘backstop’ technologies; sacrificing economic growth to reduce emissions could impair future generations’ ability to reduce emissions to zero. read more
expert reaction to a study investigating the efficacy and side-effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs in statin-intolerant patients
A comparison of a particular statin with two non-statin therapies is the subject of a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. read more