Author Archives: Science Media Centre
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
expert reaction to WHO statement on the need for European countries to prevent Zika virus disease spread now
The World Health Organization has urged European countries to prepare themselves for cases of Zika virus, as it warns that every country which Aedes mosquitoes are present are at risk. read more
sedentary behaviour and diabetes
Publishing in the journal Diabetologia, a group of scientists have investigated the results from a study of activity and report that sedentary time was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. read more
expert reaction to reported case of Zika infection in USA potentially via sexual intercourse with someone that had returned from a Zika-affected country
Reports are emerging from the USA of a case of Zika infection caused through sexual contact with a person who had returned from Venezuela, rather than a mosquito bite. Such occurrences are thought to be extremely rare. read more
expert reaction to WHO decision that the microcephaly clusters, associated with Zika infection in Brazil (and previously in French Polynesia), do constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
The World Health Organization has warned that Zika virus and associated microcephaly clusters pose a public health emergency of international concern. read more
expert reaction to research on the 2013/14 flooding and climate change
An article published in the journal Nature Climate Change has modeled the effects of climate change due to human activity, and report that it increased the likelihood of extreme rainfall. read more
expert reaction to HFEA granting first UK licence for use of genome editing techniques on human embryos
The HFEA has announced that it has granted a licence for the use of genome editing techniques on human embryos to Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute, the first of its kind in the UK. read more
expert reaction to paper on effectiveness and side-effects of proton beam therapy for specific brain tumours in children
The use and effects of proton beam therapy, which affects less normal tissue when targeting a tumour than traditional radiotherapy, are addressed in a paper published in The Lancet Oncology journal. The authors report similar survival levels as conventional radiotherapy as well as “acceptable toxicity”. read more
expert reaction to study reporting weak association between playing certain types of video games in childhood and risk of conduct disorder in teenage years
Use of video games and subsequent behavioural issues is the subject of paper published in the journal PLOS One, and the authors report a weak association between ‘shoot-em-up’ games and conduct disorder and no association between those games and depression. read more
expert reaction to WHO estimate of 3-4 million cases of Zika in the Americas over the next 12 months
The World Health Organization has predicted that there may be up to four million cases of Zika infection in the Americas this year. An outbreak of Zika virus is ongoing in Central and South America, with a possible link to microcephaly in babies. read more
expert reaction to dietary flavonoids and weight maintenance
Publishing in The BMJ a group of scientists have investigated the effects of dietary flavonoids on weight and report that higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids was associated with a reduction in weight over time. read more