Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Annual Home Office statistics on animal research
This briefing focused on the publication from the Home Office of its 2014 statistics on animals used in scientific procedures as well as the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report for 2014. The latest figures were presented alongside responses from three leading experts who have a broad overview of animal research could give their thoughts on the reasons behind any changes in the statistics or issues raised in the annual report. The ‘Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals 2014’ is compiled from returns provided by project licence holders. The annual report provides an account of the Home Office’s activities in relation to the regulation of animal testing. read more
expert reaction to the release of the annual Home Office statistics on animal research
The Home Office has released its latest statistics on the number of animals used in research. read more
expert reaction to study looking at diet and brain shrinkage in an elderly US population
A study published in the journal Neurology has looked at a possible association between a Mediterranean style diet and brain size. They report that in a group of elderly people, they observed higher total brain volume as well as other specific measurements in those who had a stricter adherence to the diet. read more
expert reaction to evidence given to the Health Select Committee on the childhood obesity strategy
This included comments from Dr Alison Tedstone of Public Health England that fiscal measures have a role in reducing sugar consumption but that three other measures rank above a sugar tax (tackling promotions, advertising and sugar content via reformulation and portion sizes). read more
expert reaction to results from the loophole-free Bell test
Publishing in the journal Nature, a group of scientists have described their work on quantum theory, reporting an instantaneous interaction between two electrons separated by a distance of 1.3 km. read more
expert reaction to updates from the Royal Free Hospital on the condition of Ebola patient Pauline Cafferkey
The Royal Free Hospital has provided updates to the condition of Pauline Cafferkey, the British Nurse who was readmitted to hospital following infection with Ebola virus in 2014, saying that she is recovering well after developing meningitis caused by Ebola. read more
Ebola virus persistence Q&A
The following Q&A was prepared by experts on Ebola and infectious diseases in response to the readmission to hospital of Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who was infected with Ebola in 2014. read more
expert reaction to today’s confirmed Hinkley Point deal
It has been announced that a deal has been agreed for Britain’s first nuclear power plant in a generation to be built at Hinkley Point in Somerset. read more
expert reaction to new paper examining airport proximity and respiratory and cardiac health
A study of the effects of air pollution on people living in the areas around the 12 largest airports in California has been published in The Review of Economic Studies journal, in which they estimate health and related financial costs. read more
expert reaction to study investigating leptin gene therapy and weight loss in rats
Publishing in the Journal of Endocrinology, scientists have used a form of gene therapy with the aim of reducing weight in rats. They report that rats which were treated with therapy which delivered the gene for the protein leptin lost weight, while rats which had a control treatment gained weight. read more
expert reaction to risk of cancer and occupational exposure to ionising radiation
There is a known association between exposure to high levels of radiation and cancer, and a study published in The BMJ has examined whether or not low doses of ionising radiation increase the risk of solid cancers. The authors report that the rate of cancer increases with exposure to radiation in a linear manner, along with mortality. read more
expert reaction to conference presentation (unpublished work) on mitochondrial DNA content and embryo implantation
Unpublished work presented at the 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference has reported associations between the mitochondrial DNA content of early stage embryos and their success at implantation in the womb following IVF. read more
expert reaction to new study investigating brain immune cells and inflammation in people with or at risk of schizophrenia
Scientists studying schizophrenia have published their work in the American Journal of Psychiatry which looks at the activity of immune cells in the brain (microglia). They report that activity of these cells was higher in patients with or at risk of schizophrenia, and suggest that inflammation may be a factor in such disorders. read more
expert reaction to study quantifying threat of antibiotic resistance on surgery and chemotherapy in the USA
Publishing in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal a group of scientists has estimated the impact of antibiotic resistance on surgery and chemotherapy treatments in the USA, as well as modelling what may happen with increased levels of resistance. read more
expert reaction to a study on the persistence of Ebola virus RNA in the semen of survivors, and accompanying report on sexual transmission of the Ebola virus
Researchers have published in the New England Journal of Medicine their work which reports that infective Ebola virus can be found in the semen of those who survived the disease up to nine months following initial infection. read more
expert reaction to reports that Ebola patient Pauline Cafferkey’s condition has worsened and that she is now critically ill at the Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital has released a statement saying that Pauline Cafferkey, a British nurse who was infected with Ebola in 2014, is now critically ill after being readmitted to hospital last week following an “unusual late complication” from the original infection. read more
questioning the quality of animal research
Animal studies are a vital part of scientific endeavour, particularly for clinical trials, but it is vital that the information gleaned from them is robust and that animals are not being put through unnecessary procedures. Researchers have been doing a systematic review of trials and assessed them for their statistical robustness. read more
expert reaction to new study examining robustness of animal-based research over the last 70 years
Animal studies are a vital part of scientific endeavour, particularly for clinical trials, but it is vital that the information gleaned from them is robust and that animals are not being put through unnecessary procedures. Researchers have been doing a systematic review of trials and assessed them for their statistical robustness. The research, published in PLoS Biology, looks at issues such as randomisation and blinding which increase rigour and reduce the risk of bias. read more
expert reaction to study examining the reproducibility of cancer research
A study in the journal eLife has estimated the accuracy of reported effect sizes of a specific anti-cancer drug in pre-clinical studies. They report an overestimate of effect in those studies and suggest publication bias as a factor. read more
expert reaction to study using CRISPR to produce pig organs suitable for xenotransplantation into humans
Publishing in the journal Science, a research group has reported their use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to modify genes in pigs with the aim of improving acceptance of organs transplanted into humans. read more