Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study investigating the effects of activity and sitting time on mortality
Publishing in The Lancet journal a group of researchers have carried out a meta-analysis reviewing the effects of sedentary behaviour and physical activity and report that around 60-75 minutes of moderate intensity activity can mitigate the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time. read more
expert reaction to study investigating the effect of neonicotinoid pesticides on male honeybee fertility
The effect of neonicotinoids on the fertility of male honeybees is examined in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B in which the authors report that the insecticide reduced lifespan of the bees in question as well as sperm viability but not sperm quantity. read more
Nottingham Dollies
Just three weeks after the scientific world marked the 20th anniversary of the birth of Dolly the sheep, new research, carried out by The University of Nottingham and published in Nature Communications, has shown that four clones derived from the same cell line as Dolly reached their 8th birthdays in good health. Nottingham’s Dollies – Debbie, Denise, Dianna and Daisy – have just celebrated their 9th birthdays. They are part of a unique flock of cloned sheep under the care of Professor Kevin Sinclair, an expert in developmental biology, in the School of Biosciences. read more
expert reaction to modelling study looking at risk of international Zika virus spread represented by 2016 Olympics in Brazil
A group of researchers publishing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine have used a modelling study to estimate the risk of Zika infection to those traveling to the Olympics in Brazil and suggest the number of infected travelers returning to all countries to be between 3 and 37. read more
expert reaction to study investigating use of a statin and birth outcomes in women with the autoimmune condition antiphospholipid syndrome
Publishing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation a group of researchers have reported that in a small group of 21 pregnant women with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), the use of a specific statin was associated with improved pregnancy outcomes in terms of complications such as preeclampsia. read more
expert reaction to modelling study estimating number of childbearing women at risk of Zika infection in the Americas
The ongoing Zika outbreak in the Americas is the subject of a paper published in the journal Nature Microbiology which estimates the number of people, women of childbearing age, and pregnancies which may be affected by the epidemic. read more
expert reaction to behavioural activation therapy for depression
A comparison between cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and behavioural activation (BA) for the treatment of depression is made in a study published in The Lancet journal. The authors report that the two treatments are equally effective at treating depression in adults and that BA can be delivered by junior mental health workers at a lower cost. read more
Zika virus and the Rio Olympics
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, will begin in early August. The Zika virus outbreak is ongoing in some parts of Brazil (among other countries in the Americas and the Pacific). read more
expert reaction to research on alcohol and cancer
A study published in the journal Addiction has reported that drinking alcohol is linked to the development of seven forms of cancer. read more
the future of cancer research – how can we outsmart cancer?
Cancer is the UK’s biggest killer, claiming around 160,000 lives every year. Survival rates have improved enormously in some types of cancer, but patients with other tumour types continue to do very poorly, and once the disease has spread round the body it is still often incurable. Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden have been working over the last year to identify the biggest challenges we face in treating cancer, and come up with an action plan to overcome them. The ICR will be launching their action plan. read more
expert reaction to film titled ‘The Big Fat Fix’ on prescribing lifestyle interventions for conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes
A film titled ‘The Big Fat Fix’ has been released which focuses on the use of ‘lifestyle medicine’ to treat diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. read more
expert reaction to story reporting the rejuvenation of women’s ovaries post-menopause
A group of scientists have reported a way to rejuvenate post-menopausal ovaries. read more
expert reaction to new SACN recommendations on vitamin D
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has recommended that everyone over one year of age should consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day in order to protect musculoskeletal health. read more
expert reaction to new research on Antarctic temperatures
Publishing in the journal Nature researchers from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have reported how a regional cooling phase in the Antarctic is a result of natural forces temporarily masking the longer warming trend. read more
pause in Antarctic Peninsula warming
The rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula, which occurred from the early-1950s to the late 1990s, has paused. The stabilisation of the ozone hole, changing wind patterns and natural variability were significant in bringing about this change. Together these factors have caused the peninsula, which makes up 1% of the Antarctic, to enter a temporary cooling phase. Temperatures remain higher than measured during the middle of the 20th Century, so glacial retreat is still taking place. Scientists predict that if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise at the current rate, temperatures will increase across the Antarctic Peninsula by several degrees Centigrade by the end of this century. read more
expert reaction to the release of the annual Home Office statistics on animal research
The Home Office has released its annual statistics on the use of animals in research. read more
annual Home Office statistics on animal research
On Wednesday 20th July the Home Office published its 2015 statistics on animals used in scientific procedures as well as the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report. Journalists came along to hear the latest figures from two Home Office officials, along with responses from three leading experts who have a broad overview of animal research and gave their thoughts on the reasons behind any rise or fall in the statistics or issues raised in the report. read more
expert reaction to study comparing home-cooked meals from specialist recipes and pre-prepared commercial meals for infants
Publishing in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal a group of researchers have reported that commercially bought meals are more energy-dense and contain greater vegetable variety compared to home-cooked meals which used cookbook recipes, whereas home-cooked meals were cheaper though tended to exceed energy and fat recommendations. read more
expert reaction to study investigating omega 3 intake and survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis
The effect of omega-3 fatty acid intake on survival after colorectal cancer (CRC) is examined in a paper published in the journal Gut in which the authors report that high intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish after CRC diagnosis is associated with lower risk of mortality due to CRC. read more
expert reaction to study looking at different types of polyunsaturated fatty acid and type 2 diabetes risk
The relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of type 2 diabetes is explored in a paper published in the journal PLOS Medicine which reports differences in risk levels between specific fatty acids. read more