Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study reporting a potential molecular test for biological ageing
Publishing in the journal Genome Biology, a group of scientists has described their identification of an “RNA signature” from a person’s blood sample, which they report can be used to predict future health. read more
expert reaction to prescription thresholds and statins
An editorial published in the journal Prescriber has challenged the prescription thresholds of various medications, including statins, and suggested that lifestyle interventions were more critical. read more
expert reaction to changes to the Cancer Drugs Fund
It has been announced that the Cancer Drugs Fund will no longer pay for a number of medicines which were previously available. read more
expert reaction to screen time, sedentary behaviour and GCSE results
Screen time (watching TV, playing computer games or browsing the internet) and sedentary behaviour have both been at the centre of recent controversy, causing particular concern amongst parents worried that their children are being harmed through long periods sitting and looking at a screen. Publishing in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers have conducted a study to determine if looking at screens, compared to reading or doing homework, or being sedentary appears to have any impact on GCSE results. read more
screen time, sedentary behaviour and GCSEs results
Screen time (watching TV, playing computer games or browsing the internet) and sedentary behaviour have both been at the centre of recent controversy, causing particular concern amongst parents worried that their children are being harmed through long periods sitting and looking at a screen. Researchers have now conducted a study to determine if looking at screens, compared to reading or doing homework, or being sedentary appears to have any impact on GCSE results. read more
expert encounter: end of life care, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London
NICE recently published their draft guideline on end of life care which will replace the Liverpool Care Pathway. The draft guideline was open for public consultation until Wednesday 9 September with the final guideline expected to be published by the end of 2015. Before the consultation closed, two palliative care experts came to the SMC to give their opinions on the draft NICE guideline. read more
expert reaction to new research on tree numbers
Dr Helen McKay, Head of the Centre for Sustainable Forestry and Climate Change at the Forestry Commission’s Forest … read more
expert reaction to study reporting that a high salt intake could directly increase risk of obesity
A paper in the journal Hypertension reported that there could be a direct link between high salt intake and obesity risk. read more
expert reaction to report on the reproducibility of psychological research
In a paper in Science researchers attempted to replicate 100 recently published psychology studies. They report that they could successfully repeat the original experiments in most of them, but that they were able to reproduce the original results in less than half. read more
teenage goths, self-harm and depression
Depression and self-harm are common among teenagers, with up to one in five 15 year olds in England saying they self-harm. Some evidence has suggested that some subcultures are more strongly associated with depression and self-harm than others, but it is always difficult to work out whether these results are simply the result of study limitations and confounding variables. Researchers publishing in The Lancet Psychiatry have used longitudinal data to assess whether a teenager’s social group at 15 predicts their depression and self-harm when aged 18. read more
expert reaction to study on antibiotics and type 2 diabetes
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism is reporting an association between antibiotic use and the risk of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes read more
expert reaction to editorial suggesting we stop counting calories and instead concentrate on nutritional values of food to improve heart health
The authors of an editorial appearing in Open Heart are calling for an end to ‘calorie counting’, instead suggesting a shift towards shaping the diet around the nutritional value of foods in order to reduce risk of cardiovascular disea read more
expert reaction to Germany’s move to ban GM crops
The German government is reported to have taken steps to stop the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. read more
expert reaction to new study on vitamin D deficiency and MS
A possible link between vitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been explored in a paper published in the journal PLOS Medicine, in which the authors report that gene variants which were associated with lower levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk for MS. read more
expert reaction to two papers describing two different potential universal flu vaccines in animals
Two teams of scientists have published their work in the journals Nature Medicine and Science, and report the development and successful testing of vaccines in animals which aim to protect against a variety influenza viruses. read more
expert reaction to Met Office losing forecasting contract with BBC
The BBC has announced that the Met Office has lost the contract to supply its weather forecasts, after 93 years of providing the service. read more
expert reaction to number of people with dementia stabilising
Examining a number of previously published studied, an article in The Lancet Neurology journal has reported that the overall levels of dementia occurrence may be stabilising. read more
expert reaction to new research in mice on fertility and light-dark cycle
Publishing in the journal Cell Reports, a group of researchers has explored changes to age-related changes to fertility cycles in mice, reporting that changes to cycles of light and dark disrupted the regularity of oestrus in middle-aged female mice. read more
the news may not do nuance – science should
I certainly don’t want to stoke the embers of the Tim Hunt affair and like many I was desperate for the … read more
expert reaction to possible link between neonicotinoid seed coating and bee colony losses
The use of neonicotinoid pesticides continues to be an area of heated debate, and a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports has reported a correlation between loss of honey bee colonies and use of a particular neonicotinoid in England and Wales, as well as a possible economic benefit to farmers who were able reduce subsequent insecticide applications. read more