Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study investigating screen time and bone health in adolescents
Low physical activity is a risk factor for a number of diseases, and researchers publishing in the BMJ Open have examined a possible association between activity and time spent in front of television or computer screens at weekends. The research team looked Norwegian adolescents and report that in boys, “screen time” was negatively associated with bone mineral density. read more
expert reaction to proteins in blood may help detect Alzheimer’s
The use of blood tests to diagnose specific diseases is a vital tool in modern medicine, and researchers publishing in the journal Neurology have described their early attempts to look for markers which could one day be used in a test for Alzheimer’s. Using a small group of a few dozen patients, the team report that they were able use presence of specific proteins to distinguish between patients with and without Alzheimers, up to ten years before onset of disease. read more
expert reaction to comments made by Prof. Tim Hunt FRS on female scientists
Professor Tim Hunt, winner of the Nobel prize in 2001, has faced criticism for comments made in South Korea about female scientists and their place in the lab. read more
expert reaction to baby born following re-implantation of ovarian tissue
Stem cell therapies are frequently used to treat blood disorders, though this often leads to problems with ovarian function in women who receive the treatment. A potential way to combat this reduced fertility is the preservation of ovarian tissue before the treatment occurs, for transplantation back into the patient at a later date, though this has only been demonstrated successfully in adult patients. However a case study published in the journal Human Reproduction has reported the successful use of this procedure in a girl of nearly 14 years old. read more
expert reaction to study looking at dosage of HPV vaccine and level of protection against HPV infection
A vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is offered to adolescent girls in the UK with the aim of protecting against cervical cancer, and the efficacy of the vaccine when using different numbers of doses is the subject of a study published in the journal Lancet Oncology. Two vaccine doses are currently given, with the research team reporting that in their study similar levels of protection were given by one, two or three doses of the vaccine. read more
expert reaction to caffeine, chronic stress and mood disorders
The ability of caffeine to improve measures of chronic stress, mood, memory and depression has been investigated by a research group who have published their results in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team report that the use of caffeine was able to help these measures, either by preventing or reversing the negative behavioural effects. read more
expert reaction to study investigating dietary saturated fat, unsaturated fat, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels
Publishing in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a research team has attempted to analyse the effects of replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, and they report that the switch brought about beneficial effects in terms of lowering blood pressure and levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol. read more
non-invasive prenatal testing
Non-invasive prenatal testing for disorders such as Down’s syndrome has considerable advantages over invasive methods, not least in that it reduces the risk of miscarriage. But how effective is it? Is it feasible economically? Do parents trust it? How far can it be applied? Can it diagnose disease in the mother as well as the foetus? To whom should it be offered? read more
expert reaction to new study on the global warming ‘hiatus’
Suggestions of a recent pause or hiatus in the overall warming trend seen in long-term global temperatures have led to some controversy. Researchers publishing in the journal Science have reported that based on updated global surface temperature analyses, this slowdown of temperature increases may not exist. read more
expert reaction to publication of letters from Prince Charles to Department of Health regarding complementary medicine
Following a judicial review letters between Prince Charles and various government departments have been published, including with the Department of Health on the subject of complementary medicine. read more
predicting death – who is at risk of dying in the next five years?
Is it possible to predict who will die within the next five years? Scientists have used UK Biobank data to carry out a systematic comparison of predictors of death in middle-aged to elderly people, and have published their results in the Lancet. They investigated whether measures that can be obtained by simple questionnaires without any need for physical examination could reliably predict risk of death within five years in people aged 40 to 70 years. read more
expert reaction to study investigating predictors of risk of death within five years, and accompanying comment piece
Predicting the risk of death is the topic of a study and a comment piece published in the Lancet journal, in which the authors of the study used UK Biobank data and questionnaires to predict the risk of death in middle-aged and elderly people. read more
expert reaction to cause of schizophrenia
Attempting to uncover the cause of schizophrenia, scientists publishing in the journal Neuron have reported that disrupted chemical signalling is a cause rather than an effect of the disease, and suggest that this may be in part due to specific genetic mutations. read more
expert reaction to the European Commission’s response to the Stop Vivisection Initiative
The European Commission has rejected the Stop Vivisection Initiative that sought to repeal a directive on the protection of animals, which would have a led to a European-wide ban on animal research. read more
expert reaction to antidepressant use and respiratory disorder in newborns
Publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers have analysed a link between use of a particular type of antidepressant in pregnant women, and pulmonary hypertension in their children. The team report an increased risk of the disease in newborns whose mothers used the antidepressants, though the absolute risk was small. read more
expert reaction to study investigating breastfeeding and risk of childhood leukaemia
Potential health benefits related to breastfeeding have been studied for many years, and a paper published in JAMA Paediatrics has reported a lower incidence of childhood leukemia in those who were breastfed based on meta-analyses of eighteen previously published papers. read more
expert reaction to new research on climate change and African rainfall
The effect of climate change on rainfall in the Sahel area of Africa has been examined in a paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change, with the authors using modelling to estimate the causes of recovery from drought. read more
expert reaction to the latest results from the Food Standards Agency’s survey of levels of Campylobacter levels in chickens
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released the latest figures from its survey of the levels of Campylobacter present on fresh chickens. read more
expert reaction to new report on greenhouse gas emissions
The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford has published a report into the effects of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane, reporting that reducing their levels would have a mitigating effect on climate change but that this effect would be lower than if carbon dioxide emissions were reduced. read more
expert reaction to paper and editorial examining contraceptive pill use and blood clot risk
A possible link between the use of oral contraceptive pills and risk of blood clots is the subject of a paper and an editorial published in the BMJ, with the authors reporting a greater risk for those using newer forms of the contraceptive. read more