Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to Marek’s disease in chickens, imperfect vaccines and virulence of viruses
The possibility that vaccines which do not block transmission of their target virus to un-vaccinated hosts encourage the evolution of more virulent pathogens is the subject of a study published in the journal PLOS Biology. The researchers examined this scenario in chickens using the Marek’s disease virus, and report that in this model this could indeed be the case. read more
expert reaction to news that two patients are being tested for suspected Middle Eastern Respiratory Virus Syndrome – Coronavirus Infection (MERS-CoV) at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and that the A&E Department there is temporarily closed
The A&E unit at Manchester Royal Infirmary has been closed with two patients being investigated for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. read more
expert reaction to news that the RTS,S malaria vaccine (Mosquirix) has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use outside the EU
The European Medicines Agency has delivered a positive opinion on a malaria vaccine for use outside of the European Union in babies. read more
expert reaction to genetics and GCSE achievement
Genes are thought to play a significant role in general educational achievement, although it is unclear how this might apply to individual academic subjects. A team of researchers has now investigated this by using the GCSE results of pairs of both identical and non-identical twins, and report that many academic subjects are influenced by the same genes, even after accounting for general intelligence. read more
expert reaction to the UK government decision to authorise the limited use of two neonicotinoid pesticides
The UK government has announced a decision to allow the limited use of two neonicotinoid pesticides, which had been the subject of a wider ban. read more
expert reaction to solanezumab trial in Alzheimer’s as announced at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC)
Results from the trial of a drug in patients with Alzheimer’s disease have been announced at a conference in Washington D.C., with researchers reporting that the drug may be useful in those with early stages of the disease. read more
expert reaction to study investigating sugar-sweetened drinks, artificially-sweetened drinks and type 2 diabetes incidence
Striking the right balance of components in our diets is an important but controversial area of research, and potential links between sugar, sweeteners and type 2 diabetes are explored in a paper published in The BMJ. The authors report an association between sugar-sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes, and also an association when examining artificially-sweetened drinks or fruit juices, though they suggest that there may be some biases causing the two latter links. read more
expert reaction to final report from SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) on carbohydrates and health, which makes recommendations on intake of sugar, fibre and carbs
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has published its latest guidance on carbohydrates and health. read more
expert reaction to new research on GM diamondback moths for pest control
Genetic modification strategies to control pests are being developed as an alternative to the use of chemical pesticides, and a paper published in the journal BioMed Central Biology has reported the modification of moths to select for male offspring in order to suppress total population size.
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expert reaction to study investigating the use of stem cells to correct mutations in mitochondrial DNA
Efforts to prevent mitochondrial diseases have led to the development of various techniques, and a team of researchers have described one such technique in the journal Nature based on the use of stem cells, though it has not yet been trialed in animals. read more
expert reaction to childhood psychiatric problems reaching adulthood
Publishing in JAMA Psychiatry, a group of researchers have examined the long-term health impacts of childhood psychiatric disorders, even if those specific disorders do not themselves persist. They report that patients with such a childhood psychiatric illness were at a greater risk of financial, legal, health or social problems, compared to people without such psychiatric issues. read more
expert reaction to antidepressants, painkillers and risk of bleeding
Examining possible associations between taking combinations of pharmaceutical drugs and risk of bleeding below the skull, researchers have published in The BMJ reporting an increased risk of bleeding in patients who combined antidepressants and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs compared to those who took only antidepressants. read more
expert reaction to reports of confirmed case of the H7N7 bird flu virus at poultry farm in Lancashire
A case of the H7N7 avian flu virus has been confirmed at a farm in Lancashire. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced humane culling of the farm’s birds, and also surveillance zones around the farm. read more
tobacco and schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia are more likely to be cigarette smokers. The hotly-debated question is why this might be. Suggested explanations include self-medication, counteracting symptoms, and reducing boredom or distress. Until recently, little attention has been paid towards the possibility that cigarettes themselves may increase the risk of psychosis. Researchers have used a meta-analysis to assess whether daily tobacco use, or starting smoking at an earlier age, is associated with an increased risk of psychotic illnesses. read more
expert reaction to tobacco and schizophrenia
It has previously been observed that sufferers of schizophrenia are more likely to be smokers, though mechanisms for this association have been lacking. This is the subject of a paper published in The Lancet Psychiatry, in which the authors report that daily tobacco use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis and an earlier age of onset. read more
expert reaction to study investigating climate change and bumblebee geographical ranges
The pollination of a large proportion of the world’s plants is attributed to bee species, and alterations in the geographical habitats of bumblebees is the focus of a paper published in the journal Science. The authors report differing patterns in terms of the shifting limits of habitat location, including the loss of ranges from southern extremes and movement to higher elevations among southern species. read more
expert reaction to study on antidepressant use in early pregnancy and risk of birth defects
The use of pharmaceutical drugs during pregnancy is an area of controversy, and a possible association between the use of certain antidepressants early in pregnancy and birth defects is the subject of a paper published in The BMJ. The authors report no association for some of the drugs that they tested, but an increased risk when using two specific selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). read more
expert reaction to results from gene therapy trial for cystic fibrosis
Genetic disorders underlie many diseases, and gene therapies have the potential to alleviate the severity of some conditions or even cure them. Researchers publishing in the The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal have detailed their use of a gene therapy to treat cystic fibrosis, reporting a modest and variable effect compared to placebo. read more
cystic fibrosis gene therapy trial results
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal inherited disease in the UK, affecting around 10,000 people nationally and over 90,000 worldwide. Patients’ lungs become filled with thick sticky mucus and they are vulnerable to recurrent chest infections, which eventually destroy the lungs. The cause of CF, mutations in a gene located on chromosome 7, was identified in 1989, opening the door to introducing a normal copy of this gene using gene therapy. The UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium, a group of scientists and clinical teams from Imperial College London, the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Lothian, have been working together to develop a gene therapy since 2001. read more
expert reaction to new research on impact of CO2 emissions on oceans and marine life
The effects of climate change on the world’s marine ecosystems is the subject of a paper published in the journal Science, with the authors discussing two scenarios of levels of carbon dioxide emissions and their potential impacts in terms of marine life and associated goods and services. read more