Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to new review on the impact of smoking bans on harms of passive smoking
Passive smoking has long been known to pose a health risk to non-smokers, and efforts to reduce levels of second-hand smoke have seen bans on indoor smoking in public and work places introduced in a number of countries, states, and regions. Publishing in the Cochrane Library a group of scientists have reported that national smoking legislation does reduce the harms of passive smoking and that populations benefit from reduced exposure to passive smoke. read more
have national smoking bans worked in reducing harms in passive smoking?
Passive smoking has long been known to pose a health risk to non-smokers, and efforts to reduce levels of second-hand smoke have seen bans on indoor smoking in public and work places introduced in a number of countries, states, and regions. A previous Cochrane Review in 2010 examined whether these smoking bans had actually reduced the levels of smoke in public places, and now an updated review has looked at evidence into the effects of the bans on passive smoking. The most robust evidence yet, published in the Cochrane Library, suggests that national smoking legislation does reduce the harms of passive smoking and that populations benefit from reduced exposure to passive smoke. read more
expert reaction to study investigating removing so-called senescent cells from middle-aged mice, their lifespan and age-related decline
Publishing in the journal Nature a group of scientists have examined the effects of a particular gene on ageing in mice and report that removal of cells in which it was present could delay tumour formation and age-related deterioration of organs. read more
expert reaction to WHO statement on the need for European countries to prevent Zika virus disease spread now
The World Health Organization has urged European countries to prepare themselves for cases of Zika virus, as it warns that every country which Aedes mosquitoes are present are at risk. read more
sedentary behaviour and diabetes
Publishing in the journal Diabetologia, a group of scientists have investigated the results from a study of activity and report that sedentary time was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. read more
expert reaction to reported case of Zika infection in USA potentially via sexual intercourse with someone that had returned from a Zika-affected country
Reports are emerging from the USA of a case of Zika infection caused through sexual contact with a person who had returned from Venezuela, rather than a mosquito bite. Such occurrences are thought to be extremely rare. read more
expert reaction to WHO decision that the microcephaly clusters, associated with Zika infection in Brazil (and previously in French Polynesia), do constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
The World Health Organization has warned that Zika virus and associated microcephaly clusters pose a public health emergency of international concern. read more
expert reaction to research on the 2013/14 flooding and climate change
An article published in the journal Nature Climate Change has modeled the effects of climate change due to human activity, and report that it increased the likelihood of extreme rainfall. read more
expert reaction to HFEA granting first UK licence for use of genome editing techniques on human embryos
The HFEA has announced that it has granted a licence for the use of genome editing techniques on human embryos to Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute, the first of its kind in the UK. read more
expert reaction to paper on effectiveness and side-effects of proton beam therapy for specific brain tumours in children
The use and effects of proton beam therapy, which affects less normal tissue when targeting a tumour than traditional radiotherapy, are addressed in a paper published in The Lancet Oncology journal. The authors report similar survival levels as conventional radiotherapy as well as “acceptable toxicity”. read more
expert reaction to study reporting weak association between playing certain types of video games in childhood and risk of conduct disorder in teenage years
Use of video games and subsequent behavioural issues is the subject of paper published in the journal PLOS One, and the authors report a weak association between ‘shoot-em-up’ games and conduct disorder and no association between those games and depression. read more
expert reaction to WHO estimate of 3-4 million cases of Zika in the Americas over the next 12 months
The World Health Organization has predicted that there may be up to four million cases of Zika infection in the Americas this year. An outbreak of Zika virus is ongoing in Central and South America, with a possible link to microcephaly in babies. read more
expert reaction to dietary flavonoids and weight maintenance
Publishing in The BMJ a group of scientists have investigated the effects of dietary flavonoids on weight and report that higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids was associated with a reduction in weight over time. read more
expert reaction to antidepressant use and suicidality
The effect of specific types of antidepressants on mortality, suicide and aggressive behaviours is the subject of a paper published in The BMJ in which the authors report an increased risk of suicidality and aggression in children and adolescents taking those dru read more
expert reaction to genetic association to schizophrenia
A study published in the journal Nature has reported an association between varying levels of protein brought about by different forms of a specific gene and schizophrenia in humans. The authors suggest that higher levels of the protein might lead to a number of connections between nerve cells, which is characteristic of individuals with schizophrenia read more
expert reaction to alternative for animals during toxicity testing
Studies which assess the toxicology of new drugs typically have some element of animal testing, and a paper published in the journal Nature Communications has described a method using in vitro tests which are carried out without animals. The authors report that these tests were better than animal models at predicting toxicity of drugs to humans. read more
expert reaction to study of e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking in children
Publishing in the journal Tobacco Control a group of scientists have examined how use of e-cigarettes is related to subsequent smoking behaviour, and report that those who use e-cigarettes were more likely to start smoking cigarettes. read more
e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking in children
Publishing in the journal Tobacco Control a group of scientists have examined how use of e-cigarettes is related to subsequent smoking behaviour, and report that those who use e-cigarettes were more likely to start smoking cigarettes. read more
expert reaction to transgenic monkeys could aid study of autism
Animal models are often used to study disease processes and treatments and a study published in the journal Nature describes one such monkey model which has been used to investigate autism, with the authors reporting that the monkeys displayed autism-like behaviour. read more
Zika virus – what do we know?
The Zika virus outbreak in Brazil continues, and three UK travellers have been diagnosed with the virus, having travelled to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana. Zika is a mosquito-transmitted virus – the specific vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is found in tropical and subtropical regions. Although most people that contract Zika have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, there is the suggestion that the increase in Zika case numbers in Brazil is associated with an increase in cases of babies born there with microcephaly (small head and underdeveloped brain). In the US the CDC has advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to infected countries. It is an emerging situation in Brazil and there is still a lot we don’t know about Zika. There is currently no vaccine and no treatment. read more