Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to the first case of Ebola diagnosed on US soil
The first case of Ebola diagnosed in the US has been announced in a patient recently returned from Liberia. West Africa has seen thousands of deaths from the disease, and two aid workers previously flown back to the US from the area for treatment recovered fully. read more
expert reaction to maternal cigarette smoking and male offspring fertility
In an article published in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers have reported that exposure to cigarette smoke in mice while before, during and after pregnancy reduced fertility through impaired development of the testes, and lower sperm counts. read more
the problem with brain tumours
Brain cancer is the chief cause of cancer deaths in everyone under the age of 35, with nearly 60% of men and women diagnosed with brain cancer dying within a year. Yet despite having some of the worst outcomes, brain cancer research receives less than 1% of the national spend on cancer research and as an issue it is largely ignored except when it comes to controversy over the different forms of therapies in children. read more
expert reaction to broad-spectrum antibiotics in infants and obesity in children
A paper published in JAMA Paediatrics has reported an association between treatment of infants with broad-spectrum antibiotics, and obesity later in childhood, with a greater effect from cumulative antibiotic use. The authors suggest that the effect may be limited by the use of more narrow antibiotics. read more
expert reaction to study on antibiotic treatment failure
Researchers publishing in The BMJ have reported an increase in failure rate of antibiotics in four common infections within the UK from 1991 to 2012. There is growing concern around antimicrobial resistance, and the chief medical officer and others have expressed worry in the scale of the issue. read more
expert reaction to CDC estimates of numbers of future Ebola cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released figures of their estimates of the number of future Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone for 2014 to early 15. read more
expert reaction to new statins study
In an article published in the journal the Lancet, researchers have investigated the effect of statins use, a gene polymorphism, metabolic factors, and incidence of type 2 diabetes. They suggest that the polymorphism may partially explain the observation of an increased risk of type 2 diabetes through statins use. read more
smc in a nutshell
Summary: The Science Media Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012, and undertook a strategic review to assess the demand … read more
smc strategic review
Full Report: The Science Media Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2012, and undertook a strategic review to assess the … read more
Ebola – what next?
The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unprecedented in its size and spread. We’ve heard how the WHO plan to tackle it, about the potential of various treatments and vaccines, but that it is unlikely to be brought under control before the end of 2014. But where are we now, is enough being done, and what is expected to happen next? read more
expert encounter: Prof Sir Michael Marmot and Dr Angela Donkin, Institute of Health Equity
The gap in life expectancy between affluent and deprived areas in England has been growing year on year. In February 2010, Professor Sir Michael Marmot launched his government review on inequalities in health for England.
A year later, Sir Michael published a set of indicators that have been used to monitor health inequalities, which have since been updated. read more
a battle too far?
Recently Chris Elliott, Professor of Food Safety at Queens University Belfast, finally got to publish the findings of his independent … read more
expert reaction to e-cigarette use among patients with cancer
Researchers publishing in the journal Cancer have reported their findings that e-cigarettes may not help cancer patients stop smoking. read more
expert reaction to studies on carbon emissions
Researchers have published three reports across Nature Geoscience and Nature Climate Change on quotas for carbon emissions and limiting climate change. read more
expert reaction to non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) and glucose intolerance
A paper published in the journal Nature has reported an association between intake of artificial sweeteners and glucose intolerance. read more
expert reaction to phthalates in pregnancy and asthma in children
A study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has reported a link between prenatal exposure to phthalate and risk of asthma. read more
expert reaction to autism, schizophrenia and birth size
Researchers have reported a link between birth size and two mental health conditions: low birth weight correlated positively with schizophrenia and negatively with autism, while the opposite was true with high birth weight. The study, reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B looked at a large cohort, but saw small changes in absolute risk. read more
expert reaction to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression
Researchers have published a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, reporting a study showing a benefit for adults with depression up to a follow up-period of 12 months when transcranial magnetic stimulation was used as part of treatment. read more
expert reaction to new study of groundwater contamination above shale gas fields
Researchers have reported in the journal PNAS on the causes of contamination of groundwater around shale gas wells in Pennsylvania and Texas. They state that contamination was due to poor build quality of wells, rather than being a direct result of the fracking process. read more
expert reaction to study showing human stem cells ‘reset’ to the earliest developmental state
Researchers have reported in the journal Cell the ability to reset human pluripotent stem cells to the embryonic stem cell state, through expression of transcription factors and inhibition of signalling pathways. read more