Author Archives: Science Media Centre
strengthening academic psychiatry in the UK
Concerns have been raised about the recruitment and training of psychiatrists in the UK, and the Academy of Medical Sciences has identified psychiatry as a vulnerable academic discipline. This briefing marked the launch of the Academy of Medical Sciences report ‘Strengthening Academic Psychiatry’ and shared the recommendations made by an expert working group chaired by Sir David Carter. read more
expert reaction to Italian stem cell therapy ruling
Patients successfully lobbied the Italian government to allow an unproven stem cell therapy in public hospitals, overriding the Italian regulators. read more
expert reaction to FERA study / Defra analysis of neonicotinoids and bumble bee colony decline
A report by the published by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), and an accompanying analysis by Defra, concluded there was no link between bee health and exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. read more
expert reaction to insecticides on the honey bee brain
Research in Nature Communications detailed an underlying cellular mechanism for the neuronal dysfunction in the honeybee brain caused by some types of pesticides, including neonicotinoids and organophosphates. read more
expert reaction to Government announcements on nuclear R&D
The Government’s Nuclear Industry Strategy was announced at the same time as a report from an ad hoc Nuclear R&D Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington, which looked at the implications for R&D of a wide range of nuclear futures. read more
nuclear research and development
In 2012 the Government established an ad hoc Nuclear R&D Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington, to look at the implications for R&D of a wide range of nuclear futures. The report set out a route to help the UK to return to the international “top table” in relation to nuclear research. read more
Community Treatment Orders – denying civil liberties with due cause?
The best method for introducing psychiatric patients into the community has always been controversial. For many years experts called for compulsory supervision outside hospitals (Community Treatment Orders) and they have proved popular in many countries. They were introduced in the UK in 2008 but, until now, there has been little robust data to show whether they work or not. read more
expert reaction to new research into screen time and children’s psychosocial adjustment
Five year-olds who watch TV for three or more hours a day have a very slightly increased risk of developing antisocial behaviours, indicates research published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. read more
expert reaction to Planck satellite and cosmic microwave background
The Plank satellite captured a map of light originating from the dawn of time, which suggests the universe did begin with a big bang and that it is slightly older than was previously thought. read more
expert reaction to announcement of HFEA advice to Government on mitochondrial replacement
On Wednesday 20 March the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) presented to the Government the findings from their public consultation on new IVF-based treatments to avoid mitochondrial disease, and whether these techniques should be made available in the UK. read more
expert reaction to HFEA public consultation on mitochondrial replacement
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently carried out a public consultation on new IVF-based treatments to avoid mitochondrial disease, gathering a wide range of view about mitochondria replacement and whether it should be made available to patients in the UK. read more
results of the HFEA public consultation – Medical Frontiers: Debating Mitochondria Replacement
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently carried out a public consultation on new IVF-based treatments to avoid mitochondrial disease, gathering a wide range of views about mitochondria replacement and whether it should be made available to patients in the UK. read more
confidential inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning difficulties (CIPOLD)
Up to 1.5 million people in England alone have learning disabilities and they are more than twice as likely to have health problems as other people. Following concerns over early deaths a Confidential Inquiry was set up to investigate the extent of these deaths and what could be done to save many of these lives. read more
expert reaction to the Hinkley Point nuclear decision
The Government granted planning permission to EDF Energy for the building of a nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. read more
expert reaction to announcement about AstraZeneca’s UK operations
AstraZeneca announced a major restructuring with a substantial impact on its operations in the UK, including both job losses and investment for building new headquarters in Cambridge. read more
expert reaction to EU vote not to suspend use of neonicotinoids
Countries in the EU abstained from voting on a proposed two-year ban of neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that some blame for falling bee populations, causing the ban to fail. read more
HRT and breast cancer
A study in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care found there was no clear evidence in the data it examined of a causal link between the decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and a reported fall in the numbers of new cases of breast cancer. read more
expert reaction to HRT and breast cancer
A study in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care found there was no clear evidence in the data it examined of a causal link between the decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and a reported fall in the numbers of new cases of breast cancer. read more
violent offending and the military
There has been a lot of media coverage and public debate about violence committed by veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A paper in the Lancet is the first large-scale study of its kind. It links data from 13,856 randomly selected serving and ex-serving UK military personnel with national criminal records to assess the impact of deployment, combat exposure, and post-deployment mental health problems on subsequent offending behaviour. read more
expert reaction to nightshift work and risk of ovarian cancer
Research published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed a potential link between working night shifts and risk of developing ovarian cancer, with the risk lower for night types (“owls”) than for morning types (“larks”). read more