Author Archives: Science Media Centre
establishing the cause of a child’s death: post-mortem MRI
Despite the importance of autopsy following the death of a baby or young child, parents often object to them and consent rates for both neonatal and foetal autopsy are falling. It has previously been suggested that post-mortem MRI may offer an effective alternative to autopsy, and new research in The Lancet reports the first large prospective study of post-mortem MRI in foetuses, infants and children. read more
expert reaction to human embryonic stem cells derived by somatic cell nuclear transfer
A team of scientists, for the first time, published research in Cell describing how they used somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to produce human embryonic stem cells. SCNT is a technique which generates embryos that are almost an identical genetic match to a chosen individual. read more
ice2sea – final report on projected sea level rise
Ice2sea is an EU-funded project whose goal is to produce state of the art projections of sea level rise. Four of the lead UK scientists came to the SMC to discuss the project’s conclusions, including global mean sea-level rise to 2100 and beyond and the impact on Europe’s coastline. read more
expert reaction to new study on proximity to main roads and kidney function
Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggested living close to a major road may impair kidney function and so help contribute to the known impact of air pollution on cardiovascular risk. read more
expert reaction on novel coronavirus
The WHO announced identification of a laboratory-confirmed case of infection with the novel coronavirus in France, which appeared to have been transmitted person to person. read more
expert reaction to new research on air pollution and insulin resistance in children
Research published in Diabetologia shows that growing up in areas where air pollution is increased raises the risk of insulin resistance in children. read more
expert reaction to new research into eating red peppers and Parkinson’s disease
Research in Annals of Neurology found that Solanaceae, a family of plants including peppers and tomatoes may provide a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease due to the plants containing low levels of nicotine. read more
red peppers and Parkinson’s disease
Research in Annals of Neurology found that Solanaceae, a family of plants including peppers and tomatoes may provide a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease due to the plants containing low levels of nicotine. read more
expert reaction to new research into red hair and skin cancer risk
Research published in BioEssays claimed the synthesis of the pigment pheomelanin, which gives red hair its color, is carcinogenic. This stands apart from the widely held hypothesis that it is poor protection from UV light which puts people with pale skin and red hair at greater risk of cancer. read more
expert reaction to maternal influenza and bipolar disorder
Maternal influenza during pregnancy may be a risk factor for bipolar disorder in their offspring, suggested a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. read more
expert reaction to use of antibiotics to cure chronic back pain
In two papers published in the European Spine Journal, a Danish team working with doctors in Birmingham found that 20-40% of patients with chronic back pain could be cured with a course of antibiotics rather than surgery. read more
expert reaction to study into mixing of flu viruses
A Chinese study, published in Science, looked at mixing the H1N1 and H5N1 variants of the flu virus strains in order to investigate what would be genetically required to produce a flu virus that was both highly infectious and transmissible from human to human. read more
avian influenza virus H7N9
As the number of human cases of avian flu continues to rise, China and its surrounding regions remain on high alert, and the rest of the world watches the developing situation with great interest. leading virology and health experts came to the SMC to discuss what we know about this virus, how it compares to previous flu viruses, how scientists monitor emerging outbreaks such as this one, and whether it is ever possible to predict or prepare for what will happen next. read more
expert encounter on aerospace medicine
More and more of us now fly regularly as part of our usual routine, yet many doctors are not fully aware of the changes that take place in our bodies when we fly. King’s College London first ever professor of Aerospace Medicine came in to discuss why we need such a post, why doctors, including GPs, need to be better trained and what does happen to our bodies while in the skies. read more
has the MMR debacle immunised the media against other scare stories?
This is an extract from an article that appeared on the Guardian website on Friday 29th April. When Jeremy Paxman … read more
cybersecurity
Cyber attacks – malicious or mischievous attempts to disrupt or damage via computer systems – are becoming commonplace. At the same time we are becoming increasingly reliant on personal computing devices and highly interconnected systems regulating everything from communications and transport to energy and finance. A panel of engineers came to the SMC to discuss where the weak points are and what we are doing – and failing to do – to protect ourselves. read more
new gene therapy for heart failure
Heart failure is a debilitating condition that affects more than 750,000 people in the UK, but there is currently no treatment capable of improving heart function once the disease takes hold. Experts from the British Heart Foundation came to the SMC to talk about the beginning of clinical trials for a new gene therapy approach to treatment for advanced heart failure. read more
expert reaction to EU vote on neonicotinoids
A ban on the the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been blamed for falling bee numbers, has been passed by a vote in the EU. The European Commission will impose a two-year restriction on the chemicals. read more
expert reaction to new research into sugary drinks and risk of developing type 2 diabetes
A study in the journal Diabetologia suggested drinking one sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can be enough to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 22%. read more
expert reaction to the Review of Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions
Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director, led a Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions. The Review Committee came to the SMC to announce their findings and recommendations to Government, and the SMC gathered further expert comment. read more