Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study of exercise as a treatment for depression (the TREAD study)
Research published in the BMJ, suggested that adding encouraging depressed patients to exercise, in addition to usual care, did not reduce symptoms of depression more than the usual care alone. read more
expert reaction to outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Scotland
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh, suspected to have originated from industrial cooling towers, had led to one death and a steadily increasing number of suspected cases. read more
premature birth and mental health outcomes
Around one in 13 babies in England and Wales is born preterm, but does being born prematurely predispose children to develop mental illnesses later in life?
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exclusive preview of Tim Spector’s new book
We each have roughly 25,000 genes, all telling the body’s cells what to do. But how do the minor life events and the choices we make fuse with our inherited genes to make us who we are?
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paralysed rats learn to walk again
Swiss research describes the stimulation of neurons connected to the injured spinal cords of paralysed rats to repair damage, to the extent that the rats can learn to walk again. The quote below was sent out in addition to those from the Australian SMC. read more
exclusive preview of David Nutt’s new book, ‘Drugs – without the hot air’
David Nutt is the government scientist who was sacked for comparing the harms of horse-riding and taking ecstasy. His latest work explores the science of what a drug is and how it works. The central themes are that all drugs are harmful, from tobacco to heroin; that not all drugs harm equally; that we have to measure all the different harms of each drug.
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UCL/Lancet commission on healthy cities
The Lancet and University College London collaborated on a commission to address issues of improving health for city dwellers. The commission outlined how better urban planning is essential to achieve this end, which is matter of increasing urgency given that 3 in 5 of all people globally will live in a city by 2030. The SMC provided a forum to launch the commission’s report. read more
expert reaction to suggestion of flu vaccination for all school-age children
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, a governmental advisory panel of independent experts, mooted a universal flu vaccination programme for schoolchildren. read more
expert reaction to preliminary unpublished results on multiple sclerosis and cannabis
The preliminary results of CUPID (Cannabinoid Use in Progressive Inflammatory brain Disease) were presented at the annual meeting of the Association of British Neurologists, suggesting cannabis did not slow progression of MS as hoped. read more
expert reaction to shift work and cancer
Working night shifts more than twice a week was found to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer by a study published Occupational and Environmental Medicine. read more
SKA site announced – experts respond
After many months of waiting, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Organisation finally announced that the massive telescope array will be shared between Australia-NZ and South Africa. The comment below was sent in addition to comments from the Australian SMC. read more
experts comment on planned “decontamination” of GM crop trials
In reaction to the planned destruction of a GM wheat field trial at Rothamsted Research, quotes from the scientific establishment were sent out, following the launch of the trial at the SMC and the publication of an open letter from the researchers imploring the protesters to engage. read more
expert reaction to IVF and breast cancer
In a large population-based study out of Western Australia, researchers have found that IVF is not associated with an overall increased risk of breast cancer. However, the analysis demonstrates an underlying, age-related connection in that for younger, but not older, patients there was an association between having IVF and an increased risk of breast cancer. read more
caesarean and risk of obesity
Research into caesarean operations suggesting an increased risk of obesity was published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. read more
expert reaction to skin stem cells for heart cells
An early trial succeeded for the first time in taking skin cells from heart failure patients and reprogramming them to transform into healthy, new heart muscle cells that are capable of integrating with existing heart tissue. read more
expert reaction to the Draft Energy Bill
The government announced the Draft Energy Bill, aiming to plug a looming energy gap with £110 billion of investment in nuclear and renewable energy over a decade, but avoiding a commitment to banish coal and gas by the 2030s. read more
expert reaction to NICE’s draft guidelines on treating infertility
NICE released a review of their fertility guidelines for public consultation. The guidelines make recommendations about the management of the whole spectrum of fertility treatment, from simple therapies such as ovulation induction, the management of male factors and of course IVF. read more
drought – part 1
We’ve had the wettest April on record yet parts of the UK remain officially in drought. A panel of speakers came to the SMC to answer journalists’ questions from what weather conditions are needed before we’re no longer in drought, to the impact of a changing climate on the current situation. read more
expert reaction to Written Ministerial Statement on animal research
coffee intake and risk of death
Research examining coffee intake and risk of death was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. read more