Post Archive by Year

Some people are lucky. They have an anti-ageing gene that can wind the heart’s age back about 10 years. Yes, startling. This magical gene was ­discovered in centenarians, people who live 100 years or longer, by Bristol University researchers. Carriers … Read More

Chickenpox is often seen as a rite of passage – but should children really have to go through it? Well, almost three-quarters of parents would support a chickenpox vaccine being added to the childhood vaccination schedule. Researchers Professor Helen Bedford of UCL Great … Read More

Something as simple as earwax can cause anyone problems, but particularly, it seems, for people in care homes where nearly half of residents with dementia have issues with it. This situation can only get worse as earwax removal by GPs has now been stopped. … Read More

We can now peer inside cells and genes in a way that sounds like pure science fiction. ­Honestly, I feel some of our best medical research is getting near to the centre of life itself. One project is looking at … Read More

We’re going to be seeing more AI tools in medicine as it is introduced into further areas of medical practice. There’ll be none more important than that devised by Sheffield University scientists to speed up the diagnosis of heart disease. Astonishingly, they’ve got … Read More

Some exciting research has brought together two ­subjects we’re ­perennially focusing on – Alzheimer’s and vitamin D. There’s a lot of research surrounding the latter and it’s touted almost as a panacea, from promoting the absorption of calcium from the … Read More

Women’s gynae complaints have traditionally been downgraded by our ­predominantly male ­medical profession. I’ve written about my frustration over this before. A prime example is ­endometriosis. The average delay in both the UK and Australia from symptoms starting to a diagnosis is eight years. … Read More

A change of scene always gives my spirits a lift and I am even prepared to travel alone to distant places such as India, Bhutan, Japan and China. And ­apparently it really has been doing me good because research suggests … Read More

The applications of 11,700 men, who offered to be sperm donors in Denmark and the US, were followed by an international team of researchers, led by Sheffield University. This research is important as the UK relies heavily on imported sperm from … Read More

Good news arrives from the University of Bristol, a centre famous for its pioneering research into children’s problems, which will surely prevent a whole lot of suffering. Something as simple as a sticking plaster will save children having to undergo … Read More