Post Archive by Year

Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer with poor survival rates for half of patients within five years of diagnosis. Despite substantial progress in developing immunotherapies (drugs which stimulate the body’s own natural defence system to attack cancer), many … Read More

Here is something to smile about – laughter really is the best ­medicine. Some time ago, I read a book by a man whose ­rheumatoid arthritis was so severe he was admitted to hospital for the pain. A friend brought him in … Read More

Genes are at the root of everything and I believe we’ll eventually find that most diseases are traced back to our genetic blueprint. And not just single genes but groups of genes – families of them that work in unison. This is good news … Read More

During Covid, some patients seemed to have a better response to vaccination than others and we never knew why. Well, Cambridge scientists have now identified a “signature” in blood that could help predict how well someone will be protected by vaccines. The discovery may explain … Read More

For years, I’ve been convinced that exercise is the key to good health and longevity. It keeps all our systems up to scratch and, as a useful side effect, prevents things going wrong. For instance, if you ­exercise every day, … Read More

When a couple have difficulty conceiving a baby and ­decide to try IVF, the ­natural assumption is that they will be unable to conceive ­naturally in the future. This is wrong, as research shows around one in five women who need fertility treatment … Read More

Eating, feeling satisfied, stopping eating and not overeating, all involve quite a dance between the stomach and the brain. And it’s the messages from the stomach to the brain that makes us stop eating. But this stomach/brain messaging service breaks … Read More

Shocking as it might seem, ­people who are sexually ­harassed often don’t report it. In fact, five out of six people who are the target of sexual ­offences don’t go to the police, the Crime ­Survey England and Wales found. … Read More

Discussions around dropping birth rates used to focus on sperm count and fertility ­levels as though that was the only ­factor in the equation. But as an Oxford University study reveals, the potency of a man’s sperm is probably far from being … Read More

Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells which are about a thousandth of a millimetre in size and are the fundamental units of all life. They contain ‘skeletons’ made of proteins that provide structural support, help the cell move, and transport materials … Read More