Articles by Paula Bunner

Statin Benefits and Risks

10th February 2014

Following recent media coverage about side effects associated with statins, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published its position on their benefits and risks People should continue to take their statins as prescribed. Large clinical trials have shown that statins can save lives by reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and the need for heart surgery. The benefits of taking statins strongly outweigh any risks. However like all medicines, statins can cause side effects in some people. Most side effects experienced by people who take statins are mild and product information lists advice on how to use statins and any potential side effects. MHRA continually reviews the information on the safety of statins. We will update the prescribing advice for statins [More…]

Swedish Microwave helmet ‘can spot a stroke’

2nd February 2014

Scientists say they have devised a helmet that can quickly determine whether a patient has had a stroke. It could speed diagnosis and treatment of stroke to boost chances of recovery, the scientists say. The wearable cap bounces microwaves off the brain to determine whether there has been a bleed or clot deep inside. The Swedish scientists who made the device plan to give it to ambulance crews to test after successful results in early studies with 45 patients. Race against time When a person has a stroke, doctors must work quickly to limit any brain damage. If it takes more than four hours to get to hospital and start treatment, parts of their brain tissue may already be dying. But to give the best [More…]

Cells from eyes of dead ‘may give sight to blind’

25th January 2014

Cells taken from the donated eyes of dead people may be able to give sight to the blind, researchers suggest. Tests in rats, reported in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, showed the human cells could restore some vision to completely blind rats. The team at University College London said similar results in humans would improve quality of life, but would not give enough vision to read. Human trials should begin within three years. Donated corneas are already used to improve some people’s sight, but the team at the Institute for Ophthalmology, at UCL, extracted a special kind of cell from the back of the eye. These Muller glia cells are a type of adult stem cell capable of transforming into the specialised cells in the back [More…]

Wine And Aspirin May Fight Abnormal Cancer-Causing Cells

14th January 2014

A red wine ingredient and aspirin may deliver a double knock-out blow to abnormal cells that can lead to cancer, research suggests. Both help to destroy “tetraploid” cells that contain multiple copies of chromosomes, the packages of DNA and protein in which the genetic code is written. Tetraploid cells cause genetic instability and have been linked to the development of cancer. In tests, laboratory mice genetically engineered to have bowel cancer accumulated fewer of the rogue cells in their guts when fed the wine compound and painkiller. Exposure to the two agents also reduced the survival of tetraploid cells in human bowel cancer tumour cultures. The wine extract, resveratrol, is derived from red grapes and said to have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Aspirin, though primarily [More…]

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