Behind the Headlines

Stem cell stroke treatment trial results 'show promise'

Tuesday May 28 2013

'Stroke patients see signs of recovery in stem cell trial,' BBC News reports. The news, which has saturated the media, is based on a press release from the University of Glasgow. This press release reports further positive early findings…

Do iPads and electric lights disturb sleep?

Thursday May 23 2013

"Terrible night's sleep? Blame your mobile phone" is the advice on the Mail Online website, as "exposure to artificial light 'fools' the brain into staying awake." This – and similar headlines in the Daily Express, The Guardian and Metro…

Rise in number of unpaid carers and young carers

Friday May 17 2013

"Children are picking up the caring roles the state has abandoned," The Guardian says, while The Independent says that 180,000 children work as unpaid carers. These new figures come from the Office for National Statistics…

Angelina Jolie's surgery to 'reduce breast cancer risk'

Tuesday May 14 2013

Writing in the New York Times, actress Angelina Jolie has announced that she has recently undergone a preventative double mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction surgery, as genetic testing showed she had a high risk of developing breast cancer…

Novel coronavirus 'limited' spread between people

Monday May 13 2013

The World Health Organization has released a statement warning that the new SARS-like coronavirus, first detected in the Middle East, is likely to be able to spread through close person-to-person contact…

US guidelines recommend CT scans for smokers

Thursday May 9 2013

Older people with a history of smoking heavily should be offered annual low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer according to new US guidelines reported by the Reuters news agency. These guidelines recommend that annual CT...

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Call for improved safety data on medical implants

Wednesday May 8 2013

The need to improve the safety of medical devices such as hip and breast implants made the headlines today. The Daily Telegraph reports that experts are calling for an end to the "secrecy" surrounding how they are regulated...

Breast cancer rates in under-50s at record high

Friday May 3 2013

Much of the UK media are covering the release of alarming data compiled by Cancer Research UK that indicates breast cancer rates in the under 50s are now at a record high. Changes in childbirth patterns and alcohol consumption could be to blame…

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111 helpline is ‘struggling’, NHS board concedes

Thursday May 2 2013

The Guardian’s headline "NHS 111 helpline 'failing to meet targets'," is just one of many about problems that the helpline, for people with non-emergency conditions, has had. A NHS paper on the issue does report some parts of the service are “struggling”…

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MMR catch-up campaign targets a million children

Thursday Apr 25 2013

The MMR vaccine should be given to all unvaccinated schoolchildren aged from 10 to16 as part of a national catch-up campaign, the government has announced. This MMR vaccination catch-up campaign aims to prevent further…