A group of researchers have published in study in the journal Science in which they report the use of CRISPR-cas9 genome editing techniques to treat a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. read more

Heavy and persistent rainfall has caused flooding in various parts of the UK, with northern England and southern Scotland particularly badly affected. read more

Writing in The Lancet journal a group of researchers have published their work looking into the effects of lowering blood pressure, in which they report positive effects in terms of prevention of cardiovascular disease across groups of patients with various levels of disease risk. read more

A study published in Cell Stem Cell reported that it had demonstrated evidence that human pluripotent stem cells can develop normally once transplanted into a mouse embryo, which has important implications for regenerative medicine. read more

A randomised control trial of ovarian cancer screening in post-menopausal women was published in the Lancet. Screening involved annually testing blood for levels of the protein CA125, and was compared with transvaginal ultrasound screening and with no screening. The study reported that blood screening may result in a reduction in deaths from ovarian cancer but it also gave false positives, and that further research is needed to further investigate the size of any reduction in mortality and the cost effectiveness of any proposed screening programme. read more

The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee has published its report on GM insects which recommends that field trials begin. The Committee has been investigating the use of GM insect technologies to fight infectious disease and to control agricultural pests as the technology now exists to render insects unable to transmit diseases, and to reduce insect populations to minimise their threat to animals and crops. read more

The relative contribution of intrinsic (e.g. genetic) and extrinsic (e.g. environmental) risk factors in cancer development is the subject of a paper published in the journal Nature, which reports that external risk factors have a greater influence on cancer risk compared to intrinsic risk factors which only contribute modestly. read more

A study published in the British Medical Journal has investigated the impacts of tobacco exposure on women’s health, which reports an increased risk of infertility and early onset of menopause with passive (secondhand smoke) as well as active exposure to tobacco. read more

Publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association a group of researchers have looked at the effect of the use of antidepressants during pregnancy and report that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors later in pregnancy can increase the risk of the child developing autism spectrum disorders. read more

Following two weeks of negotiations, a deal has been reached in Paris which aims to limit global warming and carbon emissions. read more

An agreement is thought to have been agreed following talks in Paris to produce a deal on carbon emissions with the aim of limiting global warming and climate change. read more

It is being reported that talks in Paris which aim to produce a deal to curb climate change will end on Saturday, a day later than expected. read more

The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has published her annual report, this year focusing on women’s health and exploring common and taboo health issues. It emphasises the need to tackle obesity on a national scale in the hope of relieving strain on health services and improving quality of life for women. read more

A draft text for agreement of those involved in the UN climate talks in Paris has been published. read more

The use of second generation antidepressants or cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) to treat severe depression in adults is the subject of a paper published in The BMJ, with the authors reporting no difference in the effectiveness of the two treatments. read more

A group of scientists has published their work in mice in the journal Nature Communications, reporting the use a molecule capable of separating clumps of proteins which are a feature of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. read more

Whilst the number of direct pregnancy-related deaths has been steadily falling, the same cannot be said for indirect deaths linked to mental health. In fact almost a quarter of women who died due to indirect effects were due to mental health reasons and experts argue that these deaths were often unnecessary. Using data from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (MBRRACE-UK), experts have assessed pregnancy-related deaths from 2009-2013 including reviews of more than 100 women who committed suicide during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. read more

The Review On Antimicrobial Resistance chaired by Jim O’Neill has produced a report which sets out a number of suggestions in order to reduce the use of antibiotics in agriculture. read more

Publishing in the journal Nature Climate Change a group of scientists has reported that the growth in global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry since 2000 has slowed in the past two years. read more

Areas of the UK, mainly the North of England including Cumbria, have seen severe flooding due to heavier than usual rainfall. read more