Dominic Raab Winks At Angela Rayner During Prime Minister’s Questions

Posted on 29/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Dominic Raab has sparked ridicule after he winked at Angela Rayner as they traded blows during a fiery Commons exchange.

The deputy PM made the gesture as the two politicians stepped in to prime minister’s questions while Boris Johnson is abroad.

Politicians and pundits poked fun at the move, including Labour’s Toby Perkins who said: “I will never unsee Dominic Raab’s wink from the despatch box at Angela Rayner. I feel soiled.”

SNP MP John Nicolson added: “All feels a bit cosy between Dominic Raab and Angela Rayner what with the winks and grins. Very Westminster.”

I will never unsee Dominic Raab’s wink from the despatch box at Angela Rayner.
I feel soiled 😷

— Toby Perkins MP (@tobyperkinsmp) June 29, 2022

He made the move during a heated exchange over the cost of living crisis and the recent rail strikes.

Raab told her: “If the Labour Party, if she wants to help working people, they should be clear in standing up against these militant, reckless strikes.”

He accused Rayner of having “flip-flopped” in her position on the strikes, adding: “She talks about working people. Where was she when the comrades were on the picket line last Thursday?

“Where was she when the Labour front bench were joining them rather than standing up for the public?

“She was at the Glyndebourne music festival sipping champagne, listening to opera. Champagne socialism is back in the Labour Party.”

Rayner hit back: “I’ll tell them a few things about militancy, it’s this government that are acting in a militant way.

“While they should have been at the negotiating table, they were at the banqueting table getting hundreds of thousands squeezed out of their donors instead of dealing with the crisis…

“When they were asked about the absent prime minister’s plans to stick around until 2030, one (MP) opposite said he’d lost the plot.”

Victoria Beckham Calls Out Chris Evans For Weighing Her On Live TV In The 90s

Posted on 29/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Victoria Beckham has recalled being weighed on live television by Chris Evans in the late 90s, asking: “Can you imagine doing that nowadays?”

The former Spice Girl ended up on the scales during an episode of TFI Friday in 1999, just two months after she gave birth to her first child, Brooklyn.

At the time, the Virgin Radio host told her: “A lot of girls want to know, because you look fantastic again, how did you get back to your shape after birth?”

After she replied that she hadn’t been to the gym at all, the host asked: “Is your weight back to normal?”

When Victoria said it was, he then asked: “Can I check, do you mind?”, before getting her to step on to some scales and remarking: “Eight stone’s not bad at all, is it?”

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Recalling the moment in a forthcoming interview with Vogue Australia via The Australian, Victoria said: “I went on a TV show with Chris Evans many years ago and I’d just had Brooklyn and lost a lot of weight after.

“It happened to my mum after her pregnancies. It doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder. And he made me stand on the scales to be weighed. Can you imagine doing that nowadays?”

Reps for Chris Evans have been contacted for comment.

Victoria went on to talk about the media’s obsession with her weight and the sort of headlines and stories she’s been subjected to during her career.

“I’ve had ‘Porky Posh’, I’ve had ‘Skeletal Posh’,” she said. “After I had Brooklyn, there was a picture pointing to every single part of my body where I had to focus on losing the weight from.”

Chris Evans recently announced that he planned to bring back TFI Friday later this year.

Read the full interview in Vogue Australia, on sale 4 July.

Dame Deborah James: Cancer campaigner dies aged 40

Posted on 29/06/2022 by Boris Clair

The 40-year-old host of You, Me and the Big C was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016.

Deborah James: Her passionate vision for the £6.8m she raised

Posted on 29/06/2022 by Boris Clair

How Dame Deborah’s fundraising will help scientists find new ways to outwit cancer.

NHS App to get new digital features by 2023

Posted on 29/06/2022 by Boris Clair

By March 2024, the app should offer face-to-face video consultations, the government says.

No more binge eating: Signal pathway in the brain that controls food intake discovered

Posted on 28/06/2022 by Boris Clair

A group of researchers has developed an entirely novel approach to treating eating disorders. The scientists showed that a group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus (so-called AgRP, agouti-related peptide neurons) control the release of endogenous lysophospholipids, which in turn control the excitability of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, which stimulates food intake. In this process, the crucial step of the signalling pathway is controlled by the enzyme autotaxin, which is responsible for the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in the brain as a modulator of network activity. The administration of autotaxin inhibitors can thereby significantly reduce both excessive food intake after fasting and obesity in animal models. The article ‘AgRP neurons control food intake behaviour at cortical synapses via peripherally-derived lysophospholipids’ has now appeared in Nature Metabolism.

Eating disorders and especially obesity are one of the most common causes of a variety of diseases in industrialized societies worldwide, especially cardiovascular diseases with permanent disabilities or fatal outcomes such as heart attacks, diabetes, or strokes. The Robert Koch Institute reported in 2021 that 67 per cent of men and 53 percent of women in Germany are overweight. 23 per cent of adults are severely overweight (obese). Attempts to influence eating behaviour with medication have so far proved ineffective. A novel therapy that modulates the excitability of networks that control eating behaviour would be a decisive step towards controlling this widespread obesity.

The research team found an increased rate of obesity and the attendant type II diabetes in people with impaired synaptic LPA signalling. A group led by Professor Johannes Vogt (Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne), Professor Robert Nitsch (Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster) und Professor Thomas Horvath (Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA) has now shown that control of the excitability of neurons in the cerebral cortex by LPA plays an essential role in the control of eating behaviour: AgRP neurons regulate the amount of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in the blood. Through active transport, LPC reaches the brain, where it is converted by the enzyme autotaxin (ATX) into LPA, which is active at the synapse. Synaptic LPA signals stimulate specific networks in the brain, thus leading to increased food intake.

In the mouse model, after a period of fasting an increase in LPC in the blood led to an increase in stimulating LPA in the brain. These mice showed typical food-seeking behaviour. Both could be normalized by administrating autotaxin inhibitors. Obese mice, on the other hand, lost weight when these inhibitors were administered continuously. Johannes Vogt explained: ‘We saw a significant reduction in excessive food intake and obesity through gene mutation and pharmacological inhibition of ATX. Our fundamental findings on the LPA-controlled excitability of the brain, which we have worked on for years, therefore also play a central role for eating behaviour.’ Robert Nitsch sees the findings as an important step towards new drug development: ‘The data show that people with a disturbed synaptic LPA signalling pathway are more likely to be overweight and suffer from type II diabetes. This is a strong indication of a possible therapeutic success of ATX inhibitors, which we are currently developing together with the Hans Knöll Institute in Jena for use in humans.’

These findings on the excitation control of neuronal networks in eating behaviour through lysophospholipids and the new therapeutic possibilities they suggest could in future contribute not only to treating eating disorders, but also neurological and psychiatric illnesses.

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Cologne. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Chemicals in Fairbanks winter air

Posted on 28/06/2022 by Boris Clair

A chemical compound discovered in 2019 in Fairbanks’ wintertime air accounts for a significant portion of the community’s fine particulate pollution, according to new research that seeks to better understand the causes and makeup of the dirty air.

The finding is the first measurement of how much hydroxymethanesulfonate, or HMS, is in Fairbanks’ air.

The compound constituted 3% to 7% of the total amount of particles less than 2.5 micrometers, or PM 2.5, during pollution episodes. That amount is substantially higher than observed elsewhere, leading the research team to conclude that Fairbanks’ extreme low temperatures are a factor in the compound’s formation.

“People in the community really are not aware of this,” said Jingqiu Mao, principal investigator on the research. “We feel it’s important to inform the community about this new chemical compound in Fairbanks.”

“Very little is known about the health impact of hydroxymethanesulfonate,” he said. “This compound is new to us in the atmospheric chemistry and air quality communities. We didn’t know this compound could be so abundant.”

The research was published in May in Environmental Science & Technology and authored by James Campbell, a graduate student of Mao’s. The work included scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The research paper is the first produced under a three-year National Science Foundation grant.

Fairbanks has been under mandate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve its wintertime air quality and has been working for years to do so. The community and state face penalties for noncompliance.

The new HMS finding is also significant because recent studies have revealed that hydroxymethanesulfonate can easily be mistaken for sulfate, potentially making prior air pollution measurements inaccurate. Studying HMS also enables a better understanding of other chemical reactions in ambient aerosols in Fairbanks’ winter months.

Knowing the correct makeup of the fine particulate matter pollution is key to implementing appropriate air quality control measures, Mao said.

“A lot of sources contribute to PM 2.5,” he said. “But when you start thinking about improving air quality, which part should be dealt with first? And what are the consequences of that?”

The research team studied Fairbanks’ air in two winters: January to March 2020 and December 2020 to February 2021. Data came from instruments placed near the UAF Community and Technical College in downtown Fairbanks and at a nearby state Department of Environmental Conservation site already measuring total PM2.5, sulfur dioxide and temperature.

Scientists have known that hydroxymethanesulfonate forms through the combination of sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde, which combine when they are attracted to liquid particles in the atmosphere.

Scientists don’t know, however, to what extent factors such as the acidity of the atmospheric droplets, temperature and humidity lead to HMS formation.

They also don’t know which source is most responsible for HMS formation in Fairbanks. Sulfur dioxide comes from combustion of fossil fuels, including heating oil and coal. Formaldehyde likely gets into the air from burning wood.

Studies have shown that wood smoke contributes 40% to 70% to the wintertime PM2.5 mass concentration in Fairbanks.

“Fairbanks is one of the few optimal places for HMS formation,” Mao said. “And that is not necessarily a good thing.”

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Alaska Fairbanks. Original written by Rod Boyce. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Many pain medications can be used for spine-related pain in older adults

Posted on 28/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Spine-related pain is increasingly common in older adults. While medications play an important role in pain management, their use has limitations in geriatric patients due to reduced liver and kidney function, comorbid medical problems and polypharmacy (the simultaneous use of multiple drugs to treat medical conditions).

Now a new review study has found acetaminophen is safe in older adults, but non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen) may be more effective for spine-related pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories should be used short-term in lower dose courses with gastrointestinal precaution while corticosteroids show the least evidence for treating nonspecific back pain.

Additionally, nerve pain medications (gabapentin and pregabalin) can be used in older persons, with caution to dose and kidney function. Newer antidepressants (duloxetine) more so than older ones (nortriptyline) can help with spine-related pain, with attention to possible sedation and dizziness. Some muscle relaxants (baclofen and tizanidine) can be used in older persons, again accounting for kidney and liver function. Opioids have limited use in common spine-related pain, but can be used with caution in cases that don’t respond to treatment.

“Most older people experience neck or low back pain at some point, bothersome enough to see their doctor. Our findings provide a helpful medication guide for physicians to use for spine pain in an older population that can have a complex medical history,” explained corresponding author Michael D. Perloff, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and a neurologist at Boston Medical Center.

The researchers performed a literature review to assess the evidence-basis for medications used for spine-related pain in older adults, with a focus on drug metabolism and adverse drug reactions. They then provided their recommendations based on safe and effective dosing.

Among their findings:

Pain medicines gabapentin and pregabalin may cause dizziness or difficulty walking, but may have some benefit for neck and back nerve pain (such as sciatica) in older adults. They should be used in lower doses with smaller dose adjustments.
Some muscle relaxants (carisoprodol, chlorzoxazone, cyclobenzaprine, metaxalone, methocarbamol, and orphenadrine) are avoided in older adults due to risk for sedation and falls. Others (tizanidine, baclofen, dantrolene) may be helpful for neck and back pain, with the most evidence for tizanidine and baclofen. These should be used in reduced doses, avoiding tizanidine with liver disease and reducing baclofen dosing with kidney disease.
Older antidepressants are typically avoided in older adults due to their side effects, but nortriptyline and desipramine may be better tolerated for neck and back nerve pain at lower doses. Overall, newer antidepressants (namely duloxetine) have a better safety profile and good efficacy for spine-related nerve pain.
Tramadol may be tolerated in older adults, but has risk for sedation, upset stomach, and constipation. It may be used in lower doses after alternative medications have failed and works well with co-administered acetaminophen. Opioids are avoided due to their side effects and mortality risk, but low dose opioid therapy may be helpful for severe refractory pain with close monitoring of patients clinically.

According to the researchers, complementary medicine, physical therapy, injections and surgery all have a place to help older persons with spine-related pain. “Medications used at the correct dose, for the correct diagnosis, adjusting for preexisting medical problems can result in better use of treatments for spine pain,” added first author Jonathan Fu, a 2022 MD graduate from BUSM.

These findings appear online in the journal Drugs & Aging.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Boston University School of Medicine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Liz Truss Can’t Remember A Single Human Rights Issue She Has Raised With Gulf States

Posted on 28/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Liz Truss has refused to name a single human rights issue she has raised with governments of a Gulf state.

The foreign secretary has said the UK must end “strategic dependence on authoritarian regimes for our energy”.

But the government has recently launched trade talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Appearing at the Commons foreign affairs committee on Tuesday, Truss was asked if she viewed the Gulf states as authoritarian.

“I would describe the Gulf states as partners of the UK,” she said. “Is every country that we work with exactly in line with UK policy on everything? No they are not. But they are important allies of the UK.”

Truss added human rights concerns were “raised regularly” with Gulf state leaders and ministers and said she had done so “personally”.

Labour MP Chris Bryant asked Truss to name the last human rights issue she had raised.

Liz Truss: “I’d have to come back to the committee on the precise timing of that.”

Chris Bryant: “Well tell us anything you have said on human rights?”

Truss: “I certainly have raised it.”

Bryant: “Go on, tell us one now.”

Truss: “I am just trying to remember my recent most visit. But I can assure you I have raised it and I will write to you with the dates.”

Bryant: “You can’t remember a single human rights issue you have raised with a Gulf state leader?”

Truss: “I have raised particular issues when I have been in the Gulf about human rights issues.”

Bryant: “Well name one?”

Truss: “I’m not going to go into all the details of private conversations which I will come back to in due course.”

The foreign secretary told the committee her focus was on the “number one” threat to the UK which was Russia.

She said: “We need to make sure we have alternative energy sources and one of the key sources of energy is the Gulf region. We are not dealing in a perfect world.”

Saudi Arabia recently executed 81 people in one day. Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s leader, also stands accused of approving the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, something the crown prince has denied.

Downing Street Tells Nicola Sturgeon ‘Now Is Not The Time’ For Another Scottish Referendum

Posted on 28/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Downing Street has told Nicola Sturgeon that “now is not the time” for another referendum on Scottish independence.

The warning came as the first minister prepares to outline how she plans to hold so-called “indyref2” in October next year.

Speaking ahead of her speech this afternoon, Sturgeon said that since voters elected a majority of pro-independence MSPs at Holyrood, it is “the people’s will which must prevail”.

“That may be an inconvenient truth for our political opponents, but it is a simple and unavoidable truth nonetheless,” she said.

In order for any independence referendum to be legal, Westminster must hand the Scottish Parliament the power to hold one.

But a spokesman for the prime minister said: “Our position remains the same, that now is not the time to be talking about another referendum.

“People across Scotland rightly want and expect to see both governments continuing to work together to focus on the issues that we know are facing people in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.”

In the first referendum, which was held in 2014, Scots voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent to stay in the UK.

At the time, Sturgeon and then-SNP leader Alex Salmond repeatedly said it was a “once in a generation” vote.

But the first minister said: “The UK is either a partnership of consent or it is not a partnership worthy of the name.

“Westminster rule over Scotland cannot be based on anything other than a consented, voluntary partnership.

“It is time to give people the democratic choice they have voted for, and then with independence to build a more prosperous, fairer country in a true partnership of equals between Scotland and our friends in the rest of the UK.”

It has been reported that Sturgeon could hold a “consultative” referendum without the need for Westminster’s approval, but that is likely to be boycotted by both Labour and the Conservatives.

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Dominic Raab Winks At Angela Rayner During Prime Minister’s Questions

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NHS App to get new digital features by 2023

No more binge eating: Signal pathway in the brain that controls food intake discovered

Chemicals in Fairbanks winter air

Many pain medications can be used for spine-related pain in older adults

Liz Truss Can’t Remember A Single Human Rights Issue She Has Raised With Gulf States

Downing Street Tells Nicola Sturgeon ‘Now Is Not The Time’ For Another Scottish Referendum