Stem cells may help mend broken bones
Scientists are working on a revolutionary procedure to regrow damaged bones
and cartilage using a patient’s stem cells (Melanie Reid writes).
Those who could benefit include victims of high-impact fractures where the
bone refuses to regrow, such as the survivors of motorcycle accidents, and
sufferers of osteoarthritis.
The £1.4 million project at the University of Edinburgh involves removing a
patient’s cells and then putting them back in the body within a
drug-impregnated rigid polymer mesh upon which the cells would be anchored.
Clinical trials may begin within two years.
Prejudice in the brain
Even the most tolerant person is unavoidably prejudiced because of how the
brain works, research published in Scientific American suggests.
British and American scientists found that we make assumptions as to how
people unlike us will behave, using indicators such as sex, race or a slogan
on a T-shirt. However, a different part of the brain acts to override this
instinct, looking for similarities with outsiders.
Youths ‘resent’ police
Police officers are breeding resentment among youths through heavy-handed
tactics, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said. Professor Sir Al
Aynsley-Green said that teenagers have no respect for the police because
they see them as “the enemy”. In an interview with The Sunday
Telegraph, the commissioner said that the police need to win of the
“hearts and minds” of young people.
Prince’s new attack
The Prince of Wales has made a new critical attack on modern architecture. He
described the £6 million Ivor Crewe lecture hall at the University of Essex
as “a dustbin”. Last month the Prince objected to the proliferation of high
buildings and complained that architects were indulging in a “free for all”
that, he said, would “leave London and our other cities with a pockmarked
skyline”.
Crash victim stabbed
A murder investigation began after a man involved in a car crash was found to
have died from a stab wound to the neck. Steven Bates, 36, of Wandsworth,
southwest London, was discovered slumped in the street by police officers in
Battersea shortly before midnight on Thursday. He died at the scene. Police
appealed for witnesses who had seen a dark 4x4 vehicle in the area.
Potter collection sale
A Harry Potter fan is selling his entire collection of 553 first edition
volumes in 63 languages. The 33-year-old began collecting every Potter book
in 2002. The books are being sold on February 28 by Bloomsbury Auctions in
London. They are expected to fetch £40,000. Roddy Newland, of Bloomsbury,
said: “No one has ever amassed such a collection of international editions.
There’s no auction precedent for it.”
Walker falls to death in mountains
A walker has been killed on England’s highest mountain route. The man,
believed to be 49 and from Gloucestershire, fell about 100ft (30 metres)
while walking without safety ropes on the hazardous walk in the Lake
District.
The route, known as Broad Stand, is steep and craggy and runs between Sca Fell
and Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.
The walker, who was not wearing a helmet, was in a group of five men using the
route while descending from the 3,163ft summit of Sca Fell, when he fell at
about 12.20pm on Saturday. A walker was killed on the same route last year.
Twelve members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team helped with the rescue
operation. John Bamforth, secretary of the team, said that only expert
walkers should attempt the route the party used. He said: “There is a direct
route between Sca Fell and Scafell Pike but most guides recommend you don’t
go down it. It is quite a tricky scramble. In winter it can be very
dangerous. This party chose to go down that route.”
Care home costs are set to double
The cost of long-term care is expected to double over the next 20 years,
meaning that many people will struggle to fund their retirement, according
to a new study (Helen Nugent writes).
Nearly one in five people aged 85 and over is in a care home.
Research by Saga, the organisation for over50s, predicts that the average cost
of a four-year stay in a care home will rise from £112,312 to £223,476 by
2028. Andrew Goodsell, chief executive of Saga, said: “Long-term care can be
the biggest financial burden in a person’s life but the whole issue of care
is rarely considered and talked about among families until the need arises.
“However, these figures highlight the need to start thinking about it as soon
as possible. Tens of thousands of people will face the problem of paying for
their care each year but only one in ten will ask for help with how to pay
for it.”
A number of organisations, including Carers UK, Help the Aged and Counsel and
Care, have called for policy changes to create a care system for older
people that is better funded and easier to understand.
Gang rivalries cause serious unrest in jails
A rising number of violent prisoners from rival gangs is breeding unrest in
high-security jails in England and Wales (Richard Ford writes).
Street rivalries, often linked to drugs, are being carried over into jails,
leading more prisoners to ask to be housed in segregation units for their
own protection. The extent of the problem is disclosed in a series of
reports by Independent Monitoring Boards, which are comprised of lay people
and have access to every jail in the country. Serious problems have arisen
at Whitemoor top-security prison in Cambridgeshire, a report from that
prison’s board said.
Arson victim dies
Police in Bristol are appealing for witnesses after a suspected arson attack
in the Knowle West area of the city became a murder inquiry. Newsagent Nasir
Sayeed, 46, who suffered severe smoke inhalation in a fire on Friday at the
Newsmart store in Axbridge Road, died early yesterday. His daughter Nisha,
21, is in a critical condition. A 32-year-old man is in custody in
connection with the incident.
Doctors ‘intimidated’
The Government and medical regulators are failing to defend paediatricians
against attacks from parents and the press, according to an expert.
Professor Terence Stephenson said child doctors faced intimidation in the
difficult field of child protection and could be put off acting as expert
witnesses in court. He will ask the Government to conduct a survey of
paediatricians to obtain their views.
Cambridge aid
The University of Cambridge is to make it easier for sixth-formers to apply
for a place. The University will no longer be asking would-be students to
fill out a separate application form, rather than simply listing it on their
UCAS application. A spokesman said the university hoped that the move would
encourage more pupils from “nontraditional” backgrounds to apply.
‘Needless’ child toll
A report by Save the Children has identified the countries where children are
most likely to die from illnesses that can easily be cured. The charity said
that children were most likely to die from curable or preventable diseases
in Angola, followed by Sierra Leone, Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso. It
estimates that 10 million children under five die needlessly around the
world every year.
Easter packaging cut
Cadbury is reducing the amount of packaging it sells with its Easter eggs. The
confectionery giant said that it was launching a range of chocolate eggs
wrapped only in foil to be more eco-friendly. It says that it will reduce
its use of plastic by 247 tonnes and cardboard by 115 tonnes this Easter.
The company has pledged to cut the packaging for its seasonal products by a
quarter by 2010.
