- Email: [email protected]
Japan and UK to study endocrine disrupters
Medical research funders prepare for post-genome research boom
T
he UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has been able to expand its research strategy particularly in the post-genome challenge (see Lancet 1999; 354: 1975) and in public health, thanks to an extra UK£90 million awarded by the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), announced the MRC in its annual report released on Dec 7. George Radda, the Chief Executive of the MRC told The Lancet: “As a result of this we have done a number of new things that we couldn’t have done before and also strengthened two areas of research: functional genomics and, more interestingly from The Lancet’s point of view, the health of the
public . . . we are [also] in the process of selecting some interesting research areas in the health of the public, which previously would not have been very easily supportable.” The MRC also boosted science research in UK universities in the past year by awarding £140 million of grants—its largest award to date. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest medical research charities, built on this by announcing a £320-million investment in universities’ science infrastructure on Dec 7. Despite these awards, UK science is still underfunded. The UK government is investing 20% less in research and development, in real
UK trial to test therapeutic effects of cannabis The MRC announced on Dec 13 that it will carry out the first clinical trials on the medicinal effects of cannabis on patients with multiple sclerosis. The study will be carried out by John Zajicek (Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK) who will recruit 660 patients from around the UK. Each patient will be randomly assigned to one of three capsule treatments: tetrahyrdocannabinol, extract of cannabis, or placebo.
terms, than it did in 1983. A comparison of investment as a percentage of gross domestic product in 1995, the latest year for which data is available, shows that UK investment ranked 12th out 16 with comparable industrialised countries. Radda acknowledged the UK situation and warned that international comparisons were “difficult”. “All I can say is that since I have joined the MRC there has been a considerable increase . . . the MRC is examining where UK medical research ranks alongside countries including Germany, France, and Sweden over the past year. But what is clear is that all these countries recognise the explosion in the biomedical area following the genome advances and are putting in quite a lot of money into genomic research. But if you look at their overall science budgets they have not necessarily increased as much as ours”, he concluded. Haroon Ashraf
Japan and UK to study endocrine disrupters he UK and Japan launched a joint study into the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on the UK’s aquatic ecosystems on Dec 6. Endocrine disrupters are chemicals that adversely affect hormone systems in people and in animals and have been blamed for declining sperm counts and mental retardation. Although the scale of the risks from these chemicals is still relatively unknown, concerns about them have recently been heightened in Japan, which has the highest dioxin emissions in the world. Tetsushige Nishio, head of the Japanese environmental health department, said at the signing ceremony that he expected “significant results” from the research because the UK is one of the leaders in this field. “We’d like to develop risk-management strategies based on this research”, added Peter Hinchcliffe, of the UK department of the environment, trade, and the regions. “There is a lot of public concern about endocrine disrupters and ministers have been very anxious to show that they are exploring the subject.”
T
Jonathan Watts
THE LANCET • Vol 354 • December 18/25, 1999
Pregnancy of brain-dead mother to continue edical authorities from the Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón, Spain, announced on Dec 8 that they were continuing the pregnancy of a brain-dead woman in accordance with the woman’s wishes. The 34-year-old woman was pronounced brain dead 4 weeks ago after a massive cerebral haemorrhage. The decision to go ahead with p r e g n a n c y—she is currently 26 weeks into the pregnancy—is a result of her express will, noted the authorities. Just before entering an irreversible clinical situation, she wrote on a blackboard that her ultimate wish was that “everything should be done to save the baby”. Eugenio Avanzas-González, medical director at the Hospital de Cabueñes, and José Guerra-Naranjo, head of the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), said that the fetus was in a satisfactory state. The mother was in the ICU and had mechanical ventilation, was being fed through a nasogastric tube and had other supportive measures. They pointed out that a caesarean section would be done between the 33rd and 34th week of the pregnancy. If there was an unexpected cardiac arrest, an urgent caesarean section would be
M
done. In the meantime, the followup of this pregnancy does not differ from a “normal” one, except that the woman is having continuous analyses and ultrasonograms, noted the doctors. Hospital authorities warned that they would not release any further information such as the patient’s identity or the ultimate cause of her brain death in accordance with the express wishes of relatives and to protect the patient’s privacy. The Scientific Committee of the International Bioethics Association (IBA), which met by coincidence in Gijón on Dec 10, agreed that “it is totally justified to do all that one can so that the baby is born in the best conditions”. President of the IBA, Marcelo Palacios, said the behaviour of the medical team had been “irreproachable” and noted that the doctors “have respected the woman’s principle of autonomy”. However, the case is “extremely complex” from an ethical viewpoint, he added. In an unprecedented statement, the Roman Catholic Church has also backed the decision. “Life must prevail over all things”, said Archbishop Gabino Díaz-Merchán. Xavier Bosch
2145
T
he UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has been able to expand its research strategy particularly in the post-genome challenge (see Lancet 1999; 354: 1975) and in public health, thanks to an extra UK£90 million awarded by the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), announced the MRC in its annual report released on Dec 7. George Radda, the Chief Executive of the MRC told The Lancet: “As a result of this we have done a number of new things that we couldn’t have done before and also strengthened two areas of research: functional genomics and, more interestingly from The Lancet’s point of view, the health of the
public . . . we are [also] in the process of selecting some interesting research areas in the health of the public, which previously would not have been very easily supportable.” The MRC also boosted science research in UK universities in the past year by awarding £140 million of grants—its largest award to date. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest medical research charities, built on this by announcing a £320-million investment in universities’ science infrastructure on Dec 7. Despite these awards, UK science is still underfunded. The UK government is investing 20% less in research and development, in real
UK trial to test therapeutic effects of cannabis The MRC announced on Dec 13 that it will carry out the first clinical trials on the medicinal effects of cannabis on patients with multiple sclerosis. The study will be carried out by John Zajicek (Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK) who will recruit 660 patients from around the UK. Each patient will be randomly assigned to one of three capsule treatments: tetrahyrdocannabinol, extract of cannabis, or placebo.
terms, than it did in 1983. A comparison of investment as a percentage of gross domestic product in 1995, the latest year for which data is available, shows that UK investment ranked 12th out 16 with comparable industrialised countries. Radda acknowledged the UK situation and warned that international comparisons were “difficult”. “All I can say is that since I have joined the MRC there has been a considerable increase . . . the MRC is examining where UK medical research ranks alongside countries including Germany, France, and Sweden over the past year. But what is clear is that all these countries recognise the explosion in the biomedical area following the genome advances and are putting in quite a lot of money into genomic research. But if you look at their overall science budgets they have not necessarily increased as much as ours”, he concluded. Haroon Ashraf
Japan and UK to study endocrine disrupters he UK and Japan launched a joint study into the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on the UK’s aquatic ecosystems on Dec 6. Endocrine disrupters are chemicals that adversely affect hormone systems in people and in animals and have been blamed for declining sperm counts and mental retardation. Although the scale of the risks from these chemicals is still relatively unknown, concerns about them have recently been heightened in Japan, which has the highest dioxin emissions in the world. Tetsushige Nishio, head of the Japanese environmental health department, said at the signing ceremony that he expected “significant results” from the research because the UK is one of the leaders in this field. “We’d like to develop risk-management strategies based on this research”, added Peter Hinchcliffe, of the UK department of the environment, trade, and the regions. “There is a lot of public concern about endocrine disrupters and ministers have been very anxious to show that they are exploring the subject.”
T
Jonathan Watts
THE LANCET • Vol 354 • December 18/25, 1999
Pregnancy of brain-dead mother to continue edical authorities from the Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón, Spain, announced on Dec 8 that they were continuing the pregnancy of a brain-dead woman in accordance with the woman’s wishes. The 34-year-old woman was pronounced brain dead 4 weeks ago after a massive cerebral haemorrhage. The decision to go ahead with p r e g n a n c y—she is currently 26 weeks into the pregnancy—is a result of her express will, noted the authorities. Just before entering an irreversible clinical situation, she wrote on a blackboard that her ultimate wish was that “everything should be done to save the baby”. Eugenio Avanzas-González, medical director at the Hospital de Cabueñes, and José Guerra-Naranjo, head of the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), said that the fetus was in a satisfactory state. The mother was in the ICU and had mechanical ventilation, was being fed through a nasogastric tube and had other supportive measures. They pointed out that a caesarean section would be done between the 33rd and 34th week of the pregnancy. If there was an unexpected cardiac arrest, an urgent caesarean section would be
M
done. In the meantime, the followup of this pregnancy does not differ from a “normal” one, except that the woman is having continuous analyses and ultrasonograms, noted the doctors. Hospital authorities warned that they would not release any further information such as the patient’s identity or the ultimate cause of her brain death in accordance with the express wishes of relatives and to protect the patient’s privacy. The Scientific Committee of the International Bioethics Association (IBA), which met by coincidence in Gijón on Dec 10, agreed that “it is totally justified to do all that one can so that the baby is born in the best conditions”. President of the IBA, Marcelo Palacios, said the behaviour of the medical team had been “irreproachable” and noted that the doctors “have respected the woman’s principle of autonomy”. However, the case is “extremely complex” from an ethical viewpoint, he added. In an unprecedented statement, the Roman Catholic Church has also backed the decision. “Life must prevail over all things”, said Archbishop Gabino Díaz-Merchán. Xavier Bosch
2145