In the face of growing international opposition to deep sea mining, at the end of October, the UK government announced its support for measures designed to protect the world’s oceans and improve the conservation of marine biodiversity. Ahead of this month’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN […]

The hot weather is proving a challenge and we all seem to be feeling the heat! A news headline from last week ‘Britain fires up coal plant as solar panels suffer in hot weather’ has more to do with a spike in demand, due to air conditioning units, but the message is clear – we […] The CDC is responsible for infections spread by insects and arthropods, but alpha-gal syndrome is not an infection. That makes it the responsibility of the NIH, which has abundant laboratory scientists, but fewer shoe-leather disease detectives. Omicron is making all the headlines but inflation remains in the spotlight. Central bankers are starting to U-turn on their transitory message, including the US Federal Reserve. Clearly, global supply chain challenges have added to the inflationary spike. However, there is a growing risk of inflation becoming more entrenched as wage expectations rise with skills […] They say the grass is always greener on the other side or in this case, the other side of ‘the pond’. UK equities continue to trade at extremely low valuations by historic standards, while US equities remain close to a record high. No wonder, more quoted companies are mulling the idea of moving their UK […] Last week, regional airline Flybe went into administration, putting 2,000 jobs at risk and casting a shadow over regional economies across the UK. This was due to a combination of factors, but there is no doubt that the coronavirus outbreak tipped it over the edge. Unfortunately, Flybe isn’t likely to be the only casualty. The […]At the start of a new decade, we are again reminded about climate change with the terrible fires in Australia. Growing numbers of us in developed western countries are concerned about the global climate, while many of those in emerging economies aspire to own what we take for granted. Global population growth is driving greater […] Is the ‘race’ to develop an effective Covid-19 vaccine also becoming the ‘new nationalism’, as world leaders jostle with each other for access and control? Are corners being cut to win? This follows President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of regulatory approval of the Sputnik-V vaccine after less than two months testing. Russia appears to have skipped […]

Then, in clinics in North Carolina and Tennessee, 25 out of 88 recipients were found to be hypersensitive to cetuximab, with some so ill they needed emergency shots of epinephrine and hospitalisation. Around the same time, a patient receiving a first dose of cetuximab in a cancer clinic in Bentonville, Arkansas, collapsed and died.The reactions appeared regional: patients in Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee experienced the hypersensitivity, but not those in Boston or northern California. Further research found that almost one in five people in one particular area of Tennessee had sensitivity to alpha-gal – it was not just limited to cancer patients in the trial. Steinke JW, et al. The alpha-gal story: Lessons learned from connecting the dots. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2015;135:589. Get emergency medical treatment if you have symptoms of a serious allergic reaction that causes trouble breathing, called anaphylaxis, such as: Where do I start? The energy crisis and its impact on UK households has dominated headlines recently, as it has added to the squeeze on consumer spending. An energy crisis risks turning into a national crisis, without urgent and appropriate action from Liz Truss’s new Government. Businesses, investors and consumers have understandably become more […] According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), some 1.5million people or 5% of workers in England are likely to lose their jobs due to automation. Worryingly, 70% of the roles at high risk of automation are currently held by women. Part-timers workers and the young are the next most at risk. We are in the […]