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Final Commons vote to approve the bill to allow some terminally ill people to get help in ending their lives
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BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
How dem make anti-venom from man wey snake bite 200 times
Di blood of one US man wey deliberately inject imsef wit snake venom for nearly twenty years don lead to "unparalleled" anti-venom, scientists tok. Antibodies find in Tim Friede blood don shown to protect against deadly doses from one wide range of species in animal tests. Current therapies gatz match di specific species of venomous snake wey bite anyone. But Oga Friede 18-year mission fit lead to ogbonge step of finding universal anti-venom against all snakebites - wey dey kill up to 140,000 pipo evri year and leave three times as many needing amputations or facing permanent disability. In total, Mr Friede don endure more dan 200 bites and more dan 700 injections of venom e prepare from some of di world deadliest snakes, including multiple species of mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. E bin want build up im immunity to protect imsef wen e dey handle snakes, documenting im exploits on YouTube. But di former truck mechanic tok say e don "completely screw up" early on wen two cobra bites wey happun in quick succession leave am in coma. "I no wan die. I no wan lose one finger. I no wan miss work," e tell BBC. Oga Friede motivation na to develop beta therapies for di rest of di world, explaining: "E just become lifestyle and I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing as hard as I fit push - for di pipo wey dey 8,000 miles away from me wey don die from snakebite". 'I go love to get my hands on some of your blood' Currently dem dey make anti-venom by injecting small doses of snake venom into animals, such as horses. Dia immune system dey fight di venom by producing antibodies and dem go harvest am to use as therapy. But venom and anti-venom gatz dey closely matched becos di toxins for venomous bite no be di same from one species to anoda. Dem even get wide variety within di same species – anti-venom wey dem make from snakes from India dey less effective against di same species for Sri Lanka. One team of researchers begin dey search for one type of immune defence wey dem dey call broadly neutralising antibodies. Instead of targeting di part of toxin wey make am unique, dem dey target di part wey make am common to entire classes of toxin. Dat na wen Dr Jacob Glanville, chief executive of biotech company Centivax, come across Tim Friede. "Immediately I look say 'if anybody in di world don develop dis broadly neutralising antibodies, e go be am' and so I reach out," e tok. "Di first call, I be like 'dis fit dey awkward, but I go love get my hands on some of your blood'." Oga Friede agree and di work dey ethically approved becos di study go only take blood, rather dan give am more venom. Di research focus on elapids – one of di two families of venomous snakes – such as coral snakes, mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. Elapids primarily use neurotoxins in dia venom, wey dey paralyse dia victim and e dey fatal wen dem stop di muscles e need to breathe. Researchers don pick 19 elapids identify by di World Health Organization as being among di deadliest snakes on di planet. Dem don begin to source for Oga Friede blood for protective defences. Dia work, dey detailed in di journal Cell, identify two broadly neutralising antibodies wey fit target two classes of neurotoxin. For experiments on mice, di cocktail mean say di animals bin survive deadly doses from 13 of di 19 species of venomous snake. Dem bin get partial protection against di remaining six. Dis na "unparalleled" breadth of protection, according to Dr Glanville, wey say e "likely cover a whole bunch of elapids for wey no get current anti-venom". Di team dey try to refine di antibodies further and see if adding fourth component fit lead to total protection against elapid snake venom. Di oda class of snake – di vipers – dey rely more on haemotoxins, wey dey attack di blood, rather dan neurotoxins. In total around one dozen broad classes of toxin in snake venom, wey also include cytotoxins dey directly kill cells. "I think in di next 10 or 15 years we go get somtin effective against each one of dis toxin classes," Prof Peter Kwong, one of di researchers for Columbia University, tok. And di hunt continue inside Oga Friede blood samples. "Tim antibodies dey really quite extraordinary - e bin teach im immune system to get dis veri, veri broad recognition," Prof Kwong tok. Di ultimate hope na to get either single anti-venom wey fit do evritin, or one injection for elapids and one for vipers. Prof Nick Casewell, na di head of di centre for snakebite research and interventions for di Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine - e tok say di breadth of protection report bin dey unusual and provide "strong piece of evidence" wey get feasible approach. "No doubt say dis work move di field forward in exciting direction." But e caution say "plenti work still dey to do" and di anti-venom still go need extensive testing bifor dem fit use am in pipo. But for Oga Friede, reaching dis stage "make me feel good". "I dey do somtin good for humanity and e bin dey veri important to me. I dey proud of am. E dey pretty cool."
Sky News
27 minutes ago
- Sky News
Supermarkets being told to cut shoppers' calories in obesity crackdown is not 'nanny statism', says Streeting
The health secretary has told Sky News the government's plans to tackle obesity by introducing a health food standard for supermarkets are a "world-first approach" and not "nanny statism". As part of an initiative aimed at taking some pressure off the NHS, food retailers and manufacturers will "make the healthy choice the easy choice" for customers in the UK, which has the third-highest adult obesity levels in Europe. Supermarkets will be required to report sales data and those that fail to hit targets could face financial penalties, suggested Nesta, the innovation agency which initially developed the policy. Speaking on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Wes Streeting said: "Instead of traditional nanny statism, where we regulate more heavily on price or marketing on what's sold, we're taking a world-first approach, which is working with supermarkets using data they already collect about the nutritional value of their shopping baskets and shopping trolleys, the average shop. "We're going to work with them to reduce the amount of unhealthy food in trolleys and baskets by setting targets on the healthy value of your shopping trolleys and baskets." He said if obese people cut their calorie intake "by about 216 calories a day - the equivalent of a bottle of fizzy coke, we'd halve obesity". "We've got one in five kids leaving primary school with obesity, it's costing the NHS £11bn a year, and obesity has doubled since the 1990s," he added. He also said: "If we reduce calorie intake in this country by just 50 calories a day, that would lift 340,000 children out of obesity." Mr Streeting said supermarkets will decide through the combination of where they put their products, how they do price promotions, and what products they choose to put on the shelves. "They will work with us to make sure that we nudge people in the right direction, without any of us even noticing," he added. 2:40 Businesses will be free to choose how to implement the new healthy food standard, which aims to make their customers' average shopping healthier. Measures could include reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options. Obesity is one of the root causes of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The new scheme, announced on Sunday by the Department for Health and Social Care, is part of the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, through which the government is seeking to shift from sickness to prevention to alleviate the burden on the NHS. 1:22 An 'important step' Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "Businesses can play a major role in supporting people to make healthy choices, and this important step could help to reduce rising obesity rates. "Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, and is linked with 13 different types of the disease. "The UK government must introduce further bold preventative policies in both the upcoming 10-year Health Plan and National Cancer Plan, so that more lives can be saved from cancer." Some of the UK's biggest supermarkets appear to have reacted positively to plans for a new standard of healthy food, with Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, saying: "All food businesses have a critical part to play in providing good quality, affordable and healthy food. "At Tesco, we have measured and published our own healthier food sales for a number of years now - we believe it is key to more evidence-led policy and better-targeted health interventions. "That's why we have called for mandatory reporting for all supermarkets and major food businesses and why we welcome the government's announcement on this. "We look forward to working with them on the detail of the Healthy Food Standard and its implementation by all relevant food businesses." Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury's, said: "We're passionate about making good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone and have been championing the need for mandatory health reporting, across the food industry for many years. "Today's announcement from government is an important and positive step forward in helping the nation to eat well. "We need a level playing field across the entirety of our food sector for these actions to have a real and lasting impact."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Woman kept on life support for months due to pregnancy finally laid to rest
Adriana Smith, an Atlanta mother and nurse, has finally been laid to rest, months after she was declared brain-dead after suffering a catastrophic stroke while eight weeks pregnant. The 31-year-old was kept on life support due to Georgia 's anti-abortion law, which grants personhood rights to a fetus, until her son, Chance, was delivered prematurely by emergency C-section. Smith's life support was turned off in mid-June and her funeral was held at Fairfield Baptist Church, just outside Atlanta, on Saturday. Her case has become a focal point for discussions on the impact of state-level abortion bans in medical emergencies and questions surrounding fetal personhood. Advocates and family members, including Democratic State Rep. Park Cannon, are pushing for 'Adriana's Law' to ensure individuals retain agency over their medical decisions, even while pregnant.
