Latest news with #Huws
Agriland
06-06-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Watch: Potential for vaccines to reduce methane emissions?
With the threat of global warming increasing, research around greenhouse gases (GHG) and in particular methane, is becoming increasingly important. According to Sharon Huws, professor in animal science and microbiology at Queens University Belfast there are 'huge gaps' in ruminant bacteria available for methane emission research. Speaking at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's (DAFM) Agriculture and Climate conference this week at Dublin Castle, Huws highlighted the challenges associated with the 'complexity' of the ruminant microbiome. Huws said: 'The rumen is one of the most complex microbiomes that you will find in nature. 'And with this complexity brings quite a lot of challenges, but ultimately what we're trying to do with our methane mitigation strategies is manipulate the processes in the rumen. 'If we do not have these microbes available, it means that we cannot understand them.' Prof. Sharon Huws, Queens University Belfast Reducing methane emissions Huws told Agriland how the Rumen Gateway Project, taking place at Queen's University Belfast, aims to 'fill in' the understanding around how methane is produced. She detailed that the purpose of the project is to gather methane-producing bacteria from ruminant animals across the world and combat them with methane mitigation strategies. Huws also added that 'practical' solutions can be implemented on farms such as introducing multi-species swards and willows to reduce methane emissions. Feed additives such as Bovaer are now gaining interest among farmers, with Huws emphasising that 'we [researchers] would never put anything on farms unless we know it does not affect animal health and welfare and that the products produced won't affect human health'. 'Those are the number one things, ensuring that farmers and the general public have confidence in what we're [researchers] doing'. Huws also highlighted that the acceleration of research on methane vaccines will require a team effort by immunologists and microbiologists. 'I think probably, three or four years down the line we'll hear a lot more about methane vaccines,' Huws added.
Rhyl Journal
06-06-2025
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Stark inequalities in cancer rates across Wales revealed
The report by Public Health Wales' Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU) found that people's housing, job, and ethnicity impact cancer incidence rates. To conduct the study, researchers linked all-Wales cancer registry data to Census data, using anonymising techniques to maintain confidentiality. The researchers then analysed the data to determine how cancer rates differed across the Welsh population based on ethnicity, housing type, and job. They found that people living in overcrowded housing had a cancer rate seven times higher than those with two or more spare rooms. Similarly, residents living in social housing had cancer rates nearly three times higher than those owning their homes outright. The study also revealed variances in cancer rates among different ethnic groups. The White population showed the highest overall cancer rates, partly due to the older age of this group. However, people from Mixed ethnic backgrounds were generally diagnosed at a later stage, which could potentially hinder cancer survival. The study also showed that Black men and Asian women were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate and breast cancer, respectively. The study shed light on the type of jobs and their connection with cancer incidence. People in lower-paid and manual jobs, such as process, plant, and machine operatives, had the highest cancer rates. They were also more likely to receive a late-stage cancer diagnosis compared to those in professional roles. Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, said: "This is the first time we've been able to look at unfair inequalities in cancer rates through this level of detail using individual data across the whole of the Welsh population. "It's a major step forward in understanding and reducing cancer inequalities in our society. "It has enabled us to get a much greater level of detail of the socio-demographic factors at play, by looking at individual or household measures of inequality, rather than area-level analysis. "It's a strong baseline for future work and a clear call to action to focus on where cancer and other health inequalities start." Professor Huws added that in many parts of Wales, elements crucial to health and well-being, such as healthy homes, good jobs, sufficient income, community connections, education and skills, and safe, clean environments, are either lacking or inadequate. He said: "Up to four in 10 cases of cancer are potentially preventable amongst the population of Wales as a whole. "Preventing cancer and achieving earlier diagnosis is a priority for everyone in the system." The study used linked data from the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit's national cancer registry and the 2011 Census, via Swansea University's SAIL Databank.
North Wales Chronicle
06-06-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Stark inequalities in cancer rates across Wales revealed
The report by Public Health Wales' Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU) found that people's housing, job, and ethnicity impact cancer incidence rates. To conduct the study, researchers linked all-Wales cancer registry data to Census data, using anonymising techniques to maintain confidentiality. The researchers then analysed the data to determine how cancer rates differed across the Welsh population based on ethnicity, housing type, and job. They found that people living in overcrowded housing had a cancer rate seven times higher than those with two or more spare rooms. Similarly, residents living in social housing had cancer rates nearly three times higher than those owning their homes outright. The study also revealed variances in cancer rates among different ethnic groups. The White population showed the highest overall cancer rates, partly due to the older age of this group. However, people from Mixed ethnic backgrounds were generally diagnosed at a later stage, which could potentially hinder cancer survival. The study also showed that Black men and Asian women were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate and breast cancer, respectively. The study shed light on the type of jobs and their connection with cancer incidence. People in lower-paid and manual jobs, such as process, plant, and machine operatives, had the highest cancer rates. They were also more likely to receive a late-stage cancer diagnosis compared to those in professional roles. Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, said: "This is the first time we've been able to look at unfair inequalities in cancer rates through this level of detail using individual data across the whole of the Welsh population. "It's a major step forward in understanding and reducing cancer inequalities in our society. "It has enabled us to get a much greater level of detail of the socio-demographic factors at play, by looking at individual or household measures of inequality, rather than area-level analysis. "It's a strong baseline for future work and a clear call to action to focus on where cancer and other health inequalities start." Professor Huws added that in many parts of Wales, elements crucial to health and well-being, such as healthy homes, good jobs, sufficient income, community connections, education and skills, and safe, clean environments, are either lacking or inadequate. He said: "Up to four in 10 cases of cancer are potentially preventable amongst the population of Wales as a whole. "Preventing cancer and achieving earlier diagnosis is a priority for everyone in the system." The study used linked data from the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit's national cancer registry and the 2011 Census, via Swansea University's SAIL Databank.
South Wales Argus
04-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Major study into cancer inequalities across Wales released
The study, from Public Health Wales' Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), found that housing, occupation, and ethnicity all influence cancer risk. It's the first time all-Wales cancer registry data has been linked with census information, and the findings highlight significant disparities across the country. Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, said: "This is the first time we've been able to look at unfair inequalities in cancer rates through this level of detail using individual data across the whole of the Welsh population. "It's a major step forward in understanding and reducing cancer inequalities in our society." The study found that people living in overcrowded housing had cancer rates seven times higher than those with two or more spare rooms, even after adjusting for age. Those in social housing faced cancer rates nearly three times higher than people who owned their homes outright. The report also revealed differences by ethnicity. While the white population had the highest overall cancer rates, partly due to being older on average, people from mixed ethnic backgrounds were more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis. This can reduce the chances of survival. Black men were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Asian women with breast cancer. Occupational background also played a role. People in lower-paid and manual jobs, such as machine operatives, had the highest cancer rates and were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than those in professional roles. Professor Huws said: "It has enabled us to get a much greater level of detail of the socio-demographic factors at play, by looking at individual or household measures of inequality, rather than area-level analysis. "It's a strong baseline for future work and a clear call to action to focus on where cancer and other health inequalities start." He added that up to four in 10 cancer cases in Wales are potentially preventable, and stressed the importance of early diagnosis and prevention. The report used anonymised data from the 2011 Census and the WCISU national cancer registry, accessed through Swansea University's SAIL Databank.
North Wales Chronicle
16-05-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Family's tribute to Gwynedd man who died after Conwy crash
Carwyn Huws, 20, of Bethesda, died on Saturday, May 10 after a crash shortly before 5.30pm involved a Honda motorcycle and a Volkswagen Caddy van. Emergency services attended, but Mr Huws was pronounced dead at the scene. The female pillion passenger was airlifted to hospital in Stoke, where she remains with serious injuries. Mr Huws was described as a 'loving son to Georgina and Hefin and brother to Arlun'. In a statement, shared via North Wales Police, his family said: 'All who knew him and loved him; Carwyn was the kindest most loveable person and would always be there for everyone. 'As a family, we would like to thank all for their support and kind words, and request that our privacy is respected at this devastating time. 'In particular, we would like to thank mountain rescue, paramedics, and the air ambulance teams who worked so hard to save him. 'Carwyn was so loved and we are heartbroken. We would also like to say our thoughts are with the pillion passenger, and wish her a full recovery.' The investigation to establish the cause of the crash is underway, with North Wales Polcie continuing to appeal for information and witnesses to the incident. Anybody with information is urged to contact the force via its website or by calling 101, quoting incident number 25000387021.
