freelance science journalist and author
Medical reporting
From ABC News in Science, 4 March 2013: Eating green leafy vegetables may boost a newly discovered genetic pathway that is essential for intestinal health, new research suggests. The study has discovered a gene known as T-bet is responsible for production of a type of cell that helps repair the lining of the gut and … Continue reading Green veges may boost gut health
From Pediatric News, 6 March 2013: There is no one perfect diagnostic algorithm for children with a first uncomplicated febrile urinary tract infection, according to a retrospective cohort simulation comparing six diagnostic approaches for yield, cost, and radiation dose. Five diagnostic algorithms possibly using ultrasound, voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), and late technetium99 dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan … Continue reading No stand-out among pediatric UTI diagnostic algorithms
From Rheumatology News, 26 February 2013: Corticosteroids may offer short-term relief from the symptoms of lateral epicondylalgia, but they significantly increase the risk of recurrence compared with physiotherapy or placebo, according to a randomized controlled trial reported in JAMA. The 1-year study of 165 patients also examined the interaction between corticosteroids and physiotherapy, finding that … Continue reading Corticosteroids quadruple risk of tennis elbow recurrence at 1 year
From Monash Magazine, February 2013: Sophisticated technology that packages medicines, sends them into the body and releases them as required has the potential to transform life for people with macular degeneration and a range of other serious diseases. If medicines could be designed in a way that allowed them to be sent to the right … Continue reading Lights, lipids, action
From ABC Science, News in Science, 11 February 2013: An international team of researchers has identified 24 new genes linked to short-sightedness. The discovery may one day help with the development of new treatments for a condition that affects billions of people around the world. The meta-analysis of genetic data from more than 46,000 individuals … Continue reading New myopia genes uncovered
From ABC Science, News in Science, 11 February 2013: A drug used to treat asthma and mouth ulcers has shown promise in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes in obesity, according to a study in mice. Researchers found that obese mice treated with the drug amlexanox not only lost a significant amount of weight, … Continue reading Asthma drug treats diabetes in obese mice
From ABC Science Online, News in Science, 28 November: Men may contribute far more to a successful pregnancy than just sperm, with evidence suggesting seminal fluid primes a woman’s immune system to be more receptive to the foetus. Researchers from the University of Adelaide have found a mechanism that may explain why women who have … Continue reading Men contribute more than sperm to pregnancy
From ABC Science Online, News in Science, 10 September 2012: Lack of cuddliness and a fixation with textures, sounds and smells in children under two years of age could be signs of autism, say researchers. They say such patterns in temperament could be used to help detect the disorder earlier and tailor treatment, giving behavioural … Continue reading Temperament gives ‘red flags’ for autism
From ABC Science Online, News in Science, 27 August 2012: Children exposed to blue asbestos may face more wide-ranging health problems in adulthood than mesothelioma and lung cancer, according to an Australian study. Researchers from Western Australia analysed health data from children who lived at Wittenoom, a now-abandoned WA town where blue asbestos was mined … Continue reading Asbestos may raise risk of non-lung cancers
From ABC Science Online, News in Science, 17 August 2012: Being able to lie about your age may soon be a thing of the past, after a new study shows the human brain develops at a consistent rate across individuals. The finding could also advance our understanding of autism and ADHD, and be used in … Continue reading Brain scan study reveals owner’s age
