freelance science journalist and author
From The Australian, 21 November 2008:IT happens regularly in Barry Blaikie’s life: he finds himself standing breathless and paralysed in a street or shopping mall, trying desperately to drag enough oxygen into his damaged lungs to take that next step. People stop to help and ask him what’s wrong, and he’s brutally honest about his … Continue reading Exercise can battle breathlessness
From The Australian, 15 November 2008:IF little Jade Ochnio was a “normal” child, her mother Cheri believes she’d be a handful.“If she was my able-bodied child, she’d be the naughty one,” Ochnio says. However Jade, 7, is not able-bodied because she has congenital muscular dystrophy. A few seemingly minor misspellings and deletions in her DNA … Continue reading Dystrophies among rarest mysteries
From The Australian, 11 October 2008:ONE profoundly heartbreaking moment stands out for Jan Kuczerawy, in the anguished year since his wife Anne was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.“There was a moment in the early stages where she realised something was wrong,” says Jan. “She was frightened and she broke down in tears.”Thankfully, that moment of lucidity … Continue reading Dementia of young slowly unravels
For the first time, one of my articles has been reviewed by Media Doctor, a website dedicated to improving the accuracy of media reports about new medical treatments.And I’m very relieved to have scored 4.5 stars (out of a possible five) for my recent story in The Australian about research on a potential disease-modifying drug … Continue reading Four and a half stars on Media Doctor!
From The Australian, 20 September 2008:BETA-amyloid protein isn’t really much to look at. A tangle of amino acids, for much of our lives it exists harmlessly in our brains.But occasionally, something goes wrong. As we age, beta-amyloid can start to accumulate, building into deposits or plaques that somehow interfere with normal brain function in a … Continue reading Drug closing in on Alzheimer’s
From The Australian, 30 August 2008:AT this stage of life, Jane and Michael d’Arbon should be looking forward to retirement, long holidays, seeing their four children set off to make their mark on the world, and watching the next stage of their life together take shape.Instead, they’re giving interviews on the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s … Continue reading Delaying dementia next best to a cure
From The Australian, 21 June 2008:THE brain is an incredibly fragile organ. Evolution certainly thinks so — it has surrounded this mass of nerves and cells with a solid case of bone to guard against physical trauma, and lined its blood vessels with an almost impermeable membrane to guard against chemical and biological threats.As long … Continue reading Implant infection answer a winner
From The Australian, 31 May 2008:ONE in two Australian men and one in three Australian women will be diagnosed with cancer by age 85.If they happen to be living in Denmark at the time, around half of them could expect to still be alive and kicking within five years. Luckily though, they’re in Australia, which … Continue reading Cancer success one to boast about
From The Australian, 12 April 2008:SUPERMAN was one of the relatively lucky ones. The fall from a horse that crushed actor Christopher Reeve’s spinal cord may have robbed him of his ability to walk, move or even breathe without help, but he still had money, and he had support.Unlike so many people incapacitated by spinal … Continue reading Spinal research steps ahead for cure
From The Australian, 23 February 2008:Awareness that Australia has a drinking problem has reached the highest levels of government, writes Bianca Nogrady.ANDREW didn’t think his friends had a drinking problem. That is, until a few drink-driving offences landed him in the Odyssey House drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Now Andrew sees alcohol a little differently.“I … Continue reading Alcohol abuse eclipsing heroin
Bianca Nogrady 