Northern Ireland should take a leaf out of the Republic's book when it comes to concerns over disability rates
Disability rates have long been an area of concern for Northern Ireland as they have been consistently higher than the rest of the UK.
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The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
New womb lining test can help women who have miscarriages, UK scientists say
A new test that reveals an abnormal womb lining can help women who have repeated unexplained miscarriages, UK scientists have said. They say the findings are set to pave the way for new treatments for some women who experience recurrent pregnancy loss. Researchers said they discovered that miscarriage risk can be traced back to a problem with the womb lining before pregnancy, after previous studies mostly focused on the quality of the embryo, overlooking the role of the womb. Around one in six pregnancies are lost, mostly before 12 weeks, and each miscarriage increases the risk of another pregnancy loss. Pregnancy and baby charity Tommy's said the discoveries are set to provide explanations for pregnancy loss as well as treatments to prevent the 'trauma and devastation of recurrent miscarriage'. Lead author Dr Joanne Muter said: 'This is about identifying preventable miscarriages. Many women are told they've just had 'bad luck', but our findings show that the womb itself may be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception takes place.' The study – led by the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust with funding from pregnancy charity Tommy's – was published in Science Advances on Thursday, after over 1,500 biopsies from more than 1,300 women were analysed. The team found that an essential biological process called the 'decidual reaction', which prepares the womb lining for pregnancy each month, often does not progress properly in women with a history of miscarriage. This creates an unstable environment that, while still allowing embryos to implant, increases the risk of bleeding and early pregnancy loss. The scientists have consequently developed a test that can measure the womb lining response, which is being piloted to support more than 1,000 patients at Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research at UHCW. Senior author Professor Jan Brosens said: 'It is well-established that chromosomal errors in embryos account for the rise in miscarriage rates in women older than 35 years. This study shows that each miscarriage increases the risk of an embryo implantation in an abnormal womb lining, regardless of age. 'Thus, the frequency of one of two events – abnormal embryo or abnormal decidual reaction – happening over hundreds of menstrual cycles determines the likelihood of miscarriage in each individual woman. Importantly, we now have the tools to screen for the risk of preventable miscarriage and to evaluate treatments that improve the womb lining before pregnancy.' Holly Milikouris, who has had five miscarriages, described the new test as 'life changing'. After it was revealed that her womb lining prepared abnormally for pregnancy, she underwent treatment and went on to have two healthy children, three-year-old George and 17-month-old Heidi, with her husband Chris. Ms Milikouris, a civil servant from Cheshire, said: 'My miscarriages were all 'missed', which means there were no symptoms to let us know there was a problem. We found out when I went for a scan and a grew to dread having scans. 'We felt lost and were beginning to accept that I might never successfully carry a pregnancy. The treatments that typically can help women who have experienced miscarriages hadn't worked for us and each time we tried again we felt like we were rolling a dice with the baby's life. 'Being given the opportunity to take part in this trial was life changing. For the first time the results of my biopsy were normal, and we went on to have not one, but two successful pregnancies. We will never be able to thank Professor Brosens enough and are hopeful that the results of this groundbreaking study will help many other families.'
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Angela Rayner pays tribute to veterans as Newsnight airs Nuked Blood special
A Newsnight report on the Nuked Blood Scandal led to questions in Parliament as Angela Rayner paid tribute to veterans Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has paid tribute to survivors of Britain's nuclear weapons experiments after Newsnight featured their story for the first time. Veterans Brian Unthank, 87, and John Morris, also 87, appeared on a special edition of the BBC's flagship political programme alongside veteran's son Steve Purse, 51, and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. Mr Burnham told presenter Victoria Derbyshire that serving politicians "should be embarrassed" and "risk being complicit" if they do not act to end the injustice of a seven-decade cover-up off biological monitoring of troops who were deliberately exposed to radiation. Brian and John, who have more than 100 cancers between them, told how the results of the monitoring had subsequently been removed from their medical files, denying them war pensions and answers about the illnesses which have blighted their families. "It's heartbreaking to listen to. Why, after all these years, should they have to sit here and plead for the basic truth about what happened to them?" asked Mr Burnham. "It goes to the hart of the British state. They can blame the police for for Hillsborough, the NHS for infected blood, the Post Office for the Horizon scandal. here, what has happened is that at the heart of Whitehall, British policy was basically a preordained, systematic, brutal policy to put tens of thousands of British servicemen in the line of radiation without their knowledge, without their consent, without personal protective equipment, and then they conducted secret tests on them and denied it for decades." The programme was followed yesterday by questions in Parliament, with Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs demanding ministers take action to deliver compensation and apologies. * You can watch the programme HERE Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey told Prime Minister's Questions: "Last night, Newsnight covered the Daily Mirror's 3-year investigation into the Nuked Blood Scandal, in which thousands of troops had their blood and urine monitored, even chest x-rays, during nuclear weapons tests but the results were with from their medical records, and their suffering denied for decades. As a fierce supporter of these men and their families, who she's met with me, will the Right Honourable lady agree... that time is of the essence, and these elderly veterans deserve answers, justice, and an apology?" Angela Rayner, who was deputising for Keir Starmer, replied: "I commend her on the campaigning she's done on this issue, and I have met with some of those affected and I know the strength of feeling on this and I've heard their deeply personal testimony and experiences. "I pay tribute to all of the nuclear test veterans and their enduring contribution to our nation's security, especially during Armed Forces Week, and we're looking into unresolved questions regarding their medical records... as a priority." Tewkesbury MP Cameron Thomas told the Commons: "In 1957, my constituent Ronald Clark was among 22,000 UK personnel exposed to nuclear testing on Christmas Island. These veterans and their descendants have suffered various cancers, crippling illnesses, and deformities, but the MoD has never accepted liability. Noting the Deputy Prime Minister's response to her honourable friend, it doesn't quite go far enough. Time is running out. Will she meet with me, my constituent and these veterans to determine appropriate compensation?" Ms Rayner replied that "the Minister for Veterans will be happy to meet with him and the veterans to discuss this issue". A records review was ordered in November after a million people saw a devastating BBC documentary on the scandal. But despite two meetings with Veterans Minister Al Carns, and more than 19,000 documents examined already, the review has no budget, no deadline, and no results. The Mirror's investigation has uncovered thousands of pages of evidence about blood and urine tests, testing data, and the names of servicemen ordered to take part in the experiments, on a secret database at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. They were classified as state secrets, with officials refusing access to veterans, relatives, and even lawyers. That database, along with misleading statements given to courts and Parliament, is now the subject of a police complaint. A £5bn civil lawsuit is also underway. An anti-scandal law promised by Keir Starmer is expected to include "a huge carve-out" for matters of military and national security, which would enable public officials in those areas to lie without any criminal sanction.
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Half of England under amber heat health alert as UK faces 'danger to life' highs
An amber health alert has been issued across seven regions in the UK, with Brits warned sizzling temperatures could overwhelm all health and social care services - and result in a rise in deaths among those vulnerable.
