logo
Broomfield Hospital's neonatal unit gets new £47k baby incubator

Broomfield Hospital's neonatal unit gets new £47k baby incubator

BBC News6 hours ago

A hospital in Essex received a new piece of equipment, worth more than £47,000, to help reduce the risk of complications for premature or seriously ill babies.Broomfield Hospital's Neonatal Unit was given a transport incubator, which provided ventilation for newborns while they were being transferred from maternity wards.The machine could also be used to help transfer babies to other hospitals when the neonatal transport team were busy during peak times.The new incubator was donated by charity, the Friends at Broomfield Hospital.
Jackie Kane, ward manager of the neonatal unit, said: "This new equipment will make a big difference to both patients and staff. We are extremely grateful for the support from the charity."Alison Douglas, chairperson of Friends at Broomfield, said: "We are delighted to have been able to donate this wonderful piece of equipment to the neonatal team."The volunteers work incredibly hard to raise the funds, and to see how pleased the staff are with it is extremely gratifying. We hope that this will help many new mums and their babies."
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New womb lining test can help women who have miscarriages, UK scientists say
New womb lining test can help women who have miscarriages, UK scientists say

The Independent

time26 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.'

Do YOU live near a giant hogweed hotspot? Interactive map reveals the UK areas where Britain's 'most dangerous plant' has been reported
Do YOU live near a giant hogweed hotspot? Interactive map reveals the UK areas where Britain's 'most dangerous plant' has been reported

Daily Mail​

time37 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Do YOU live near a giant hogweed hotspot? Interactive map reveals the UK areas where Britain's 'most dangerous plant' has been reported

When it comes to invasive plants in the UK, giant hogweed is perhaps the most feared. Often described as the 'most dangerous plant in Britain', giant hogweed looks harmless enough with its pretty white flowers. But the sap of the non-native invasive species can cause nasty burns and blisters bigger than golf balls. Now, a new interactive map helps you avoid the dreaded vegetation, which can even blind people if the sap gets into the eyes. The map reveals the parts of the UK where sightings of giant hogweed – which tends to flower in June and July – has been reported. It means when you're planning your summer walk, you can steer clear of any giant hogweed hotspots. So, is there any giant hogweed in your area? Scroll the interactive map to find out. The new map comes from WhatShed, a British website that reviews and compares prices in the UK garden market. In a blog post, it warns that even just lightly touching the plant's sap can pose a 'considerable threat to human health'. 'The spread of this invasive species across the UK has become increasingly rapid, it must be stopped,' it says. As the map shows, giant hogweed has a heavy presence across the whole of the UK, but especially in London and the north west such as Manchester and Leeds. Some of the sparser areas with fewer reported sightings are north and central Wales, Devon, Cornwall and the west of Scotland. However, this doesn't mean giant hogweed doesn't have a presence in these regions. That's because there's likely been sightings of giant hogweed across the country that have gone unreported or unnoticed. WhatShed's blog post also allows you to report a sighting of giant hogweed in your area, which can then be added to the map to make it a more reliable tool. How to spot giant hogweed While the plant looks very similar to common hogweed, it is much larger and will often reach heights of over 16 feet. Sharing tips on how to distinguish between the two plants, Mr Knight said the plant has 'long stems topped with umbrella-like clusters of tightly packed white flowers'. 'The large stems are covered in tiny white hairs and there are purple spots randomly dispersed all over the stem too with each branch tending to have a patch of purple colouration where it meets the stem,' he said. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a member of the carrot family that can grow to a striking 10 feet in height. It has thick and bristly stems that are often blotched with purple, while the flowers at the very top are white and come in clusters that spread from a common point. The sap of giant hogweed contains furocoumarin, which makes skin extremely sensitive to sunlight (phytophotodermatitis). If the sap gets onto your skin and it's then exposed to the sun, your skin can get huge blisters, which can then recur over months and even years. And because it causes no immediate pain, those affected may continue to enjoy the good weather, unaware of any problem until the first burns appear. 'The sap can pass through clothing when people are cutting it down,' writer and plant expert Geoff Dann told MailOnline. Giant hogweed comes from southwest Asia and was first reported in the wild in the UK in 1828 in Cambridgeshire after being imported as an ornamental plant. Today, it is particularly abundant along river banks and ravines, so gardens nearby to this type of terrain are most likely to have it growing. It can also be found on motorway embankments and lining A-roads, where cyclists often brush past it, which can be enough to transfer the sap. The plant reaches its greatest extent in June and July, according to Callum Sinclair, project manager with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative. 'By the time we get to this time of year, they're pretty impressively-big plants and impressively-dangerous plants as well obviously,' he said. 'They're probably close to sort of maximum height now and mid-summer, July and August.' There are other species in the hogweed family, including common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), which is smaller. Although it also causes rashes and other skin complaints, reactions tend to not be as severe compared with the larger species. 'The fully-grown giant hogweed plant is unmistakably enormous, the foliage is shiny and much less hairy than hogweed and the lobes much more sharply toothed,' said Dann. Seven of the world's deadliest plants 1. Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata). A large wildflower in the carrot family, water hemlock is sometimes confused with edible parsnips or celery. However, water hemlock is infused with deadly cicutoxin, especially in its roots, and will rapidly generate potentially fatal symptoms in anyone unlucky enough to eat it. Painful convulsions, abdominal cramps, nausea, and death are common, and those who survive are often afflicted with amnesia or lasting tremors. 2. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna). A native of wooded or waste areas in central and southern Eurasia, deadly nightshade has dull green leaves and shiny black berries about the size of cherries. Nightshade contains atropine and scopolamine in its stems, leaves, berries, and roots, and causes paralysis in the involuntary muscles of the body, including the heart. Even physical contact with leaves may cause skin irritation. The sweetness of the berries that often lures children and unwitting adults to consume this lethal plant. 3. White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima). A North American herb with flat-topped clusters of small white flowers and contains a toxic alcohol known as trematol. Symptoms of 'milk poisoning' include loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort, reddened tongue, abnormal acidity of the blood, and death. White snakeroot was responsible for the death of Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks. She was poisoned by simply drinking the milk of a cow who had grazed on the plant. 4. Castor Bean (Ricinus communis). Widely grown as an ornamental, the castor bean is an attractive plant native to Africa. While the processed seeds are the source of castor oil, they naturally contain the poison ricin and are deadly in small amounts. It only takes one or two seeds to kill a child and up to eight to kill an adult. Ricin works by inhibiting the synthesis of proteins within cells and can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and even death. 5. Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius). Also called jequirity beans, these piously-named seeds contain abrin, an extremely deadly ribosome-inhibiting protein. Rosary peas are native to tropical areas and are often used in jewelry and prayer rosaries. While the seeds are not poisonous if intact, seeds that are scratched, broken, or chewed can be lethal. 6. Oleander (Nerium oleander). A beautiful plant known for its striking flowers. Though commonly grown as a hedge and ornamental, all parts of the oleander plant are deadly and contain lethal cardiac glycosides known as oleandrin and neriine. If eaten, oleander can cause vomiting, diarrhea, erratic pulse, seizures, coma, and death, and contact with the leaves and sap is known to be a skin irritant to some people. 7. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Tobacco is the most widely grown commercial non-food plant in the world. All parts of the plant, especially its leaves, contain the toxic alkaloids nicotine and anabasine, and can be fatal if eaten. Despite its designation as a cardiac poison, nicotine from tobacco is widely consumed around the world and is both psychoactive and addictive. Tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year, making it perhaps the most deadly plant in the world.

IVF births increase but NHS funding drops, new figures show
IVF births increase but NHS funding drops, new figures show

BBC News

time37 minutes ago

  • BBC News

IVF births increase but NHS funding drops, new figures show

IVF births made up more than 3% of births in the UK in 2023, according to new 20,700 babies were born during the year as a result of in vitro fertilisation -representing an increase from 8,700 in 2000, figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) single patients and female same sex couples opting for the treatment has contributed to the rise, while there has also been an increase in older NHS-funded cycles across the UK have decreased in recent years from 35% in 2019 to 27% in 2022 and 2023, the report found. The chairwoman of the HFEA said the figures demonstrate the "changing landscape of the UK fertility sector" and how it might develop in the data, which covers the year 2023, indicated that 52,400 patients had over 77,500 IVF cycles at licensed clinics in the UK."IVF births are making up a higher proportion of all UK births over time, increasing from 1.3% in 2000 to 3.1% in 2023," the report said."This means around one in 32 UK births in 2023 were via IVF - roughly one child in every classroom - compared to one in 43 in 2013."Of patients aged between 40 and 44, 11% of births were a result of IVF compared with 4% in 2000. I lost £15,000 after going to an IVF middlemanFertility patients sold unproven add-ons, HFEA says Director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA, Clare Ettinghausen, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the increase in the last decade has been due to "several reasons".She cited those seeking treatment due to fertility issues as well as those looking to have children later in life."We're seeing an increased use of IVF in older age groups," she said. "The big increase, although still quite small numbers, has been in female same sex couples and single patients – those have really driven some big rises in [the] numbers of people seeking fertility treatment."Ms Ettinghausen added that funding has "dropped quite dramatically" over the last 10 years with around one third of people across the UK having NHS funding for the described access to funding as "patchy" depending on where you live - with the highest amount of NHS funding having always been in Scotland."With the small amount of money that is available, the earlier that NHS funding can get to people the better value it is for the NHS," she added. "The quicker people can be seen the more likely [either] the IVF will be successful [or] they might not need that expensive and invasive treatment."The report found that the average proportion of NHS-funded cycles dropped from 35% in 2019 to 27% by 2023, while national differences ranged from 54% in Scotland to 24% in England."The decrease in NHS-funded IVF treatments across the UK may relate to increased waiting times for further investigations prior to accessing NHS-funded treatments," the report on the HFEA data, a spokesperson from the fertility charity Fertility Network UK underlined that delays in accessing treatment could have "a devastating emotional and biological impact"."We call for fair and timely access to fertility services for all, wherever they live and whatever their background," they said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store