Opening the Doors on Animal Testing

d


I am so pleased that we are where we are in the UK with animal testing.  I used to get depressed and angry in equal measures at the frequent stories of harassment and violence by anti-vivisection demonstrators 20 or so years ago.
It is to the credit of Tony Blair and Sheffield's David Blunkett (home secretary at the time), who changed the law making such violence a very serious offence, that we are in the happier position we are in today. Openness is good and will only strengthen the backing of the public for sensible animal testing. This is crucial if the wish of successive governments that Britain must remain at the forefront of biomedical research is to be realised. 

What kind of Evidence do we need in Surgery?

In percutaneous coronary intervention, the key to stent patency and therefore prevention of clinical events is inhibition of platelet function. Aspirin is the best know inhibitor of platelet function & has been around forever. Over the past 10 years, we have had many more - clopidogrel, abciximab, ticlopidine, pasugrel and now ticagrelor - each one shown to be superior to the last in good quality randomised controlled studies.

NICE & PCORI - a Match made in heaven

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is a Jewel in the Crown of the UK National health Service, the NHS. It examines the evidence for different treatments and makes recommendations to commisioners of healthcare in the NHS.

 

THE SLOW DEATH OF BRITISH SURGICAL RESEARCH

How to improve surgical research -- McCulloch 343 -- bmj.com
I am pleased the BMJ have given this piece the prominence it deserves. The problem of disappearing surgical research seems to me to be especially acute in cardiac surgery. Apart from projects originating in Western nations such as US, Germany and Italy, cardiac surgical research publications from emerging nations such as India, China Turkey and even Iran outnumber those that arise in the UK.

DEATH OF BRITISH MEDICAL RESEARCH

As principal investigator of 2 multicentre international studies in my hospital, I am obliged to do an online course that consists of 6 two hour sessions.  I suspect that the Trust pays a lot of money to the company Epigeum for the licence . The course is called Good Clinical Practice and outlines the rules and arrangements that have to be in place in the UK, before a research project is allowed to take place.  The list is long and bewildering .