Latest news with #UniversityOfLeeds
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Climate Experts Issue Stark Warning About Global Warming Timeline
A new report from more than 60 of the world's top climate scientists paints a sobering picture: humanity could exhaust its carbon budget for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in just three years. If current emissions continue unchecked, the long-established target set by the Paris Agreement may soon slip permanently out of reach, BBC News reported. Since the late 1800s, average global temperatures have climbed steadily, driven by relentless carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil, and gas, as well as widespread deforestation. While the 1.5 °C threshold was meant to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists say we're now hurtling toward it faster than anyone expected. "We're seeing some unprecedented changes," said lead author Professor Piers Forster of the University of Leeds. "The heating of the Earth and sea-level rise are accelerating, and it's tied directly to emissions." The updated analysis, released this week, estimates that only 130 billion metric tons of CO₂ can still be emitted globally to stay under the 1.5 °C limit with a 50 percent chance. At the current rate of around 40 billion tons per year, that leaves just over three years before the budget is spent. Adding to the urgency, last year marked the first time global temperatures exceeded 1.5 °C for an entire 12-month period. While one year doesn't constitute a formal breach of the Paris goal, the trend is alarming. Scientists warn that continued warming will bring more extreme weather, rising sea levels, and ecosystem disruptions, affecting millions of people worldwide. Much of the excess heat has been absorbed by the oceans, leading to faster sea-level rise and marine ecosystem damage. The rate of sea-level rise has doubled since the 1990s. Still, there's a sliver of hope. The report notes that while emissions remain high, their rate of increase has slowed, thanks in part to clean energy technologies. Experts stress that aggressive emission cuts now could still blunt the worst impacts. "Every fraction of a degree matters," said climate scientist Joeri Rogelj. "Reducing emissions today will ease suffering tomorrow."Climate Experts Issue Stark Warning About Global Warming Timeline first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 19, 2025
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Student flats planned for Leeds shopping centre
Plans that would see part of a shopping centre replaced by a 37-storey block of student flats are to be considered by Leeds City than 1,000 students would be housed in the development on the Merrion Centre site, which would also include a karaoke room, gym and study unit currently occupied by Home Bargains and a disused cinema would be demolished under proposals and a new building constructed on the same footprint.A report to councillors said the project would "contribute to an ever more vibrant city centre which will sustain the retail and hospitality sector". Each year, tens of thousands of students call Leeds home while they attend institutions such as the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts and the Leeds for more than 17,000 student bed spaces have been approved in recent from Unipol suggests that between 2014/15 and 2022/23 the number of full-time students at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett rose by about 9,500 and is predicted to go up by another 4,000 by 2027/ number of international students in the city has also risen. Why does Leeds need so much student accommodation? Council officers have recommended approval for the Merrion Centre project set to be discussed by Leeds City Council's plans panel proposed tower, which would be located near three conservation areas, would be visible from parts of the city centre including Millennium Square."Distinctive" columns of blue brick would extend around the building and "help to define the new entrance", according to the approval would be subject to conditions including almost £600,000 towards nearby cycling and road report said plans for the scheme had been revised since it was first proposed in 2022. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Medical News Today
04-06-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Colon cancer: Exercise as important as drugs in preventing recurrence
Could exercise be 'better than a drug' at preventing colon cancer recurrence? Image credit: Connect Images/. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After initial treatment, people are advised to follow a healthy lifestyle, often in conjunction with further drug treatments to try and reduce the chance of recurrence. Now, a study has found that a structured exercise program could be more effective than drug treatments in preventing colon cancer recurrence. Patients following a supervised exercise program had a 28% lower risk of recurrence, and a 37% lower risk of death from any cause than those who were not. Now, a study led by Canadian scientists has found that a structured exercise program following surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer reduced patients' chance of cancer recurring by 28% compared with patients given only health advice. Experts have said these results suggest exercise could be 'better than a drug' at preventing colon cancer recurrence. Speaking to the Science Media Centre, David Sebag-Montefiore, MB BS, MRCP, FRCP, the Audrey and Stanley Burton Professor of Clinical Oncology and Health Research, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, who was not involved in the trial, commented that: 'This is excellent news for future patients with bowel cancer and is likely to bring additional health benefits […[ The great appeal of a structured moderate intensity exercise is that is offers the benefits without the downside of the well-known side effects of our other treatments.' All those enrolled in the trial, between 2009 and 2024, had undergone surgery for stage 3 or high-risk stage 2 colon cancer, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy to help prevent the cancer returning. They ranged in age from 19 to 84 years, with a median age of 61. Most participants had a body mass index (BMI) indicating overweight or obesity, and none exercised for more than 150 minutes per week before the trial. Researchers randomly assigned all participants to one of two groups. The exercise group — made up of 445 patients — worked with a certified physical activity consultant for 3 years. For the first 6 months the consultants saw them every week, then fortnightly for the second 6 months, and monthly for next 2 years. These participants could choose the type, frequency and intensity of aerobic exercise, but the aim was to achieve the equivalent of 3-4 brisk 45-60 minute walks a week. The health-education group (444 patients) received general health-education materials promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition in addition to standard surveillance. At a median follow-up of 7.9 years, 93 people in the exercise group and 131 in the health-education group had experienced a recurrence of their cancer, a new primary cancer, or had died. In total, 107 died from any cause — 41 in the exercise group, 66 in the health-education group. People in the exercise group did not lose weight, but saw a general improvement in physical functioning and significantly longer disease-free survival, with an annual incidence of recurrence, new primary cancer, or death of 3.7%, compared with 5.4% in the health-education group. In the exercise group, 80.3% of patients were disease-free after 5 years, compared with 73.9% of the health-education group. Lead author on the study, Kerry S. Courneya, PhD, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, told Medical News Today that the most important finding of their study was the overall improvement in survival. Julie Gralow, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), who was not involved in the trial, said the findings suggest that exercise could be 'better than a drug' for cancer patient outcomes, because it does not have the related side effects. However, she cautioned: 'I did not mean to suggest that we omit drugs in favor of exercise, my intention was to compare the magnitude of benefit we get from standard therapies to what exercise achieved in terms of reduction of recurrences and deaths, also taking toxicity into account.' She added that while there were effective drugs that help prevent recurrence in patients with particular mutations for colon cancer, 'exercise's benefit in colon cancer patients is not restricted to these specific mutations.' Courneya emphasized the benefits of their program: 'The 'side effects' of exercise are almost all good (fitter, stronger, less fatigue, less depression, lower [cardiovascular disease] risk, etc.). I think exercise keeps having an effect on new primary cancers and possibly other causes of death. Intervention participants were still doing more exercise than health education at years 4 and 5.' A supervised exercise program can also be much cheaper than medication. 'The [physical activity] intervention was maybe 3,000 to 5,000 [Canadian dollars] whereas it is not uncommon for some cancer drugs to be 10s of thousands and even reach 100,000,' Courneya added. Vicky Coyle, U.K. lead researcher for the trial and Clinical Professor at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, told MNT that: 'Our study gives clear, encouraging evidence that physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer returning for some people with colon cancer. We now need to work with policymakers and healthcare providers to embed exercise into treatment plans where appropriate.' Joe Henson, PhD, Associate Professor in Lifestyle Medicine at the University of Leicester, who led exercise sessions in Leicester, U.K. for the trial, highlighted the need for support. 'Despite its proven benefits, many people still face barriers to engaging in regular exercise. This study shows how important it is to make exercise advice a routine part of cancer care and to offer people tailored support,' Henson told us. Although she emphasizes the importance of exercise to her own patients, Gralow noted that implementing exercise programs like those in this study could be difficult: 'I question whether most clinics have enough personnel to accommodate this number of visits (especially since prior observational data suggests many other cancer types — including common ones like breast and prostate cancer — benefit from exercise). I also question whether all or even most patients are willing to come in this often.' 'So,' she said, 'we need to find alternative ways to support our patients in incorporating exercise into their lives that do not require clinic visits but do provide regular support and encouragement. And we need to make sure we, the clinicians, are recommending this (a prescription for exercise!).' Colorectal Cancer Cancer / Oncology Sports Medicine / Fitness
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
The cheap 90p supplement that could slash risk of deadly heart failure by ‘reversing' damage from silent killer
A CHEAP supplement could help prevent deadly heart failure by 'reversing' damage caused by silent killer diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes who took the widely available pill daily on top of their standard treatment were able to reverse early signs of diabetes-related heart failure in a matter of months, a new study showed. 1 The number Brits with diabetes has reached an all-time high - it's estimated that 5.8 million people have the condition, 90 per cent of whom have type 2 diabetes. This number is predicted to continue surging. Type 2 diabetes patients are up to five times more likely to develop heart failure than the rest of the population, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Once someone with diabetes is diagnosed with heart failure, they are three times more likely to die over the next five years. But a study conducted by the University of Leeds found that diabetics who took mitoquinone - sold as a health supplement for about 90p per tablet - had healthier hearts after four months compared to those not given the supplement. Lead author Dr Henry Procter, a clinical research fellow at the University of Leeds, said: 'These encouraging results are a sign that mitoquinone could keep hearts healthier for longer in people with diabetes. "If the study had continued for longer, it is likely we would have started to see differences in more serious indicators of heart health between the group with mitoquinone and the group without.' Diabetes causes problems with how the body - including the heart - processes and uses energy, which can cause stress and damage to the cells of the heart muscle. Over time, it can lead to the heart stiffening and being unable to pump blood well, eventually to the point of heart failure. Mitoquinone is an artificial antioxidant that is thought to guard cells against this metabolic stress and damage. It's sold online as a supplement for about £50 for a jar of 60 pills, which works out at about 86p per tablet. However, these are at doses far lower than those used in the study. The research, whose results were presented at the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester, involved 70 patients with type 2 diabetes who didn't have heart failure. Half were given 40mg of mitoquinone per day on top of their regular diabetes treatment, while the other half received their usual medication. Both groups had their heart health assessed at the start of the study and again four months later. After four months of mitoquinone, diabetic patients' hearts were able to process and use energy 15 per cent more efficiently. Their heart muscles were also able to relax more quickly, which showed that early indicators of stress and stiffness in their hearts had been reversed, according to researchers. Patients experienced no side effects from taking the supplement. What is heart failure and tips to prevent it Heart failure is a condition where your heart can't pump blood around your body as well as it should. It doesn't mean your heart has stopped working but you may need support to help it work better. When your heart isn't pumping blood as well as it should, it means you're not getting enough oxygen. This affects how your body works, including your breathing and muscles. This causes some of the main symptoms of heart failure, like: Fainting or feeling lightheaded Feeling increasingly tired or weak at rest which gets worse with movement New persistent cough Shortness of breath when you're active or resting Swelling in your feet and ankles which can spread to your lower body You should see your GP as soon as you can if you experience any of these symptoms. To manage heart failure, here are some things you could try: Keeping active – which has been proven to boost energy and improve sleep and quality of life. Keeping to a healthy weight and diet – this will help your overall health and prevent extra strain on your heart. Limiting how much alcohol you drink (less than the recommended 14 units per week) - lowering your chance of getting abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure and diseases such as stroke, liver problems and some cancers. Stopping smoking and using other tobacco products - reducing your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Watching the amount of fluid you have each day if advised by your medical team. Weighing yourself regularly – sudden weight gain may mean too much fluid is building up in your body and will need treated. Source: BHF Those who didn't take the daily pill didn't see the same improvements to their heart health. Experts said that while their findings are promising they now need to be backed up by larger trials. The research team is now looking into running a larger study of mitoquinone in diabetes patients, to gather more evidence that the supplement could protect their hearts and prevent heart failure over time. They hope to show that diabetes patients could one day be prescribed mitoquinone to keep their hearts healthier for longer. 'We hope that a larger study will continue to demonstrate the benefits of this antioxidant, and that one day soon diabetic patients can be prescribed it to help prevent heart failure before it ever affects their lives," Dr Procter said. Professor Bryan Willians, the BHF's chief scientific and medical officer, added: 'This study presents some intriguing initial findings. "It's still early days for this research and the results will need to be confirmed in a larger scale trial. "The study neatly demonstrates why it is so important to continue to support research and look for solutions in a wide variety of places, so that we can continue to offer hope to people living with, and at risk of, cardiovascular disease.'
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Addingham woman with terminal cancer completes Everest Marathon
A woman with incurable breast cancer has said her resilience "paid off" after she completed the Everest Burke, from Addingham, West Yorkshire, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2024, and has since undergone four months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, liver surgery and Burke, an associate professor in exercise and health psychology at the University of Leeds, completed the race on 29 May in seven hours and 41 minutes, finishing fourth in her said the marathon - which is the world's highest - was "extremely demanding on the body", as starting at such a high altitude meant there was less oxygen in the air. "The Everest Marathon actually starts at an elevation of 5,300m [17,388ft], which is very taxing on the human body," she explained."The body is under stress because of the low oxygen in the air, so everyday simple tasks - getting in and out of your tent to walk to the dining tent or to walk to the toilet tent - can actually become very difficult."Your heart rate becomes elevated, breathing becomes more laborious - so if you can imagine trying to run a marathon at that altitude, how hard that actually is."Despite this, Dr Burke said the atmosphere among the competitors was "absolutely fantastic", with at least 200 participants from 32 different countries running in the marathon. "Everyone was united by just wanting to be in the mountains and to experience something very different," Dr Burke said. "It is not just a marathon, it is more than that. It passes through the Sherpa villages, passes through the monasteries."It offers that real inside look into the cultural heritage of the Khumbu Valley."Dr Burke, who is Canadian, has been to the Everest region three times before, first visiting back in work involves studying exercise and its effects on cancer, and throughout her cancer treatment she said she had managed to stay fit, running to and from her hospital appointments as a way of has previously climbed four out of the seven highest peaks in the world - Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Elbrus in Russia, Kilimanjaro in Africa and Everest in Nepal. Dr Burke said the Everest Marathon "played to my strengths as a mountaineer"."I summited Everest in 2005, so I do know what it's like to push myself in high altitudes. "That resilience, I have it within me, and I think it paid off."It took me seven hours and 41 minutes to complete the marathon, you can't compare this to a marathon at sea level."I ended up finishing fourth for females in the foreigner category, so I am very pleased with my result." Dr Burke vowed not to give up on her passion for the mountains, and said: "Bigger mountains are coming next, watch this space."The Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon is an annual race which starts at Everest Base Camp and finishes in the town of Namche is held on 29 May to celebrate the Everest ascent by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on the same date in only did Dr Burke complete the marathon, to acclimatise less than two weeks before she also climbed the 20,075ft (6,119m) high Lobuche Peak in Nepal. She has raised more than £10,000 for the Macmillan cancer charity, which helped her during her treatment at Airedale Hospital and St James' Hospital in Leeds. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
