A round-up of other health news stories in brief
Cancer cells can be passed from mother-to-be
Scientists have proved for the first time that cancer cells can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, researchers said today.
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) said it had found genetic evidence that leukaemic cells had been transferred from a Japanese woman to her daughter.
Although there had been 17 previous cases where a mother and infant appeared to share the same cancer, this is the first time it had been linked “unquestionably”, the ICR said.
The study, published yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found the child's parents both carried the identical mutated cancer gene BCR-ABL1.
But the infant had not inherited the gene, meaning she could not have developed the leukaemia in isolation.
Prof Mel Greaves, who led the study at the ICR, said such cases remained “exceedingly rare”.
One-fifth of drivers fail eyesight test
One in five drivers in the Republic have eyesight which is below the legal requirement for driving a car, according to new research.
The figures are a substantial increase on a previous survey in 2008 which found that one in
eight drivers failed an eyesight test. The research also found that 17 per cent of the 750 people questioned for the survey had never had an eye test.
The research was conducted on behalf of Specsavers Opticians at last month’s Ploughing Championships in Co Kildare.
Specsavers store director Catherine McGleenon said that having an eye test every two years was the only way of ensuring your eyes were healthy and your vision was adequate for driving.
“ A lot of those who failed the test were surprised . . . having thought their eyesight was fine,” she said.
“Changes in vision can happen very gradually, so it can easily go unnoticed, leaving drivers unaware that they are posing a risk to themselves and other road users,” she added.
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