General News

TfLTransport for London (TfL) has appointed VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, as their management agent for the promotion & distribution of the Visitor Oyster card internationally. VisitBritain will act as the single point of contact for all distribution partners and for the sale of the highly popular transport smartcard to trade partners outside of London.
Press release & links
 
DUKAlert for diabetics - The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a drug alert for Hypurin Porcine Isophane insulin cartridges after a packaging error came to light (affected carton bears the batch number PL40147).  The issue occurred when a carton for cartridges of short-acting Hypurin Porcine Neutral Insulin 100IU/ml got into the production line for the intermediate-acting Hypurin Porcine Isophane Insulin 100 IU/ml.
Press release & links
 
ScotGov: 12 patients have been cured of a life threatening complication of type 1 diabetes thanks to an innovative Scottish transplant programme.  18 months on from the first operation, the Scottish National Pancreatic Islet Transplant Programme has carried out 18 islet cell infusions, and improved the lives of 12 patients.
 
The process involves islets extracted from a deceased donor’s pancreas being injected into the liver of patients with type 1 diabetes. This has been shown to be an effective treatment for some people with type 1 diabetes who have problems recognising when their blood sugar becomes dangerously low.   All of these patients are now able to recognise when their blood sugar level drops and rarely experience low levels.
Press release & links ~ Scottish National Pancreatic Islet Transplant Programme
 
STFC: Scientists at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) have discovered why paint on a Van Gogh that was originally yellow, has turned an orangey-grey colour.  ESRF, which is near Grenoble, is part-funded by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.
 
In a bid to protect the valuable work, it was varnished shortly after Van Gogh died in 1890.  However, scientists have characterised a previously unknown degradation process, caused by the varnish, which is responsible for the discolouration of the yellow pigment.
Press release & links
 
ACE: As part of Arts Council England's £235m Capital investment programme, arts & culture organisations can now apply for grants between £100,000 and £499,999 to improve their existing arts facilities.  By investing in capital projects large & small, ACE hope to support the sector to become more resilient & sustainable, as outlined in their 10-year vision.
 
For further information about eligibility, the application process and how funding decisions will be made, please visit their Small capital grants pages. The deadline to apply to the first round of funding is 10am, Tuesday 30 October 2012..
Press release & links ~ See also; Creative people and places fund opens for round two applications - closes 12 December 2012.
 
HPA: Wild food enthusiasts are being urged to take extra care when foraging for mushrooms because of the risk of picking toxic varieties, says the Health Protection Agency's poisons experts. Dozens of people seek medical advice each year after eating toxic varieties of wild mushroom which they have picked themselves.
 
Some varieties which grow wild in the UK are so poisonous that they can be fatal if eaten.  Foragers should remember that the poisons in some of the most dangerous wild mushrooms are generally not destroyed by cooking.
Press release & links
 
NE: Wildlife charity Pond Conservation has announced, with Natural England and other partners, Phase 2 in its national Million Ponds Project, which aims to create 30,000 clean water ponds over the next 7 years, up to 2020.
Press release ~ Million Ponds project
 
CABCitizens Advice disappointed at Co-op's decision to withdraw basic bank accounts from undischarged bankrupts.
Press release & links
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is advising people travelling to, or recently returned from, the Czech Republicto steer clear of locally-produced hard spirits. This follows a recent spate of alcohol-related cases of methanol poisoning in the country, including 19 deaths.
Press release & links
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