What Leonardo taught us about the heart

Da Vinci was the first anatomist known to correctly note the number and root structure of human teeth

He found that the heart had four chambers and it connected the pulse in the wrist with the contraction of the left ventricle.

He worked out that currents in the blood flow, created in the main aorta artery, help heart valves to close.

And he suggested that arteries create a health risk if they fur up over a lifetime.

Mr Wells also believes that Leonardo realised that the blood was in a circulation system and may have influenced William Harvey's discovery in 1616 that blood was pumped around the body by the heart.

Yet none of Leonardo's theories or drawing were ever published during his lifetime.

In fact, his notes were not rediscovered until the late 18th century - more than 250 years after his death.

Mr Wells explains: "It wasn't his job. Scientific stuff was his hobby."

Mother's op book helps ill children

Helen Sadler wrote Monkey Has An Operation for her daughter

Now, almost six years later, the character forms part of a schools education pack aimed at teaching youngsters about situations they might encounter in hospitals, at the doctors and even in life.

It is also educates pupils about the National Health Service and encourages them to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Mrs Sadler was told at her 20 week scan, in April 2007, that the baby she was carrying had a condition that resulted in lung cysts being formed and that her child would need major surgery at 18 months old.

But, as she began to prepare Josephine for the operation at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton, Helen found there were no books to explain to her daughter what was happening.

"When we went in for the pre-operative appointment it was all pretty traumatic and quite terrifying," she said.

"The hospital had some really good photographs that talked you through the journey but we were not allowed to take them away.

"It was all very quick and you could not take anything on board and children are terrified just as much as parents are."

So, she decided to draw a character of a soft toy Monkey and created a story of him going into hospital for an operation.

Older sperm donors 'just as good'

Dr Meenakshi Choudhary told the BBC: "It doesn't matter up to the age of 45 years, there was no decline observed in this study.

"Sperm donors are a select group of the population, they are healthy fertile donors who go through a stringent recruitment criteria.

"Based on this we can say that age does not matter as long as the sperm quality is good."

'Men not invincible'

Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in sperm at the University of Sheffield, said men should not be tempted by complacency.

He told the BBC: "I think there is a perception out there that men are invincible from reproductive ageing - we just need to look at Charlie Chaplin who was 73 when he had his eleventh child.

"We know that as men go above the age of 40 and go into their fifties, their chances of getting a woman pregnant does reduce as a consequence of age.

"I don't think you can take this data and apply it uncritically to the general population, the advice would still be you should be trying to have a child before the age of 40 or 45."

Clotting balls 'may stop bleeding'

The extremely small particles have several protein arms which form bonds with blood cells

The tiny spherical particles - some 200 times thinner than a human hair - have tentacle-like arms made of protein chains. These arms form links with natural clotting cells present in blood, clumping them together.

The body then continues with a cascade of processes, leading to a web-like mesh which stops blood flow.

In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists found injecting these particles into the bloodstream of injured mice helped improve survival rates from 60% to 90%.

'Just add water'

Prof Erin Lavik of Case Western Reserve University and senior author of the study, told the BBC: "In the blast trauma model there is bleeding from many different organs so being able to administer something simply that can stop bleeding at many sites and improve survival is very exciting."

The super-clotting balls can last up to two weeks as a dry powder and can be made into a solution rapidly by just adding a salt or sugar water mixture.

Currently most blood products used to treat major bleeding need to be refrigerated and have a shelf-life of a few days.

Mark Morrison of the Institute of Nanotechnology, who was not involved in the research, says: "The materials used to synthesise these particles are well-known and have been used for sometime so this should help avoid interactions with the human immune system.

"However, there needs to be further work on how the particles affect the natural clotting cascade and other body processes. We need to know how long they last in the body too."

The researchers plan to do further studies in larger animal models before considering human trials.

The Kaua'i Cocktail: Why Residents of Hawai'i Are Outraged by GMO Farming on Kaua'i

By Paul Koberstein
WAIMEA, HAWAI'I - The island of Kaua'i, Hawai'i, has become Ground Zero in the intense political battle over genetically modified (GMO) crops in the United States. But the fight isn't just about the concerns over GMO technology. It's also about chemical pesticides.

The four transnational corporations that are experimenting with genetically engineered crops on Kaua'i have transformed part of the island into what could be one of the most toxic chemical environments in all of U.S. agriculture.

For the better part of two decades, Syngenta, BASF Plant Science, DuPont Pioneer and Dow AgroSciences have been drenching their test crops near this small town on the southwest coast of Kaua'i with some of the most dangerous synthetic pesticides in use in agriculture today, at an intensity that far surpasses the norm at most other American farms, an analysis of government pesticide databases shows. Residents of "Poison Valley"

Perhaps no one personifies the battle better than Klayton Kubo, who lives at the east end of Waimea, at the heart of what he calls "poison valley." He showed this reporter a brief video of himself cleaning the screen covering the window on the street side of his house. Clogged with reddish dirt similar in appearance to volcanic soils found throughout the island, the screen is his house's last line of defense against the dust. However, it blocks only the biggest chunks, and can do nothing to stop smaller pieces of grit, toxic vapors and chemical odors that appear to be emanating from test fields located just beyond the street and the Waimea River in front of his house.

Kubo began looking for answers to his questions about what's in the air some 15 years ago. More than once, he says, a DuPont representative came to his house only to lower his head and mutter that it's "against company policy" to reveal any information about activities on the test fields.

Kubo is among 150 of his neighbors who have joined a class action lawsuit against DuPont Pioneer, a subsidiary of DuPont that leases several thousand acres on Kaua'i. They are seeking an injunction against the use of chemicals that are suspected to be toxic. At the other end of town, the Waimea Canyon Middle School, a health clinic, and a veterans' hospital line up in front of another GMO test field operated by Syngenta.

Steady northeasterly trade winds averaging between 8 and 9 mph blow daily across the test fields and into town.

In two incidents in 2006 and 2008, students at the Waimea school were evacuated and about 60 were hospitalized with flu-like symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Many people in town blamed the outbreak on blowing dust from the GMO test fields. The companies blamed nearby fields of stinkweed.  

How 'The New DDT' Wreaks Havoc on the Bottom of the Food Chain

By Stephen Leahy
The same insecticide nerve poison that is contributing to the shocking declines in bees and other pollinators is also behind the sharp declines in many other insect species, along with insect-eating birds and bats. Even important creatures like earthworms, which keep our soils healthy, are being damaged by systemic insecticides called neonicotinoids (neonics) and fipronil, a new four-year international meta-analysis has found.

"It's the new DDT but different," said Ole Hendrickson, a former scientist at Environment Canada and member of the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides that complete the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) analysis. It's the first examination of all the science on the topic-more than 800 studies. The task force is compromised of 50 independent scientists from all over the world who spent the last four years trying to figure out why so many bees, butterflies, and other insects are disappearing.

"Instead of wiping out the top of the food chain, killing hawks and eagles as DDT did, neonics are wiping out the bottom of the food chain," Hendrickson told me. "Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson once said if we wipe out the world's insects, we will soon follow them to extinction." 

Over the past 15 years, neonics have become the most widely used insecticides on the planet. They're everywhere: in homes, gardens, farms, lakes, rivers and forests. The six main types of neonics in use are very, very good at destroying the nerve cells of anything that ingests them.

"Neonics are 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic than DDT," said Jean-Marc Bonmatin of The National Centre for Scientific Research in France.   

A High-Stakes Initiative Could Ban GMO Farming in Maui County

By Anita Hofschneider
Civil Beat
Hawaii's rising movement against genetically modified farming has seen successes in Kauai County and Hawaii County, but the latest proposal in Maui County will test how far residents are willing to go to get rid of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The Maui County Council - which represents Maui, Molokai and Lanai - recently began considering the county's first-ever citizens initiative, which seeks to temporarily ban genetically modified farming until biotechnology companies pay for a study to analyze its health effects. Critics say the proposal could have a huge negative economic impact in the county, where hundreds of people are employed by the biotechnology industry.

The voter initiative is significantly more restrictive than the regulations approved in Kauai County and Hawaii County last year. Kauai's ordinance focuses on increasing disclosure requirements for biotechnology companies about their use of pesticides and genetically engineered seeds, while the Big Island's ban on genetically modified farming exempts all existing crops.   

Gardening Provides Many Health Benefits

By Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Vegetable, herb, and seed sales are booming, courtesy of a new wave of consumers who are not only concerned about the quality of their food, but who also recognize the physical, mental, and even spiritual benefits of connecting with nature.

Modern living has driven a concrete wedge between us and the natural world, and many are starting to connect the dots, recognizing that a connection with the land is important for health, fitness, happiness, and overall wellbeing.

A previous CNN Health article lists a number of the health benefits associated with gardening, spanning from stress relief to improved brain health, better nutrition and, of course, exercise.

The Fitness Benefits of Gardening

As you'll see, there are numerous reasons why gardening is good for you. One is related to the fact that your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally, and gardening is one way to stay active at times when you might otherwise be sitting still. 

Research published in 2012 also found that those who engage in community gardening projects have considerably lower body mass index (BMI) than non-gardeners, suggesting an active lifestyle indeed translates into improved weight management.

Male and female community gardeners were 62 percent and 46 percent less likely to be overweight or obese respectively than their non-gardening neighbors.

Fitness researchers have also found that when you exercise outdoors, you exercise harder but perceive it as being easier than when exercising indoors, which can have significant health benefits as it will encourage you to work out harder than you might otherwise.   

World Bank: Tackling Climate Will Grow the Economy

By Suzanne Goldenberg
Fighting climate change would help grow the world economy, according to the World Bank, adding up to $2.6 trillion a year to global GDP in the coming decades.

The findings, made available in a report on Tuesday, offer a sharp contrast with claims by the Australian government that fighting climate change would "clobber" the economy.

The report also advances on the work of economists who have argued that it will be far more costly in the long run to delay action on climate change.

Instead, Tuesday's report found a number of key policies - none of which included putting an economy-wide price on carbon - would lead to global GDP gains of between $1.8 trillion and $2.6 trillion a year by 2030, in terms of new jobs, increased crop productivity and public health benefits.

Will GM Crops Collapse the Food System?

By Jim Goodman
When Genetically Modified (GM) crops were first planted commercially in 1996 they were just another technological innovation that fit well into the trend of larger farms and fewer farmers. Since weed control was a time consuming task, chemicals that killed the weeds without harming the crop struck farmers as a good idea.

Often when a technology is introduced one never considers why it was introduced or what future events and connections may be put in motion. Clearly the trend to global crop production and marketing has changed the face of agriculture. Now we are left to decide if it was a good thing, this world changing shift in crop production brought about by GM crops.

While GM has been very widely adopted and praised by some, particularly in the U.S., Canada and South America, results have been mixed, at best, in India and Africa. American farmers have used the technology to convert vast swaths of land from prairies, tropical rain forests and former mixed livestock/crop farms into a vast corn/soy mono-culture.

After nearly 20 years of GM crops, genetic modifications for herbicide resistance and pest resistance are still the only two commercially viable traits of any significance. There are no yield genes that will revolutionize farming, and weeds and insects are quickly developing resistance to the GM technologies.

When Monsanto and other corporations involved in seed research and development brought GM seed to the market, what was their reason? Obviously they saw an opportunity for profit, that is what corporations do.   

Can baking make you happier?

When does mental health become a problem? What is depression? "Getting treatment has not always been easy. Cooking and baking have, on occasion, very literally saved my life, giving me an outlet for emotions I couldn't handle. It has provided me with an alternative to self-harm."

East London NHS Foundation Trust is one mental health provider that has experimented in cooking therapies. Earlier this year they launched Recipes of Life, an integrated talking therapy with healthy cooking and eating sessions.

Dr Mark Salter, a consultant psychiatrist working in east London, says baking and cooking are good occupational therapies that help patients develop planning skills, short term memory and social skills - all of which suffer in mental illness. He says baking is particularly powerful because of its symbolism in our culture - associated with nurture and goodness.

But Dr Cosmo Hallstrom, fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, cautions that it is difficult to measure the precise benefits of baking as a therapy.

"Any structured non-stressful activity will help depression and increase well-being. Traditional occupational therapies generally work on a physical or projection platform.

"For example, exercise sessions increase physical well-being and release endorphins that combat depression. Art therapy helps a patient project their depression through creating artwork; thereby helping a patient to better understand their condition. Baking can be seen as operating on both these platforms," he says.

There is a physical element to baking - kneading the dough or cutting out cookie shapes. But there is also a strong creative or artistic component - the intricate decoration of cakes or biscuits.

Continue reading the main storyCakes for good causes

Seeking inspiration for a charity bake sale? The Great British Bake Off returns to BBC Two on Tuesday at 20:00 BST.

Great British Bake Off Baking can be therapeutic in different ways. Denyer likes to give away her baked treats. She says the act of making other people happy helps lift her spirits.

But Whaite warns that eating too many baked goods can undo some of the benefits. "There are two sides to the coin. You need to be careful you don't consume too much sugar or else you get a sugar high and then a slump."

What to avoid when you're expecting

You don't need to cut out caffeine completely, but don't have more than 200mg a day... if you have, for example, one bar of chocolate and one mug of filter coffee, you have reached almost 200mg of caffeine. Don't worry if you occasionally have more than this amount - the risks are small.

To cut down on caffeine, try decaffeinated tea and coffee, fruit juice or mineral water instead of regular tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks.

Foods to avoid in pregnancy: Caffeine "When you look at more - at six or eight cups of coffee - there is some more evidence that that might be risky."

Oster, now the proud mother of a healthy two-year-old girl, has gathered together her work in a book, Expecting Better. She hopes that where the evidence is mixed, readers can consider the facts and make their own decision, based on what they are personally comfortable with.

It is difficult to draw firm conclusions, she says, because most of the studies are not randomised - it wouldn't be fair to divide pregnant women under study into two random groups and ask one group to drink coffee and the other to drink none.

Consequently, Oster says, the people involved in the studies differ in many ways that could affect the course of their pregnancies, not just in their coffee-drinking habits.

"The big issue is that caffeine consumption correlates very strongly with how nauseous you are. A lot of pregnant women are very sick, especially early on - the women who are sicker tend to drink less coffee.

"But we know that being sick is a sign of a healthy pregnancy. And so when we see that women who drink less coffee also have more successful pregnancies we don't really know if that's just about coffee or whether it's really a confounding factor from this nausea."

But coffee was just one item on a long list of forbidden, or semi-forbidden, items that Oster wanted to investigate.

NHS stop-smoking service 'a success'

84m a year - versus impact, it is well within the threshold used by the NHS to judge treatments, such as new drugs, the report on the British Medical Journal website said.

The service also seemed to be successful in reaching out to disadvantaged groups as more than half of the smokers taking part in the most recent year got free prescriptions, which are offered to those on low incomes among others.

'Cost-effective'

Prof Robert West, who led the team, said stop-smoking services could be considered the "jewel in the NHS crown".

"It has been a real success. These services are important because the people who are using them are the heaviest smokers who are the least likely to give up.

"But there is plenty of room for improvement. There was a two-fold variation between the best performing services and the worst. We need to address that."

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteThese services helping smokers to quit have been one of the most cost-effective services on the NHS”

End QuoteMartin DockrellAction on Smoking and Health He said one of the key factors of the service, which combines counselling with medication like nicotine replacement therapy, was having staff whose job was dedicated to the service rather than asking practice nurses and pharmacists to fit it in around their day jobs.

Prof West also said he was concerned about the future.

Stop-smoking services became the responsibility of local councils under the shake-up of the NHS earlier this year.

"Money is tight and there is a risk that services will be cut," he added.

Dave Jones, tobacco control delivery adviser at Public Health England, said support would be given to councils with the services.

"There is still more to do but it is great to have this reflection on the bedrock established over the last 10 years."

Measles clinic claims 'misleading'

Complaints were made about the Cheshire-based Children's Immunisation Centre during the measles outbreak centred on Swansea.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided the clinic's language "could have caused fear and distress".

The centre said it had now complied.

One person died and a total of 1,219 suspected measles cases were diagnosed during the Swansea area measles epidemic, which was officially declared over in July.

As part of the response from public health officials, almost 76,000 unscheduled MMR vaccinations were given to people around Wales who had not been immunised in a bid to bring the epidemic under control.

The Children's Immunisation Centre offered single vaccines to parents, running a clinic in Swansea and others in England.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteWe told Children's Immunisation Centre not to promote prescription-only medicines and to remove claims not supported by objective scientific evidence”

End QuoteASA report In its response to the ASA, the centre said it offered a safe alternative for parents who needed to have their children protected from childhood diseases but did not wish to undergo government or NHS programmes such as the MMR vaccine.

It also argued its website information did not constitute advertising.

But the ASA said because the centre "promoted non-government recommended vaccination and because the overall context of the website focused on their claim that a single MMR vaccination was linked with autism, we considered the language used could have caused fear and distress without justifiable reason and we concluded the website was irresponsible".

Three complainants, including a GP, challenged whether the centre's 100% safety claim could be substantiated, while two said the advert was irresponsible and could cause fear and distress because it appeared during the measles outbreak in south Wales.

The ASA ruled that the website breached regulations because it advertised prescription-only medicines.

The centre told the ASA each of its 20,000 patients had a record card and not one had been hospitalised or had regression, autism or other health issues after vaccination.

Continue reading the main storySWANSEA MEASLES OUTBREAK Began in November 2012 There have been no laboratory-confirmed cases in the affected area since May and the outbreak was cleared over in July Some 75,868 unscheduled vaccinations were given to people around Wales who had not been immunised to control the epidemic In the outbreak area more than 30,000 doses of the MMR vaccine were given GP surgeries administered 16,500 and drop-in clinics have given more than 8,500 School and occupational health clinics administered more than 5,300 jabs But the ASA noted that a sample complaint log supplied by the centre confirmed some children had developed minor and major complications as a result of receiving a vaccination ranging from a rash and high temperature to emergency hospital admission.

The ASA said: "Because Children's Immunisation Centre did not have a 100% safety record, we concluded the claim was misleading."

It added: "We considered the website had probably been live for some time before the outbreak of measles in Wales, during April and May 2013.

"However, we noted two links referenced the Welsh measles outbreak."

The ASA said it had not seen robust evidence that linked a single MMR vaccine with autism, concluding that that website was misleading.

It ruled: "The ad must not appear again in its current form.

"We told Children's Immunisation Centre not to promote prescription-only medicines and to remove claims not supported by objective scientific evidence."

Dr Andrew Wakefield's research linking the MMR jab to autism was published in 1998 has since been entirely discredited.

In a statement to BBC Wales, Zoe Miller from the Children's Immunisation Centre said: "We're now fully ASA compliant, everything that was requested has been taken off the website."

Ducks were bird flu 'melting pot'

Market danger

There have been very few cases since China introduced controls on live poultry markets.

The authors added: "To control H7N9 and related viruses ultimately it is necessary to reconsider the management of live poultry markets in urban areas."

The study also uncovered a similar bird flu called H7N7, which appears able to infect mammals. The scientists said this group of H7 bird flus may "pose threats beyond the current outbreak".

Commenting on the research, Dr Peter Horby, from the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, said: "This kind of microbial forensics is essential in helping us piece together the origin of novel avian influenza viruses such as H7N9.

"When combined with analyses of poultry production and marketing systems, it can help us identify practices that might reduce the risks of H7N9 and other novel viruses re-emerging.

"Whilst this brings us closer to understanding the pathway to emergence, more detective work is needed to fully reveal the ecology and source of H7N9 viruses, which seem to be concentrated in live poultry markets but elusive elsewhere in the production chain.

"The discovery of a novel H7N7 lineage that can infect ferrets reminds us that even if H7N9 does not return, there are risks lurking amongst the great diversity of avian influenza viruses."

Appeal against hospital cuts ruling

1m a week.

The ruling was a setback for Mr Hunt because the case involved the first legal testing of a new government procedure for dealing with failing NHS organisations - referred to as the Unsustainable Providers Regime.

Under the new regime, Mr Hunt had appointed a Trust Special Administrator (TSA) to the "very badly performing" South London Healthcare Trust.

To help deal with the problem, the special administrator recommended measures including cuts at Lewisham Hospital.

Mr Hunt told Parliament in January that A&E and maternity services at the hospital would be downgraded.

He assured MPs the changes would improve patient care in south London, saving up to 100 lives a year, but gave an undertaking not to implement them pending the legal challenge.

The challenge against the government was brought by Save Lewisham Hospital and the London Borough of Lewisham.

Tony O'Sullivan, from the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign, said: "We are disappointed by the Secretary of State's decision to launch an appeal.

"However, we are confident that the strength of our case will be upheld at appeal."

Deadly virus found in tomb bat

Researchers are now looking to see if camels and other animals are involved in spreading the virus

The finding suggests that bats could be the origin of the disease, but scientists are looking for another animal that is involved in its spread. Samples taken from camels, sheep, goats and cattle are now being analysed.

Commenting on the research, Prof Jonathan Ball, a virologist from the University of Nottingham, said: "We have long suspected that bats are likely to be the original source of Mers. They've been around for millions of years and have picked up a lot of viruses on the way - bats are a source of lots of human virus infections, like Ebola, henipahvirus, rabies and Sars.

"But there are still some crucial unknowns. They sequenced a very small part of the virus genome - and a highly conserved part at that. We would need to see more extensive analysis involving other more variable genes before we can definitively say the viruses are related.

"Even if this proves to be the case, bats are unlikely to be the source of the continuing Mers outbreaks. Humans and bats just don't interact very much. It's much more likely that an intermediate animal is involved - and finding out what this animal is is key if we are to eradicate this virus before it becomes a bigger problem."

Prof Ian Jones from the University of Reading added: "The surprising overall message is that the bats of (Saudi Arabia) are not awash in the virus, quite the opposite as only one example was found and that appeared to be incomplete.

"The main reservoir for this virus and how it gets to infect people remains unclear at this stage."

Half of kids 'need more exercise'

Prof Carol Dezateux, one of the lead authors, said: "There is a big yawning gap between girls and boys. We need to really think about how we are reaching out to girls.

"The school playground is an important starting point. Often you will find it dominated by boys playing football."

But she said there should still be concern about the activity levels across the board.

"The findings are particularly worrying because seven-year-olds are likely to become less active as they get older, not more."

To achieve the one hour recommendation children have to take part in moderate or vigorous activity, which includes everything from brisk walking and cycling to playing football and running.

The UCL research is not the first to suggest children are not active enough, but most previous studies have relied on self-reporting by children or parents estimating levels of exercise, whereas the latest one involved real-time monitoring.

During the study, which took place during 2008 and 2009, youngsters wore an accelerometer to measure exercise levels which was attached to an elastic belt around their waist. It was removed only when bathing or when the children went to bed.

In total, the experts were able to record more than 36,000 days of data based on the children wearing the accelerometer for at least 10 hours a day over the course of a week.

Dr John Middleton, of the Faculty of Public Health, said more research was needed into why certain groups were less active.

"We need our children to grow up to be fit and healthy adults, not just because it's what any civilised society would want for its children, but it's also best for our economy too," he added.

Dr Ann Hoskins, of Public Health England, agreed.

She said: "This study highlights that there is still much to do to keep children and young people active as they grow older, especially girls.

"The new school year is the perfect time to make healthy changes, swapping short car or bus journeys with walking or scooting to school."

'Spider style' blood vessel building

A "living scaffold" made by electrospinning

Another technique has been to take a body part from a dead body, just like an organ transplant, and use a detergent to strip out the native cells leaving a protein scaffold behind. This is then seeded with the target patient's cells. New windpipes have been made through this process.

Spinning

The team at the University College London are using "electrospinning" technology to produce organs. They think it will overcome some of the challenges of seeding a scaffold by building the cells into the transplant in the first place.

It starts with a broth of cells and polymer. A 10,000 volt electric needle is then used to draw out a fibre.

Dr Suwan Jayasinghe told the BBC: "Like a spider weaves its web we are able to draw out this continuous fibre of polymer and cells and weave a web.

"We could make one as thick as a mattress and the cells will be embedded right through it."

The electrospinning technology has been used to create blood vessels by cross-stitching the fibres on to a rotating cylinder which is half submerged in a liquid to nourish the living cells.

The latest studies published in the journal Small showed mouse blood vessels with three distinct layers could be produced.

Dr Jayasinghe said: "At the moment no technology can make an organ, we are coming up with the process to patch up a defective organ not replace an organ."

The idea is that a patch of heart muscle could improve function after a heart attack.

However, it is early days for the field of electrospinning. In comparison, other methods for producing body parts are already being used in patients.

"There have been some successes in the field which is great, but I don't think it is as easy as some people portray and I don't think we'll have it easy either," Dr Jayasinghe said.

Carers should 'get flexible hours'

14-an-hour cost is more than I get paid myself.

"I do work flexi-time and from home for a large borough council but I can no longer cope with the commuting or cost and need to find a job nearer home. "

"By encouraging employers to do more we can build a stronger economy in a fairer society.

"Supporting carers is an economic necessity - leaving them to balance work and care creates a lose-lose situation for everyone."

He said the UK could not afford to lose experienced workers who double as carers from the workforce.

The Work and Families Act 2006 gives carers the right to request changes to their working patterns to better manage their caring.

Employers can only reject such requests based on reasons listed in the act, most of which relate to negative effect on the business.

But Mr Hunt said a cultural change was needed among employers, saying carers should get the same flexible working opportunities as parents with young children.

Meanwhile, research by the London School of Economics (LSE) suggested a gap between the number of frail elderly people in need of care and those able to provide it free would begin to become evident in England by 2017.

By 2032, 160,000 elderly people could be left without the support they need, the researchers predicted.

LSE used population projections and survey data to compile the figures.

An estimated 675,000 older people currently rely on unpaid carers - mainly their children - as they fall outside the state support system, which is available to the poorest.

'Stressed staff'Continue reading the main storyFlexible working options Flexi-time (choosing when to do some or all of your hours) Home working or tele-working (some or all work done away from work) Job sharing Part-time working Term-time working Shift-swapping or self-rostering (Employees agree shifts among themselves) Staggered hours (Employees have various starting and finishing times) Compressed hours (Employees work their total hours over fewer working days) Annualised hours (Working hours are calculated over a whole year and then split into "fixed shifts" and "reserve shifts" which can be agreed on a more flexible basis)

Source: Carers UK

Carers UK chief executive Helena Herklots said the problem could have a profound impact on society.

"In addition to the personal costs to families, the costs will be felt across society and public services - more and more older people admitted to hospitals needing avoidable emergency care, businesses coping with stressed staff trying to care alongside work and the economy suffering as increasing numbers of workers are forced to quit work to care," she said.

Age UK charity director Michelle Mitchell added: "These projections once again underline the huge importance of ending the crisis in social care."

The 2011 census revealed that, at the time of the survey, 5.8m people in England and Wales provided some level of unpaid care for disabled, sick or elderly relatives - and 2.1m of those provided more than 20 hours of care per week.