In this issue:

A question of breathlessness

The long list of illnesses that can cause breathlessness includes asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, heart failure and cystic fibrosis. Many of these illnesses are both common and devastating, altogether affecting six million people in the UK. Breathlessness has farreaching effects on many aspects of people’s lives, causing physical difficulties and damaging emotional well-being.

All the fun of the bear

This year is a very special one for our famous Charity mascot. It is the 50th anniversary of the launch of the very first Paddington Bear book and to celebrate, our Bring Your Bear fundraiser aims to be bigger and better than ever.

Detecting eye disease before blindness sets in

Two of the leading causes of blindness, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, normally start to cause vision loss in mid to later life.

Easing the pain of disability

In the 1980s, Action Medical Research funding helped develop a unique posture support system. More than 25 years on, the ‘Matrix’ system has benefited tens of thousands of disabled children and adults, and is still helping people like 14-year-old Kate today.

Fighting chest infections in children

Each year, many thousands of babies and young children are admitted to UK hospitals with serious, sometimes even lifethreatening breathing problems, caused by a virus called Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

How Paddington turned Karen into the Charity’s own Bond girl!

In the year that Paddington Bear celebrates his 50th anniversary, we speak to Karen Jankel, the daughter of Paddington’s creator Michael Bond, and find out how the special relationship between one of the world’s best-loved bears and Action Medical Research began.

Making an impact in Northern Ireland: from polio to pill safety, from blindness to bone health

For over fifty years, Action Medical Research has been funding pioneering research in Northern Ireland.These studies have investigated a wide range of conditions, touching both young and old.

New heart rate monitor for newborns

Each year in the UK, around 70,000 babies need some form of resuscitation in the vital few minutes immediately after birth. Currently, the best way to assess a baby’s response is to measure the heart rate with a stethoscope. But this can interrupt the resuscitation procedure, losing crucial seconds and putting the baby at increased risk.

Osteoarthritis and statin treatment

Eighty per cent of people over 75 in the UK have osteoarthritis.Treatment can relieve symptoms, but there is no cure, and for those who are most severely affected, the condition can be extremely disabling.

Stem cells could be key to treating bowel disease in babies

A Liverpool-based team of researchers has made major strides in the search for a cure for a life-threatening bowel disease which affects two newborn babies every week in the UK.

Stillbirth and obstetric cholestasis - the heart of the problem

Each year in the UK, an estimated 3,500 pregnant women develop a liver disease called obstetric cholestasis. The mother-to-be notices unusual itching, often on the palms and the soles of the feet. Fortunately, the mother’s illness normally disappears after pregnancy. However, for their babies, obstetric cholestasis can be associated with serious complications, including stillbirth, premature birth and fetal distress.

Strictures in Crohn’s disease - research into troublesome scarring

Around 60,000 people in the UK suffer from Crohn’s disease, an incurable illness that attacks the gut. During flareups, sufferers can endure intense abdominal pain, weight loss, exhaustion and severe diarrhoea, often passing blood. Many find their illness restricts their ability to study or work.

Swallowing problems after stroke — can electrical brain stimulation help?

Each year in the UK, an estimated 40,000 people develop difficulties swallowing after having a stroke. Swallowing problems can put people at risk of malnutrition, lengthen the time they spend in hospital, raise their chance of having to go to a nursing home and increase their chance of dying.

Tackling epilepsy and episodic ataxia

Epilepsy affects one in 100 people. Sufferers experience disturbances in normal neurological function which often cause fits or seizures resulting from excessive electrical discharge within the brain.