The 'Free Speech' Law will create Courtroom and Classroom Chaos

The government has published its higher education (freedom of speech) bill. Despite the lack of evidence of a free speech crisis in the sector, and the use of no platform elsewhere and on digital platforms, under the bill, universities will have a new duty to secure freedom of speech for staff members, students and visiting speakers. A new Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom will be given powers to decide if courses, talks or university policies maintain academic freedom. Most troublingly, anyone (“a person”) will be able to sue (“bring civil proceedings”) where they believe that a university or student union has failed to protect free speech

The HE Free Speech Bill must Incorporate the Equality Act

Summary: Since mid-May, the universities minister Michelle Donelan has insisted that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill will not require universities to accept speech that contravenes the Equality Act: “We can hold and articulate views which are objectionable to others as long as they don’t cross the threshold of hate speech” This statement directly contradicts the fact that the bill now before parliament is an absolutist free speech bill, ensuring that the Equality Act will cease to apply

Clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours among residents of forty deprived neighbourhoods in London: lessons for targeting public health interventions

Background Clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours is very important in predicting premature mortality. Understanding the extent to which risk behaviours are clustered in deprived communities is vital to most effectively target public health interventions. Methods We examined co-occurrence and associations between risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, low physical activity and high sedentary time) reported by adults living in deprived London neighbourhoods. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and clustered risk behaviours were examined. Latent class analysis was used to identify underlying clustering of behaviours. Results Over 90% of respondents reported at least one risk behaviour. Reporting specific risk behaviours predicted reporting of further risk behaviours. Latent class analyses revealed four underlying classes. Membership of a maximal risk behaviour class was more likely for young, white males who were unable to work. Conclusions Compared with recent national level analysis, there was a weaker relationship between education and clustering of behaviours and a very high prevalence of clustering of risk behaviours in those unable to work. Young, white men who report difficulty managing on income were at high risk of reporting multiple risk behaviours. These groups may be an important target for interventions to reduce premature mortality caused by multiple risk behaviours

Praziquantel Failure in the Treatment of Fasciola hepatica

A case of human fascioliasis is presented in which the patient remained symptomatic after treatment with praziquantel and other agents but eventually responded to bithionol. The difficulties in finding an efficacious and tolerable drug therapy for this condition are reviewed with reference to the life cycle and pathogenesis of the parasite. It is concluded that while bithionol remains the current drug of choice, triclabendazole may play a dominant role in the near future