TOPIC: Disease
#61: The UK's programme to vaccinate girls against HPV was launched in 2008. In its first three years, more than 65 per cent of girls born between 1 September 1990 and 31 August 1998 completed the three-dose course. read more
#67: More than 100 000 cancers - equivalent to one-third of those diagnosed in the UK each year - are caused by smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol and excess weight. read more
#64: There are two kinds of radiographers. Diagnostic radiographers help diagnose diseases or injuries, including broken bones, in hospitals and surgeries. Therapeutic (radiotherapy) radiographers use radiation to help treat people with cancer. read more
#56: Studies have shown that smokers have significantly reduced bone mass compared to non-smokers. This increases the likelihood of needing a hip replacement by 31 per cent in women and 40 per cent in men. read more
#54: Scientists have created a nanotechnology-based therapy that can repair brain damage and partially restore the eyesight of blind animals within a few weeks. read more
#53: Scientists have used carbon nanotubes and enzymes to create an antimicrobial coating that can kill MRSA with two hours of application. This could be used to paint the walls of hospitals and sterilise equipment. read more
#52: Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the creation of miniature machine parts made from DNA. It might be possible to use these to fix faulty cells. read more
#51: In personalised medicine, therapy is tailored to a patient's genetic make-up. One example is the drug vemurafenib, which blocks a protein that tis mutated in over half of cases of melanoma. read more
#46: 14 000: The estimated number of pills prescribed over an average lifetime. read more
#28: A 20-year-old obese man can expect to live for 13 years less than average. read more
#25: Research suggests that aspirin protects men against heart attack but not stroke, yet it protects women against stroke but not heart attack. read more
#12: Worldwide, 33.3 million people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2009. In this year, there were an estimated 1.8m deaths and 2.6m new infections. read more
#13: The World Health Organization estimates that climate change is the cause of around 150 000 deaths and 5 million illnesses per year. This is expected to double by 2030. read more
#11: Chemotherapy can lead to hair loss because the hair follicle epithelial cells - like cancer cells - divide rapidly and, hence, are targeted by many anticancer drugs. read more
#10: The three leading global causes of premature death and disability in 2030 are projected to be HIV/AIDS, depression and ischaemic heart disease (where the blood supply to the heart is reduced). read more
#9: The number of children under five dying each year, worldwide, fell from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010 - but that's still 14 deaths per minute. read more
#8: Around 13 per cent of all deaths worldwide were caused by cancer in 2008 - some 7.6 million people. read more
