Decision due on conjoined twins

Laura Williams gave birth on Wednesday in a London hospital (pic: Mail on Sunday)

Doctors will decide on Tuesday whether to operate and separate a pair of newly-born conjoined twins.

Laura Williams, 18, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, gave birth to the girls, named Faith and Hope, at University College Hospital, London on Wednesday.

They are joined from their breastbone to their navel, so share a liver but have separate hearts.

Their mother told the Mail on Sunday that her babies, who are now at Great Ormond Street Hospital were “fighters”.

Mrs Williams has made medical history by becoming the world’s youngest mother of conjoined twins at the age of 18.

‘Beautiful’

She said the moment she first saw the girls, who were delivered by Caesarean section on Wednesday was “brilliant” and “amazing”.

She told the newspaper: “After I came round from the operation they wheeled me in to see them.

“They had tucked Hope’s arm underneath and it was Faith’s arm that I could see.

“I touched her and I took her hand and she was grasping it.

“They were both blowing little bubbles.

“They were so beautiful, I couldn’t stop looking at them. After everything everyone said, I’m so glad they’ve proved them all wrong.”

Mrs Williams and her husband Aled, from Anglesey, found out about their children’s condition after a routine 12-week scan.

I prepared myself for the worst, just in case, but from the first time I felt them kick, I thought they were going to be OK Laura Williams

They were advised by doctors to have their daughters aborted but they refused to have a termination.

Mrs Williams said: “The night before the operation I couldn’t sleep. I prepared myself for the worst, just in case, but from the first time I felt them kick, I thought they were going to be OK. And they’re still here.

“They’re little fighters.”

Her husband said: “No words can describe it. I was so excited and happy and when I heard them screaming, it was like the world had lifted off my shoulders.

“The first thing I did was tell Laura they were all right and when I did, a single tear fell down her cheek.”

The twins were christened one hour later then put in an ambulance to Great Ormond Street – a leading European centre for the care of conjoined twins.

Mrs Williams said she was optimistic about her daughters’ chances of success.

‘Significant abnormalities’

“The only thing they share is the liver and as that’s the only major organ that can regenerate, the doctors can split it between the two of them and it will grow back, ” she said.

Nuffield Professor of paediatric surgery at the hospital, Agostino Pierro, said the children’s hearts had significant abnormalities that may need surgery.

He added: “The current concern is that the two hearts and the joined circulation raise a risk that the children might suddenly deteriorate and need emergency separation surgery.

He said surgeons would prefer to wait to operate on the children when they are older and stronger but they were beginning to believe that this may be risky.

“A meeting will be held on Tuesday to decide whether to attempt a planned separation this week, but it will be the parents who finally decide,” he said.

Conjoined twins are rare and take place at the rate of about one in 400,000 live births.

In 2001 a team of surgeons in Birmingham carried out a successful operation to separate Eman and Sanchia Mowatt, who were joined at the spine.

Antioxidants ‘cannot slow ageing’

There is probaby no easy way to combat ageing

Diets and creams claiming their antioxidant properties could cheat ageing may be worthless, a study says.

Using Nematode worms, scientists found even those given enhanced antioxidant powers to deal with tissue damaging “free radicals” did not live longer.

The team from University College London said, in the Genes and Development journal, there was “no clear evidence” they could slow ageing.

Antioxidants are a staple of the beauty and health industries.

This has been based on a 50-year-old theory.

The free radical theory has filled a knowledge vacuum for over 50 years now, but it doesn’t stand up to the evidence Dr David Gems UCL

In 1956, it was suggested that ageing was caused by a build-up of molecular damage caused by reactive forms of oxygen, called superoxides or free radicals, circulating in the body. This is known as oxidative stress.

Antioxidants supposedly worked to mop up these free radicals, minimising their damage.

This week’s study, however, could explain why many studies aimed at proving the theory have been inconclusive.

Nematode worms

The tiny Nematode worm, despite appearing to be far-removed from the human species, is a useful tool for scientists who want to explore how our bodies work.

They share many genes with humans, and, crucially, have a lifespan measured in days, which allows scientists to get clues about long-term changes.

The UCL team, led by Dr David Gems, genetically manipulated nematodes so that their bodies were able to “mop up” surplus free radicals.

This is theory, should give them an advantage over normal nematodes in terms of ageing and lifespan.

However, these worms lived just as long as the others, suggesting that “oxidative stress” is less of a factor in the ageing of our cells and tissues as some have suggested.

Dr Gems said: “The fact is that we don’t understand much about the fundamental mechanisms of ageing – the free radical theory has filled a knowledge vacuum for over 50 years now, but it doesn’t stand up to the evidence.

“It is clear that if superoxide is involved, it plays only a small part in the story – oxidative damage is clearly not a universal, major driver of the ageing process.”

He said a healthy, balanced diet was important for reducing the risk of many “old age” diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis, but there was no clear evidence that eating antioxidants could slow or prevent ageing, and even less evidence to support the claims made by antioxidant pills and creams.

‘No magic bullet’

The research was supported by the Wellcome Trust, and Dr Alan Schafer, its head of molecular and physiological sciences, said: “Research such as this points to how much we have to learn about ageing, and the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind this process.”

A spokesman for the British Dietetic Association said that it had been hard to find the evidence to support antioxidants from previous studies.

She said: “All the evidence has come from epidemiological studies looking at the whole diet – where there was some sign of benefit to people who ate diets with antioxidants, but also who ate lots of other good things.

“What this shows is that there is likely to be no one ‘magic bullet’ in terms of diet and health -the important thing is still achieving a healthy balance.”

A spokesman for the Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association said cosmetic companies carry out extensive research and rigorous scientific studies to ensure claims are supported by robust evidence.

“Findings on the genetics of a particular nematode worm may not be directly relevant to the complex process of ageing as it happens in higher animals such as the human,” the association added.