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Breakthrough in paralysis treatment and Lord Coe fears for the next generation

The BBC carries the news that four paralysed men have been able to move their legs for the first time in years after electrical stimulation of their spinal cords.

A report, in the journal Brain, suggests the electricity makes the spinal cord more receptive to the few messages still arriving from the brain.

A team at the University of Louisville and the University of California have been pioneering electrical stimulation of the spinal cord below the injury.

The four patients who had been paralysed for at least two years, have gone through the procedure and regained some movement.

Meanwhile the Telegraph reports that former Olympian Lord Coe has issued stark warning that sedentary lifestyles could kill today’s children

Today’s children are the ‘least active generation in history’ and could be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, he said.

He urged families, schools and businesses to take action to tackle sedentary lifestyles which are causing thousands of premature deaths and costing the UK economy £20bn each year.