大象传媒

J.K. Rowling鈥檚 mother, Anne, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when she was 35.听 She had an aggressive form of the disease and died in 1990, aged 45. 听In memory of her mother J.K. Rowing has helped to fund the , part of the University of Edinburgh, which is pioneering research into neural regeneration and patient care.听 Multiple Sclerosis affects roughly 100,000 people in the UK and three times as many women as men will develop the disease.听 The incidence of MS is higher in Scotland than in any other country in the world.听

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Jane Garvey speaks to 大象传媒 journalist , who was diagnosed with MS in 2000 and to Professor Charles ffrench-Constant of the , to discuss the new research into the disease and why Scottish women have the greatest risk of developing MS.听

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Scottish Rugby is not something that many J.K Rowling fans may know she鈥檚 fanatical about,听but it's 20 years ago this month that Scotland鈥檚 hosted the Women鈥檚 Rugby World Cup and J.K. is a fan. Scottish Women鈥檚 Player Heather Lockhart joins Jane to discuss the current state of Scottish Women鈥檚 Rugby, what is being done to make the sport more attractive to women and how to create more of an impact.

The UN estimates that up to 8 million children around the world live in institutions.听 These are often called orphanages or children鈥檚 homes, although at least four out of five of those children in institutional care have living parents.听 We go to , to investigate why so many children end up living under the care of the state.听 What is life like inside an institution?听 What impact do institutions have a child鈥檚 development, and what are the alternatives to housing children this way?听 Jane talks to the author J.K. Rowling about why she set up a charity, to end the institutionalisation of children.听 And, Valentina Buliga, Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Family in Moldova explains the government鈥檚 standpoint.

Shoes.听They hurt our feet and our bank balance, and yet to so many of us they are objects of desire. J.K.Rowling is no exception, but she鈥檚 often wondered why women are so fond of this particular item of clothing.听

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Fashion historian Caroline Cox and shoe designer Georgina Goodman join Jane to investigate what听makes shoes so appealing to women. From high heels to statement brogues, we听explore the complex and fascinating world of women and their relationship to their footwear.