Dr Jacqueline Harding, director of Tomorrow’s Child and an early childhood expert at Middlesex University, argues that the young child’s brain is inherently designed to be playful and this is crucial for its development. In her new book, The Brain that Loves to Play, she challenges the traditional division between play and learning, emphasizing the essential role of play in early years education and holistic child development. With a renewed vision for the fusion of play and learning, the book aims to contribute to the ...

Faith primary schools are admitting fewer children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) than local authority community primaries, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In research funded by the British Academy, Dr Tammy Campbell analysed Reception year admissions to mainstream state schools from 2010-2020 in England using the National Pupil Database census.  She concluded that many faith primary schools ‘serve as hubs of relative advantage, seeming disproportionately to serve ...

New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany (2-6 Oct) has found that severe hypoglycaemia is more than twice as common among adults with diabetes who struggle to afford food. Severe hypoglycaemia occurs when a person’s blood sugar levels fall to such an extent that it can cause loss of consciousness, seizures, coma and, in rare cases, death. Severe hypoglycaemia is rare in people with diabetes unless they are taking insulin or secretagogues – two commonly prescribed ...

New research being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany (2-6 Oct) has linked infant formula and the early introduction of fizzy drinks with higher levels of body fat later in childhood.   Youngsters who were breastfed for at least six months or longer had a lower percentage of body fat by age nine compared to those who did not receive breast milk for six months (a group that includes children who were never breastfed or received breast milk for less than 6 months).   Children ...

Exposure to natural light could help treat and prevent type 2 diabetes, new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany (2-6 Oct), suggests. “The misalignment of our internal circadian clock with the demands of a 24/7 society is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes,” says Ivo Habets, of Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands, who co-led the research.  “Natural daylight is the strongest zeitgeber, or environmental cue, of the circadian ...

Boston – Researchers at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center have found that a shorter course of radiation therapy after mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery provides the same protection against breast cancer recurrence and equivalent physical side-effects but substantially reduces life disruption and financial burden for patients. The results of the multicenter randomized clinical trial – the FABREC Study (Hypofractionated versus Conventionally Fractionated Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy After Implant-Based Reconstruction) – were presented ...

SAN DIEGO, October 1, 2023 — In a first-of-its-kind study, people with breast cancer who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction immediately following a mastectomy reported that getting fewer, higher doses of radiation was just as effective as standard radiation, did not increase side effects and saved them time and money. There also was a small improvement in quality of life for women under 45 who received the shortened treatment regimen. The FABREC study is the first prospective randomized study comparing quality-of-life and clinical outcomes following accelerated versus conventional radiation therapy specifically for patients with ...

SAN DIEGO, October 1, 2023 — People who engage in sexual activity or vaginal dilation after chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer are at lower risk for long-term side effects, according to a new study from researchers in Austria. Findings of the EMBRACE study will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.  “Curing cancer is always our first priority,” said lead study author Kathrin Kirchheiner, MSc, PhD, a clinical psychologist in the department of radiation oncology at the Medical University of Vienna. “But with a growing number of relatively young cervical cancer survivors, ...

SAN DIEGO, October 1, 2023 — Older adults diagnosed with kidney tumors that are not suitable for surgery may benefit from targeted, high-dose radiation, a new study from Australian and Dutch researchers suggests. A multi-institutional phase II study – TransTasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) FASTRACK II – found 100% local control and cancer-specific survival for longer than three years among patients who were treated non-invasively for inoperable kidney cancer with stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR). Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) ...

SAN DIEGO, October 1, 2023 — Two liquid biopsy tests that look for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the blood accurately identified patients with a high risk of cervical cancer recurrence after the completion of chemoradiation, a new study confirms. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.  The study compared two novel tests – a digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) test and a sequencing test for genetic material from HPV, the main cause of cervical cancer – and found they were equally effective at identifying residual disease in the blood of patients who ...

New Haven, Conn. — In a common metaphor used to describe human fertilization, sperm cells are competitors racing to penetrate a passive egg. But as critics have noted, the description is also a “fairy tale,” rooted in cultural beliefs about masculinity and femininity. A new study by Yale sociologist Rene Almeling provides evidence that this metaphor remains widely used despite the profound shift in recent decades in social and scientific views about gender, sex, and sexuality. But her findings, based ...

New research to be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany (2-6 October) and published in the journal Diabetes Therapy suggests that the diagnosis threshold for type 2 diabetes (T2D) should be lowered in women aged under 50 years, since natural blood loss through menstruation could be affecting their blood sugar management.  The study is by Dr Adrian Heald, Salford Royal Hospital, UK, and colleagues. Analysis of the national diabetes ...

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have gained attention in the process of fuel cell development because they operate in alkaline environments, the redox reaction rate at the electrodes is faster, and non-precious metal catalysts such as Ni, Co, and Ag can be used, which reduces the cost of fuel cells. However, the mobility of OH- is only 56.97% of that of H+ under the same conditions, and its stability is poor, so improving the ionic conductivity and mechanical properties of anion exchange membranes (AEM) is the key to the commercialization ...

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have realized a new polymer that can effectively transport plasmid DNA into T-cells during chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a key treatment for blood cancer. Importantly, it can get genes into floating T-cells, not only ones fixed to surfaces. It is stable, non-toxic, and doesn’t use viruses. It outperforms polyion compounds considered a gold standard in the field, paving the way for new therapies. T-cells, or lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that helps our immune system fight germs and protect us from disease. Recently, technology has become available that helps reprogram T-cells to fight cancer. ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Sometimes simple solutions are better. It all depends on the nature of the problem. For humpback whales, the problem is the rope connecting a crab trap on the seafloor to the buoy on the surface. And for fishermen, it’s fishery closures caused by whale entanglements. Managing this issue is currently a major item on California’s agenda, and it appears less fishing gear may be the optimal solution. So says a team of researchers led by Christopher Free, at UC Santa Barbara, after modeling the benefits and impacts that several management strategies would have on whales and fishermen. ...

A virtual reality (VR) game crashes. A robot rolls dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. An autonomous vehicle speeds toward a pedestrian. Without intelligent control happening every millisecond, accidents can occur. This control can mean applying the brake of an autonomous vehicle to save a life or creating a more user-friendly augmented reality experience. Two professors in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University are working to enhance and advance the future ...

Wheat is a global staple food and plays a pivotal role in the livelihoods of billions of people. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized as crucial regulators of numerous biological processes, our knowledge of lncRNAs associated with wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain development remains minimal. Seed Biology published an online paper entitled “A comprehensive atlas of long non-coding RNAs provides insight into grain development in wheat” on 04 September 2023. To ...

Researchers with the ongoing Arizona CoVHORT research study at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health were awarded $3.2 million by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for a five-year study of gastrointestinal symptoms, specifically irritable bowel syndrome, as a condition of long COVID. Led by epidemiologist Kristen Pogreba-Brown, PhD, MPH, the CoVHORT study is a longitudinal research study of COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions. The ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $500 million in funding for basic research in support of DOE’s clean energy, economic, and national security goals. The funding will advance the priorities of DOE’s Office of Science and its major programs, including Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Isotope R&D and Production, and Accelerator R&D and Production. This funding opportunity will help achieve the Biden Administration’s ...

Standing at a crosswalk, the signal changes from “don’t walk,” to “walk.” You might step out into the street straight away, or you might look both ways before you cross. In either scenario, you see the light change, you cross the street. But the context is different; in one case, you didn’t think twice. In the other, you waited; looked to the left and right; saw the coast was clear; then stepped into the street. Researchers have known that certain brain activity when you see the light change and certain brain activity when you step out into the street are the same no matter the context -- there’s a known “pathway” ...

Manufacturers throughout Illinois will have the chance to learn about working with the Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center (MMIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, when the MMIC gets on the bus for the second annual Makers on the Move tour.  The Illinois Manufacturing Association and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) sponsor the eight-day, 1,000-mile tour, designed to showcase high-tech, clean, diverse and sustainable modern manufacturing. The branded Makers on the Move bus will stand out on the state’s roadways as it visits facilities, colleges ...

ARLINGTON, Va., September 29, 2023 — People with intermediate risk, localized prostate cancer can be treated as effectively using fewer and higher doses of radiation therapy delivered over five treatment sessions as they can with lower doses delivered over several weeks, a new phase III randomized trial suggests. The findings, which are the latest from a series of studies investigating the benefits of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for people diagnosed with prostate cancer, will be presented Monday at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. The PACE ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL SEPT. 29, 2023 AT 5PM ET) – Is it true progression or pseudoprogression in tumor growth? That’s the critical question for radiation and medical oncologists treating patients with glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Distinguishing between these types of progression is vitally important for treatment management. “Knowing if it’s true progression, indicative of a poor response to treatment, or pseudoprogression, a favorable response that may look worse due to swelling or tumor necrosis, is essential for clinicians,” said Eric Mellon, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist and researcher ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA (EMBARGOED UNTIL SEPT. 29, 2023, AT 5 PM ET, 2023) – Physician burnout was already a trending topic within the medical community before 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought national attention to the issue. Typical stressors such as long hours, poor work-life balance, frustrating insurance denials and cumbersome medical documentation were compounded by new challenges from a novel, deadly virus that killed millions worldwide and necessitated a paradigm shift in care delivery. The side effects were widespread and readily apparent. By late 2021, research by the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic and Stanford ...

ALL INFORMATION EMBARGOED UNTIL 5 P.M. ET ON SEPT. 29, 2023   Panel Discussion Getting it All Done – Strategies for Coping With Professional Burnout Crystal Seldon Taswell, MD, Sylvester radiation oncologist and researcher, will co-moderate a panel discussion on physician burnout within radiation oncology and medicine. The discussion, titled “Getting It All Done -- Practical Strategies at All Career Stages,” will include background on the extent of the problem, as well as the curriculum gap for residents regarding time management, balancing ...