Things in the library 5th Jan...

Happy New Year to you all from Sarah, Gill & Kate

Things about our new service for the New Year...

Keeping up-to-date with all the information published in your speciality can seem daunting and over whelming. Take advantage of our new

  e-promptXtra service to help you filter what you need and access it in ways that suit you. Book a free 1:1 session - or a session for your team - with a library professional to discuss ways to access current information and manage it successfully. More information can be found on our website with a link to a booking form - or contact the library.

Things to read...
The next Reading Group is on Wed 7th Feb at 17:15 when we will be discussing 'Cider House Rules' by John Irving. Set in rural Maine in the first half of this century, it tells the story of Dr. Wilbur Larch--saint and obstetrician, founder and director of the orphanage in the town of St. Cloud's, ether addict and abortionist. It is also the story of Dr. Larch's favourite orphan, Homer Wells, who is never adopted. 'The reason Homer Wells kept his name was that he came back to St Cloud's so many times, after so many failed foster homes, that the orphanage was forced to acknowledge Homer's intention to make St Cloud's his home.' Homer Wells' odyssey begins among the apple orchards of rural Maine. As the oldest un-adopted child at St Cloud's orphanage, he strikes up a profound and unusual friendship with Wilbur Larch, the orphanage's founder - a man of rare compassion and an addiction to ether. What he learns from Wilbur takes him from his early apprenticeship in the orphanage surgery, to an adult life running a cider-making factory and a strange relationship with the wife of his closest friend...

Things about food...
This narrative review describes research from the past 10 years focused on food preference learning from the prenatal period through early childhood (ages 2-5 years). Exposure to a variety of healthy foods from the start, including during the prenatal period, early milk-feeding and the introduction to complementary foods and beverages, can support subsequent acceptance of those foods. Yet development is plastic, and healthier food preferences can still be promoted after infancy. In early childhood, research supports starting with the simplest strategies, such as repeated exposure and modelling, reserving other strategies for use when needed to motivate the initial tasting necessary for repeated exposure effects to begin. This review can help caregivers and practitioners to promote the development of healthy food preferences early in life. Specific implementation recommendations, the role of individual differences and next steps for research in this area are also discussed.

Things about sepsis...
Survival from sepsis has improved in recent years, resulting in an increasing number of patients who have survived sepsis treatment. Current sepsis guidelines do not provide guidance on post-hospital care or recovery. This article concludes in the months after hospital discharge for sepsis, management should focus on
(1) identifying new physical, mental, and cognitive problems and referring for appropriate treatment
(2) reviewing and adjusting long-term medications
(3) evaluating for treatable conditions that commonly result in hospitalisation, such as infection, heart failure, renal failure, and aspiration.
For patients with poor or declining health prior to sepsis who experience further deterioration after sepsis, it may be appropriate to focus on palliation of symptoms.

Things that might happen in 2018...
As we approach Twelfth Night here are Twelve Nuffield Trust experts each giving a brief insight into what might happen in health and social care in 2018.




Things to attend and read...
Sam Guglani, the oncologist and author, will be speaking at the next of the Medical Ethics Society’s book clubs on the evening of Monday 22nd January. They will be discussing his latest book, Histories, reviewed here. They hope to have a good mix of students and staff at the club. Sign up for the event.  Feel free to circulate this to whoever might be interested. Everyone is welcome, whether affiliated to the University, Trust or otherwise.

Things about snacking...
In the news this week as Public Health England (PHE) is helping parents take control of their children’s snacking by launching the first Change4Life campaign promoting healthier snacks.
This is because half of children’s sugar intake, currently around 7 sugar cubes a day, comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, leading to obesity and dental decay. On average, children are consuming at least 3 unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks a day, with around a third consuming 4 or more. The overall result is that children consume 3 times more sugar than is recommended.
The new Change4Life campaign encourages parents to look for ‘100 calorie snacks, two a day max’ to help them purchase healthier snacks than the ones they currently buy.

Things about CAMHS...
A House of Commons Library briefing on children and young people’s mental health policy was published just before Christmas. Children and young people's mental health - policy, CAMHS services, funding and education.

Things about Twelfth Night...
So tonight is Twelfth Night and tomorrow all your Christmas decorations should be down. The University of Sheffield has a free recycling of Christmas trees tomorrow in Arts Tower car park - just turn up between 9am and 3pm. Traditionally in the UK parties would be held and practical jokes played...eg hiding live birds under a pie crust as in the nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'... "when the pie was opened the birds began to sing". In English and French custom, the Twelfth-cake was baked to contain a bean and a pea, so that those who received the slices containing them should be designated king and queen of the night's festivities. 
The RSC have a current production of   Shakespeare's Twelfth Night which will be broadcast live in local cinemas on 14th Feb - I always enjoy these live theatre/film events.

Things to eat and drink...
Traditionally hot mulled cider would be drunk at Twelfth Night - Wassail - a word of Anglo-Saxon origin. It can be made with apple juice if you prefer.
If you prefer why not have a simple and healthy baked apple dessert you can vary the filling with dried cranberries, nuts etc and serve with yogurt or ice-cream.