Things in the library 27 April...

Things about honey...
A recent Cochrane review evaluated the effectiveness of honey for acute cough in children in ambulatory settings. They concluded that honey probably relieves cough symptoms to a greater extent than no treatment, diphenhydramine, and placebo, but may make little or no difference compared to dextromethorphan. Honey probably reduces cough duration better than placebo and salbutamol. There was no strong evidence for or against using honey. Most of the children received treatment for one night, which is a limitation to the results of this review. There was no difference in occurrence of adverse events between the honey and control arms.

Things about pre-conception...
Parental environmental factors, including diet, body composition, metabolism, and stress, affect the health and chronic disease risk of people throughout their lives, as captured in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease concept. Research across the epidemiological, clinical, and basic science fields has identified the period around conception as being crucial for the processes mediating parental influences on the health of the next generation. During this time, from the maturation of gametes through to early embryonic development, parental lifestyle can adversely influence long-term risks of offspring cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, and neurological morbidities, often termed developmental programming. This is discussed in an article in the Lancet and calls for a major re-examination of public health policy to protect against future disease risk through societal advice on, and greater provision of, preconception care, as also promoted in the two accompanying reviews in this Series. Although a focus on parental risk factors during the preconception period, such as smoking and excess alcohol intake, is wise and well established, new drives to prepare nutritionally for pregnancy are crucial, including healthy body composition, physical activity, and diet for both parents.

Things about medicines...
The King's fund have published a briefing looking at how much the health service spends in total on medicines, both generics and branded medicines, based on publicly available data. In recent years, spending on branded medicines has been constrained by the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme a new instalment of which is currently under negotiation. They also explore policies used to try to control growth in costs and the choices policy-makers are likely to face in the future.






Things about pints...
Pint of Science festival returns to Sheffield from Monday 14 - Wednesday 16 May, featuring talks by colleagues from across the University. Taking place in six of the city’s best-loved pubs, the festival promises a fascinating insight into the research of our University’s world-leading scientists.
Some events sell out quickly as they are in small venues - tickets just £4.



Things about clinical research...

To celebrate International Clinical Trials Day, on Friday 18th May the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility at RHH is opening its doors to the public for a tour of the facility. Led by one of their experienced research nurses, you will have the chance to meet their diverse team and ask any burning questions you have about clinical research. There’ll be an opportunity to try out some research activities with their research therapists, and learn more about the varied, exciting and innovative work taking place in the STH Trust. Free but you need to register.

Things to make...
Still without cooking facilities at my house (though the end is in sight) but when I have an oven again I rather fancy these Apricot, honey & pistachio flapjacks . Perhaps the honey will help with my cough....though that probably has more to do with all the plaster dust!