Disadvantaged children STEM boost from Oxbridge £6.5m donation
The money will be used to fund three outreach projects taking place at the university from October 2025.The first is a targeted GCSE maths mentoring programme, designed to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds by giving them weekly maths tutorials.About 850 students will benefit from it in the first four years, the university said.The second project is an expansion of an online outreach programme for 14-19 year olds to help them develop physics and maths skills.The programme has been running sine 2021, but the university said the donation would expand it from 500 participating students per year to 1,200.The money will also support the bridging programme, an initiative for students during the period between receiving an offer and completing their first year as an undergraduate.At Cambridge, the money will fund two programmes that are also designed to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in STEM.Whilst the two universities will run the programmes separately, they will share resources and materials, Oxford University said.
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Medical News Today
6 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Skin swabs may help detect Parkinson's years before symptoms appear
There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease, nor are there specific tests for early diagnosis. A new study has identified a way to detect the condition before symptoms appear through the use of skin swabs via sebum and smell. The swabs could offer a noninvasive way to help diagnose Parkinson's disease in people who have not yet developed symptoms. According to the Parkinson's Foundation, more than 10 million people around the world are living with Parkinson's disease — a neurological disease that negatively impacts a person's movement and speech is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease. Although right now there are no specific tests to help diagnose the condition, identifying warning signs of Parkinson's disease as early as possible is critical in helping to slow disease progression. 'Current clinical diagnosis is too late as disease has progressed a lot,' Drupad K. Trivedi, PhD, lecturer in analytical and measurement science at the University of Manchester, told Medical News Today. Trivedi is the corresponding author of a new study recently published in the journal npj Parkinson's Disease that has identified a way to detect the condition before symptoms appear through the use of skin swabs. 'Smelling' signs of Parkinson's diseaseFor this study, scientists focused on testing study participants by using skin swabs of their sebum — an oily substance naturally produced by the skin's sebaceous the skin swabs, Trivedi said they were able to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the sebum. Different VOCs have a distinct smell, which is what helps make each person's body odor unique. 'We have found a few compounds that are expressed differently in people with Parkinson's disease compared to healthy controls as well as those who had REM sleep behavior disorder. A test that is a simple skin swab can potentially be the first test to detect Parkinson's before all the clinical signs start appearing.' — Drupad K. Trivedi, PhDThis study is an extension of two previous studies conducted by Trivedi and his team. The first study in March 2019 identified the presence of VOC biomarkers in the sebum of people with Parkinson's disease that also has a distinct smell. A second study in February 2021 that found a differential VOC profile between participants with Parkinson's disease and controls when analyzing their sebum. All of this research was reportedly inspired by Joy Milne, a research associate at the University of Manchester, who has a condition called hyperosmia, giving her an extremely strong sense of smell. In 2015, it was reported that Milne was able to 'smell' Parkinson's disease on her husband about six years before he received his concept of 'smelling' Parkinson's disease was further validated in a study recently published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease — for which Trivedi was also part of the research team — that found trained dogs could detect an odor on skin swabs to detect Parkinson's disease. Sebum compound levels may indicate Parkinson's diseaseResearchers recruited 83 study participants. Of this number, 46 had a Parkinson's disease diagnosis, 28 were healthy controls, and nine had isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD), which is considered to be an early warning sign of Parkinson's disease. Upon analysis, Trivedi and his team found that 55 significant features in the sebum that varied between the groups, and those with iRBD had levels in between those with Parkinson's disease and the healthy controls.'There were 55 features that showed levels for iRBD between healthy and Parkinson's disease,' Trivedi detailed. 'iRBD is one of the prodromal symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This means a good proportion of individuals suffering from iRBD may develop Parkinson's disease in the next decade or more. The intermediate level indicates a progression from control to iRDB to Parkinson's disease.' 'By early detection, we will be able to triage and offer advanced clinical tests, specialist support for confirmatory diagnosis without relying on physical symptoms to appear,' he continued. 'It also creates a potential to develop disease-modifying therapies in the future.' 'Next steps are to quantify these observed compounds in Parkinson's disease and iRBD, and also validate these findings in a long-term prospective study of [a] bigger iRBD cohort,' Trivedi added. Sebum VOCs may also help map Parkinson's progressionAdditionally, Trivedi collected sebum samples from people with Parkinson's disease over a three-year period. From these samples, he was able to find sebum compound patterns that suggest this method may also be used to map disease progression. 'This indicates that molecules we see on (the) skin surface may indicate progression of Parkinson's disease — it is a progressive disease with no cure,' he explained. 'A sudden, rapid progression could be monitored in future using such markers on [the] skin surface. There is also a potential to monitor [the] efficacy of treatment by such an approach.'Possible noninvasive tool for diagnosing presymptomatic Parkinson'sMNT also spoke with Rocco DiPaola, MD, a neurologist and movement disorder specialist at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study. DiPaola commented that this study's results would offer a noninvasive tool for potentially diagnosing presymptomatic Parkinson's disease. 'While there are currently no treatments that prevent or slow the progression of disease, as these treatments become available, it will be important to identify those at risk prior to symptom onset,' he continued. 'Further studies on a larger scale to further determine validity of results as well as a means to have this available as a standardized test. Although not specific to this study, it would be important to continue to find ways to diagnose Parkinson's disease prior to symptom onset.'
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
I have helped more than 300 people reverse their diabetes – here's how
'The traditional view of type 2 diabetes is that it's chronic and progressive,' says registered dietitian Helen Gowers. This will be a recognisable characterisation of the condition for the 4.1 million people in the UK who have it and, upon diagnosis, were swiftly put on to a lifetime course of medication, typically metformin and then insulin, to keep their blood sugar levels at bay. 'However, our approach is to undo insulin resistance by removing the visceral fat that's clogging up key organs – the root cause of type 2 diabetes – so everything starts working normally again,' Gowers says. 'You can't achieve that with medication, it has to be done through weight loss and diet.' Doctors now recognise that reversing type 2 diabetes through diet is a very real possibility for many patients. A study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health in 2023, showed a diet low in carbohydrates (found in bread, potatoes and pasta) helped 51 per cent of the 186 type 2 diabetes patients involved achieve remission within three years – meaning their blood sugar levels were below the type 2 diabetes range and they no longer needed medication. To spread this method to the masses, Gowers joined the charity Public Health Collaboration in 2021, offering an eight-week diet and lifestyle course called The Lifestyle Club (TLC) for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes patients to help them reverse the condition. So far, more than 1,340 people have completed the course, and based on a recent TLC service evaluation in collaboration with the University of Surrey, she estimates 308 of them will have achieved remission or reversed prediabetes. Their study found a 23 per cent remission rate for a TLC cohort in Guildford after six months, which will have reduced their risk of developing diabetes-related complications, such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. What causes type 2 diabetes and how can it be reversed? Scientists are still trying to unpick the exact mechanism behind type 2 diabetes. However, it is known that a build-up of fat in the liver and pancreas are major contributors. We all have a personal threshold for being able to store body fat, Gowers says. 'Once you've reached that level, the only place you're going to be able to store extra calories is in your abdominal area as visceral fat, which surrounds the liver and pancreas.' Eventually, the liver and pancreas then become clogged up with fat, which contributes to insulin resistance, meaning that the cells stop responding to insulin – a hormone vital for bringing down blood sugar levels. 'The pancreas then churns out more and more insulin as the insulin resistance gets worse to try and overcome it, and it's only when it finally can't produce enough that blood sugar goes up and remains high,' Gowers explains. It is at this point that type 2 diabetes is diagnosed. 'Diabetes is literally just the end of the show.' While needing to pass urine frequently, being very thirsty and feeling very tired are all symptoms, a lot of people experience no symptoms. 'The body's so incredible in the way that it manages all of this quietly,' Gowers says. Is remission possible for everyone? When it comes to putting type 2 diabetes into remission, the goal is to drain the liver and pancreas of fat, so their function can return to normal, reversing insulin resistance – meaning that people can come off their medication. 'For people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the last year, that remission rate shoots up to 77 per cent,' Gowers says. 'For prediabetes, it's 93 per cent. The earlier in the journey that you find people, the better.' However, there are cases of patients who had type 2 diabetes for decades being able to reverse it. Even if you're unable to hit remission, there are still benefits of following a low-carb diet in an attempt to reverse it, she notes. Weight loss is one of them. 'We've had people who have had diabetes for 20, 30 years and they make phenomenal progress,' she says. 'They'll reduce their medication, their blood pressure will come down, they'll lose a bit of weight, they'll feel more energetic. There will always be improvements, even if we don't call it remission, so it's definitely worth a go.' How to reverse type 2 diabetes Reduce your sugar and carb intake Cutting out sugar and dramatically reducing your intake of carbohydrates, both of which cause surges in blood glucose, are the main changes needed to reverse type 2 diabetes, Gowers explains. 'You want to reduce them as low as required to achieve your goals, and this varies from person to person,' she says. The reason is that these foods raise insulin levels, and when these are high, you can't lose body fat, Gowers says. A low-carbohydrate diet means having no more than 130g per day. When you do have carbs, it should be whole-grain varieties, such as brown rice, pasta or bread. In practice, this means cutting out food including white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, crackers and cereal. Patients are advised to cut out added sugar – found in sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and fizzy drinks – and avoid foods that are high in natural sugar, such as honey and certain fruit. While blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are allowed as they are lower in natural sugar, it's recommended not to have some tropical fruit, such as bananas, oranges, grapes, mangoes or pineapple, because their sugar content is very high. It's also key to ditch low-fat foods, which are typically high in sugar. 'Go for full-fat dairy, fish, meat and eggs,' Gowers says. 'The natural fat that comes with those foods is fine. It's turning the current dietary guidelines on their head, really.' Consider options such as coleslaw for a tasty, low-carb side, and cheese, avocado and mayonnaise can also be enjoyed, she notes. Breakfast is a good place to start, when it comes to adopting the low-carb diet. 'People tend to consume a lot of carbs at breakfast, whether it's bread, cereal or pastries,' Gowers says. 'The human body only needs one teaspoon of glucose in the bloodstream at any one time and if you're having toast, cereal and orange juice for breakfast, that's going to break down into about 16 teaspoons of sugar. 'Full-fat yogurt and berries or eggs won't cause spikes in blood glucose and they're really nutrient-dense, meaning they will fill you up for the rest of the morning.' Fasting, which can be done by pushing back your first meal of the day until lunchtime, can also be a helpful tool in sticking to the low-carb diet, Gowers notes. You don't need to be worried about skipping a meal, she says. 'You're not starving – your body is going to be using fat stores, which is great. Think of it in terms of, I can either fuel my body with food or I can use my own fat stores as fuel.' However, she recommends anyone taking medication to seek advice before changing their meal patterns. Rather than a quick fix, the idea is that low-carb and low or no sugar are diet principles that you carry forward for life, she says. 'Some people might go all out for eight weeks to reverse their diabetes and then think, 'There's no way they can be as strict in the long term,' so make concessions to keep their diabetes status within the range they're happy with,' Gowers notes. This may mean that they are able to reduce their medication or put themselves into the prediabetes category, rather than fully reversing it, she says. Base meals on 'real' foods If you begin cutting out carbohydrates and sugar, you may naturally find yourself gravitating towards whole foods, such as protein, vegetables and dairy, Gowers says. 'Make sure you have a good amount of veg to fill you up – it also offers lots of fibre,' she notes. A large portion of broccoli, courgette or green beans can substitute mash, pasta or rice – and they can still be covered with gravy, Bolognese or curry. Thinly sliced cabbage that has been lightly boiled is a great low-carb option instead of tagliatelle, she notes. 'The idea is that the fewer carbs you're eating, your body shifts to burning fat, so you're going to be able to utilise your stored fat to fuel your body, rather than the sugar you were eating before,' she explains. 'The note of caution is that you don't want to add loads of extra fat when you're trying to lose weight – but it will fill you up. It's just eating real food and the fat that comes with that food.' It's also recommended not to eat too much processed meat, which includes ham, bacon and sausages. Snacking is generally not recommended, though some crudités with full-fat hummus, a couple of squares of dark chocolate or a few plain nuts won't spike your blood sugar or leave you feeling hungry, she says. 'But people find that they don't need all of those extra snacks that they were used to having before.' Have enough water and salt In the early stages of following the low-carb diet, it's important to make sure you're drinking plenty of water and having enough salt, Gowers says. 'When you switch over from having a diet that's very high in carbohydrates to low-carb, you may initially become dehydrated and get headaches or constipation,' she says. 'Insulin disrupts the way you process salt so you're releasing a lot of the salt and water that your kidneys were holding on to,' she explains. 'One of the reasons that people lose weight quite quickly is because you're losing all of that water retention.' As a result, you need to make sure you're replacing the lost salt, which you can simply do by adding salt to your meals as you cook them or adding an extra stock cube to your meals, as these are high in salt, she says. 'Having sufficient water and salt means you're not going to be dehydrated and you're less likely to get headaches, cramps and feel a bit lethargic as you transition to using fat as your fuel.' Have a support network When overhauling your diet, it's vital to have a support network around you to help you stay on track, Gowers says. 'Long-term support is what makes the difference,' she notes. It's especially important that it's available when people feel like they've drifted off their diet and are trying to get back on it again. On the eight-week TLC course, there are weekly 90-minute Zoom sessions overseen by a health coach. Once the course is finished, people are invited to monthly catch-up meetings, where there are guest speakers, such as consultants and chefs. There are also Facebook and WhatsApp groups for people to chat to each other or suggest low-carb meal ideas, and some meet for coffee or go for walks together, she says. 'It's keeping the momentum going,' she says. If you don't join the course, you can enlist the help of friends and family to keep you on track. It's initial intensive support, as well as the long-term support after the course, that is vital to ensure patients stick to the healthy changes they've made, Gowers explains. 'People can dip in and dip out; it's not that everybody needs the support all the time but you've got to be there so that when someone needs it, you're there to help and get them back on track.' Prioritise diet over exercise While exercise is excellent for health, diet is the focus when it comes to reversing type 2 diabetes, according to Gowers. 'It's what's going to give you 70 per cent of the benefits,' she says. However, you're much more likely to maintain your dietary changes if you bring in some exercise as well, so it's important to be more active, even if it's not straight away when you first try the diet, she notes. 'Once you've regained some metabolic health, you've lost a bit of weight, you're feeling so much better, you are much more likely to want to do some exercise. 'Don't beat yourself up trying to go to the gym three times a week at the beginning; start with diet and naturally you will feel more like moving about as time goes on.'
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
New tool can identify children who are likely to become obese in adulthood
A tool which can measure a child's risk of becoming obese in later life has been created by scientists. It is hoped that the new resource will one day mean that those at highest risk will get targeted support to prevent them from becoming obese in the first place. The tool, which assesses a person's genetic risk of obesity, works twice as well as any other obesity risk predictor, academics said. As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes. Academics used detail on genetic variations from more than five million people to create a tool called a polygenic risk score, which analyses people's genetics to work out their risk of developing obesity. The tool could explain 17.6% of variation in body mass index score (BMI) from people in the UK, they found. Researchers, led by academics at the universities of Copenhagen and Bristol, tested whether the risk score was associated with obesity using datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people. This included checking the tool on people taking part in the ' Children of the 90s' study – a long-term study in Bristol tracking families as children age. They found that it could successfully predict weight gain during childhood – from the age of just two and a half – through to adolescence. 'Overall, these data show that polygenic scores have the potential to improve obesity prediction, particularly when implemented early in life,' the authors wrote in the journal, Nature Medicine. Lead author of the research, assistant professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen, said: 'What makes the score so powerful is the consistency of associations between the genetic score and body mass index before the age of five and through to adulthood – timing that starts well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. 'Intervening at this point could theoretically make a huge impact.' He told the PA news agency that BMI is not a good predictor for a child's obesity risk in later life but the genetic predictor can offer insight into the risk from early years. 'Essentially it's fixed at conception already very early in life, you're able to essentially quantify what someone's innate predisposition is for BMI,' he said. 'So, being able to say something about someone's innate biology for obesity risk.' Meanwhile, the research team also looked at people taking part in 'intensive lifestyle intervention' programmes. People with a higher risk score lost more weight, but were also more likely to regain it. Prof Smit added: 'There is a huge amount of variation in how people respond to these interventions. 'What we observed was the higher someone's score was, the more they tended to respond to the intervention – people who had a higher score tended to lose more weight in the first year. 'And we also saw that people who had the higher scores tended to gain more weight.' Dr Kaitlin Wade, associate professor in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and second author on the paper, said: ' Obesity is a major public health issue, with many factors contributing to its development, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour. 'These factors likely vary across a person's life, and we believe that some of these originate in childhood. 'We were delighted to contribute data from the Children of the 90s study to this exceptional and insightful research into the genetic architecture of obesity. 'We hope this work will contribute to detecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity at an earlier age, which could have a vast clinical and public health impact in the future.' In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. Last week, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee launched a review into how the Government is tackling the nation's obesity epidemic. It comes after ministers pledged to 'launch a moonshot to end the obesity epidemic' in the one-year plan to improve the health of the nation.
