logo
Princess Royal visits Strathclyde for research showcase

Princess Royal visits Strathclyde for research showcase

Glasgow Times15-06-2025
The event, hosted by Medical Research Scotland at the University of Strathclyde's Technology Innovation Centre, aimed to inspire future scientists.
It welcomed more than 200 pupils and teachers from Scottish schools.
Read more:
Commuters warned of disruption on Glasgow train line
Have you seen him? Urgent search for man missing from Glasgow hospital
Mack rebuild 'at risk' from 02 ABC plan says Glasgow School of Art
The showcase introduced students from Senior 4 to 6 to the world of medical research outside the classroom.
It featured career talks, interactive science activities, and scientific poster presentations.
Her Royal Highness met Professor Heather Wallace, chair of Medical Research Scotland, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor at the University of Strathclyde, and Alasdair Gill, Medical Research Scotland trustee and chair of the audit and investment committee.
She also engaged with researchers like Dr Samantha Pitt and Dr Keith Goatman, who gave talks on medical research careers.
The Princess Royal's presence highlighted the importance of medical research and the promising future for those in the field.
The event featured Medical Research Scotland-funded researchers, including PhD students, Vacation Scholars, and Daphne Jackson Fellows.
It allowed pupils to explore the latest work in the field and understand the real-world impact of medical research.
Professor Wallace said: "Today's event is about opening doors for the school pupils attending - helping them see that a career in medical science is exciting and deeply rewarding.
"It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to this event, and her presence undoubtedly added inspiration and significance for everyone involved.'
Claire Currie, a teacher at Paisley Grammar School, said: 'Events like this are invaluable.
"They provide students with the chance to meet real scientists, ask questions, and see the real-world applications of what they're learning in school."
Medical Research Scotland is Scotland's largest independent medical research charity, supporting the next generation of medical researchers.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Poynton, Sarwar and Stokoe call for urgent action on overcrowded East Calder Medical Centre
Poynton, Sarwar and Stokoe call for urgent action on overcrowded East Calder Medical Centre

Scotsman

timean hour ago

  • Scotsman

Poynton, Sarwar and Stokoe call for urgent action on overcrowded East Calder Medical Centre

Scottish Labour MP for the Livingston, constituency Gregor Poynton, has joined Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar in East Calder to highlight the urgent need for a new medical centre to serve the growing community. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The visit, which also included West Lothian Council Leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick and Scottish Labour's Almond Valley candidate Jordan Stokoe, saw the delegation tour the current facility with Practice Manager Thanos Keramidas. They heard first-hand how staff and patients are being impacted by overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure. Built to serve just 4,500 patients, East Calder Medical Centre is now responsible for 16,000 people - a figure projected to rise to 19,600 by 2028. Campaigners warn that without investment, the situation will only worsen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They were joined on the visit by Pauline Cowan from the East Calder Medical Centre Campaign Group, who outlined the community's ongoing pressure on the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian to deliver the long-promised new facility. Gregor Poynton MP, Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar MSP, West Lothian Council Leader Cllr Lawrence Fitzpatrick, Scottish Labour candidate for Almond Valley Jordon Stokoe and Pauline Cowen from East Calder Health Centre Campaign Group. Commenting after the visit Gregor Poynton MP said: 'This UK Labour Government is delivering the largest budgetary settlement in the history of devolution with an extra £9.1 billion for Scottish public services. Yet the SNP Scottish Government continues to squander opportunity after opportunity and waste public money. "Nearly five years ago, the SNP's Angela Constance called for 'further and faster' progress towards a new medical centre for East Calder. Five years later, nothing has happened. That's five years of failure for local people. We cannot give the SNP Scottish Government another five years to fail again.' Jordan Stokoe, Scottish Labour candidate for Almond Valley, said: "I have yet to hear from anyone that disputes East Calder desperately needs larger and better GP facilities. I've worked on many projects in my career and I see that the centre team have squeezed every single thing they can out of the current building. There is no more to give. The result is more wasteful spending to keep the centre from bursting at the seams all while the pressure continues to build as more and more people move into the area. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "The neglect being shown to the people of East Calder, Mid Calder, Calderwood, Kirknewton and Wilkieston is unacceptable. As it stands, it's only the SNP Scottish Government that can make the decision to push ahead. Everyone else is ready to do what it takes, so it's time to make them listen."

Healthcare in Gaza facing 'catastrophe' amid food shortages
Healthcare in Gaza facing 'catastrophe' amid food shortages

The National

time2 hours ago

  • The National

Healthcare in Gaza facing 'catastrophe' amid food shortages

Dr Alaa Al-Sharif, an emergency physician at a hospital in Gaza City, said food shortages in the region were impacting on doctors' abilities to treat patients – with more than 100 people presenting injuries every day. It comes as the amount raised by Scots for the Disaster Emergency Committee's (DEC) Middle East Humanitarian Appeal has reached £4.1 million. The funds go directly to charity partners in the region, with a portion also going towards aid efforts in the West Bank and Lebanon. READ MORE: Why I'm wearing this simple T-shirt to my Edinburgh Festival events The DEC is a UK-based organisation bringing together 15 leading aid charities working to provide humanitarian assistance. Huw Owen, from the DEC in Scotland, told The National: "The situation in Gaza right now is catastrophic. "DEC charities and their incredible local staff and partners are doing everything they can in unimaginably dire conditions to deliver whatever support is possible, but it's clear that the need for safe and sustained access for humanitarian aid has never been more urgent." Owen added: "Despite the enormous challenges, donations to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal are making a difference to people in desperate need of aid, and we're incredibly grateful to people across Scotland for their continued support for our work." Money raised from the appeal has helped to rehabilitate medical facilities such as the Al-Saraya field hospital in Gaza City – run by the Palestine Red Crescent Society – including the provision of 100 oxygen cylinders to support emergency response and respiratory care. Doctors in Gaza have repeatedly warned of the immense challenges they are facing trying to treat people with limited access to resources. Dr Alaa Al-Sharif, an emergency physician at the Al-Saraya Field Hospital, said patients were having to lie on the ground for treatment due to a lack of beds. (Image: Aya Matrabie / Fairpicture / DEC) He also said that food shortages – caused by Israel's blockade on Gaza – were having an immense impact on the hospital staff and their ability to care for patients. Al-Sharif said: "The situation is no secret, it is catastrophic. "All hospitals, whether here or elsewhere, don't have enough beds, so patients are forced to lie on the ground. READ MORE: 'Disgusting' vandalism of Scottish Unesco heritage site condemned "Whether they're on a mattress or not, we're forced to treat them on the floor, administering medication and examining them while they lie there." Al-Sharif added that doctors are seeing no fewer than 100 injuries every 24 hours. Om Salman, whose son is currently at the Al-Saraya Field Hospital, said her family was in a "hopeless situation". (Image: Aya Matrabie / Fairpicture / DEC) Her son Salman was injured three weeks ago when he went out to buy falafel for his children. He was shot in the neck, with the bullet damaging his spinal cord, causing complete paralysis. "He can't move his legs, hands, or anything at all," Salman said. "My son needs care, food and water. I swear to God, here in Gaza we can barely get a bite of food let alone access treatment. "We are in a hopeless situation. My son's daughter is eight or nine years old, and she looks like a skeleton, every bone in her body is visible." She added: "It's due to lack of nutrition. There is no food, no water, nothing available to eat." The names of Om and her son have been changed to protect their identities. You can click here to donate to the DEC's Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.

Insomnia breakthrough as experts discover key 'driver' of the sleep problem that ruins millions of lives
Insomnia breakthrough as experts discover key 'driver' of the sleep problem that ruins millions of lives

Daily Mail​

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Insomnia breakthrough as experts discover key 'driver' of the sleep problem that ruins millions of lives

Scientists have pinpointed why millions of people struggle to get a good night's sleep—and it's not lumpy pillows or a racing mind, the problem lies in their GUT. In a new study, published in medical journal General Psychiatry, researchers explored the link between nodding off and the presence of certain types of bacteria in the digestive system. Study lead Shangyun Shi, from Nanjing Medical University in China, concluded that there appears to be a direct link between gut bacteria and the risk of insomnia. Ms Shi used the data from 386,533 people with insomnia and compared it with data taken from two studies into microbiomes—totalling 26,548 people—who had 71 groups of bacteria in common. She concluded that certain types of bacteria seem to boost or lower the risk of insomnia, and the sleep disorder itself also seems to alter the presence of certain types of bacteria. The analysis revealed a total of 14 groups of bacteria were positively associated (1-4 per cent higher odds), and 8 groups negatively associated (1-3 per cent lower odds), with insomnia. Insomnia was also noted to have an effect on gut microbiome. It was linked to a reduction of 43 per cent to 79 per cent of seven groups of bacteria, and a more than four-fold increase in the abundance of 12 other groups. One group in particular, the odoribacter class of bacteria which is also linked to was associated with insomnia. High levels of odoribacter are linked with good gut help and lower levels of inflammation in the body, while lower levels have been observed in people living with diagnoses of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity and type 2 diabetes. Ms Shi said her study further cemented the link between 'the effects of insomnia on gut microbiota, and vice versa', adding that they have a complex two-way relationship. Future treatments for insomnia could therefore include ways to manage levels of gut bacteria, including the use of probiotics, prebiotics, or faecal microbiota transplantation. However, Ms Shi noted that the study was not without limitations which needed further exploration. Firstly, all the study participants were of European descent. This is important to note as the make-up of the microbiome varies among different ethnicities and geographies. Furthermore, lifestyle factors such as diet and lifestyle weren't accounted for. These are known to have an effect the microbiome, and the interplay between genes and the environment, The NHS estimates that around a third of Britons experience insomnia, with a similar figure in the US. WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BODIES IF WE STAY AWAKE FOR DAYS ON END? Failing to sleep for days on end can cause an array of symptoms and may even be deadly. Within the first 24 hours of sleep deprivation, the body's hormone levels change, leading to a rise in blood pressure, SLATE reported. By day two the body is no longer able to break down glucose properly, leading to carbohydrate cravings. A person's body temperature also drops and their immune system becomes compromised. Although no human has ever being reported as dying from insomnia, a 1980s study by the University of Chicago found rats died after 32 days of total sleep deprivation. It is thought the rodents' body temperatures dropped so much they developed hypothermia. Their immune systems may also have become so weak that bacteria normally confined to their guts spread throughout their bodies. Another theory is the animals became so stressed they died. One of the most famous insomniacs is the music teacher Michael Corke, of New Lenox, Illinois, who suffered from the rare disease fatal familial insomnia. He died aged 42 after an alleged six months of total sleep deprivation, however, it cannot be said for sure that insomnia is what killed him. But it is Randy Gardner who holds the record for the longest time without sleep. In 1964 while at secondary school in San Diego, the then 17-year-old stayed awake for 11 days and 25 minutes.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store