Gut-health supplement made by Cork scientists picks up pharmacy award for the ninth year in a row
Alflorex won the Best Digestive Product award on the night as the supplement continues to gain industry recognition.
Developed by scientists and gastroenterologists at PrecisionBiotics, and in collaboration with the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork, Alflorex features the exclusive bacterial strain, 35624, which has undergone rigorous clinical testing and research spanning over 15 years.
Shirley O'Regan, Marketing Manager, PrecisionBiotics Ireland, said she is 'thrilled' with the support offered by Irish pharmacists.
'PrecisionBiotics, with its unwavering commitment to rigorous scientific research, has a long-standing reputation for developing high-quality products.
'Alflorex, a testament to this commitment, has consistently proven to be a top-quality product, endorsed by both the public and industry experts. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey,' she said.
The panel of judges at the 2025 Irish Pharmacy OTC Awards commended Alflorex for its carefully selected ingredients and balanced formula, focusing on gut health and overall wellness.
They also praised it for proven efficacy in clinical trials and noted that it is frequently prescribed by specialists in gastroenterology.
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RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: Estonia's different approach to AI in education
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The Department of Education is finalising guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in schools. It says this guidance will focus on AI in teaching and learning, and will come in addition to the Examinations Commission's advice on the technology when it comes to the Leaving and Junior Certificate. Ultimately, decisions on how it may or may not be used in Irish schools will come down to the Boards of Management at each one. But while Ireland grapples with how to police AI in the classroom, another EU nation is embracing it – and it's one of the continent's top performing places when it comes to learning. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation's (OECD) PISA tests, which examine education outcomes in 79 countries, Estonian students are top in Europe in math and science. They are also second in the EU when it comes to reading, only behind Ireland. From September, the country will roll out licences for artificial intelligence platforms to students aged 16 and 17, as well as teachers. The technology will be integrated into the learning process for all subjects, including physical education. Speaking to RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast, the country's education minister Krisinta Kallas said that AI is here to stay and that the country wants to harness it rather than discourage it. "We are worried that if we don't do anything, and if we don't do more supervised learning with AI, there will be a lot of unsupervised learning with AI anyway and that would be at the detriment of the skills and competences of the children." Ms Kallas said that it will be up to the teachers to determine how exactly it will be used. "I think the crucial thing with AI is not so much of regulating its use, because I don't think you can 100% regulate it, but it is rather making teachers competent in how AI operates, how AI impacts learning, and how it can be used to enhance the learning. "So the training of the teachers is absolutely key. You should not put all your trust in technology, you should put all your trust on teachers." The children will use tablets in school, but can use their AI accounts on their own private devices at home too. It is hoped that by giving it to all students and schools, there will be equality in its use in education with no socio-economic gaps. There has been no public pushback on the plan according to Ms Kallas. "It might be because our education has been relatively digitalised for a very long time. 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Mobile phones Unlike other countries in Europe, Estonia supports the use of mobile phones in schools. But Ms Kallas said teachers ultimately take autonomy in decisions when it comes to them. "We believe in a bottom-up approach when we allow schools to make those regulations," she said. "Mobile phones are used in class for learning purposes quite a lot in Estonia. "And also mobile phones in Estonia are used for all other things that you do in life. "The child needs to get the bus schedule to get home, needs to contact their parents, needs to figure out how to get to the sports club after school. "We do voting and other activities as citizens through our mobile phones. "It would be confusing for the younger generation that on one side we want them to vote online and use their phones to do their civic duty and on the other side we ban them from the school. "What we need to do is make them learn how to use the mobile phone for the right purposes."
Dublin Live
5 hours ago
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Mum warns never to kiss babies on lips as son left with life-changing injuries
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Irish mother is sending out an urgent plea to the public to refrain from kissing babies, sharing the harrowing experience of her own son contracting the herpes simplex virus through a cold sore. Jed Scanlon, now three years old, was taken to the hospital urgently by his parents Amanda, 39, and David, 40, after he started running a high fever. Doctors at the hospital diagnosed the young lad with herpes simplex and encephalitis, reports the Irish Mirror. The virus has tragically left Jed with severe learning difficulties due to its attack on his brain. Amanda, from Derry, said that before his illness, Jed was excelling and surpassing his developmental milestones until the age of six months. She said: "When he was diagnosed, I didn't realise the complications he was going to be left with. The virus attacked his brain instead of the immune system and left him with an acquired brain injury. "He has significant brain damage to his temple lobes and a rare form of epilepsy caused by the damage. They didn't know if he'd be able to walk or talk. (Image: Jam Press/@jedsjourney) "We were absolutely devastated. We couldn't believe it. We were in shock. I knew cold sores were dangerous but I didn't know the extent to leave someone with brain damage." The little boy experiences seizures every night and cannot speak. Medical professionals are tirelessly working to manage Jed's seizures but remain uncertain about what lies ahead in his future. Jed is currently receiving occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy treatments. His mother Amanda, who works as a hospital housekeeper, said: "Before this, he was thriving. (Image: Jam Press/@jedsjourney) "He was rolling over, he was meeting all his milestones and he was so smart. Jed could give me a high five at five-months-old which is amazing. "When he was diagnosed, it wasn't a great prognosis. They hadn't met any cases like Jed and they didn't have a great outlook on his life. "He has development delays and he's non verbal. We don't know what his future looks like. He can walk and finger feed himself. Jed is full of life and he's constantly up to mischief. You need eyes on the back of your head to watch him." Amanda shares Jed's journey on her TikTok page Jedsjourney, aiming to raise awareness about the risks associated with kissing newborns. She added: "I want to raise awareness of how dangerous cold sores can actually be. "Don't kiss anyone's baby even if you don't have a cold sore, especially not on the lips. It never crossed my mind not to let people kiss him, I just made people wash their hands but cold sores never came into my head. "We don't remember Jed being around anyone with a cold sore but you don't need to be able to see the coldsore to have the virus. Once you get the virus it lives dormant and can flare up any time. "Me and David don't get cold sores and never have. We try not to dwell on where he picked it up from because it won't achieve much. Babies could also get the virus from someone sneezing or coughing around him. You have to be really careful." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Edible bale wrap, RamRacks and edge clearers among innovations featured at New Zealand trade show
They can claim credit for inventing the milking machine (Norman John Daysh) and electric fencing (Bill Gallagher), so it's worth keeping an eye on New Zealand's agricultural innovations. Some of the latest and most exciting of which were on show this year's Fieldays 2025, where the innovation awards are an important part of this event, billed as the biggest agricultural trade show in the southern hemisphere. One of the entries for the awards is an attachable digger arm, which can give a 1.8t digger the reach of a five-tonner. The extender can be fitted to an existing digger in the 1.8-20t range. The extended reach can be particularly useful when using a small digger in a confined space. The inventor of the Excavator Folding Extension is Bryan Cleland of Bryscorah Ltd, and he suggests practical uses such as cutting a tree from the top down, horticultural hedge trimming, and residential trench work. "I have used it where a larger machine would not have been able to reach," he said. His invention is one of 63 in the innovation awards. Participants vie for a share of €40,000 worth of cash prizes, services, and help to launch or accelerate new products. Many New Zealand innovations are somewhat unique to the territory (such as the aerial topdressing, which John Chaytor first did in 1906, using a hot air balloon to spread seed over a swamped valley). Perhaps the modern equivalent is inventors responding to New Zealand's unique biodiversity crisis caused by invasive predators, primarily rats, stoats, cats, and possums, which prey on native species and damage ecosystems. The Department of Conservation aims to eradicate these predators by 2050 to protect New Zealand's unique wildlife. Predator traps The country is a world leader in predator eradication, using techniques like trapping and poisoning to remove invasive species. That's why Fieldays is a good place to find the latest in animal traps. NZAutoTraps manufactures self-resetting predator traps for multiple species. They are mostly powered by rechargeable batteries, but their solar panel-powered AT220-XL can be left in place for at least 18 months without recharging. Other traps may need to be serviced after four to six months, to recharge the battery or refill with bait. Electronic sensors may need to be cleaned. Some traps have artificial intelligence technology to make them species-specific, in order to protect species such as the kea bird, the world's only alpine parrot. Other New Zealand innovations are more familiar to Irish farmers because they are designed for the country's large livestock industries, which have a lot in common with Ireland's grass-based livestock industries. Beef snacks They share problems, such as unwanted non-replacement dairy calves. In New Zealand, some of these calves end up in Mīti snacks. An 84g snack contains 20 grams of 10-month-old dairy beef, plus honey, a smoky flavour from the native Kānuka plant, and other locally sourced natural flavourings and condiments. Mīti is New Zealand's first export-ready, shelf-stable young-beef snack. For emissions-conscious consumers, it has up to 48% lower carbon emissions than conventional beef. No artificial preservatives are used. Mīti is an entrant for an early-stage innovation award. Another early-stage innovation award entrant is Kiwi-Econet, an edible bale net to replace plastic net. Biodegradable and edible by livestock, it reduces the environmental impact and the carbon footprint of plastic netting. Nutritious and safe when consumed by livestock, the edible net wrap reduces the labour and expense of traditional wrap removal and disposal, because you don't have to remove it when livestock are feeding on the bale. RamRack carrying device Sheep farmers here may appreciate the thought that went into the RamRack, a collapsible, adjustable carrying device attached to the front of a quad bike, easily raised and lowered by a hand winch rated to lift 100 kg. It folds out flat for easy loading of, for example, a sheep, or awkward, heavy loads such as drench containers, seed sacks, mineral blocks, wheels, fence posts, etc. It extends quad bike carrying capacity, while safely securing animals (live or dead) for transportation, with two fail-safe locking mechanisms to eliminate the chance of load release during travel. It could even be used to immobilise sheep for treatment. Another innovation on show at Fieldays, which will interest Irish farmers, is the Landquip LaneRotr R1, a tractor-mounted hydraulic rotary machine designed to clear the edges of farm roads. It removes roadway edge build-up to improve drainage off the road. With a working speed of 1.5km per hour, it can be used to clear up to 5km of road edges daily. Read More Stephen Cadogan: Why every dairy farmer needs a cash buffer in 2025
