Latest news with #UniversityCollegeCork
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
CUH launches Ireland's first public treatment programme for children with peanut and tree nut allergies
Cork University Hospital (CUH) has launched the country's first publicly-funded specialist treatment programme for children with peanut and tree nut allergies – a move hailed by experts as a major milestone for allergy care in Ireland. The hospital has become the first and only public hospital here to offer the life-changing food oral immunotherapy (OIT) programme to children aged under five, as part of routine clinical care. Professor Colin Hawkes, the clinical director of the paediatrics directorate at CUH, described it as a major milestone for allergy care in Ireland. 'We know that children with nut allergies and their families live with constant vigilance and fear," he said. "By offering oral immunotherapy in the public healthcare system, CUH is not only improving safety but also restoring a sense of normalcy and freedom for these young patients. This development is one of many ways in which CUH is delivering excellence in paediatric care, innovation, and research.' A child with a nut allergy lives with the worry of accidentally eating them, and of serious allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, which often need emergency medicine, hospital visits, and causes a lot of stress. (Left to right) Dr Sadhbh Hurley, Dr Juan E. Trujillo Wurttele and Dr Colin Hawkes at Cork University Hospital. OIT treatment involves the gradual introduction of an allergenic food into their diet in increasing amounts, helping patients build tolerance, and helping the immune system reduce the risk and severity of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. While not a cure, it is proven to reduce accidental reactions and improve day-to-day safety and confidence. Until now, Irish families hoping to access OIT have had to travel abroad, facing annual private costs ranging from €6,000 to €18,000. But since its launch in May, CUH says more than 30 oral immunotherapy courses have been completed through the programme, with participating families reporting fewer allergic reactions and a significant reduction in day-to-day anxiety. Referrals to the service are now being accepted nationwide, and by 2027 it is expected that 170 to 200 new nut-allergic children will begin treatment through the programme annually. The CUH team plans to launch new supra-regional specialty allergy clinics in Limerick and Clonmel, to extend the reach of the specialist service to children and families across Munster and beyond. Dr Juan Trujillo, a consultant paediatric allergist at CUH, and Dr Sadhbh Hurley, a consultant paediatrician, said the new service is a major step toward equitable access to allergy care. 'Initiating this service has been a priority of the allergy team in CUH for some time,' Dr Trujillo said. 'We are delighted to now be able to provide this care which will dramatically increase the quality of life and safety of nut-allergic patients attending CUH.' CUH, in partnership with University College Cork, is also the only centre of excellence in Ireland accredited by the World Allergy Organisation (WAO) and has been involved in global OIT clinical trials for more than a decade. The new OIT programme brings that international expertise directly to Irish patients, delivering both cutting-edge treatment and significant quality of life improvements for affected families. 'The WAO centre of excellence in allergy is a result of CUH and UCC's collaboration, which has enabled the integration of clinical care and research,' Dr Trujillo, co-director of the Centre of Excellence, said. 'Our OIT program is an example of this and will deliver even higher standards of care for children across the region and beyond.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Majority of us shop for groceries more than once a week, research shows
The surge in the cost of groceries is seen as the main reason people go to supermarkets so frequently. TDs claimed in the Dáil last week that many families have been hit with a €3,000 rise in the annual cost of groceries. The cost of food and other items bought for the kitchen are rising at twice the rate of general inflation. This has left people reeling from 'sticker-price shock' as inflation eats away at consumer confidence, according to the latest Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index. Food prices, in particular, are shooting up. Some meat prices are up 22pc in the past year alone, with the price of butter up by 30pc in a year. Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices are rising at more than twice the level of general inflation, up by 4.6pc in the year. The cost of a pound of butter is now up by €1.10 in the year. Irish cheddar cheese is almost €1 dearer per kilogram, with two litres of full-fat milk up by 27c. People are grocery shopping more frequently to better manage budgets, reduce waste, or shop fresh The cost of striploin steak is up more than €5 per kilogram (22.5pc) in the past year to €28.63. Even cheaper cuts of meat have jumped in price. Diced beef is now €13.26 per kilo, an increase of €2.42 in a year. This works out as a surge of 22pc. ADVERTISEMENT University College Cork economist Oliver Browne has estimated that grocery prices are up more than a third in the last four years. The grocery shopping research was commissioned by the State's newest bank, Avant Money, and carried out by Empathy Research. Avant's head of consumer finance, Daniel Pelluz, said people are shopping more often as a way to cope with rising prices. 'People are grocery shopping more frequently to better manage budgets, reduce waste, or shop fresh.' Mr Pelluz was commenting after Avant Money launched a new credit card that gives money back on everyday purchases, including a sizeable chunk on grocery shopping. The Everyday+ credit card gives 5pc cashback on grocery shopping for the first 12 months, up to €25 a month. That means shoppers can earn up to €300 in the first year.
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Pilot schemes to detect deer on roads in bid to reduce collisions to be rolled out in Kerry next month
A pilot scheme to detect deer on public roads to reduce collisions will be rolled out in Kerry next month. Experts believe the number of deer in Kerry has increased significantly in recent years, with deer paths created far from the traditional location at Killarney National Park. There is no national strategy to reduce the number of deer wandering onto roads, and the Kerry pilot schemes will be used as a template for a national strategy by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Technology used to reduce bird strikes on airplanes and an innovative detect-and-alert scheme in place in Austria are set to be deployed as part of the Kerry project. Sika, introduced from Japan in the 19th century, along with native red deer, almost extinct in the 1960s, are estimated to number in the thousands now in Killarney and surrounding areas, with road collisions occurring on an almost daily basis. Injured deer are a regular occurrence and there have been calls for increased signage near established deer paths, as well as a central number for the public to report injured deer. Frank Hartnett, Kerry's director of roads, outlined how the new project will take place over six months before its effectiveness will be reviewed. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has ruled out requests to erect fencing at accident prone spots as unfeasible. Chief executive of Kerry County Council Fearghal Reidy confirmed two "advanced technology pilot schemes" would be rolled out. A 'detection and alert' scheme will be delivered on the outskirts of Killarney on the N70 near Ballydowney, where a large number of deer cross the road between the National Park and nearby agricultural land. The second initiative, the 'deterrent system', is a joint initiative between Kerry County Council, University College Cork and the minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Michael Healy-Rae. It utilises technology to identify deer approaching busy roads. An audible alarm is then activated to discouraged the deer from crossing the road when vehicles are present. This scheme will be initially trialled on the R569 between Kilgarvan and the N22 Killarney to Cork Road. University College Cork will monitor both schemes, collating the data and analysing its effectiveness. This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Science
- RTÉ News
UCC palaeontologists discover new fossil reptile species
An international team of researchers, including palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC), has discovered a new species of fossil reptile from the Triassic period that had a large crest made of complex plume-like structures - long before modern-type feathers evolved. The 247-million-year-old Mirasaura grauvogeli, from the Grès à Voltzia locality in northeastern France, had a bizarre showy plume of long outer layer structures. These share similarities with feathers, despite existing 70 million years before the oldest fossil feathers. The research, published today in the journal Nature, includes UCC palaeontologists Prof Maria McNamara, Dr Valentina Rossi and Dr Tiffany Slater. The study was led by an international team from Germany, Italy, France and the USA. The UCC team analysed the fossil outer layer structures, using scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray analyses. The fossil tissue is rich in cell organelles that contain melanin pigments that are common in skin, hair, feathers and internal organs of fossil and modern vertebrate animals. The team in Cork discovered that the melanosomes in Mirasaura are similar in shape to those in feathers, but not mammal hair or reptilian skin. "We know that in modern animals, melanosome shape is closely linked to tissue type," said Dr Rossi. "We can therefore be confident that the Mirasaura structures share some common developmental features with feathers". Unlike feathers in modern birds, however, the Mirasaura structures lack branching, showing instead a simple long, medial feature that superficially resembles the shaft of modern bird feathers. "We were looking in the right time window, but we were shocked to find long integumentary structures in a completely different group of ancient reptiles," said Prof McNamara. "The next step is to consider the effects of fossilisation. "By integrating this with more detailed characterisation of the fossil tissues, we will learn more about the shared history of the Mirasaura structures and other structures, such as feathers." Dr Slater said: "It's amazing - this creature forces us back to the drawing board for when feather-like structures first evolved. Mirasaura reveals a deeper, more complex evolutionary story than we ever expected."
Irish Examiner
22-07-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
UCC scientists part of international team that discovered 250-million-year-old 'wonder reptile'
Irish palaeontologists have helped discover an ancient "wonder reptile" which completely disrupts the scientific view of how skin and feathers evolved in reptiles. The international research team, which included experts from University College Cork (UCC), discovered the new species of fossil reptile in France, and dated to the Triassic period some 250 million years ago, with a bizarre plume on its back that is similar to feathers. But this creature existed some 70 million years before the oldest fossil feathers. The discovery has completely disrupted our view of the evolution of skin and feathers in reptiles, the team said, as they published their findings in the journal Nature, on Tuesday. The study was led by scientists Dr Stephan Spiekman and Prof Rainer Schoch from the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany, along with an international team from Germany, Italy, France and the USA. The team included UCC palaeontologists Prof Maria McNamara, Dr Valentina Rossi, and Dr Tiffany Slater. Their discovery centres on the 247-million-year-old Mirasaura grauvogeli, from the Grès à Voltzia area in northeastern France. Prof Maria McNamara and Dr Valentina Rossi from UCC with a fossil specimen showing the Mirasaura crest. Picture: UCC Scans of its fossil show the reptile had a delicate, bird-like skull with a largely toothless snout, large forward-facing eyes and a high, domed skull. These features, plus its grasping forelimbs, point to a tree-dwelling lifestyle and diet of insects and other small prey. But it also had a bizarre showy plume of long outer layer structures on its back that are similar to feathers. The UCC team analysed the fossil's outer layer structures using scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray analyses, focusing on their preserved melanosomes — cell organelles that contain melanin pigments that are common in skin, hair, feathers and internal organs of fossil and modern vertebrate animals. They discovered the melanosomes in this reptile are similar in shape to those in feathers, but not mammal hair or reptilian skin. 'We know that in modern animals, melanosome shape is closely linked to tissue type,' Dr Rossi said. 'We can therefore be confident that the Mirasaura structures share some common developmental features with feathers.' Unlike feathers in modern birds, however, the Mirasaura structures lack branching, showing instead a simple long feature that superficially resembles the shaft of modern bird feathers. Prof McNamara, leader of the UCC team and coauthor of the study, said: 'We were looking in the right time window, but we were shocked to find long integumentary structures in a completely different group of ancient reptiles.' Co-author Dr Slater said this creature forces scientists back to the drawing board for when feather-like structures first evolved. 'Mirasaura reveals a deeper, more complex evolutionary story than we ever expected," she said. Read More Ireland to ban industrial sprat fishing in inshore waters from October 2026
