Training Blog

Over 50% of adults feel that school sciences lessons should teach both evolutionary theory and creationism alongside each other. The survey was carried out in 10 countries which were:

• Argentina
• China
• Egypt
• Great Britain
• India
• Mexico
• Russia
• South Africa
• Spain
• USA

Of those surveyed over 7,000 knew of Darwin’s work already. In the survey people were asked which statements were closest to their own opinion about how evolutionary theories should be taught in science lessons in schools. The highest proportion agreeing that evolutionary theories alone should be taught was in India, at 49%, followed by Spain (42%).

Darwinism is a controversial theory as it challenges religious explanation for life on earth. However it seems that alot of people feel that it is good to have the two opposing theories taught alongside each other which would suggest that society has progressed and nows feels that both theories are valid and have equal credibility. It shows a tollerance of differences, this could be due to the fact that due to immigration and now countries are becoming more multicultural, if you attempted to teach all of the religious theories it would take a very long time.

Research has suggested that a drug used to treat cancer can stop contractions and may prevent premature labour. This research was carried out by a team from Newcastle University, they tested the drug Trichostatin A on tissue taken from 36 women undergoing a caesarean. They claim that it worked by increasing the levels of a protein that controls muscle relaxation.

Preterm labour and birth is the single biggest cause of death in infants in the developed world, around 1,500 babies die in the UK every year. There are a number of drugs which are used to attempt to stop early labour but research has shown them to have serious side effects.

The researchers got permission to take samples of the muscles of women undergoing caesarean sections at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. They exposed the muscle to TSA, a dfrug used to treat cancer, and measured the effects on both spontaneous contractions and those induced by the labour drug, oxytocin.
They recorded an average 46% reduction in contractions for the spontaneously contracting tissue and an average 54% reduction in the oxytocin induced contractions.

Professor Jane Norman, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), said: “At the moment, it’s not possible to treat preterm labour effectively. We only have drugs that delay it by 24 hours or so – not enough to deliver the baby safely. There are experts who say that until doctors understand the cause of premature labour there is no way to develop a successful a treatment.

Of course as with any research there are those who feel that premature labour and birth can’t be or shouldn’t be prevented as the body has started labour early for a reason therefore doctors shouldn’t mess with nature. However mothers who have lost a baby because they were born prematurely would disagree and would claim that their child’s life should have been saved.

A study done by the University of Kansa suggests that failing memory may not be the first signal for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Their research showed that a decline in thinking and learning skills may be warning signs years before a diagnosis, it is thought that spatial skills, those used for completing jigsaws are the first to fail.

This research holds the key as current drugs are more likely to have a significant impact if given when the disease is still in its early stages. It is thought that approximately 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, with levels expected to soar in coming years as the population ages.

If techniques can be developed in order to detect the disease when it’s in the early stages, it can dramatically improve the quality of life for those who suffer from dementia and those who care for them. However, there is still the potential for it to have a negative impact as some people may become depressed and could also potentially be misdisagnosed. In some cases ignorance is bliss.

American researchers have found that children can be taught to use their imagination to tackle frequent bouts of abdominal pain. It is thought that the technique works particularly well due to their fertile imaginations. The research suggests that 1 in 5 children suffer with frquent abdominal pain with no identifiable cause. There were 30 children aged between 6 and 15 in the study half had 20 minute sessions of “guided imagery” this is where the patient is prompted to imagine things which will reduce their discomfort. The other half had the mainstream care.

It is thought that the treatment is very positive because it is inexpensive and is able to be self administered, which potentially opens the door for easily enhancing treatment outcomes for a lot of children sufering from frequent stomach aches.

This technique is an amazing breakthrough because this means that children can be treated by other means instead of drugs which is definately a positive. Also it means that more children can be treated without massive waiting lists which can be a definate plus for the NHS and the parents of the children who are suffering from abdominal pain and there is nothing they can do