The importance of physical activity for pre-schoolers

A study carried out by a former primary headmaster and the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology in Chester has found 30 per cent of participants showed signs of physical immaturity and another 42 per cent showed signs of some delays in development.

Reception classes in the West Midlands took part in the research in which 60 children were given 14 short tests.  Some of the tests were as simple as asking the child to stand on one leg for three seconds or asking them to crawl a short distance.  The results found a link between those who struggle to complete basic physical exercises and those who are significantly more likely to fall behind, 77 per cent of pupils in the bottom half of the group for physical ability were also in the lowest group academically.

Health assistants

The Willis Commission on Nursing Education have compiled a report which suggests healthcare assistants should be independently regulated “in the interests of patient safety and care quality”.  It also said that workers who assist doctors and nurses in the NHS should be properly supervised with more clearly defined roles.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes sufferers could soon be spraying insulin up their nose rather than injecting daily after a successful trial on rats of a new product.  The spray delivers insulin into the bloodstream via the nose and can reduce blood sugar levels for around 24 hours in rats.

Type 1 diabetes affects around 300,000 people in the UK – It destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas.  Insulin is the hormone which regulates the levels of glucose in the blood, without it the levels can rise to dangerously high levels.

The new spray will be turn into a sticky gel when it warms up to body temperature in the nose and this helps it to remain effective.  Study leader Dr Hamde Nazar, from the University of Sunderland, said: “Our data highlights the potential of the formulation as a once-a-day dosage form for the delivery of insulin through the nasal route.  However, its relative merit for the treatment of human diabetes condition can only be assessed in the clinic”.