Transitioning to oral feeding: A retrospective cohort study of a family-centered, hunger-based tube weaning program.

Background: We investigated the effectiveness of a novel, hunger-based outpatient tube weaning program for children with feeding-tube dependency.

Methods: This interdisciplinary program induced hunger via rapid reduction in tube-fed calories, followed by 2 weeks of daily outpatient mealtime support and regular follow-up. Forty-one children (6.

'Down pythons' throats we thrust live goats': snakes, zoos and animal welfare in nineteenth-century Britain.

In nineteenth-century Britain, captive snakes in menageries and zoological gardens were routinely fed with live prey - primarily rabbits, pigeons and guinea pigs. From the late 1860s, this practice began to generate opposition on animal welfare grounds, leading to a protracted debate over its necessity, visibility and morality. Focusing on the 1870-1914 period, when the snake-feeding controversy reached its zenith, this article charts changing attitudes towards the treatment of reptiles in captivity and asks why an apparently niche practice generated so much interest.

Science With Purpose: 50 Years of the Institute of Occupational Medicine.

The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was founded in 1969 by the then UK National Coal Board to complete its nation-wide epidemiological study of lung disease in coal miners, the Pneumoconiosis Field Research. The results quantified risks in the industry and were influential across the world in setting preventive standards. The research, based on epidemiology, was multidisciplinary from the start, and the IOM's broad scientific expertise was applied across many other industries with an increasing focus on environmental measurement and ergonomics.

Developing Pretend Play in Autistic Children Using the Playboxes Joint Play Approach as Part of Ongoing Practice.

A repeated measures single subject design was used to examine the effectiveness of a joint play approach embedded in professional practice, in supporting pretend play for autistic children. Seven autistic children, aged 5-8 years, with a placement within a specialist educational provision, and who demonstrated restricted play, participated in weekly sessions using the Playboxes approach over a period of 3 months. Pre- and post-approach pretend play abilities were assessed using the Symbolic Play Test and the Test of Pretend Play.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of children and young people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact across the world. In this discussion paper, we examine the effect that lockdown has had on the mental health and well-being of children and young people. We write from a UK perspective in the light of the international evidence.