For students with severe attention difficulties, changing school shifts is not the solution

Research involving more than 2,000 Brazilians reveals that while everyone’s performance is consistently lower in the morning, the afternoon shift only improves the performance of students with few or no symptoms of ADHD

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

LinkedIn

Email

 

image: 

The study evaluated 2,240 Brazilian students between the ages of six and 14

view more 

Credit: Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil

Several studies have shown that students who attend afternoon classes tend to perform better in school than those who attend morning classes. This is due to greater synchrony between class times and students’ biological clocks. However, a study of children and adolescents revealed that this does not apply to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or symptoms of the condition. For this group, changing school shifts does not significantly improve academic performance.

The study involved 2,240 Brazilian students between the ages of six and 14. It evaluated data on reading and writing performance, negative school events (suspension, grade repetition, and dropping out), and ADHD symptoms. The study examined these factors in specific analyses and over a three-year period.

“The results indicate that changing shifts shouldn’t be considered an effective intervention for treating ADHD. For children with attention deficit disorder, studying in the morning or afternoon doesn’t significantly alter academic performance, as the difficulties remain the same,” says Maurício Scopel Hoffmann, head of the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Federal University of Santa Maria and a researcher at the Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents.

A comparison of students with and without ADHD studying in both shifts revealed that afternoon studying improves performance only for students with few or no ADHD symptoms. The morning shift, on the other hand, results in lower performance for all students without exacerbating the situation for those with more significant attention difficulties.

The study was published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and is part of the Brazilian High Risk Cohort Study (BHRCS), an epidemiological study supported by FAPESP that has already evaluated over 2,500 students, aged six to 24, who are at risk of mental disorders in the cities of Porto Alegre and São Paulo.

How to overcome the difficulties

According to data from the Ministry of Health, it is estimated that 7.6% of Brazilian children have neurodevelopmental disorders. The main symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Studies show that children with ADHD may learn more slowly, which can result in difficulty reading, writing, and doing math.

Hoffmann explains that certain non-pharmacological measures can help children and adolescents overcome their difficulties and perform better at school. “Untreated children with ADHD go on to accumulate problems throughout their lives. In addition to getting hurt more often, they tend not to learn at the expected rate, repeat grades, and break out of their social circle. Difficulties at school can have a snowball effect on these individuals, leading to bigger problems such as anxiety and depression in adulthood,” explains the researcher.

“Our initial hypothesis was that the school shift could change the relationship between ADHD and school performance. However, the results showed that there’s a ‘ceiling’ for students with ADHD, meaning that studying in the afternoon isn’t associated with the desired benefits. Students with the disorder had difficulties in the morning and afternoon. Unfortunately, changing the school shift shouldn’t be considered a non-pharmacological measure to overcome the effects of this condition,” he says.

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. 

 

---

Journal

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

DOI

10.1007/s00787-025-02758-x 

Article Title

The interplay between ADHD and school shift on educational outcomes in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis

'SELF MANAGED HEALTHCARE'

Novel virtual care program enhances at-home support for people with heart failure

"American Heart Association Connected Care™, Powered by Cadence" closes gaps in care by providing healthcare access to those who need it most

American Heart Association

Facebook

XLinkedIn
Message

DALLAS, Aug. 26, 2025 — With chronic disease rates rising across the U.S., healthcare systems face ongoing challenges in reducing hospital stays and readmissions.[1] Nearly 1 in 4 heart failure patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge,[2] and fewer than 20% receive all four guideline-directed medical therapy pillars post-discharge, despite strong evidence showing these therapies improve patient outcomes.[3]

At the same time, the number of people living with chronic illness is expected to double from 2020 to 2050.[4] Remote patient care fills a critical gap, offering a scalable way to support the most vulnerable patients, improving adherence to evidence-based care and reducing avoidable hospitalizations, no matter the geographical location.

To help close critical gaps in heart failure care, the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, has developed American Heart Association Connected Care™, Powered by Cadence, a virtual care program that delivers ongoing heart and cardiometabolic care to patients at home after their hospital stay.

Hospitals can refer eligible patients to the Connected Care program prior to discharge. The Association is working with participating hospitals to integrate the program into discharge workflows. Cadence enrolls patients in the program, teaching them how to use their devices, monitoring vital sign readings and providing ongoing clinical support.

“Our legacy is built on bringing science to life and meeting people where they are to reimagine how healthcare is delivered,” said John Meiners, chief of mission-aligned businesses at the American Heart Association. “By combining advanced remote patient monitoring technology with our expertise in guideline-directed care and chronic condition management, we can help extend the high-quality care hospitals provide, ensuring people with heart failure receive proactive, timely support at home when they need it most.”

The Association spearheaded this collaboration with Cadence to extend the reach of its trusted science into homes and communities, utilizing Cadence’s remote platform and 24/7 virtual provider group.

“Hospitals struggle to extend consistent, evidence-based care once patients leave their doors,” said Chris Altchek, chief executive officer and founder of Cadence. “By pairing the American Heart Association’s gold-standard scientific guidelines with Cadence’s AI-driven remote monitoring and always-on care team, American Heart Association Connected Care, Powered by Cadence, makes proactive, personalized heart-failure support available anytime, anywhere.”

American Heart Association Connected Care aims to:

• Reduce 30-day readmissions for people with heart failure by providing peace of mind and timely interventions for patients and their families.
• Support heart failure patients from hospital admission through safe discharge and recovery at home.
• Bring care to more communities by delivering personalized support beyond hospital walls.

“Too often, people with heart failure get discharged from the hospital only to find themselves back within a month,” said Marat Fudim, M.D., MHS, associate professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and heart failure cardiologist at the Duke University Medical Center. “With timely interventions and evidence-based support, remote patient monitoring allows us to bridge that gap by keeping a close eye on patients’ health while they’re at home, avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations and achieving better long-term outcomes.”

Rooted in a century of innovative scientific breakthroughs, trusted clinical guidelines and science-backed educational content, Connected Care offers patients timely, remote care and support to help them adhere to treatment plans, adopt heart-healthy habits and avoid preventable readmissions.

The Connected Care pilot program is currently underway at four hospitals:

• Texas Health Allen, Texas Health Resources – Allen, Texas
• Rutherford Regional Medical Center, Lifepoint Health – Rutherfordton, N.C.
• Frye Regional Medical Center, Lifepoint Health – Hickory, N.C.
• Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Health – Monterey, Calif.

Additional Resources:

• Spanish news release (coming soon)
• American Heart Association Connected Care: www.heart.org/ahaconnectedcare.
• Circulation: National Patterns of Remote Patient Monitoring Service Availability at US Hospitals

###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About Cadence

Cadence is a remote care delivery system that keeps patients healthier and clinicians better supported. Cadence’s Proactive Care Engine is powered by 24/7 support from its clinical Care Team and technology – consistently monitoring every patient, identifying care gaps early, and escalating issues before they become problems. With more than 55,000 active patients and partnerships with 18 of the country’s leading health systems, Cadence is redefining how primary and chronic care are delivered and is improving outcomes, reducing costs, and helping patients live healthier, longer lives. To learn more, visit www.cadence.care.

---

[1] Kripalani S, Theobald CN, Anctil B, Vasilevskis EE. Reducing hospital readmission rates: current strategies and future directions. Annu Rev Med. 2014;65:471-85. doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-022613-090415.

[2] Khan, Muhammad Shahzeb, Sreenivasan, Jayakumar, et al. Trends in 30- and 90-Day Readmission Rates for Heart Failure. 2021. Circulation: Heart Failure. Vol 14. No 4. doi:10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.121.008335. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.121.008335.

[3] Jacobs, Joshua A., Ayodele, Iyanuoluwa, et al. Social Determinants of Health and Disparities in Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Optimization for Heart Failure. 2025. Circulation: Heart Failure. Vol 18 No 1. doi:10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.124.012357. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.124.012357.

[4] Ansah JP, Chiu CT. Projecting the chronic disease burden among the adult population in the United States using a multi-state population model. Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 13;10:1082183. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1082183.

 

Giving mRNA vaccines a technological shot in the arm

Yale researchers have created a new technology to maximize the effectiveness and reach of mRNA vaccines

Yale University

Facebook

XLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessage

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines entered the public consciousness when they were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna used the technology in developing their highly effective vaccines to fight the virus. 

Since then, scientists have been fine-tuning this vaccine delivery system to make it more effective. A Yale research team has now developed a technology that improves both the power of mRNA vaccines and their effectiveness against a host of diseases.

The new technology offers the promise of expanding the reach of these vaccines, including for the prevention of other diseases, including cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The results of their study are published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Unlike traditional vaccines, which typically deliver an inactivated or weakened version of a virus to stimulate a person’s immune response, mRNA vaccines deliver genetic instructions that create a bit of a virus inside the individual’s cells. The cells then make the protein needed to create an immune response.

“Everyone is very familiar with mRNA vaccines from the pandemic,” said Sidi Chen, associate professor of genetics and neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine, who served as the study’s senior author. “But we wondered why the vaccine was working so well in COVID, but not so much in many other diseases that it was being tested on.”

The answer, it turns out, lies in the body’s response to antigens. Antigens are the substances that the immune system recognizes as foreign or possibly harmful, which then triggers an immune response.

But if the body doesn’t recognize an antigen, it can’t mount a good immune response. To be recognized by the body, antigens must attach to the surface of cells, where they are more easily detected. The problem, Chen explained, is that some antigens created by mRNA vaccine are unable to make it to surface. They get stuck deep within cells, evading the body’s immune response system.

To solve this challenge, they developed what they called a molecular vaccine platform (or MVP), which attaches a sort of “cell-GPS” module to the proteins that mRNA vaccines deliver to cells. This, in turn, guides the proteins to the cell surface where they stimulate greater antigen expression and can be seen by the immune system.

Researchers created these “GPS” modules from natural membrane proteins, such as signal peptides and transmembrane anchors that help antigens travel to the cell surface. (Signal peptides are short amino acid sequences that direct a protein to its correct location in a cell, and transmembrane anchors are segments within amino acids that secure proteins to cells, allowing them to move and to communicate.) 

In a series of laboratory experiments, researchers tested the new platform on mpox (formerly known as monkeypox,) human papillomavirus (HPV, which is inked to cervical cancer,) and varicella-zoster virus (shingles.) In all cases, the platform produced stronger immune responses with dramatic improvements in antigen expression, antibody production, and T cell activation, Chen said. 

The new platform could make future mRNA vaccines more reliable and effective against a host of different viruses, as well as other diseases.

“We’re taking an important step forward to allow us to broaden what the vaccines can be used for,” Chen said. “We’re trying to expand this type of technology to other diseases, such as cancer, HIV, and autoimmune conditions.”

Chen is also a member of the Systems Biology Institute at Yale’s West Campus and an affiliate of Yale Cancer Center, Yale Stem Cell Center, and Yale Center for Biomedical Data Science.

The study included 11 Yale-affiliated authors, with postdoctoral fellow Zhenhao Fang and Ph.D. candidate Valter Monteiro serving as first authors. In addition to Chen, senior authors were Carolina Lucas, assistant professor of immunobiology, and Daniel DiMaio, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Genetics, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and professor of therapeutic radiology.

---

Journal

Nature Biomedical Engineering

DOI

10.1038/s41551-025-01478-6 

Article Title

A modular vaccine platform for optimized lipid nanoparticle mRNA immunogenicity

Scientists map dendritic cell reactions to vaccines

Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie

Facebook

Bluesky
Email

Ghent, 26 August 2025 – Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body’s defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles. These findings, published in Cell Reports, could lead to safer and more effective vaccines. 

Dendritic cells and lipid nanoparticles 

Dendritic cells are among the first to detect viruses, bacteria, or other immune challenges. These cells help coordinate the immune system’s response by alerting T cells, the immune system’s soldiers trained to eliminate threats. But dendritic cells don't always respond in the same way. Some keep the immune system calm and balanced (homeostatic), while others drive a full immune attack (immunogenic). 

Until now, little was known about what determines these different responses, especially when dendritic cells encounter vaccines. 

The team of Prof. Sophie Janssens (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation), and colleagues at the University of Ghent, the VIB Single Cell Core, and the University of Brussels, investigated how dendritic cells react to lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the technology used in mRNA vaccines. LNPs are tiny spheres that deliver genetic instructions to immune cells, prompting them to produce virus-fighting proteins. 

Calm or activated?  

Using cutting-edge methods like CITE-sequencing and flow cytometry, the researchers discovered that LNPs can influence dendritic cells to adopt either a calm, homeostatic role or an activated, immunogenic one. 

“We found that empty LNPs don’t strongly activate the immune system,” said Dr. Sofie Rennen (VIB-UGent), first author of the study. “That’s good news, because it means they can deliver vaccine components without triggering unintended inflammation. But more importantly, by choosing what we load into them, we can steer the immune response in specific ways.” 

For example, LNPs carrying antigens encoded as mRNA molecules prompted dendritic cells to take on an immunogenic role: activating T cells and driving protection. In contrast, empty LNPs or LNPs carrying peptides supported a more homeostatic profile, potentially useful for promoting immune tolerance. 

Dr. Victor Bosteels (VIB-UGent), co-first author, adds, “Our work might lay the groundwork for 'calming’ vaccines for autoimmune diseases by encouraging a healthy immune system instead of inflammation.” 

“Overall,” says Prof. Janssens (VIB-UGent), “mapping how dendritic cells respond to different vaccine elements allows us to target the immune system more precisely and safely, which can lead to the next generation of vaccines.” 

---

Journal

Cell Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116150 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Lipid nanoparticles as a tool to dissect dendritic cell maturation pathways

 

Study IDs what can help collaborative groups actually accomplish their goals

North Carolina State University

Facebook

X
BlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail

Collaborative organizations, involving government agencies, nonprofit groups and other key stakeholders, are often created to address regional challenges such as preserving watersheds – but these organizations often fail to accomplish their stated goals. A new study suggests there is a specific administrative approach that improves the ability of these collaborative groups to deliver the services they were created to provide.

“These organizations tend to do a good job of planning, but then stumble when it comes to transitioning from the planning process to actually executing the projects and processes necessary to implement the plan,” says Graham Ambrose, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of public administration at North Carolina State University. “We wanted to learn more about why this happens, and whether there were administrative approaches that could improve implementation for future collaborations.

“Drawing on four case studies and the available literature, we find that groups are more likely to be successful if they adopt something we’ve termed a ‘mixed services transition approach,’” Ambrose says. “This means that groups do not try to jump directly from planning to implementation. Instead, they begin with small scale implementation activities while they are still working to finalize their formal planning – launching pilot projects, taking steps to secure additional funding, and outlining how the collaborative organization’s structure will have to change as the group’s focus shifts increasingly toward implementation.”

For this study, the researchers drew on approximately 30 years of data regarding 31 collaborative organizations that focused on watershed issues in four areas: the Delaware Inland Bays, Narragansett Bay, Tampa Bay and Tillamook Bay.

All the collaborative groups the researchers looked at received funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program, which provides planning grants to organizations that focus on mitigating pollution and preserving estuary ecosystems.

“Many of these groups were unable to successfully transition from planning to implementation, stagnated and were dissolved,” Ambrose says. “Other groups made some headway, and some have proved to be sustainable and resilient. We wanted to see what allowed the resilient organizations to succeed where the others struggled.”

The researchers took two key findings away from the work. The first finding is that collaborations that adopted a mixed services approach were more likely to implement their plans and be resilient than other organizations.

“For example, EPA funding is limited and can only be used for a defined range of projects,” Ambrose says. “In practical terms, this means that some of the goals groups identified in the planning stage would not be eligible for funding. It makes sense that organizations that took steps to secure additional funding were better able to implement their plans, and better able to maintain the interest and goodwill of their stakeholders. By the same token, implementing pilot projects can help identify previously unanticipated challenges or opportunities, which can benefit larger scale implementation efforts later on.”

The second finding has to do with the way researchers have studied collaborative organizations and processes.

“Planning and implementation are different activities, have different end goals, and require different organizational structures and responsibilities,” Ambrose says. “And while a lot of excellent research has been done on what makes planning processes work, and a lot of excellent research has been done on what makes implementation processes work, there has been very little research looking at both of these things within the same organization. And there has been virtually no work on what exactly the transition between planning and implementation looks like.

“As a result, people are drawing on research from the planning process to give advice on best practices for implementation, and vice versa. And the results have been decidedly mixed.

“We think our contribution here is both practical and academic,” Ambrose says. “At a high level, we propose a new way to think about collaboration and governance literatures. But the primary goal of our work here is to offer more consistent and practical advice to practitioners. The advice thus far has been fairly inconsistent – we believe our approach can help address some of those inconsistencies.

“Now that we’ve presented the ‘mixed services transition approach,’ the next step is to further test it. While the proposed approach helps structure our thinking, we believe there are many exciting questions left on the table – particularly connecting governance structure to collaboration context. We’re also interested in examining the specific aspects of collaborations and their contexts that spur successful and unsuccessful transitions.”

The paper, “Transitioning from planning to implementation: comparing collaborative governance and developmental dynamics in 4 watersheds,” is published open access in the journal Policy Sciences. The paper was co-authored by Mark Imperial, an associate professor of public administration at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

---

Journal

Policy Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s11077-025-09583-8 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Transitioning from planning to implementation: comparing collaborative governance and developmental dynamics in 4 watersheds

Article Publication Date

26-Aug-2025

 

Acosta to examine moisture-driven polar ice growth & its impact on global sea level

George Mason University

Email

Paul Acosta, Assistant Research Professor, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences (AOES), College of Science, will receive funding for the project: “Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of moisture-driven ice growth: a warm Miocene data-model comparison.”

He and his collaborators will use state-of-the-art isotope-enabled general circulation and ice sheet models to test a suite of hypothesized mechanisms for precipitation-driven Antarctic ice growth during the Middle Miocene (17-15 Ma).

The proposed modeling will track the isotopic composition of precipitated water and land-ice growth, generating a regional oxygen isotope signal that can be compared directly against proximal deep-sea isotopic records. 

To facilitate data-model comparison, the team will generate a new high-resolution record of Antarctic ice sheet volume using paired benthic foraminiferal (oxygen isotopes) and Mg/Ca (sea surface temperature) measurements from deep-sea sediment cores, providing a key dataset for model validation alongside a synthesis of published geologic records spanning this time.

Specifically, investigators will explore the ice-growth potential of local polar mechanisms (such as ice-proximal ocean warmth and sea ice cover), as well as global hemispheric processes (such as CO2 and orbital forcing) that influence the poleward heat and moisture transport.

The researchers aim to provide critical context for understanding long-term trajectories of global sea level. They will contribute the data and model products to the international community synthesis efforts, DeepMIP Miocene and upcoming IPCC report. 

Acosta will receive $237,667 from the National Science Foundation for this project. Funding will begin in Sept. 2025 and will end in late Aug. 2028.

                                                                                                                       ###

 

Inaugural editorial: the Energy and Environment Nexus

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

Facebook

XLinkedInWeChatBluesky
Email

 

image: 

Inaugural editorial: the Energy and Environment Nexus

view more 

Credit: Rui Xiao, Dongke Zhang & Shiming Ding

Introducing Energy & Environment Nexus (E&E Nexus) – a pioneering, open-access platform dedicated to the critical intersection of energy systems and environmental challenges. We explicitly prioritize research exploring the dynamic interplay between energy and the environment, where innovation meets impact.

E&E Nexus Scope Spans Key: 

💡Interdisciplinary Science of Energy & Environment
💡Renewable Energy & Low-Carbon Technologies
💡Energy Materials & Nanotechnology
💡Solid Waste Resource Utilization
💡Pollution Control & Ecological Restoration
💡Energy Storage & Smart Systems
💡Environmental Monitoring & Modeling
💡Emerging Technologies & Risk Management
💡AI in Energy, Environment & Nexus
💡Policy, Society & Global Systems

Publish for FREE in 2025-2027!

E&E Nexus is waiving all Article Processing Charges (APCs) for accepted papers during the 2025, 2026, and 2027 calendar years.

Explore aims, scope, and submission details: https://www.maxapress.com/een

Act Now - Submissions Open! Our submission portal is newly launched and actively accepting manuscripts.

Read the inaugural editorial now: https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/een-0025-0001

https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/een-0025-0001

Submit your transformative research to Energy & Environment Nexus today and publish open-access for free until 2028!

---

DOI

10.48130/een-0025-0001 

Method of Research

News article

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Inaugural editorial: the Energy and Environment Nexus

Article Publication Date

21-Aug-2025