News in Brief
History - Jan 19
Opinion: Empty cities have long been a post-apocalyptic trope - now, they are a reality
Opinion: Empty cities have long been a post-apocalyptic trope - now, they are a reality
Health - Jan 19
RECOVERY trial closes recruitment to convalescent plasma treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
RECOVERY trial closes recruitment to convalescent plasma treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
Health - Jan 19
Successive governments’ approaches to obesity policies have destined them to fail, say researchers
Successive governments’ approaches to obesity policies have destined them to fail, say researchers
Social Sciences - Jan 19
WHO adopts new guidance into childhood pain informed by Bath’s Centre for Pain Research
WHO adopts new guidance into childhood pain informed by Bath’s Centre for Pain Research
news
Health - Jan 19
Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in Movement Disorders , adds to evidence that vision changes precede the cognitive decline that occurs in many, but not all, people with Parkinson's.
Health - Jan 19
A team of scientists at UCL have found that blood tests measuring the hallmark Alzheimer's protein, beta-amyloid (amyloid), could radically reduce the cost of clinical trials and potentially open the door to treating the disease earlier.
Health - Jan 19
Researchers in the UK and the United States have succeeded in ‘fine tuning' a new thermoplastic biomaterial to enable both the rate at which it degrades in the body and its mechanical properties to be controlled independently.
Health - Jan 19
Researchers at the University of Glasgow are investigating whether outcomes from heart surgery could be improved if patients were routinely tested and treated for iron deficiency. It's estimated that up to half of people who have heart surgery have iron deficiency, which can lead to increased blood transfusions, longer stays in intensive care and slower recovery.
Health - Jan 19
Back up words with actions and pay more than lip service to the importance of doctor’s mental health
A study based on responses of doctors in frontline healthcare across the UK and Ireland highlights the mental health toll COVID-19 has placed on them.
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Eye tests predict Parkinson’s-linked cognitive decline 18 months ahead
Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in Movement Disorders , adds to evidence that vision changes precede the cognitive decline that occurs in many, but not all, people with Parkinson's.
Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in Movement Disorders , adds to evidence that vision changes precede the cognitive decline that occurs in many, but not all, people with Parkinson's.
Blood tests could bring new hope to Alzheimer’s clinical trials
A team of scientists at UCL have found that blood tests measuring the hallmark Alzheimer's protein, beta-amyloid (amyloid), could radically reduce the cost of clinical trials and potentially open the door to treating the disease earlier. The findings, published in the journal Brain , suggest that blood tests could be used to recruit people to Alzheimer's drug trials before they start showing any symptoms.
A team of scientists at UCL have found that blood tests measuring the hallmark Alzheimer's protein, beta-amyloid (amyloid), could radically reduce the cost of clinical trials and potentially open the door to treating the disease earlier. The findings, published in the journal Brain , suggest that blood tests could be used to recruit people to Alzheimer's drug trials before they start showing any symptoms.
Iron test could improve outcomes for heart patients
Researchers at the University of Glasgow are investigating whether outcomes from heart surgery could be improved if patients were routinely tested and treated for iron deficiency. It's estimated that up to half of people who have heart surgery have iron deficiency, which can lead to increased blood transfusions, longer stays in intensive care and slower recovery.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow are investigating whether outcomes from heart surgery could be improved if patients were routinely tested and treated for iron deficiency. It's estimated that up to half of people who have heart surgery have iron deficiency, which can lead to increased blood transfusions, longer stays in intensive care and slower recovery.
New biomaterials can be ’fine-tuned’ for medical applications
Researchers in the UK and the United States have succeeded in ‘fine tuning' a new thermoplastic biomaterial to enable both the rate at which it degrades in the body and its mechanical properties to be controlled independently. The material, a type of polyester, has been designed for use in soft tissue repair or flexible bioelectronics by a team at the University of Birmingham in the UK and Duke University in the US.
Researchers in the UK and the United States have succeeded in ‘fine tuning' a new thermoplastic biomaterial to enable both the rate at which it degrades in the body and its mechanical properties to be controlled independently. The material, a type of polyester, has been designed for use in soft tissue repair or flexible bioelectronics by a team at the University of Birmingham in the UK and Duke University in the US.
Back up words with actions and pay more than lip service to the importance of doctor’s mental health
A study based on responses of doctors in frontline healthcare across the UK and Ireland highlights the mental health toll COVID-19 has placed on them. Last updated on Monday 18 January 2021 New research findings suggest that during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 nearly half (45%) of doctors working in emergency medicine, intensive care and anaesthetics reported psychological distress - substantially higher than figures for the general population.
A study based on responses of doctors in frontline healthcare across the UK and Ireland highlights the mental health toll COVID-19 has placed on them. Last updated on Monday 18 January 2021 New research findings suggest that during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 nearly half (45%) of doctors working in emergency medicine, intensive care and anaesthetics reported psychological distress - substantially higher than figures for the general population.
Dinosaur-era sea lizard had teeth like a shark
New study identifies a bizarre new species suggesting that giant marine lizards thrived before the asteroid wiped them out 66 million years ago. Last updated on Monday 18 January 2021 A new species of mosasaur - an ancient sea-going lizard from the age of dinosaurs - has been found with shark-like teeth that gave it a deadly slicing bite.
New study identifies a bizarre new species suggesting that giant marine lizards thrived before the asteroid wiped them out 66 million years ago. Last updated on Monday 18 January 2021 A new species of mosasaur - an ancient sea-going lizard from the age of dinosaurs - has been found with shark-like teeth that gave it a deadly slicing bite.
Human genes have an impact on shaping our gut ecosystem according to new evidence from the international MIBioGen consortium study involving more than 18,000 people. The findings, led by the University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands and involving researchers at the University of Bristol, are published today [18 January] .
A review of ten types of policy used to reduce carbon suggests that some costs fall on those less able to bear them - but it also shows these policies can form the bedrock of a 'green recovery' if specifically designed and used in tandem. Unless low-carbon policies are fair, affordable and economically competitive, they will struggle to secure public support Cristina Peñasco Some of the low-carbon policy options currently used by governments may be detrimental to households and small businesses less able to manage added short-term costs from energy price hikes, according to a new study.
New research provides important insights into the role played by the immune system in preventing - and in some cases increasing the severity of - COVID-19 symptoms in patients. It also finds clues to why some people experience 'long COVID'. Our evidence suggests that the journey to severe COVID-19 may be established immediately after infection, or at the latest around the time that they begin to show symptoms Paul Lyons Among the key findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, are: Individuals who have asymptomatic or mild disease show a robust immune response early on during infection.
Hospital healthcare workers reported higher rates of clinically significant mental health symptoms following the initial Covid-19 pandemic peak in the UK, new research led by the University of Birmingham has revealed. A study , published in BJPsych Open, found around a third of hospital healthcare workers reported clinically significant symptoms of anxiety (34.3%) and depression (31.2%), while almost a quarter (24.5%) reported clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
National data may be underestimating illicit drug use in young people
A study published today [18 January] in the publication Addiction suggests that the UK government's current national population-based data may be understating illicit drug usage among young people by as much as 20 per cent. Researchers from the University of Bristol compared data from the Crime Survey England and Wales (CSEW) with that of the Bristol-based longitudinal health study Children of the 90s.
A study published today [18 January] in the publication Addiction suggests that the UK government's current national population-based data may be understating illicit drug usage among young people by as much as 20 per cent. Researchers from the University of Bristol compared data from the Crime Survey England and Wales (CSEW) with that of the Bristol-based longitudinal health study Children of the 90s.
Analysis: We have entered a dangerous new phase of the pandemic
Professor Andrew Hayward (UCL Epidemiology & Health) explains why the new, more infectious, strain of Covid-19 is a cause for concern and suggests what must be done to reduce transmission of the disease. On the last day of 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) received the first reports of an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China.
Professor Andrew Hayward (UCL Epidemiology & Health) explains why the new, more infectious, strain of Covid-19 is a cause for concern and suggests what must be done to reduce transmission of the disease. On the last day of 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) received the first reports of an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China.
Scientists at UCL and from across the world have catalogued almost 700 million astronomical objects in one of the most detailed sky surveys ever undertaken. Scientists on the international Dark Energy Survey (DES), including those from eight UK institutions, have released the second set of data - mapping over an eighth of the entire sky using one of the most sensitive cameras ever built.
Reform public procurement to protect aid money, urges major new anti-corruption study
The biggest study of its kind has proven the link between local political context and the risk that humanitarian aid money is lost to corruption. The study also provides reassurance that the controls that donors may insist upon can be effective at preventing money going astray. The paper “ Controlling Corruption in Development Aid: new evidence from contract-level data? is published in the Studies in Comparative International Development journal.
The biggest study of its kind has proven the link between local political context and the risk that humanitarian aid money is lost to corruption. The study also provides reassurance that the controls that donors may insist upon can be effective at preventing money going astray. The paper “ Controlling Corruption in Development Aid: new evidence from contract-level data? is published in the Studies in Comparative International Development journal.
Researchers have developed a DNA test to quickly identify secondary infections in COVID-19 patients, who have double the risk of developing pneumonia while on ventilation than non-COVID-19 patients. Using this test, we found that patients with COVID-19 were twice as likely to develop secondary pneumonia as other patients in the same intensive care unit Andrew Conway Morris For patients with the most severe forms of COVID-19, mechanical ventilation is often the only way to keep them alive, as doctors use anti-inflammatory therapies to treat their inflamed lungs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted stark inequalities in healthy life expectancy, according to a report into healthy ageing published today. The report into health ageing has been published by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee , following an in-depth inquiry for which the University of Birmingham's Professor Janet Lord was special adviser.
Research led by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust has revealed new insight into the biological mechanisms of the long-term positive health effects of breastfeeding in preventing disorders of the immune system in later life. Breastfeeding is known to be associated with better health outcomes in infancy and throughout adulthood, and previous research has shown that babies receiving breastmilk are less likely to develop asthma, obesity, and autoimmune diseases later in life compared to those who are exclusively formula fed.
Foraging humans, mammals and birds who live in the same place behave similarly
Foraging humans find food, reproduce, share parenting, and even organise their social groups in similar ways as surrounding mammal and bird species, depending on where they live in the world, new research has found. The study , shows environmental factors exert a key influence on how foraging human populations and non-human species behave, despite their very different backgrounds.
Foraging humans find food, reproduce, share parenting, and even organise their social groups in similar ways as surrounding mammal and bird species, depending on where they live in the world, new research has found. The study , shows environmental factors exert a key influence on how foraging human populations and non-human species behave, despite their very different backgrounds.
A quarter of adults reported drinking more during first lockdown
A quarter of people in the UK reported drinking more than usual during the first lockdown, particularly those who were younger, female and suffering from anxiety, finds a study by UCL researchers. The study, published today in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, surveyed over 30,000 adults about their drinking behaviour during the earliest stage of lockdown between 21 March and 4 April 2020 and found that a third (34.3%) weren't drinking.
A quarter of people in the UK reported drinking more than usual during the first lockdown, particularly those who were younger, female and suffering from anxiety, finds a study by UCL researchers. The study, published today in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, surveyed over 30,000 adults about their drinking behaviour during the earliest stage of lockdown between 21 March and 4 April 2020 and found that a third (34.3%) weren't drinking.
COVID-19: Mortality risk increases by 20% when ICUs are full
Patients admitted to very full hospitals have an increased chance of dying which is equivalent to being up to 11 years older, according to a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The study, published as a pre-print* on MedRxiv , analysed data from 4032 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) with presumed or confirmed Covid-19 in the first lockdown.
Patients admitted to very full hospitals have an increased chance of dying which is equivalent to being up to 11 years older, according to a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The study, published as a pre-print* on MedRxiv , analysed data from 4032 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) with presumed or confirmed Covid-19 in the first lockdown.
News from the Lab is a selection of science news that are significant or interesting for a broad readership.
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News in Brief
History - Jan 19
Opinion: Empty cities have long been a post-apocalyptic trope - now, they are a reality
Opinion: Empty cities have long been a post-apocalyptic trope - now, they are a reality
Health - Jan 19
RECOVERY trial closes recruitment to convalescent plasma treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
RECOVERY trial closes recruitment to convalescent plasma treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
Health - Jan 19
Successive governments’ approaches to obesity policies have destined them to fail, say researchers
Successive governments’ approaches to obesity policies have destined them to fail, say researchers
Social Sciences - Jan 19
WHO adopts new guidance into childhood pain informed by Bath’s Centre for Pain Research
WHO adopts new guidance into childhood pain informed by Bath’s Centre for Pain Research