news 2020

The brain is uniquely protected against invading bacteria and viruses, but its defence mechanism has long remained a mystery. Now, a study in mice, confirmed in human samples, has shown that the brain has a surprising ally in its protection: the gut.

The University of Glasgow has received funding to repurpose drugs that are currently used to treat some parasitic diseases in humans - Sleeping Sickness, Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis - to manage amoebic gill disease in Atlantic salmon. Researchers hope that opening new markets for these drugs in the developed world will also help to drive down their costs in the developing world, where unaffordable healthcare can lead to many unnecessary deaths.

T cells form a crucial part of the immune system and work by detecting fragments of viruses, bacteria and cancer cells using their T cell receptors (TCRs). A comparison of two key research tools used by immunologists to study different types of T-cell receptor signals has identified important features of existing technologies that could allow scientists to better understand immune responses, in a new study led by scientists at the University of Birmingham.

A novel method to sample earwax could be a cheap and effective way to measure the hormone cortisol, according to a study led by researchers at UCL and King's College London. The findings, published in the academic journal Heliyon , could point to new ways of monitoring depression and stress-linked conditions.

A new study from the University of Birmingham has found that 50% of patients with a rare type of cancer that has spread into the lining of their abdomen may be suitable for immunotherapy treatment. Unfortunately for around 1% of bowel cancer patients, their cancer spreads to the lining of their abdomen (peritoneal cavity) - known as colorectal peritoneal metastasis (CPM).

A cell in worms that transforms itself into a completely different type of cell when males mature, to play a key role in mating behaviour, has been recently discovered by a team led by UCL researchers. The researchers say their findings, published in eLife , may lead to new clinical applications if scientists can reproduce the mechanism to reprogram cells to adopt new functions.

Young people across Europe are being recruited to a trial to put their smartphone usage to good use, via an app designed to prevent anxiety and depression and improve wellbeing. Researchers at the University of Glasgow are part of the University of Exeter-led, pan-European project to recruit young people aged between 16 and 22 years to use the app.

Early detection and treatment of frailty and pre-frailty, may help to reduce the risk of dementia, or delay its onset. New research, led by the University of Glasgow and published today in The Lancet Healthy Longevity , which analysed dementia data in UK Biobank, has found that frailty and pre-frailty accounted for almost 20% of dementia cases.

Simply comparing the total number of deaths across countries may provide a misleading representation of the underlying level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because of large differences in reported COVID-19 death rates in elderly populations in different countries. Most deaths are in older people, but they are the least comparable across countries.

Infectious disease emergence is often the result of a pathogen entering a new host species, as highlighted by COVID-19. However, most cross-species transmissions fail to establish in the newlyinfected species. In a new study - led by a team of researchers at the University of Glasgow and published today in PNAS - scientists found disease progression was accelerated, which reduced the chances of onwards transmission, when the original host and the new host were physiologically or genetically more dissimilar.

The first study to establish the risk of COVID-19 to care workers across Wales is to launch today. The pandemic is thought to have had a major impact on the health of the 20,000 workers who offer personal care and support to the elderly or people with life-limiting conditions in their own homes. The study, led by Cardiff University, in partnership with Public Health Wales and Swansea University and supported by Social Care Wales, is funded by UK Research and Innovation.

A UCL-led project exploring the impact of coronavirus on older people's mental health in Peru is one of the first to receive new government funding, aimed at addressing the pandemic's impact in lowand middle-income countries. Professor John Hurst (UCL Division of Medicine) is one of 12 lead academics to receive funding as part of the Global Effort on COVID-19 (GECO) Health Research initiative, led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The will take part in a new pilot scheme to assess the use of Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs), a new COVID-19 test designed to identify asymptomatic individuals with the virus. The Lateral Flow Test (LFT) is one of a number of new testing technologies for Covid-19 currently being trialled across the UK. It is hoped it will help identify those most at risk of spreading Covid-19 (those who are infectious, but not aware of this) and enable them to alter their behaviour accordingly, thereby breaking the chains of transmission and reducing the infection rate.

Covering up gaps around the screen separating bus drivers from passengers is an effective way to reduce Covid-19 transmission risk for drivers while they are in their cabin, according to a study by UCL researchers commissioned by Transport for London. The research team from UCL's Centre for Transport Studies and UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering used computer simulations of airflow to determine the risk that bus drivers might breathe in droplets or aerosols from infected passengers.

Taking part in leisure activity in middle age does not appear to reduce dementia risk, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Previous studies had suggested that leisure activities such as playing cards or gardening may be associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. But the new study, published in Neurology , found no association between taking part in leisure activities at age 56 and the risk of dementia over the next 18 years.

A team of researchers have tested everything from t-shirts and socks to jeans and vacuum bags to determine what type of mask material is most effective at trapping the ultrafine particles which may contain viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.

Fourteen out of every 1,000 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital experience a stroke, a rate that is even higher in older patients and those with severe infection and pre-existing vascular conditions, according to a report published this week. Even though the incidence of stroke among COVID-19 patients is relatively low, the scale of the pandemic means that many thousands of people could potentially be affected worldwide Hugh Markus COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, affecting millions of people worldwide.

Two antiviral drugs are being given to COVID-19 positive adults to establish if they stop the virus replicating, as part of a trial led by UCL scientists. The FLARE trial aims to see if favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir, alone or in combination, can inhibit viral replication in early infection - within the first few days of illness.

A UCL clinical researcher who developed an innovative 3D printed neck collar, helping transform the lives of people with serious neurological disorders, has been shortlisted for the prestigious 'Beazley Designs of the Year 2020'. Dr Luke Hale (UCL Surgery and Interventional Science) is the lead designer behind an innovative workflow process, which combines 3D scanning, procedural design and 3D printing to create personalised support braces.

The percentage of people who reported stopping smoking more than doubled after the Covid-19 lockdown was implemented in March, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The research also found that high-risk drinking increased after lockdown despite the proportion of adults trying to reduce their alcohol intake being twice as high as before lockdown.