news 2022

Cambridge scientists have shown that it may be possible to spot signs of brain impairment in patients as early as nine years before they receive a diagnosis for one of a number of dementia-related diseases.

One of the largest studies to date into the long-term effects of COVID-19 - the Long-CISS (Covid In Scotland Study) - found that 1 in 20 people who took part in the research had not recovered from having COVID-19 at their most recent follow up - between six and 18 months following infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Older people may be able to boost working memory with a new approach that couples online therapeutic games with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique. Working memory is critical for people to function well in everyday life. This volatile form of memory holds and manipulates a finite amount of information over a short time interval, enabling people to interact with their environment in an effective and efficient manner.

A new study from the Royal Veterinary College explores the frequency and risk factors for hypothyroidism in dogs in the UK, promoting greater awareness with earlier detection and treatment New research the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has shed light on the dog breeds most predisposed to hypothyroidism, a life-long hormonal disorder caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormones.

A compound that both inhibits the MRSA superbug in lab experiments and renders it more vulnerable to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists at Bath. A compound that both inhibits the MRSA superbug and renders it more vulnerable to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists at the University of Bath led by Dr Maisem Laabei and Dr Ian Blagbrough.

Three types of neurostimulation technique could have the potential to help people who have the difficulty in swallowing caused by stroke or other neurological diseases, a review of 174 animal and human studies has shown. However, Dr Ivy Cheng, the University of Manchester research associate, who had reviewed evidence from over 30 randomised controlled trials, says there is unfortunately only limited evidence to support the efficacy of traditional swallowing therapy used by speech therapists for dysphagia.

Research involving UCL has shown the effectiveness of a world-first contact tracing method to identify, test and treat sex partners of people with chlamydia - a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects 250,000 people in the UK each year. Accelerated Partner Therapy (APT) is a contact tracing method, in which healthcare professionals assess sex partners of people with chlamydia by phone before giving the patient a package of antibiotics and STI self-sampling kits to deliver to their partner(s).

People with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are 2.5 times more likely than those without a psychotic disorder to eventually develop dementia, according to a review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The new systematic review and meta-analysis, published in Psychological Medicine , found that psychotic disorders may have a stronger link with dementia than other mental health disorders like depression or anxiety.

More than 1,500 adults and children from the UK are being recruited by researchers at UCL, as part of an international study aiming to discover the genes that cause stammering. The UK arm of the study will be overseen by researchers at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and aims to provide greater insight into why some people are more likely to develop a stammer, also known as stuttering, in a bid to develop new treatments that target the cause rather than just the symptoms.

Referrals to Cambridge's long COVID clinic fell dramatically in the period August 2021 to June 2022, which researchers say is likely due to the successful rollout of the vaccine.

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria - the -batteries- that power our cells - inserts itself into our DNA, revealing a surprising new insight into how humans evolve. Mitochondrial DNA appears to act almost like a Band-Aid, a sticking plaster to help the nuclear genetic code repair itself.

Scientists from The University of Manchester have shown that testing for two gene families linked to a lifetime epithelial ovarian cancer risk of between 5% and 20% has a much higher than expected detection rate. Routine testing for mutations in homologous recombination (HR) and mismatch repair (MMR) genes in women with the disease who also have a family history of ovarian, breast and other cancers, would save lives, they say.

Study reveals high neurodegenerative risk among former international rugby players A study led by the University of Glasgow has revealed the first major insights into lifelong health outcomes in former international rugby union players. In findings published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the researchers found that former international rugby players had an approximately two and a half times higher risk of neurodegenerative disease than expected, with risk of disease varying by subtype, but not by player position.

Mice who have been tricked into thinking they are fasting manage inflammation more easily, according to neurobiologists at The University of Manchester and collaborators from the University of Naples 'Federico II', in Italy. The study of mice and published in Current Biology is also the first to show that the well-established protective effects of fasting are at least in part mediated by the brain, rather than a lack of nutrients as generally thought.

Gene activity immediately after fertilisation is used to infer how an embryo forms. Scientists now ask if cancer begins the same way. At the moment of fertilisation, the genes in the fertilising sperm and egg are switched off. For a new embryo to develop, they must be switched on - but how? The answer is unknown, which seems remarkable for such a fundamental event at the beginning of embryonic life, and for decades, it was thought that genes in human embryos were silent for several days after fertilisation.

New research shows how doctors can improve the timing of surgery for some heart attack patients by the levels of a particular protein in their blood. Troponin is a protein involved in muscle contraction that is released into the bloodstream after a heart attack. The higher the troponin levels, the more damaged the heart is.

Research over the past two decades has culminated in a -new and promising- approach to developing drugs to treat cardio-metabolic diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease are examples of cardio-metabolic diseases, which are on the rise around the world. For more than 20 years, scientists in Leeds and Germany have been trying to understand the role that calcium ions - chemical messengers between cells - could play in triggering ill-health.

A new clinical trial, aimed at improving treatment options for patients with Crohn's disease, is to begin in Scotland. Led by the University of Glasgow and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) in collaboration with hospitals around Scotland, the BIOPIC Study will evaluate the use of PEN (Partial Enteral Nutrition) - in which patients replace half of their normal diet with liquid-only prepared supplements.

Cambridge scientists have discovered that cancer cells -hijack- a process used by healthy cells to spread around the body, completely changing current ways of thinking around cancer metastasis. These findings are among the most important to have come out of my lab for three decades Richard Gilbertson The team based at the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, found that blocking the activity of the NALCN protein in cells in mice with cancer triggers metastasis.

The devolution deal which granted Greater Manchester increased control over a range of public services, including health and social care, has been linked to a positive impact on life expectancy in a study by University of Manchester researchers. The Health Foundation funded study also showed the benefits linked to devolution on life expectancy were felt in the most deprived local authorities where there was poorer health, suggesting a narrowing of inequality.