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Communication between doctors and South Asian patients is poor, according to national GP surveys, but a question has been raised about whether this reflects genuinely worse experiences or differences in responding to questionnaires. Now, a new study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge has shown that it is in fact the former - South Asian patients do experience poorer communication with their GP than the White British majority.

E-cigarettes may have helped about 18,000 people in England to give up smoking in 2015, according to new research by UCL which was published in the  British Medical Journal . Researchers at the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre analysed data from the Smoking Toolkit study - which provides the latest information on smoking and smoking cessation in England - and data on the percentage of the smokers who set a quit date with Stop Smoking Services.

Lynn Prince Cooke, Professor of Social Policy at the University, has been awarded a £1.5 million European Research Council consolidator grant for NEWFAMSTRAT, an innovative 5-year comparative research project to unravel how and why gender inequalities in paid and unpaid work persist in Finland, Germany, and the UK.

A scoping study, aiming to explore the feasibility of establishing a new national family justice observatory, is being led by a team from Lancaster University. The scoping study was commissioned by the Nuffield Foundation as part of its work to address perceived difficulties in applying research to practice in the family justice system.

The current Zika epidemic in Latin America is likely to burn itself out within three years, suggests new research. The findings, from scientists at Imperial College London, also conclude the epidemic cannot be contained with existing control measures. The team, who published their findings , predict the next large-scale epidemic is unlikely to emerge for at least another ten years - although there is a possibility of smaller outbreaks in this time.

New research finds that foster carers who have faced unproven allegations of abuse from the children they are looking after often have little support afterwards. The study drew on 190 records of unproven allegations against foster carers from all over England. It found that just over half (55%) of foster carers subjected to an unproven abuse allegation by the child were offered support on the day they learnt about the claim - usually from the relevant local authority, or fostering companies or charities involved.

Viral hepatitis has become a leading causes of death and disability across the globe ??? killing as many people annually as TB, malaria or HIV/AIDS. This is the finding of new research from scientists at Imperial College London and University of Washington , who analysed data from 183 countries collected between 1990 and 2013.

'7-day GPs' cut weekend A&E visits by 18 per cent, study finds The Government's pilot of seven-day GP opening has significantly reduced weekend A&E visits, hospital admissions and ambulance call-outs, new University of Sussex research has found. Spread across the whole week, A&E visits were down 10 per cent among patients of pilot surgeries in central London.

The results of a major criminology experiment in Peterborough suggest that investing in proactive PCSO foot patrols targeting crime 'hot spots' could yield a more than five-to-one return: with every £10 spent saving £56 in prison costs.

MPs have expressed an overwhelming willingness to use a proposed new service to swiftly link them with academics in relevant areas, to help ensure policy is based on the latest evidence. The government is pursuing a drive towards evidence-based policy, yet policy makers still struggle to incorporate evidence into their decisions.

Online poker offers new insights into the mind-set of scheming Machiavellians, researchers have found. Researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Helsinki show that the card betting game can be used as a novel way to better understand the psychology of strategic deception. Before now, the trait has rarely been studied in natural settings outside laboratories.

Peer to peer support or mentoring is an effective way of boosting disabled people's employment prospects, and should have a stronger role in government work programmes - two studies published today by Disability Rights UK (DRUK) and The Work Foundation suggest. Disabled people say peer support offers hope, self-belief, encouragement and good role models.

People power crucial for low-carbon future, new research shows Policy makers must harness the power of ordinary people if society is to transition to a low-carbon energy future, argues a leading technology historian. New research by Johan Schot , Director of SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit) at the University of Sussex, shows that viewing people as mere energy consumers means we risk losing a vast amount of potential in altering society and bringing about the substantive change we need to our existing energy system.

A small scale study into treating depression, using psilocybin, the psychedelic compound of magic mushrooms, has found it can be safely administered. The team, from Imperial College London, say this could pave the way for future randomised-controlled trials to establish the efficacy of the compound in treating this form of depression.

Body-worn cameras associated with increased assaults against police, and increase in use-of-force if officers choose when to activate cameras Preliminary results from eight UK and US police forces reveal rates of assault against officers are 15% higher when they use body-worn cameras.

Oxford University research has suggested that the 'weekend effect', the suggestion that patients admitted to hospital at the weekend are more likely to die, may in fact be the result of the way medical records are coded for data returns. The study of more than 90,000 stroke patients, by Dr Linxin Li and Professor Peter M Rothwell from the Oxford Vascular Study, has not yet been published, but has been the subject of media reporting.

Researchers from Imperial are investigating whether reducing the number of antibiotics prescribed to patients could increase serious infections. In a bid to combat the growing number of bacteria resistant to our most commonly used treatments, medical staff and patients have recently been urged to reduce antibiotic use.

People who have had the painful and serious skin infection 'cellulitis' are being asked to help scientists design new medical research to improve treatment of the condition. Cellulitis is a common condition. It can affect some groups of people more than others. There has been little research to improve the lives of sufferers.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and Cornell University have measured how ranking workers affects later levels of performance. A total of 18 experimental sessions took place in a laboratory study involving 300 students, who were divided into groups made up of 17 people for the various tasks.

Developed cities are spending significantly more than developing cities on measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change - with spending seemingly linked to wealth rather than number of vulnerable people - finds UCL research. The paper, published today , analysed the amount that ten megacities (cities with a population greater than three million, or GDP ranking amongst the top 25 of cities, or both) across the globe spent on climate adaptation measures, such as better drainage systems, coastal defences and more resilient infrastructure.