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Researchers from around the UK, led by the University of Oxford, have found that a new way of performing prostate biopsies is better at diagnosing prostate cancer, but takes longer to perform and is more painful for patients. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the developed world. The most widely used method of diagnosing prostate cancer involves a biopsy that passes a needle through the lining of the lower bowel (the rectum) and into the prostate gland, which is performed under local anaesthetic.

The parts of the brain that are needed to remember words, and how these are affected by a common form of epilepsy, have been identified by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons at UCL. The new study, published in Brain Communications , found that shrinkage in the front and side of the brain (prefrontal, temporal and cingulate cortices, and the hippocampus) was linked to difficulty remembering words.

New research has found that four out of five males in prison have a history of significant head injury, with many having been exposed to repeated head injuries over time. Led by the University of Glasgow and published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, this latest research highlights both the very high prevalence and the impacts of significant head injury among Scotland's adult male population.

People with favourable socioeconomic conditions, such as high incomes or education levels, face a reduced risk of age-related diseases and show fewer signs of biological ageing than peers of the same age, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Social inequalities appear to have a direct impact on the biological ageing process, according to the authors of the Nature Medicine paper.

Researchers looked at adult sickness and death in 18 countries Among 289 million adults in 18 European countries, nearly 17 million years of life were lost from 2020-2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The study, in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine, shows a stark picture of the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on both total and disability-free years of life lost, with researchers able to identify different factors at play as the pandemic progressed.

Research increasingly shows that tackling modifiable exposures and environmental risks could be one of our most powerful levers for longevity and health span. Scientists say this knowledge could help us design better solutions to create environments that promote human health to address the global health and economic crises caused by the chronic disease epidemic and ageing demographic.

Researchers found that adding a deadline to bowel screening invitation letters boosted test returns, with the largest effect for a 2-week return deadline. The study, which was led by Professor Katie Robb from the University of Glasgow's School of Health and Wellbeing, involved 40,000 adults in the nationwide Scottish Bowel Screening Programme.

A lung function test used to help diagnose asthma works better in the morning, becoming less reliable throughout the day, Cambridge researchers have found. Throughout the day, the levels of different hormones in our bodies go up and down and our immune systems perform differently. Any of these factors might affect how people respond to the lung function test Akhilesh Jha Using real world data from 1,600 patients, available through a database created for speeding up research and innovation, the team also found that its reliability differs significantly in winter compared to autumn.

New antibody therapies could offer alternative to current treatments. Researchers led by Imperial have unveiled primary trial results that show encouraging advances in HIV treatment driven by immune-based therapies. The RIO trial assessed the impact of two long-acting immune therapies known as broadly neutralising antibodies, or bNAbs, compared with placebo, among 68 people living with HIV who stopped taking their antiretroviral medicines.

Research offering unprecedented insights into global vaccine distribution patterns has found significant disparities in COVID-19 vaccination accessibility - identifying 'vaccine deserts' in both high and low income countries. Findings have been shared from a survey of 54 countries/regions, undertaken by experts at the University of Glasgow, University of Hong Kong, University College London and Kyung Hee University.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered genes linked to obesity in both Labradors and humans. They say the effects can be over-ridden with a strict diet and exercise regime. Dogs at high genetic risk of obesity showed signs of having higher appetite, as has also been shown for people at high genetic risk of obesity.

Scientists have uncovered the mechanism behind how aspirin could reduce the metastasis of some cancers by stimulating the immune system. Aspirin has the potential to be less expensive than antibody-based therapies, and therefore more accessible globally. Jie Yang They say that discovering the mechanism will support ongoing clinical trials, and could lead to the targeted use of aspirin to prevent the spread of susceptible types of cancer, and to the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer metastasis.

A new rapid systematic review published today by researchers from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has found little evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthetists associates (AAs) in the UK, raising critical questions about the rapid expansion of these roles in the NHS.

A large-scale study involving UCL researchers has found huge variation between GP practices on whether they are likely to pick up prostate cancer using a blood test. The study aimed to investigate the proportion of patients whose prostate cancer was identified by using a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test when patients had no symptoms.

A new tool to aid forensic investigations of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), has been developed by a team of researchers in collaboration with practitioners from law enforcement, healthcare and industry. The advanced physics-based AI-driven technology introduces a mechanics-informed machine learning framework to help police and forensic teams accurately predict TBI outcomes based on described assault scenarios.

Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they've each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The findings, published in The Lancet Digital Health , show how accelerated ageing in specific organs can predict not only diseases affecting that organ, but diseases across the rest of the body as well.

A landmark study, involving UCL researchers, has found 69 previously unidentified genetic determinants of rare disease, including uncommon forms of epilepsy and schizophrenia. The research, published in Nature and led by Queen Mary University of London, uses a new analytical approach for identifying the genetic basis of rare diseases, which could diagnose more cases and help develop new treatments for patients.

Among people prescribed antipsychotics on the NHS for a diagnosis of severe mental illness, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and those from deprived areas in the UK are prescribed higher doses, according to an analysis led by UCL researchers. The researchers say their findings, published in The British Journal of Psychiatry and supported by Wellcome, do not confirm why some groups are prescribed higher doses, but raise concerns that certain groups may be given higher than necessary doses with associated risks of side effects.

University of Bath study warns CGMs can prompt harmful dietary changes and distort perceptions of health.

Enhancing levels of 'healthy fats' like omega-3s in the brain could be beneficial in motor neurone disease (MND) finds a new study in fruit flies and brain cells, led by UCL researchers. Previous epidemiological studies have linked high dietary levels of omega-3 fatty acids - like those found in oily fish, nuts and seeds - with a lower risk of developing MND, and longer survival in people affected by the disease.