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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).

The LIGO and Virgo Collaborations, which includes researchers from the University of Birmingham, have announced a further 39 gravitational-wave events, bringing the total number of confident detections to 50. These 50 events include the mergers of binary black hole, binary neutron stars and, possibly, neutron star-black holes.

COVID-19 is having a massive impact on household finances, with personal debts increasing. But some people are seeing their savings rise as their incomes remain unaffected and their spending has been curtailed - says a new financial inclusion monitor from the University of Birmingham and the University of Lincoln.

Microscopic analysis of the teeth of pterosaurs has revealed new insights into the diets and behaviours of Earth's earliest flying reptiles. Researchers at the University of Leicester's Centre for Palaeobiology Research and the University of Birmingham used dental microwear analysis to look at the wear patterns still visible on the teeth of 17 different species of pterosaur.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) works by using light waves to take cross-section pictures of the back of the eye, allowing doctors to not only see each individual layer, but measure each layer's thickness. Imaging techniques ordinarily used by eye doctors to monitor the optic nerve could offer a non-invasive method of measuring and managing potentially dangerous swelling in the skull, a new UK study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham has found.

Palliative care should extend across China and pay more attention to managing non-malignant disease - integrated within the country's healthcare system and available to everyone who needs it, according to a new study. Researchers have found that, with rapidly aging populations, there is an increasing need for palliative care across Greater China - Hong Kong, Macao, mainland China and Taiwan - to help improve quality of life, as well as reducing pain, anxiety and depression.

Industrial and vehicle pollution in the skies above East China's major cities is boosting the amount of atmospheric soluble iron particles - creating health risks for citizens, a new study reveals. Research indicates that acidic gases emitted from power generation, industry and vehicle exhausts are helping to dissolve insoluble iron particles in Beijing, Handan, Zhengzhou and Hangzhou.

A method for detecting traumatic brain injury at the point of care has been developed by scientists at the University of Birmingham. Using chemical biomarkers released by the brain immediately after a head injury occurs, researchers are able to pinpoint when patients need urgent medical attention. This saves time in delivering vital treatment and avoids patients undergoing unnecessary tests where no injury has occurred.

A rare blast of light, emitted by a star as it is sucked in by a supermassive black hole, has been spotted by scientists using telescopes from around the world. The phenomenon, known as a tidal disruption event, is the closest flare of its kind yet recorded, occurring just 215 million light-years from Earth.

Seismic waves, commonly associated with earthquakes, have been used by scientists to develop a universal scaling law for the sense of touch. A team, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, used Rayleigh waves to create the first scaling law for touch sensitivity. The results are published in Science Advances .

Athletes using legal performance enhancing and medical sport supplements are more likely to dope than those using sport foods and superfoods, a new study reveals. While some sport supplements may be necessary for an athlete's programme, taking ergogenic and medical sport supplements may inadvertently lead to sports people developing favourable attitudes towards doping Researchers at the University of Birmingham and Canterbury Christ Church University are calling for bespoke anti-doping education for athletes using such supplements to prevent them turning to banned substances.

The report brings together data from 32 studies, which evaluated a range of risk factors over an average follow up period of seven to ten years. Pregnancy complications, along with several other factors, including starting periods early, the use of combined oral contraceptives and early menopause are linked to a heightened risk of heart disease and stroke in later life, according to new analysis of data by a team of researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick and Queen Mary's University London, published today (Wednesday 7 October 2020) in the BMJ.

The study is an extension of previous work to establish convalescent immunity in NHS staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Healthcare workers who self-isolated after developing symptoms of COVID-19 were more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency, with workers from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds particularly affected, a new study by experts at the University of Birmingham has found.

Setting up 'COVID-19 free' hospital areas for surgical patients could save lives during the second wave of the pandemic - reducing the risk of death from lung infections associated with coronavirus, a new global study reveals. Researchers working together in Brazil and beyond found that that patients who had their operation and hospital care in 'COVID-19 free' areas had better outcomes.

The depletion of groundwater sources in parts of the United States High Plains is so severe that peak grain production in some states has already been passed, according to new research. An international team of scientists, including experts from the University of Birmingham, has extended and improved methods used to calculate peak oil production to assess grain production in three US states, Nebraska, Texas and Kansas.

Negative feelings resulting from perceived broken promises from employers within UK police forces are a major cause of workplace stress, according to new research at the University of Birmingham. In a study of police officers, researchers from the University's School of Psychology found that employees who perceive a violation of their psychological contract - the negative emotional reactions in response to perceived broken promises at work - are at greater risk of job-related stress, anxiety and depression.

Gravitational wave scientists looking for evidence of 'lensing', in which the faintest gravitational wave signals become amplified, are unlikely to make these detections in the near future according to new analysis by scientists at the University of Birmingham. A team in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy has analysed currently available gravitational wave data to predict that these elusive signals are likely to remain undetected by the instruments currently operated by the LIGO and Virgo Collaboration.

Largescale 'disturbances', including fires, harvesting, windstorms and insect outbreaks, which kill large patches of forest, are responsible for more than a tenth of tree death worldwide, according to new research at the University of Birmingham. The research also showed wide regional variation, with parts of Scandinavia, the USA, Canada and Russia having a particularly high frequency of these disturbances.

As the UK's second largest city, Birmingham has a higher proportion of children subject to child protection plans than the UK as a whole, with 35% of children living in poverty. The closure of schools as a result of COVID-19 lockdown measures may have harmed children as child abuse was not reported, a new study examining the numbers of child protection referrals made in the first few months of 2020 has found.

Using dried blood spot samples (DBS) is an accurate alternative to venous blood in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests, a new study by immunology experts at the University of Birmingham has found. Currently antibody testing for COVID-19 uses serum or plasma, which requires a full intravenous blood sample, collected by a trained phlebotomist.