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Socioeconomic factors such as education, occupation, and wealth influence the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment or dementia in later life and whether a person is likely to recover, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Scientific Reports , followed 8,442 adults aged 50 and above in England over 10 years from 2008/09 to 2018/19, to examine how socioeconomic factors at the start of the study were associated with changes in cognitive status.

A drug commonly used to treat glaucoma has been shown in zebrafish and mice to protect against the build-up in the brain of the protein tau, which causes various forms of dementia and is implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

Text message reminders can help to improve tooth brushing habits in teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, a new study has shown. Researchers from Cardiff University and the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds, York and Dundee, have collaborated to investigate the effectiveness of a new programme designed to encourage better brushing habits and reduce tooth decay in secondary school pupils.

Researchers from the University of Oxford have identified a key biochemical mechanism relevant to the development of Huntington's Disease. This discovery opens up the possibility of studying the disease before its clinical onset and eventually stopping its progression. The study, published in Nature Metabolism , has shown for the first time the biochemical change responsible for the development of Huntington's disease, and how blocking this change stopped disease progression.

Last Updated: 29 Oct 2024 13:48:07 A new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the University of Southampton have suggested that flatter-shaped saddles may better fit horses that spend most of their ridden time in motion. From observing significant changes in the shape of horse backs when stationary and during locomotion, the study found that horse backs become much flatter during movement compared to when stood still.

Researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm to accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, one of the main indicators of cardiac disease, which affects a large proportion of some smaller breeds such as King Charles Spaniels. The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, adapted an algorithm originally designed for humans and found it could automatically detect and grade heart murmurs in dogs, based on audio recordings from digital stethoscopes.

People with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have a stroke could benefit from blood thinning treatments, known as anticoagulants, at an earlier stage than is currently recommended, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Results from the British Heart Foundation funded OPTIMAS study are published in the Lancet and presented at the World Stroke Congress 2024.

Nearly three quarters of new non-cancer pain opioid prescriptions were for patients with musculoskeletal conditions, despite limited evidence of the drug's efficacy, according to the largest UK study of its kind. The new study , also the first of its kind in the UK, evaluated the specific clinical conditions that lead to the initiation of opioid prescriptions using data from nationally representative GP electronic health records.

A new drug called Ellorarxine is offering hope to those suffering from motor neurone disease (MND), according to a recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Researchers from our top-rated Chemistry department have found that this novel compound, developed by Nevrargenics Ltd., could significantly improve the neuronal health of MND patients and enhance their nervous system's ability to regenerate.

Birmingham-led study finds AI-powered models match ophthalmologists in diagnosing infectious keratitis, offering promise for global eye care improvements Eye care specialists could see artificial intelligence help in diagnosing infectious keratitis (IK), a leading cause of corneal blindness worldwide, as a new study finds that deep learning models showed similar levels of accuracy in identifying infection.

Deploying effective COVID-19 vaccines in 100 days could have saved over eight million lives. More than eight million deaths might have been avoided  during the COVID-19 pandemic if safe and effective new vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were developed and delivered within the first three months, new analysis finds.

New findings published in The Lancet Global Health expose substantial global and regional disparities in the cumulative burden of life-threatening maternal morbidity across the female reproductive life span. The study, co-authored by researchers at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, is the first to calculate the lifetime risk of maternal near miss for 40 countries spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America from 2010 onwards.

People over the age of 50 who have severe mental illness are more likely than the general population to experience fragility fractures but may be less likely to get a diagnosis for osteoporosis, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Fragility fractures are broken bones that occur after a minor fall or impact that wouldn't usually cause a fracture.

Older adults in the UK who are socially isolated are more likely to have an insufficient intake of key micronutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin B6, increasing their risk of health problems, according to a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Age and Ageing , looked at data from 3,713 people in the UK aged 50 and over who filled in a detailed questionnaire about what they ate and drank on two separate days.

A single dose of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) offers safe, effective protection against typhoid two years after vaccination in all children, and sustained protection for older children at three to five years post immunisation, according to a report by researchers at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) .

Coastal, rural and areas in the North of England are less able to withstand and recover from adverse events, according to new research which highlights regional disparities in community resilience. The analysis shows that regionally, Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East had the lowest resilience scores, while London and the South East had the highest.

Bed availability is a "significant" factor in determining whether or not a patient is admitted to a critical care bed after surgery, questioning whether some are getting the care they need, a new study from researchers at UCL and UCLH has found for the first time. The study, published in Anaesthesia , sought to shed light on how hospital patients are prioritised for postoperative care and what impact that has on their health.

Scientists have discovered the first cases of Anopheles funestus mosquitoes genetically mutating to develop a resistance to a type of insecticide called DDT. The discovery of 'knock-down resistance' (kdr) - a major insecticide resistance mechanism in insect pests - is the first time such a mutation has been documented in this species, which is a major vector for malaria transmission in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Damage to the brainstem - the brain's 'control centre' - is behind long-lasting physical and psychiatric effects of severe Covid-19 infection, a study suggests. Using ultra-high-resolution scanners that can see the living brain in fine detail, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were able to observe the damaging effects Covid-19 can have on the brain.

Baby boomers - those born in the late 1940s and 50s - are more likely to experience multiple health problems in their later years than their older counterparts, finds a study led by UCL researchers. In the paper, published in Journals of Gerontology, researchers from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and the University of Oxford found that rates of chronic disease, obesity and disability had increased across successive generations in England, the USA and Europe during the 20th century.