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A new service aimed at supporting older people who are starting to become frail, could reduce emergency hospital admissions by more than a third and save the NHS money, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The results from the clinical trial, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), evaluated the effect and cost-effectiveness of a new service, consisting of six personalised home-based visits from a support worker, tailored to each person to identify what they need to stay well and independent.

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has identified a set of key recommendations to further improve canine health and welfare research in the UK. This includes the need for more efficient grant applications, stronger collaboration between funders and research institutions and the prioritisation of research that has direct welfare benefits for dogs.

A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity) and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes. The researchers used data from nearly half a million UK Biobank participants to assess the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases on ageing, age-related diseases, and premature death.

Biliary tract cancer is increasing in incidence and mortality across Europe, with more people under the age of 60 years-old now impacted by the disease. However, despite this, knowledge about these tumours remains low both among health professionals and authorities, as well as in society in general.

An unreleased system designed to assist researchers has the potential to "supercharge science", according to researchers. A partnership between Imperial, the Fleming Initiative , and technology giant Google gave scientists access to a powerful new artificial intelligence, designed to make research faster and more efficient.

A new psychological therapy designed by a team of UCL-led researchers has been found to reduce rates of violence and aggression among male offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), investigated whether aggression and antisocial behaviours could be improved by a modified form of mentalisation-based treatment (MBT).

The immune systems of cancer patients are highly disrupted, with those who have a higher number of immune cells in their blood having a better survival rate, finds a new study that uses a pioneering technique developed by researchers at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute. The tool, described in Nature Genetics , is called Immune Lymphocyte Estimation from Nucleotide Sequencing (ImmuneLENS).

Researchers have developed comfortable, washable 'smart pyjamas' that can monitor sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea at home, without the need for sticky patches, cumbersome equipment or a visit to a specialist sleep clinic. We need something that is comfortable and easy to use every night, but is accurate enough to provide meaningful information about sleep quality Luigi Occhipinti The team, led by the University of Cambridge, developed printed fabric sensors that can monitor breathing by detecting tiny movements in the skin, even when the pyjamas are worn loosely around the neck and chest.

Older people have greater life satisfaction and sense of life's worth than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic, finds a new study led by a UCL researcher. The research, published in Aging and Mental Health , used the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to track 3,999 people over the age of 50 in England for 11 years.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found that young adults (aged 25-34) with learning disabilities are 9 times more likely to die from treatable causes, compared to young adults in the general population. New research, led by the team at the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory also found that, for adults of all'ages with learning disabilities, the risk of premature mortality is 3 times higher compared with adults in the general population.

Low-cost sensors and innovative techniques allowed researchers to discover that pollution levels in houses were higher and more variable than outdoor levels. People may be exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne pollutants inside their homes, even if the outdoor air quality is good, a new study reveals.

An England-wide study of 331 rare diseases in over 58 million people co-led by UCL researchers has identified eight rare diseases that carry significantly increased risks for Covid-19-related mortality in fully vaccinated individuals. In the study, published in Lancet Digital Health , the research team called for better inclusion of rare diseases in public health strategies, including future pandemic planning, vaccination policies, and NHS service provision.

People's ability to interpret emotions or focus on performing a task is reduced by short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution, potentially making everyday activities, such as the weekly supermarket shop, more challenging, a new study reveals. Scientists discovered that even brief exposure to high concentrations of PM may impair a person's ability to focus on tasks, avoid distractions, and behave in a socially acceptable manner.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature Scientific Reports has revealed that people's social connections play a crucial role in determining whether they adopt preventative health measures. Researchers from institutions including The University of Manchester, the University of Birmingham, NYU and the Indian Institute of Public Health collaborated on this innovative Their study - which focused on malaria prevention in ten villages in India - looked at how different factors influence people's use of preventative measures like bed nets, insect repellent and protective clothing.

Scientists have created the most detailed map to date of the human hypothalamus, a crucial brain region that regulates body weight, appetite, sleep, and stress. HYPOMAP confirms the critical role of the hypothalamus in body-weight regulation and has already allowed us to identify new genes linked to obesity Giles Yeo Published today in  Nature , this comprehensive resource, called HYPOMAP, provides an unparalleled view of the brain's appetite centre and promises to accelerate the development of treatments for obesity and diabetes.

A study of over 58 million people has identified eight rare diseases that carry significantly increased risks for COVID-19-related mortality in fully vaccinated individuals. This important research calls for better inclusion of rare diseases in public health strategies, including future pandemic planning, vaccination policies, and NHS service provision.

An international team of engineers and physicists have found a way to use quantum light to improve the performance of cutting-edge spectroscopy. Their new technique enables measurements of infrared electric fields which are twice as sensitive as previous developments in a process called time-domain spectroscopy.

A new and increasingly widely used diabetes medication may have additional health benefits for older adults, according to new research which looked at data from more than 300,000 patients who have taken part in clinical trials. The study, led by the University of Glasgow and published in JAMA, is the largest of its kind to assess the health benefits of diabetes medications in different age groups.

From the crossbow-like tactics used by bacteria, to top marks for homework and a research mystery solved, here is some quick-read news from Imperial. Bacterial survival tactics Bacteria constantly compete with other bacteria for space and nutrients, often by killing others. Researchers from Imperial, Kiel University and the Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology analysed the DNA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , an opportunistic pathogen responsible for 600,000 deaths annually.

Researchers at the University of Oxford and their collaborators, including the Serum Institute of India, have developed an innovative method to identify falsified vaccines without opening the vaccine vial. The new method, published in npj Vaccines , analyses the vaccine vial label and its adhesive and therefore allows the vaccine vials to be retained in the supply chain.