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A UCL-led project exploring the impact of coronavirus on older people's mental health in Peru is one of the first to receive new government funding, aimed at addressing the pandemic's impact in lowand middle-income countries. Professor John Hurst (UCL Division of Medicine) is one of 12 lead academics to receive funding as part of the Global Effort on COVID-19 (GECO) Health Research initiative, led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Covering up gaps around the screen separating bus drivers from passengers is an effective way to reduce Covid-19 transmission risk for drivers while they are in their cabin, according to a study by UCL researchers commissioned by Transport for London. The research team from UCL's Centre for Transport Studies and UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering used computer simulations of airflow to determine the risk that bus drivers might breathe in droplets or aerosols from infected passengers.

Taking part in leisure activity in middle age does not appear to reduce dementia risk, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Previous studies had suggested that leisure activities such as playing cards or gardening may be associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. But the new study, published in Neurology , found no association between taking part in leisure activities at age 56 and the risk of dementia over the next 18 years.

Two antiviral drugs are being given to COVID-19 positive adults to establish if they stop the virus replicating, as part of a trial led by UCL scientists. The FLARE trial aims to see if favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir, alone or in combination, can inhibit viral replication in early infection - within the first few days of illness.

A UCL clinical researcher who developed an innovative 3D printed neck collar, helping transform the lives of people with serious neurological disorders, has been shortlisted for the prestigious 'Beazley Designs of the Year 2020'. Dr Luke Hale (UCL Surgery and Interventional Science) is the lead designer behind an innovative workflow process, which combines 3D scanning, procedural design and 3D printing to create personalised support braces.

The percentage of people who reported stopping smoking more than doubled after the Covid-19 lockdown was implemented in March, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The research also found that high-risk drinking increased after lockdown despite the proportion of adults trying to reduce their alcohol intake being twice as high as before lockdown.

Elevated risk of Parkinson's disease among people with type 2 diabetes appears to be reduced by some medications used to treat their diabetes, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers are testing one of the drugs, called exenatide, as a potential Parkinson's treatment in an upcoming clinical trial, and the new findings, published in Brain , lend support to repurposing diabetes medications for people with Parkinson's.

Just 13% of people in England feel they 'fully understand' the current Covid-19 lockdown rules, with half of adults (51%) in the country saying they understand 'the majority' of them, find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study.

Scientists across UCL will play a key role in the world's first human challenge study of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, providing new insight into the body's immune response and finding out which vaccines are likely to work. The COVID-19 Human Challenge Programme, funded through the UK Government's Vaccines Taskforce, is being run in partnership with Imperial College London, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), hVIVO, a leading clinical company with expertise in viral human challenge models, and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Programmes to reduce dementia risk by targeting smoking, high blood pressure and hearing loss are likely to be cost-effective and cost saving by reducing dementia rates by 8.5%, finds a new study by UCL and LSE researchers. The modelling study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity , found that the benefits would outweigh the costs of such programmes, and could save £1.86 billion each year in England.

The study as current methods rely on fossil fuels and electricity from the grid. The researchers modelled various scenarios for increasing recycling of wastepaper by 2050 and the impact this would have on greenhouse gas emissions. They found that if all wastepaper was recycled, emissions could increase by 10%, as recycling paper tends to rely more on fossil fuels than making new paper.

Foreign investment into the UK is now predicted to fall by 37% post-Brexit, a 50% increase over previous estimates, as a result of leaving the EU single market and customs union, finds a new study by UCL and LSE economists. The peer-reviewed study, which is forthcoming in the Journal of Common Market Studies, highlights that the single market, since its implementation in 1992, has been the 'cornerstone' for additional foreign direct investment (FDI).

A new online tool which could help eliminate tuberculosis in countries with low transmission rates such as the UK, by identifying who is at highest risk of developing TB, has been developed by UCL researchers. The research, published today , is the largest study of its kind and pooled data from 18 previous studies and 20 countries including the UK and from across Western Europe, North America and Australia.

A new online tool which could help eliminate tuberculosis in countries with low transmission rates such as the UK, by identifying who is at highest risk of developing TB, has been developed by UCL researchers. The research, published today , is the largest study of its kind and pooled data from 18 previous studies and 20 countries including the UK and from across Western Europe, North America and Australia.

Laser technology has been used to measure the volume and biomass of giant Californian redwood trees for the first time, records a new study by UCL researchers. The technique, published in Nature Scientific Reports journal, offers unprecedented insights into the 3D structure of trees, helping scientists to estimate how much carbon they absorb and how they might respond to climate change.

Despite being championed by a host of celebrity chefs, crayfish 'trapping' is not helping to control invasive American signal crayfish, according to new research by UCL and King's College London. There have been grave concerns within the science community and amongst conservationists that American signal crayfish are wiping out other species of crayfish across Europe - including Britain's only native crayfish, the endangered white-clawed crayfish.

The neurochemicals dopamine and serotonin are involved in perception, working at sub-second speeds to shape how people perceive the world and take action, finds a new study co-led by UCL researchers. The findings, published in Neuron , demonstrate for the first time in humans that two neurochemicals best known for their roles in reward processing also integrate people's perceptions of the world with their actions.

People living in housing built in the last 10 years were more likely to report feeling uncomfortable in their home during lockdown, while those in pre-1919 developments were most likely to be comfortable, according to a new report led by UCL researchers. The research team surveyed 2,500 households across the UK to find out how the design of their homes and neighbourhoods affected their experience of lockdown.

About 24,000 more people died in Lombardy than expected between January and April, and only 14,000 of these deaths were confirmed as being related to Covid-19, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL and Imperial College London. The study, published in PLOS ONE , looked at the number of deaths in each of the 7,251 local authority areas of Italy during the first four months of the year and compared these figures with predictions based on data from 2016-2019.

Asking people simple questions about their social situation in addition to medical measures will give a more accurate picture of who might have a heart attack in the future, finds a study led by UCL researchers. The study, published this week in the European Heart Journal , shows for the first time, that factors such as educational qualifications, employment, marital status, mental health, BMI and physical activity could be crucial in identifying who is most at risk of heart disease.