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Dr Vanessa Moulton (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) and Professor George Ploubidis (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) highlight in The Conversation their findings that adults with long-term psychological difficulties were disproportionally affected by the pandemic. More than a million people in England are waiting for mental health support due to soaring demand exacerbated by the pandemic.

Stars with less than half the mass of our Sun are able to host giant Jupiter-style planets, in conflict with the most widely accepted theory of how such planets form, according to a new study led by UCL and University of Warwick researchers. Gas giants, like other planets, form from disks of material surrounding young stars.

A new technique that combines highly detailed, real-time images of inside the body with a type of infrared light has, for the first time, been used during surgery to differentiate between cancerous tumours and healthy tissue. The pioneering technique, demonstrated in mice, has been developed by engineers at the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences (WEISS) at UCL and surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Preterm infants do not get used to repeated pain in the way that full-term infants, children and adults do habituate to pain, finds a study led by UCL researchers. The authors of the new Current Biology paper say that if preterm infants have not yet developed the mechanism that enables people to get used to moderate pain, medical procedures in their first few weeks of life could potentially impact their development.

Replaying prior experiences when learning something new can improve the brain's ability to make future plans and preserve memories of the past, finds new research by UCL neuroscientists. The study, published in PNAS , used brain imaging techniques to detect activity in the brains of 24 participants, while taking part in a maze task.

Trust in politicians is at a low ebb and the health of the UK democracy matters as much to voters as issues such as crime and immigration, according to a new report by the UCL Constitution Unit. Published today, the report found that most voters believe stronger mechanisms are needed to ensure politicians follow the rules, with four out of five saying the current system needs reform so that politicians who do not act with integrity can be punished.

An unwillingness among healthcare professionals to prescribe and dispense otherwise recommended medications is putting the health and lives of pregnant women at risk, finds a new study involving a UCL researcher. The research, published in BMJ Open and involving researchers at UCL, the Centre for Reproductive Research & Communication at BPAS, Cardiff University, and Pregnancy Sickness Support, highlights the experiences of women whose pharmacists had refused to dispense prescriptions made by their GP.

Researchers at UCL and University of Ghana have successfully predicted whether children have anaemia using only a set of smartphone images. The study, published in PLOS ONE , brought together researchers and clinicians at UCL Engineering, UCLH and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana to investigate a new non-invasive diagnostic technique using smartphone photographs of the eye and face.

Baby formula manufacturers are marketing their products in ways that contravene guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), according to a new study by UCL researchers. The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition , analysed the wording and images on 71 formula products available in UK supermarkets and pharmacies.

Testing a population for multiple genes at once will be limited in its ability to accurately predict disease risk, argues a new paper involving UCL's Professor Aroon Hingorani. DNA sequence commonly varies between individuals at many different points throughout the genome. Some of these genetic variants influence individual risk of common diseases such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, through effects on the expression or function of the encoded proteins.

Loneliness can often contribute to depression in expectant and new mothers, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The researchers say people working with expectant mothers, such as in antenatal classes or consultations, should be aware of the importance of loneliness and the value of encouraging new mothers to develop and maintain good social connections.

Rare diseases are varied and life-threatening, yet most still remain undiagnosed and have no effective treatments. Now, scientists at the UCL Neurogenetics Lab are focusing on these conditions, to find diagnoses and treatments that could be crucial for scientific discovery. There is a common misconception that rare diseases only affect a small number of people.

Researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumour called a glioma. Previous studies have suggested a possible link between head injury and increased rates of brain tumours, but the evidence is inconclusive.

Exercising at least once a month at any time in adulthood is linked to better cognitive functioning in later life, a new study led by UCL researchers has found. The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry looked at data from 1,417 people who filled in surveys about their leisure-time physical activity (sports and exercise) over three decades and took cognitive tests at the age of 69.

Professor Amitava Banerjee (UCL Institute of Health Informatics) describes in The Conversation his team's recent research finding that 59 percent of long Covid patients suffered organ damage, even in individuals with less-severe initial infections. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that more than 1.2 million people in the UK report living with long COVID for 12 months or more.

Adverse effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could have lasting implications for children under five who are living in temporary accommodation in London, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, examined the impact of not having a fixed address during the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare access and health outcomes of children under five living in the London Borough of Newham.

A UCL-led research team has, for the first time, identified a specific region of chromosome 21, which causes issues with memory function and anxiety in a mouse that models Down syndrome, a finding that provides valuable new insight into the condition in people. Most people have 46 chromosomes in each cell, divided into 23 pairs: people with Down syndrome (DS) have an extra copy of chromosome 21, which carries over 200 genes.

A new diagnostic technology, developed by scientists at UCL, that uses tiny fibre optic sensors to detect the causes of heart disease, more quickly and accurately than existing methods, has been used for the first time in patients. The iKOr device uses an ultra-thin microcatheter integrated with fibre optic sensors and allows doctors to check both blood pressure and blood flow around the heart and look for signs of narrowing and thickening of the arteries - a common sign of disease.

Organ damage persisted in 59% of long Covid patients a year after initial symptoms, even in those not severely affected when first diagnosed with the virus, according to a comprehensive new study co-led by a UCL researcher. The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine , focused on patients reporting extreme breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction and poor health-related quality of life; 536 long Covid patients were included in the study.

Gut health is crucial for our wellbeing and numerous studies have found that imbalanced or disruptive gut microbiomes can lead to a wide range of disorders, including Parkinson's disease, depression and irritable bowel syndrome. One factor affecting our lifelong gut health is whether or not we received breast milk as babies.