School-based healthy lifestyle interventions alone are not effective in the fight against childhood obesity. The University of Birmingham reports one of the largest childhood obesity prevention trials undertaken to date has found that a healthy lifestyle intervention carried out in dozens of schools did not lead to significant changes in pupils’ weight. Led by the … Continue reading Schools alone cannot help to prevent childhood obesity

Researchers have recommended changes to international guidelines used in the development of clinical trials in an effort to gain information about the impact of the treatment on participants and their quality of life. Protocols describe how a clinical trial will be conducted, including its objectives, design, methodology, statistical considerations and organisation, and ensures the safety … Continue reading Calls for improved collection of quality of life trial data

Under the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), Dr Sovan Sarkar, a Fellow at the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences in University of Birmingham, has been awarded the UKIERI DST Thematic Partnership Award with Dr Dhiraj Kumar at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in New Delhi. The University of Birmingham … Continue reading Research on tuberculosis using human cells

The “Ethnic Diversity in Cancer Genomics” workshop, funded by MRC Proximity to Discovery and facilitated by the University of Birmingham’s India Institute, took place on January 30th 2018, bringing together scientists and clinicians from India, Kenya, Uganda and the UK. The University of Birmingham reports the workshop, facilitated by the newly launched India Institute, explored … Continue reading Ethnic diversity in cancer genomics workshop

Cancer Research UK is planning to invest nearly £11m over the next five years in groundbreaking work being carried out by the University of Birmingham-based Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU). The University of Birmingham reports the grant will allow doctors and scientists to continue researching and testing better and kinder treatments for people … Continue reading University of Birmingham to get £11m for cancer research

A study has found people having surgery in low income countries are more likely to develop an infection than those in wealthier nations, which may be linked to drug resistant bacteria. People in low income nations also have higher antibiotic use and are more likely to be infected with bacteria that are resistant to medicines. … Continue reading Surgical infections linked to drug resistant bugs

Expecting GPs to use medical records to identify individual patients who are most vulnerable to cold weather is unrealistic, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bristol, UCL and the University of Birmingham. Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that GPs use existing data to identify … Continue reading It’s unrealistic to use data to identify winter death risks

Teenagers are critical users of social media and need to be better supported in reaping the benefits it can have, according to a new study. A new study, published in Sport, Education and Society, by the University of Birmingham, who reported on the story, sheds light upon teenagers’ online habits, finding they are not simply … Continue reading Teenagers are sophisticated users of social media

A new nanopore technology for direct sequencing of long strands of DNA has resulted in the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology, scientists have revealed. The University of Birmingham reports the research, published in Nature Biotechnology, involved scientists from the Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, East Anglia, California, Salt Lake City, British … Continue reading Human genome sequenced using a pocket sized device

Researchers have taken the first step on a path that eventually could result in female mosquitoes that no longer bite and spread diseases. A group of scientists at the University of Birmingham, who reported on the news, the University of Oregon, Oregon Health and Science University, the University of Notre Dame, and Ohio State University … Continue reading Research could lead to mosquitos that no longer bite