A study jointly led by the University of Birmingham and University of Edinburgh has revealed that a new scanning technology could almost halve the number of liver biopsies carried out on people with fatty liver disease. The University of Birmingham reports the authors of the study, which was also carried out in collaboration with the … Continue reading Scanning technology could halve number of liver biopsies

The University of Birmingham will play a leading role in a new £2.3m clinical trial aimed at improving treatment to prevent potentially deadly bleeding in people with liver cirrhosis. The University of Birmingham understands the CALIBRE (Carvedilol versus variceal band ligation in primary prevention of variceal bleeding in liver cirrhosis) trial is to be the … Continue reading £2.3m clinical trial to improve treatment of liver cirrhosis

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

The realities of implementing alternatives to face to face GP consultations, such as telephone, email, online and video consultations, mean that hoped for reductions in GP workload and increases in available appointments might not be realised. NHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to face to face consultations as a way of increasing access … Continue reading Alternatives to seeing a GP unlikely to deliver benefits

People who overdose on paracetamol could be helped by a blood test that shows immediately if they are going to suffer liver damage. The University of Liverpool reports its researchers say the test, which detects levels of specific molecules in blood, will help doctors identify which patients arriving in hospital need more intense treatment. It … Continue reading Blood test spots risk of liver damage after an overdose

A recently completed international study involving researchers from Swansea University, the University of Edinburgh and University College London has looked at clinical records, research, and regulatory frameworks to find out why useful health data is often not used, and to explore the implications of this for citizens and society. The Conversation reports that the researchers … Continue reading Problems that occur with health data non-use

The NIHR has awarded £7m to the Universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Warwick to establish a joint research unit focused on developing global surgical research (University of Birmingham, 2017). The newly established NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery will be based at the University of Birmingham. It will be co-directed by Professor Dion … Continue reading £7m global surgical research unit launched

A consortium of seven academics, including two veterinarians from the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences, have received a £1.75m grant to understand how better diagnostics can encourage responsible antibiotic use in animals (University of Bristol, 2017). The award, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) working in partnership with the Department … Continue reading Researchers to look at how diagnostics can deliver more effective use of antibiotics in animals

A key gene that helps to explain an underlying cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been identified by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and University of Bristol (University of Bristol, 2017). The study shows blocking the gene harms vital parts of the cell and leads to bowel disease, while targeting these vital cell … Continue reading Key gene may be the underlying cause of inflammatory bowel disease

Cardiff University will be playing a major role in the UK’s biggest dementia research initiative with the launch of a £13m dementia research centre (Cardiff University, 2017). With the potential to be awarded a further £17m in research funding over the next five years, the UK DRI at Cardiff University is set to become the … Continue reading Launch of £13m dementia research centre at Cardiff University