A new treatment has been shown to significantly improve the speech and word production of people who’ve had strokes. The treatment, developed by a speech therapist and cognitive neuroscientists at the University of Manchester, who reported on the story, uses special software which gradually makes patients produce words increasingly quickly. The researchers, who published their … Continue reading New method may transform aphasia treatment after stroke

A study of nearly half a million people has revealed that muscular strength, measured by handgrip, is an indication of how healthy their brains are. Dr Joseph Firth, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester and Research Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University, used data from UK Biobank from … Continue reading Stronger people have healthier brains

The less commonly prescribed opioid substitute buprenorphine may be safer than methadone for problem opioid users, especially if used during the first month of treatment, according to a study by researchers from the University of Bristol, King’s College London, University of Manchester and Bristol Drugs Project, with implications for guidance on GP prescribing. The study, … Continue reading Buprenorphine mat be safer than methadone

A new study has shown that people diagnosed with epilepsy in England and Wales are at increased risk of dying from suicide and accidents. Swansea University reports the research was conducted by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Professor Ann John and Marcos del Pozo Banos of Swansea University University Medical School. The research … Continue reading Increased risk of unnatural death for people with epilepsy

Researchers from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust will join a UK-wide effort, including colleagues from five other universities, to drive the development of new, targeted treatments for children and young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and its associated eye inflammation condition, uveitis. The University … Continue reading Transforming treatment for arthritis and uveitis

A new smartphone app designed by University of Manchester researchers to help people with early psychosis has shown promising results according to results from a proof of concept trial. The University of Manchester reports Dr Sandra Bucci, a Senior Lecturer at their Division of Psychology & Mental Health, led the trial, which showed people with … Continue reading App shows promise for people with early psychosis

Scientists at the University of Manchester have cast new light on a little understood group of worm infections, which collectively afflict one in four people, mainly children, in the developing world. The University of Manchester reports, according to Professor Richard Grencis and Professor Ian Roberts, whipworms, which bury into the large intestine, have their own … Continue reading Parasitic worms have their own gut microflora

The University of Liverpool is leading on a major new collaborative project to develop a Zika virus vaccine that is suitable for use in pregnancy. The University of Liverpool reports the project, supported by a £4.7m award from Department of Health and Social Care, and managed by Innovate UK, aims to take two new vaccine … Continue reading University of Liverpool leading £4.7m Zika vaccine project

A recently formed Manchester health consortium, led by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded £6.8m in funding to ensure more people benefit from a new generation of disease fighting drugs for cancer and non-cancer illnesses. The University of Manchester reports Manchester is one of only three centres in the UK awarded funding by … Continue reading £6.8m award to Manchester health consortium

Scientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce urine, a first for medical science. The study led by Professor Sue Kimber and Professor Adrian Woolf from the University of Manchester, signifies a significant milestone in the development of treatment for kidney disease. The Medical Research Council and … Continue reading Scientists create functioning kidney tissue