New research led by University of Manchester data scientists reveals that primary care funding in England is not distributed according to local health needs. The University of Manchester reports GP practices in London where the population is relatively young receive disproportionately more funding, despite dealing with the lowest level of health needs in the country. … Continue reading Study finds GP funding has London bias

Doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals could soon be wearing uniforms brushed with tiny copper nanoparticles to reduce the spread of bacterial infections and viruses, such as E. coli, at hospitals. The University of Manchester reports its material scientists, working in collaboration with universities in China, have created a “durable and washable, concrete-like” composite material made … Continue reading Infections could be reduced by copper coated uniforms

A study of seventeen research papers by academics at the Universities of Manchester, Southampton and Liverpool has concluded pets can help people manage their long-term mental health conditions. The University of Manchester reports the study, published in BMC Psychiatry, reviewed papers on the impact of animals including cats, dogs, goldfish, hamsters and finches on their … Continue reading Pets can help people with mental health problems

A study of over twenty thousand Twitter posts has revealed the less serious side effects of steroids worry people the most. The University of Manchester reports their research team, led by Professor Will Dixon, examined different types of side effects discussed by people using prednisolone, a commonly used steroid drug. They found the two most … Continue reading Twitter helps understand prednisolone side effects

How the size, shape and structure of bones and joints contribute towards the development of common age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis will be investigated by an international research team thanks to a £1.6m Wellcome award. Musculoskeletal disorders are a leading cause of disability for older people in the UK, primarily due to low … Continue reading Understanding the causes of musculoskeletal diseases

A pioneering scheme with English language learners has had a significant impact on their understanding of infectious disease. The project, published in Research for all, was a collaborative partnership between University of Manchester and University College London academics, Bolton College English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) tutors and their learners. The University of Manchester … Continue reading Language scheme improves understanding of health

An ingredient commonly found in toothpaste could be employed as an anti-malarial drug against strains of malaria parasite that have grown resistant to one of the currently used drugs. This discovery, by researchers at the University of Cambridge, was aided by Eve, an artificially intelligent robot scientist based at the University of Manchester’s School of … Continue reading Toothpaste ingredient may help fight malaria

A team at the University of Manchester have found that in a minority of people they studied, the standard treatment for asthma, oral steroids, was associated with increased levels of the treatable mould Aspergillus in the lung. The University of Manchester reports the findings could be of valuable help to people with asthma who have … Continue reading Mould in lungs discovery paves way for treating asthma

An international team of scientists and doctors has identified a family of five new genetic diseases which are likely to affect more than one in every five thousand children. The University of Manchester reports the discovery of the diseases, which cause combinations of developmental delay, and problems with growth, heart, kidney and other organs, has … Continue reading Family of genetic diseases affecting children identified

Scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered that most people with osteoarthritis can be subdivided into two distinct disease groups, with implications for diagnosis and drug development. Professor Tim Hardingham, based at the University of Manchester’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research and Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, said the team … Continue reading Osteoarthritis could be treated as two diseases