News

Smoking tobacco from childhood can cause premature heart damage 11 December 2024 Two-thirds of children who started tobacco smoking at 10 years of age continued until their mid-twenties, significantly increasing their risk of early heart damage
New targets for diabetic kidney disease could prevent end stage kidney failure 10 December 2024 New potential therapeutic targets have been identified for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) - the leading cause of kidney failure in the world - that could see patients treated with new gene and drug therapies preventing the disease’s progression into end stage kidney failure. The study is published in Nature Communications.
Patients to help set the agenda for food allergy research 10 December 2024 Food allergies affect one in five children in the UK. To help set the priorities for future research, University of Bristol researchers are asking children and young people with food allergies, their parents, and health care professionals who care for them for their views.
Intervention improves the healthcare response to domestic violence in low- and middle-income countries 27 November 2024 Culturally appropriate women-centred interventions can help healthcare systems respond to domestic violence, research has found. HERA (Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse) has been co-developing and evaluating a domestic violence and abuse healthcare intervention in low- and middle-income countries for the past five years. This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Research Group will report their findings, and publish a PolicyBristol report, at a conference in London today [27 November].
Researchers receive share of £7.8 million funding to evaluate digital self-management app for low back pain 26 November 2024 Low back pain affects many people in the UK, restricting their daily activities and accounting for 5 per cent of GP appointments. Researchers from the University of Bristol, UWE Bristol and St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and getUBetter, have secured funding of over £1.3 million to evaluate the implementation of the musculoskeletal self-management app, getUBetter.
Anti-seizure drug Lamotrigine showed lowest risk of neurodevelopmental issues in study of 3 million children 15 November 2024 Children exposed to the anti-seizure drug lamotrigine during pregnancy were at no increased risk for autism or intellectual disability than those exposed to other anti-seizure medications, according to a new study on the use of eight different anti-seizure drugs published in Nature Communications today [15 November].
Over £1 million awarded to investigate Type 1 Diabetes onset in people with early disease markers 14 November 2024 Two new studies to understand more about type 1 diabetes and how it develops in people who already have early markers of the disease in their blood are announced today [14 November] on World Diabetes Day. The awards, totalling over £1 million will help University of Bristol researchers find out how the disease, which affects up to 400,000 people in the UK, could be prevented in future.
Study identifies hip implant materials with the lowest risk of needing revision 7 November 2024 Hip implants with a delta ceramic or oxidised zirconium head and highly crosslinked polyethylene liner or cup had the lowest risk of revision during the 15 years after surgery, a new University of Bristol-led study has found. The research could help hospitals, surgeons and patients to choose what hip implant to use for replacement surgery.
Daylight saving time clock changes have substantial, but short-lived effect on how much sleep we get 25 October 2024 With the clocks going back this weekend, a new study has found that moving the clocks one hour forward in Spring and one hour back in Autumn has a substantial, but short-lived effect on sleep duration.
Bristol Medical School UK’s first to achieve climate accreditation by UN-recognised body 16 October 2024 Bristol Medical School has been awarded Carbon Literate Educator accreditation for its commitment towards tackling climate change.
Gambling harms survivor shares how habit stole her husband and a fortune 11 October 2024 Discovering the family home had been remortgaged and credit cards maxed out in her name was the first time Julie Martin became aware of her husband’s relentless gambling addiction.
New Lancet Commission calls for urgent action on self-harm across the world 9 October 2024 Self-harm remains neglected worldwide, with at least 14 million episodes yearly. A new Lancet Commission, led by University of Bristol researchers, urges policy action on societal drivers and health services’ response to this pressing issue. The report, involving an international team of experts, is published today [9 October].
University of Bristol spinout Purespring Therapeutics announces £80m fund to transform the treatment of kidney diseases 9 October 2024 A University of Bristol spinout company focused on transforming the way kidney diseases are treated has announced an £80m fund raising to help realise the development of a pivotal new therapeutic treatment.
Live wake to pop up in suburban home for seaside town's grief festival 8 October 2024 Members of the public are invited to be part of a live Irish-style wake this week [Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 October] to explore how new digital technologies can influence the way we memorialise and remember loved ones.
RCGP Research Paper of the Year Award for IBS study 3 October 2024 A trial that showed a cheap and widely available prescription drug can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in patients seen in GP surgeries has been awarded Research Paper of the Year by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
First newborn babies tested for over 200 genetic conditions as world-leading study begins in Bristol 3 October 2024 Hundreds of babies have begun to be tested for over 200 rare genetic conditions as part of a world-leading study delivered by a University of Bristol team and run in NHS hospitals that aims to screen up to 100,000 newborns in England.
Health disparities in preterm births in England, study finds 3 October 2024 Preterm birth rates are lower than the national average for White women and higher for Black and Asian women, and women living in the most deprived areas according to a new University of Bristol-led study published in BMC Medicine.
New intervention to protect lungs during cardiac surgery, feasible, safe, and effective, study finds 26 September 2024 A new intervention which keeps lungs regularly expanding when using a heart-lung machine during heart valve surgery might protect lung function and exercise capacity in adult patients after the operation, a University of Bristol-led clinical trial has found.
Inexpensive drug can prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies 24 September 2024 Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulphate infusion (or ‘drip’) can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent Cochrane review has confirmed. A new editorial by Bristol's Professor Karen Luyt calls for this intervention to be implemented more widely and equitably, as it is still not consistently available worldwide.
A new way forward for patients with a brain tumour 12 September 2024 A new landmark report, led by the University of Bristol researchers, highlights that access to genomic testing for patients with a brain tumour, is inequitable: it is estimated that fewer than 5 per cent of eligible adult patients with a brain tumour are accessing certain tests.