News

UK rabbit owners can recognise pain in their pets, study finds

27 March 2024

Rabbits are popular family pets, with around 1.5 million in the UK and it is important that owners can recognise when their animal is in pain, and know when to seek help to protect their rabbit's welfare. New research by the University of Bristol Veterinary School has found the majority of rabbit owners could list signs of pain and could mostly identify pain-free rabbits and those in severe pain, but many lacked knowledge of the subtler sign of pain.

University of Bristol and UCL to lead support hub for UK's longitudinal population studies

27 March 2024

The University of Bristol and UCL will lead the Population Research UK (PRUK) co-ordination hub, part of an existing strategic investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.

App can help people reduce their alcohol intake

25 March 2024

A free smartphone app, Drink Less, can help people who would benefit most from reducing their alcohol consumption to do so successfully, according to a large randomised controlled trial led by UCL researchers and involving University of Bristol academics.

Nudging the public’s thirst for draught alcohol-free beers could significantly reduce alcohol-associated harms

21 March 2024

Making alcohol-free beer more widely available on draught in pubs and bars may help people switch from alcoholic to alcohol-free beer, a new study published in Addiction today [21 March], has found. Pubs and bars taking part in the University of Bristol-led trial saw an increase in sales of healthier non-alcoholic draught beer.

£2.2 million for clinical trial to improve general practice response to men and children affected by domestic abuse

15 March 2024

A new clinical trial of a general practice programme to improve the identification and referral of men and children affected by domestic abuse begins in May thanks to a £2.2 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) award to University of Bristol researchers, in partnership with Oxford University and the social enterprise IRISi.

Depression linked to immune response in some people

1 March 2023

A link between depression and changes in counts of several types of immune cells in the blood has been revealed by researchers at the University of Bristol's MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit. These findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that changes to different components of our immune system — both the innate and adaptive immune response — could play a role in causing depression.

New study to improve referrals for patients with nerve swelling at the back of the eye

17 February 2023

Guidelines to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients with nerve swelling at the back of the eye, known as papilloedema, are being developed by researchers at the University of Bristol.

Creative Art of Ageing competition proves hit with Zimbabwe and The Gambia communities

12 March 2024

A creative arts competition giving older people in Zimbabwe and The Gambia a platform to express their experiences about ageing saw hundreds of entries showcase their artistic talent across four categories: music, dance, prose, and mixed media from across both countries. The competition, part of a University of Bristol led research project, hopes to improve the health and wellbeing of older people living in sub-Saharan Africa.

Experts have discovered how zebra stripes work

16 February 2023

Researchers at the University of Bristol have found why zebra fur is thinly striped and sharply outlined.

Major study will use philosophical expertise to highlight patient voices in healthcare research and practice

15 March 2023

The Universities of Bristol, Nottingham, and Birmingham have been awarded a major £2.6 million Wellcome Discovery Grant for a six-year project which will use philosophical expertise to help bring patient voices into healthcare research and practice.