Bristol Medical School

First in human study to assess knee cartilage repair implant launches at Southmead Hospital

A new first in human study to assess the safety and performance of FibroFix Cartilage P™ (FibroFix™), an innovative implant that repairs knee cartilage, is starting at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. The FFLEX clinical trial has been awarded nearly £1.2million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and will be led by Orthox, the company behind FibroFix™, and researchers from the University of Bristol.

People from low socioeconomic backgrounds could reduce chronic kidney disease risk with regular exercise, study suggests

New research has found people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who regularly exercise could substantially reduce their risk of chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is linked to poor quality of life and an increased risk of death. Its treatment is also associated with high healthcare costs, with diabetes and high blood pressure major factors that contribute to the disease.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to have a child with autism

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely than other women to have an autistic child, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out by a team at Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre. The research is published today in the journal Translational Psychiatry. The team stressed that the likelihood of having an autistic child is still very low, even among women with PCOS – but finding this link provides an important clue in understanding one of the multiple causal factors in autism.