Translational Health Sciences

Simple clinical tool can help diagnose spinal fractures in people with osteoporosis

14 March 2022

Only one in three patients are diagnosed with broken bones in the back due to osteoporosis. One reason is that medical staff find it difficult to know who should have a back X-ray. To help address this important diagnostic care gap, academics at the University of Bristol have developed an online clinical checklist called Vfrac, to assist medical staff spot vertebral fractures that might otherwise have been missed.

Bristol Medical School researcher awarded prestigious Diabetes UK fellowship

14 December 2018

A Bristol Medical School researcher has been awarded a prestigious Diabetes UK fellowship to understand more about adult onset type 1 diabetes. It is estimated that more than 300,000 people in the UK are living with the disease which develops when the immune system makes a mistake and destroys the cells that make insulin.

People needed to share their experience of dementia or memory problems

24 October 2018

Do you have experience of dementia or memory problems? Researchers from the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust are looking for patients or carers over the age of 45 to join a memory patient group to help further research into the disease.

Research papers make top 100 most discussed research of 2018

11 December 2018

Four published papers co-authored by University of Bristol researchers are ranked in this year’s Altmetric Top 100 papers.

No difference between spinal versus general anaesthesia in patients having hip fracture surgery, finds study

28 September 2022

There are no differences in the safety or effectiveness of the two most common types of anaesthetic (spinal versus general anaesthesia) in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery, according to the findings of a new study led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with University of Warwick researchers. The findings, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, analysed previously published data on nearly 4,000 hip fracture patients.

Bristol Professor elected to Academy of Medical Sciences

27 June 2018

A Professor in the Bristol Medical School has been recognised for their contribution to research in orthopaedic surgery with their election to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Knee replacement surgery decreased after NHS policies on a patient’s weight were introduced, worsening health inequalities, study finds

29 June 2022

New research has found that weight/body mass index (BMI) policies introduced by NHS commissioning groups in England are associated with a decrease in knee replacement surgery and may be contributing to health inequalities. With one in ten people likely to need a knee replacement, many thousands of patients are directly affected by these policies.

Inability to stand on one leg in mid to later life linked to higher risk of death

21 June 2022

Balance test could be included in routine health checks for older adults, say an international team of researchers, led by the Clinimex exercise medicine clinic in Rio de Janeiro and including the Bristol Medical School.

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

12 July 2022

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.

Study hopes to understand the impact of exposure to COVID-19 infection early in life on a child’s brain development

27 June 2022

More than 650,000 babies are born every year [i] in the UK, and during the pandemic some of them will have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus which causes COVID-19. A national study, funded by the charity Action Medical Research, will investigate the long-term impact of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in the womb or shortly after birth.