The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found no convincing evidence that that the widely used antibiotic azithromycin has any meaningful clinical benefits for patients who have been hospitalised with COVID-19. Azithromycin was regarded a promising treatment as it is an antibiotic that also reduces inflammation, a key feature … Read more
News for Clinical Informatics and Big Data
AI test rules out a COVID-19 diagnosis within one hour in A&E
An artificial intelligence test has been shown to be able to rapidly screen patients arriving in emergency departments for COVID-19, using clinical information routinely available within the first hour of coming to hospital. Results of the CURIAL study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, show that the AI test correctly predicted the COVID-19 status of … Read more
Key step for hepatitis research as patient database created
For the first time, a comprehensive database comprising an initial cohort of more than 1,300 patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections has been developed for potential future research into the conditions. The methodology to develop a pipeline to collect and manage this data has been presented in a paper published in BMJ … Read more
Hidden lung damage from COVID-19 revealed in new study
Early findings from a study into longer-term damage in patients recovering from COVID-19 suggest that cutting-edge scanning techniques may detect previously unseen lung damage. The research by the universities of Oxford and Sheffield is the first in Europe to use hyperpolarised Xenon gas with MRI scanning to identify the impact on lung function as patients … Read more
Prior COVID-19 infection offers protection from re-infection for at least six months
A new study suggests that individuals who have previously had COVID-19 are highly unlikely to contract the illness again, for at least six months following their first infection. The study, done as part of a major collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, was published today as a … Read more
COVID antibodies wane within months, healthcare workers study shows
Antibodies to COVID-19 fall by half in less than 90 days, and antibody levels peak lower and fall faster in younger adults, an ongoing study of staff at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has revealed. The findings, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, also showed that antibodies to the virus last longer in people … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit hospitalised COVID-19 patients, RECOVERY Trial finds
Oxford scientists have confirmed that there is no clinical benefit from using hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients in hospital. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hydroxychloroquine was one of the potential COVID-19 treatments being studied as part of the RECOVERY Trial, the world’s biggest trial looking at whether existing treatments can tackle … Read more
Hospitalised COVID-19 patients ‘younger and healthier than flu patients’
Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 were more likely male, younger and – in the US and Spain – had fewer comorbidities and lower medication use than hospitalized influenza patients according to a study published by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) community. This global network study, which included more than 34,000 COVID-19 patients from … Read more
RECOVERY Trial to test ‘antibody cocktail’
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial to find effective COVID-19 treatments, will evaluate the impact of an anti-viral antibody cocktail developed to tackle the virus. The announcement was made on 14 September by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the University of Oxford, which is leading the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) Trial. The trial, … Read more
Eight BRC projects get RCF funding
Eight Oxford BRC proposals, many covering a number of themes, have been awarded NIHR Research Capability Funding (RCF) funding to take forward key areas of research. The selected projects that will be supported include: Developing a research centre devoted to urgent and acute care The creation of a state-of-the-art imaging centre; and of a new … Read more
Low-dose corticosteroids found to reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19
Oxford patients, clinicians and researchers have contributed important data to new global research which shows that corticosteroids can significantly improve outcomes for severely ill patients with COVID-19. Four research papers published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reinforce evidence that these inexpensive and widely available drugs improve outcomes for the most … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine study finds increased cardiovascular risk with azithromycin
The combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) has been linked to significant cardiovascular risks, including mortality, in the largest safety study ever performed on both HCQ and HCQ+AZM. This network study, led by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) community, was published in Lancet Rheumatology. The study was supported by the NIHR … Read more
Common heart medication does not increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation
A study by Oxford researchers, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), found that ACE inhibitors and ARBs – both common treatments for high blood pressure and heart failure – are not generally linked to an increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease or an increased likelihood of being admitted to intensive care. However, … Read more
Mild COVID-19 symptoms might not result in positive antibody test, research finds
Oxford researchers have found that COVID-19 antibody tests might not give a positive result if people have only had mild symptoms, like loss of taste and smell. Microbiology and data experts from the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford made the initial findings, published as a pre-print, as part … Read more
AI test identifies COVID-19 within an hour in emergency departments
University of Oxford scientists specialising in infectious disease and clinical machine learning have developed an artificial intelligence test that can rapidly screen for COVID-19 in patients arriving in emergency departments. The initial findings of the ‘CURIAL’ AI test, which has been supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), appeared in a preprint paper. The test … Read more
Thousands miss out on life-saving heart attack treatment due to COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers at the University of Oxford have published new research that shows that by the end of May there had been about 5,000 fewer hospital admissions with heart attack in 2020 than would be expected, suggesting that many patients have missed out on lifesaving treatment. The research showed that the number of admissions to hospital … Read more
Varying risk of COVID-19 to health workers revealed
A study at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has revealed the different levels of risk faced by healthcare workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a major collaboration with the University of Oxford, almost 10,000 staff were tested both for presence of the virus responsible for COVID-19 and antibodies to the virus. In … Read more
Breakthrough in RECOVERY COVID-19 drug treatment trial
A cheap and widely available steroid has been found to save lives of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in a national trial being led by University of Oxford researchers. Dexamethasone was one of the drugs being tested as part of the RECOVERY trial, the world’s biggest trial looking at whether existing treatments can tackle the symptoms of … Read more
Study sheds light on breast cancer risk after pre-invasive disease
Women who are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (known as DCIS) during breast screening go on to experience higher risks of developing breast cancer and of death from breast cancer, compared with the general population, according to a study by Oxford researchers. DCIS is a disease where malignant breast cells are found but have … Read more
Large-scale COVID-19 infection and antibody test study launched
Some 20,000 households across England are being contacted to take part in the first wave of a major new government study to track the COVID-19 coronavirus in the general population. The study will help improve understanding around the current rate of infection and how many people are likely to have developed antibodies to the virus. … Read more