The NIHR has awarded three new Blood and Transplant Research Units (BTRUs) to the University of Oxford. The £20m programme, co-funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), are aimed at providing new technologies, techniques or insights that will benefit donation, transfusion, and transplantation, and that … Read more
News for Clinical Informatics and Big Data
Brain regions related to smell show decline after mild COVID-19
University of Oxford researchers have found tissue damage and greater shrinkage in brain areas related to smell in people following mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers, who were supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) used data from UK Biobank participants to look at changes to the brain on average four and a half … Read more
RECOVERY trial finds another drug to treat hospitalised COVID-19 patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found another drug that reduces the risk of death in hospitalised patients with the disease. The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial showed that baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with … Read more
Oxford BRC researchers named NIHR Senior Investigators
Seven Oxford academics, six of them supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their outstanding leadership in research. The NIHR describes its Senior Investigators as among the “most prominent and prestigious researchers” and “most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within … Read more
NIHR highlights QCOVID role in tackling pandemic
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has published a case study on QCOVID, a clinical risk prediction model, which has played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic in identifying those people at greatest risk. QCOVID, developed with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, has proved an important tool to determine which … Read more
Oxford BRC’s ability to deliver rapid COVID-19 research response highlighted
Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers have highlighted how the BRC’s infrastructure gave it the agility and capacity to respond rapidly with research projects to tackle COVID-19. In a commentary published in the open access BMC Health Research Policy and Systems journal, the BRC team said the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine and the … Read more
Big drop in hospital admissions for child infections since start of COVID-19 pandemic
There have been dramatic reductions in hospital admissions for common and severe childhood infections in England since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The study by researchers from Oxford Population Health, published by The BMJ, was supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Worldwide, the indirect effects of COVID-19 on … Read more
COVID-19 infection more likely than vaccines to cause rare cardiovascular complications
Researchers have reported the results of the largest ever study to compare the risks of cardiovascular events – such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiac arrhythmia – between different vaccines and COVID-19 infection, and the first to investigate the association between cardiac events and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers supported … Read more
RECOVERY Trial launched in South Africa
The world’s largest clinical trial investigating treatments for COVID-19 has now been launched in South Africa, with the first patient recruited today. Since March 2020, the RECOVERY Trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC, has discovered three effective treatments for COVID-19: the inexpensive steroid dexamethasone; the arthritis drug tocilizumab; and a monoclonal antibody … Read more
Blog: the implications of the OxVALVE-Survive study on GP practice
Academic GPs Dr Clare Taylor and Dr Nick Jones (pictured) from the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences outline the findings of the OxVALVE-Survive study and implications for their own clinical practice. Valvular heart disease occurs when valves become either narrowed (stenosis) or leaky (regurgitation). An echocardiogram, or ‘echo’, is an … Read more
Blood pressure drugs could protect against type 2 diabetes
Lowering high blood pressure is an effective way to reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future, according to a new study. Doctors already prescribe blood pressure-lowering drugs to reduce a person’s chance of having a life-threatening heart attack or stroke, but whether these drugs can help to stave off diabetes … Read more
Genetic study highlights links between IBS and mental health disorders
Research funded and supported by the NIHR has revealed that symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be caused by the same biological processes as mental health conditions such as anxiety. IBS is a common condition worldwide, affecting around 1 in 10 people. The condition causes a wide range of symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating … Read more
RECOVERY Trial paper wins BMJ’s Research Paper of the Year Award
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has been announced as the 2021 winner of The British Medical Journal’s prestigious UK Research Paper of the Year Award. The award recognises original UK research that has the potential to contribute significantly to improving health and healthcare. The paper, “Dexamethasone in Hospitalized Patients … Read more
Lowering blood pressure still beneficial for the heart in old age
Oxford University researchers have found that blood pressure medication is still effective at reducing the risk of a heart attack and stroke in old age, even if blood pressure is in an apparently healthy range. The research by Professor Kazem Rahimi, who is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the British Heart … Read more
Vaccination still best protection, but less effective against Delta variant, study finds
The latest findings of an ongoing national study of COVID-19 immunity in households across the UK has found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines offer good protection against new infections of the Delta variant of concern, but that effectiveness is reduced compared with the Alpha variant. The COVID-19 infection survey, led by Oxford University and … Read more
BRC-supported study receives Best Research Paper Award
A leading cardiology journal has named an academic paper written by Oxford BRC-supported researchers as its best research paper of 2020. The paper – which found that two common heart medication do not increase the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation – was named by the BMJ Heart journal as the Heart Best Research Paper Award 2021 … Read more
Liver problems common among COVID-19 patients, study finds
A study by Oxford University researchers has found that liver problems are common among patients with COVID-19. Patient data revealed that baseline hypoalbuminemia (an possible indication that the liver is producing low levels of albumin) and rising alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which can be a sign of liver damage, could be prognostic markers for death. However, the … Read more
COVID-19 risk prediction tool wins national award
A COVID-19 risk prediction tool, developed with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has won the Florence Nightingale Award for Excellence in Healthcare Data Analytics. The QCovid® COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment tool was developed by a cross-organisational team and rolled across NHS England. Awarded jointly by the Health Foundation and the Royal … Read more
Antiviral drug could be given to more chronic hepatitis B patients, study finds
A study by Oxford University researchers has found that the antiviral drug TDF may benefit a greater number of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus, and that those who are untreated may be at greater risk of liver inflammation and fibrosis. The research was carried out under the auspices of the National Institute for Health … Read more
“Modest” increase in heart attack hospitalisation rates after years of decline
The burden of hospital admission rates due to heart attacks in England rose between 2012 and 2016, despite decades of falling rates, new research suggests. The researchers also found that after 2010-2011, admission rates increased in most age groups. Young women aged 35 to 49 and even younger men aged 15 to 34 were the … Read more
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 5
- Next Page »