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
News for Clinical Informatics and Big Data
RECOVERY Trial identifies another effective COVID-19 treatment
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found that a monoclonal antibody combination developed by US company Regeneron reduces deaths for hospitalised COVID-19 patients who have not mounted their own immune response. The RECOVERY Trial, which is led from Oxford and supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC, was established as a randomised … Read more
BRC-supported researchers recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours
A number of NIHR Oxford BRC-supported researchers who have played prominent roles in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been honoured as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The researchers, who have developed new vaccines or identified new drug treatments, have saved many lives around the world. Among the BRC researchers recognised … Read more
RECOVERY trial finds aspirin does not improve survival for hospitalised COVID-19 patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found that in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, aspirin is not associated with reductions in mortality or in the risk of progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation or death. In results published on the pre-print server medRxiv, the trial team found that aspirin was associated with a small … Read more
Artificial intelligence tool for streamlining pathology workflow
A multidisciplinary team comprising University of Oxford academics and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) pathologists has developed an algorithm that automates requests for additional investigation of diagnostically uncertain prostate biopsies. The team were supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC through its Molecular Diagnostics and Imaging themes. Nearly 50,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year … Read more
Trial finds no benefit from using colchicine in hospitalised COVID-19 patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found no evidence that that the drug colchicine has any meaningful clinical benefits for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Colchicine is used to treat inflammation and pain in conditions such as gout. Because of its anti-inflammatory qualities, it had been proposed as a potential treatment for COVID-19. … Read more
BRC researcher receives national infection prevention award
An NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre researcher who has played a leading role in Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust’s COVID-19 staff testing programme is to receive a national award. Dr David Eyre (pictured) has been named as the recipient of the Healthcare Infection Society’s (HIS) 2021 Early Career Award in recognition of his … Read more
Oxford BRC researchers named among new Academy of Medical Sciences fellows
A number of leading researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre are among 50 prominent biomedical and health scientists elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences’ respected and influential Fellowship. The new Fellows include Oxford BRC experts who have spearheaded the COVID-19 response, such as Professor Sarah Gilbert, who led the team developing … Read more
Data reveals COVID-19 risk factors for people with type 1 diabetes
The largest study of people with type 1 diabetes admitted to hospital with COVID-19 has found that those with higher body mass index (BMI), poorer kidney function and the presence of microvascular complications were at greater risk of death and/or admission to intensive care. However, the study, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, … Read more
Study highlights role of BMI in increased COVID-19 risks
A study by University of Oxford researchers has found that the risk of admission to hospital, admission to ICU or death from COVID-19 increases progressively above a ‘normal’ BMI of 23, even without other comorbidities. The research team, who are supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), found that BMI is a greater … Read more
National survey reveals big reductions in COVID-19 infections with single dose of Oxford-AZ and Pfizer vaccines
Data from the national COVID-19 Infection Survey, which is led by senior NIHR Oxford BRC researcher Professor Sarah Walker, has revealed the impact of vaccination on antibody responses and new infections in a large group of adults from the general population. This major community surveillance survey, one of the NIHR’s COVID-19 urgent public health studies, … Read more
New clinical prediction tools for myeloma developed
University of Oxford researchers have developed new clinical prediction models for use in primary care with the aim of accelerating the diagnosis of myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Myeloma caused 117,077 deaths worldwide in 2020. Earlier diagnosis improves the rate of survival but unfortunately, delays in myeloma diagnosis are common and result in … Read more
Risk of severe COVID-19 from asthma and other respiratory diseases may be only modestly increased, new analysis suggests
An analysis of 8.3 million health care records in England shows that people with asthma have only a small increased risk of developing severe Covid-19. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers, examined routine patient data collected between January and April 2020 to generate risk assessments for severe COVID-19 in people with chronic respiratory … Read more
Two doses of vaccine offer same protection from COVID as prior infection, study finds
Two doses of either the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offer similar protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to that coming from natural immunity after infection, an ongoing study of healthcare workers has found. None of the 1,456 healthcare workers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust who had received two vaccines had a symptomatic infection … Read more
Oxford study shows high level of readmissions and death after COVID-19 discharge
Some 30% of patients discharged after being admitted to hospital with community-acquired COVID-19 had been readmitted or died within 60 days, a study by Oxford researchers has shown. In a paper published in the European Journal of Public Health, they found that, as anticipated, rates of readmission or death were higher among older adults. However, … Read more
Oxford-led technology to help those at high risk from Covid-19
More people in England at high risk from Covid-19 will get priority access to vaccines thanks to new technology developed by a University of Oxford-led team of researchers that can identify those who may be most vulnerable to the virus. Research led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary … Read more
Tocilizumab found to reduce deaths in hospitalised COVID-19patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found that the anti-inflammatory drug, tocilizumab, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The trial, which received core funding from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), also showed that tocilizumab shortens the time until patients … Read more
Lateral flow devices found to be useful in screening OUH staff for coronavirus
Infection prevention and control clinicians and researchers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) have been outlining the OUH’s experience of deploying self-administered home-based lateral flow testing of its staff. In a letter published in the Journal of Infection, they said that 46,503 home-based SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow tests had been performed by asymptomatic OUH hospital staff. Of … Read more
Fewer colorectal cancer diagnoses reported during COVID-19
University of Oxford researchers from the UK Colorectal Cancer Intelligence Hub have been investigating how the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer patients has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NIHR Oxford BRC-supported researchers at the Nuffield Department of Population Health carried out the analysis with NHS Digital and experts from other UK universities … Read more
Lateral flow devices detect most infectious COVID-19 cases, study shows
Researchers from the University of Oxford, working with Public Health England, have used NHS Test and Trace data to find out why some individuals pass COVID-19 on to their contacts more easily than others, and if lateral flow tests are sufficient in detecting those who are most infectious. Using information from over a quarter of … Read more