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
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
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
More people could benefit from blood pressure-lowering medication, study finds
Blood pressure-lowering medication can prevent serious cardiovascular conditions such as strokes, heart failure and heart attacks, even in adults with normal blood pressure, according to a new research by University of Oxford researchers In a paper published in the Lancet, the researchers found the beneficial effects of treatment were similar, regardless of the starting blood … 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
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
Oxford University and ZOE partner on COVID-19 treatment trials
The University of Oxford has joined forces with the COVID Symptom Study app to widen access to two clinical trials of potential treatments for COVID-19. The two trials include the STOIC trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC. Run by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), it is aiming to learn if … Read more
Oxford leads development of risk prediction model for smarter COVID-19 shielding advice
People at highest risk of serious illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection may soon have access to better shielding advice based on a new data-driven risk prediction model being developed by an Oxford University-led team. The Principal Investigator, Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: ”Driven by real patient data, this risk assessment tool could enable a more sophisticated approach to identifying and managing those most at risk of infection … Read more
BRC funds new COVID-19 research projects
The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has allocated funding to three COVID-19 research projects in an attempt to improve treatment, understand how the virus interacts with chronic diseases, and the longer-term effects of infection on organs. The funding, originally earmarked for BRC cross-theme cluster projects, has been diverted to research projects in the BRC’s … Read more
GP practices urged to join COVID-19 research
Oxford researchers have launched a study to track the spread of COVID-19 in the population and develop a deeper understanding of the virus in general practice. The University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences (NDPCHS) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have joined forces with clinical system supplier EMIS Health … Read more
Link between high cholesterol and aortic valve disease risk found
Oxford researchers have found that while having high cholesterol levels does not influence a person’s risk of aortic or mitral regurgitation, it does increase their risk of developing another major heart valve disease – aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis is the most common form of heart valve disease in developed countries and is thought to affect … Read more
Almost half of chronic kidney disease is unrecognised
A study by Oxford researchers has found that more than 18 percent of over-60s have chronic kidney disease (CKD), around 44 percent of whom are undiagnosed without screening. CKD is a potentially serious condition, but is associated with few, if any, symptoms. It is thought to affect around 15 percent of people aged over 35 … Read more
Heart failure care must address patients’ broader health if survival rates are to improve
Oxford BRC-supported researchers have provided new evidence that might explain why the prognosis of heart failure patients has improved so little over the past decade. Findings show that a decline in cardiovascular deaths has been offset by an increase in the number of deaths from infections and respiratory problems, highlighting the importance of focusing on … Read more
Research suggests high blood pressure is major cause of heart valve disease
New research has conclusively found that long-term exposure to high blood pressure increases the risk of heart valve disease, with significant implications for clinical practice guidelines and health management. “Clinical practice guidelines currently make little reference to preventative strategies for major valvular heart diseases, but this study highlights that high blood pressure should be considered … Read more
NIHR Oxford BRC Senior Research Fellows named
The Oxford BRC is delighted to announce the appointment of seven new Senior Research Fellows. They were chosen from an extremely strong field of 47 applicants from across the scientific and clinical community because they demonstrated that their research was high impact and of high quality . They were also able to demonstrate leadership, independence … Read more
Event showcases BRC work tackling chronic diseases
Around 170 people attended a BRC event on Tuesday (26 March) that provided an opportunity to network and to hear about the breadth of research taking place in Oxford to combat chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and dementia. The Chronic Disease Cluster, which brings together six research themes – Obesity, Multimorbidity, Diabetes, … Read more
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Four leading healthcare academics in Oxford have received a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to clinical and applied health and social care research”. The successful candidates are all prominent researchers in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre … Read more
Only “modest” improvement in heart failure survival rates since 2000
Survival after a diagnosis of heart failure in the United Kingdom has shown only modest improvement in the 21st Century and lags behind other serious conditions, such as cancer, a large study supported by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has found. The findings, published by the BMJ, also show that survival is worse for people … Read more
Researchers worried that people with chronic disease are not active enough
A study of over 96,000 men and women in the UK, with an average age of 64.5 years, has found that those with chronic conditions are spending considerably less time on physical activity than their healthy peers, and so are missing out on its health management benefits. The George Institute for Global Health at the … Read more