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
BRC Theme Lead Richard Hobbs appointed CBE
Professor Richard Hobbs, the NIHR Oxford BRC’s Theme Lead for Multimorbidity and Long-term Conditions, has been appointed a CBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours for his services to medical research. Prof Hobbs, a practising inner-city GP for over 38 years, is Head of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences … Read more
3,200 Oxfordshire residents to take part in kidney disease study
One of UK’s largest observational studies of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in general practice gets underway this month, with 3,205 Oxfordshire residents involved. Over the next two years, the New onset Kidney Impairment (NewKI) study will work with 13 Oxfordshire GP surgeries to investigate how people over the age of 60 progress from mild … Read more
Sharp rise in heart disease patients experiencing five or more other conditions
The proportion of people experiencing heart disease and stroke who have five or more other health conditions quadrupled between 2000 and 2014, and the rise was not driven by age, according to new research funded by the NIHR Oxford BRC. The study by The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford could … Read more
GP practices prescribing ‘low priority’ treatments identified
A new tool developed by Oxford University researchers has been launched to identify which GP practices are prescribing ineffective and wasteful treatments. The tool is found on the OpenPrescribing.net, the first website of its kind to enable health professionals, patients and the public to easily explore patterns of prescribing nationally, in CCGs and by individual … Read more