The National Institute for Health and Care Research has awarded an Advanced Fellowship to Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) emergency medicine doctor David Metcalfe to study the diagnosis of the spinal condition cauda equina syndrome. Cauda equina syndrome is caused when the nerves at the end of the spinal cord, collectively called the cauda equina, are … Read more
BRC funds study to test anti-TNF drugs on post-operative delirium
University of Oxford researchers have been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to investigate whether anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy can reduce or prevent delirium following surgical operations. Post-operative delirium is an important problem, recognised as the most common surgical complication in older adults, occurring after many types … Read more
Gene variant links trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome
A study by University of Oxford researchers has found a genetic variant that increases the risk of both carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger, and opens the door for potential new therapies. The study, which was supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), was published in The Lancet Rheumatology. Carpal tunnel syndrome and … Read more
Study could prompt rethink in treatment of wrist fractures in children
New research from the University of Oxford has shown that doctors can simplify treatment for the most common fracture in children, reducing NHS costs. The FORCE study found there was no difference in pain or function between children with a torus fracture of the wrist who had a rigid splint and the usual outpatient follow-up … Read more
Louise Strickland – profile of OUH’s first clinical academic nurse researcher
Dr Louise Strickland is a clinical academic nurse researcher at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford. She is the first nurse to hold this exciting post in Oxford. Louise is used to being a trailblazer, having been the first nurse … Read more
New drug no more effective than current treatments for post-operative knee pain
A new study has found that a drug recently licensed in the UK has no effect on post-operative knee replacement recovery or pain, compared to the current treatment when administered at the site of surgery. Knee replacement surgery is highly successful for treating severe arthritis; 100,000 people undergo the procedure every year in the UK, … Read more
Study finds no increased risk of rare neurological events after COVID vaccination
A study of more than eight million people has found no increased risk of rare neurological events after COVID -19 vaccination. However, the researchers did find a higher risk of Bell’s palsy (facial weakness), encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (a nerve condition) after COVID-19 infection. The study, which was … 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
Funding boost for early-stage clinical research
Oxford is one of 28 sites that will benefit from over £160 million awarded over five years to expand early phase clinical research for the benefit of NHS patients. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) announced the funding for its Clinical Research Facilities on Monday (28 February). The NIHR Oxford Clinical Research Facility is … Read more
Cemented hip replacement improves quality of life for patients over 60
A study by Oxford orthopaedic researchers has found that hip replacements using cement improved the quality of life of patients, compared to uncemented implants. The findings of the White 5 trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hip fracture in … Read more
Duchess of Cornwall opens new musculoskeletal science wing
A new building at the University of Oxford’s Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences has been opened by The Duchess of Cornwall. The Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, on the site of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC), carries out research, much of it supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, into improving the treatment of … Read more
Metal pins no better that plaster casts to treat broken wrists
A University of Oxford study has found that the use of metal K-wires, commonly known as ‘pins’, to hold broken wrist bones in place while they heal are no better than a traditional moulded plaster cast. The DRAFFT2 study by researchers from the university’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) was funded … Read more
Drug could more effectively treat patients hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia, research finds
A proof-of-concept trial involving Oxford researchers has identified a drug that may benefit some patients hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia. The CATALYST Trial tested the rheumatoid arthritis treatment namilumab as a potential therapeutic to treat patients who are hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia and receiving ‘usual’ care, but who also have high levels in their blood of … Read more
New Senior Research Fellows named
The NIHR Oxford BRC has announced the appointment of its latest group of Senior Research Fellows – the third cohort of emerging research leaders to receive the accolade. Like in 2020, this year’s selection process was a coordinated effort by the Oxford BRC and its partners in the NIHR Oxford Health BRC, which focuses on mental health … Read more
Study reveals three most important aspects of care for hip fractures
Older patients with hip fractures recover better if they receive treatment under the supervision of both a surgeon and a specialist in elderly care; are checked to avoid future falls; and are assessed for memory problems. These are the findings of the World Hip Trauma Evaluation (WHiTE) study, published in the Bone and Joint Journal. … Read more
Oxford academics named NIHR Senior Investigators
Four academics supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre have been awarded a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of being “among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR and the most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within the NIHR research … Read more
New centre aims to help companies conduct more efficient trials
A new clinical therapeutics centre has been set up by the University of Oxford to help life sciences companies identify interventions that have the greatest potential to deliver patient benefit, and so bring down the cost of early phase clinical trials. The Oxford Centre for Clinical Therapeutics (OCCT), which has been supported by the NIHR … Read more
Results of fragility hip fracture trial published
A trial to compare the effectiveness of two different implants used to treat broken hips has found no clinically relevant difference between treatments. WHiTE Four clinical trial for the treatment of fragility hip fractures was conducted by the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research centre (BRC). It’s … Read more
New trial on use of anti-TNF drugs to treat Covid-19 in care homes
Researchers at the University of Oxford are starting a new study to explore the effectiveness of a common arthritis drug, adalimumab, as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 in the community, especially care homes. Recent studies of patients with COVID-19 have shown that patients already taking anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs for inflammatory arthritis and inflammatory … Read more
Key discovery in psoriatic arthritis points way for developing targeted treatments
A new study has revealed psoriatic arthritis may be activated by the same trigger in different patients. Researchers from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Sanger Institute identified high levels of a specific receptor in immune cells from psoriatic arthritis patients, giving the strongest evidence yet of a single cause for the disease. Published … Read more