Work to identify a main contractor for a new life science and wellness village in Carmarthenshire is expected to get underway in January. WalesOnline reports the rebranded project, called Pentre Awel, will feature a range of buildings and facilities at Delta Lakes, Llanelli. Clinical services will be delivered there, including physical rehabilitation, and space provided … Continue reading Contractor to be sought for £199m life science and wellness village in Llanelli

A pilot programme monitoring coronavirus in Wales’ sewage systems is finding that virus spikes in the community can be detected in local waste water. The Welsh Government says the programme, launched in June, is now monitoring twenty sites across Wales and covers 80% of the Welsh population. Researchers from Welsh universities were the first to … Continue reading Waste water signals local Covid-19 spikes

A Cardiff University academic has welcomed the Welsh Government’s response to a report on the impact of Covid-19 on Wales’ black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Cardiff University reports Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna is chair of the BAME Covid-19 Advisory Socio-economic Sub-group, which was set up by First Minister Mark Drakeford in response to the pandemic. … Continue reading Report on the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities leading to change in Wales

Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services Vaughan Gething has issued a written statement on the genomic analysis of Covid-19 lineages. He writes “Through SAGE and the Technical Advisory Group, the Welsh Government receives updates on the genetic makeup of the virus that causes Covid-19. The insights that come from studying the very building blocks … Continue reading Genomic analysis of Covid-19 lineages in Wales

Non-routine testing of patients with suspected Covid-19 to help predict their prognosis on admission to emergency departments offers limited benefit and could have significant cost implications, according to a collaborative evaluation by Cardiff University and the University Hospital of Wales. Cardiff University says the researchers drew together laboratory and clinical findings at Wales’ largest hospital … Continue reading Non-routine testing of patients with suspected Covid-19 “of little benefit” to assess risk

A mathematician from Cardiff University has developed a new method for processing large volumes of Covid-19 tests which he believes could lead to significantly more tests being performed at once and results being returned much quicker. Cardiff University reports Dr Usama Kadri, from its School of Mathematics, believes the new technique could allow many more … Continue reading Faster coronavirus testing with simple algebraic equations

E-cigarette use among young people has fallen for the first time in Wales but declines in youth smoking have stalled, according to analysis from Cardiff University. The report is based on responses from 119,388 eleven to sixteen year olds who took part in the School Health Research Network’s (SHRN) 2019 Student Health and Wellbeing survey, … Continue reading Fewer young people in Wales vaping but no drop in smoking

The vast majority of skin disease patients feel their condition affects their mental health and many struggle to access appropriate treatment, according to a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skin. Cardiff University reports five hundred patients with a range of skin conditions were surveyed in March and April of this year, along … Continue reading New report reveals lack of mental health support for skin disease patients

A team of researchers from Cardiff University has used neuroscience for the first time to explore the impact doll play has on children. In an eighteen month study, the team monitored the brain activity of thirty three children, aged between four and eight, as they played with dolls. Cardiff University reports they found that doll … Continue reading Playing with dolls activates the brain regions associated with empathy and social skills

An international team of scientists has identified genetic evidence that suggests both smoking and obesity can increase the risk of severe Covid-19. The researchers also found the same was true for the risk of developing sepsis, a dangerous inflammatory response faced by many patients with other infections. The findings, published in Circulation, highlight that stopping … Continue reading Smoking and obesity could increase the risk of severe coronavirus and sepsis