How online activity influences suicide and self-harm in young people
Swansea University has reported that online activity can increase young people’s exposure to self-harm, but it can also provide support to those in crisis or who feel isolated, according to a review of evidence in the field, led by a Swansea University expert in suicide prevention, who is also a doctor. Research on internet use … Continue reading How online activity influences suicide and self-harm in young people
Urine test shown to help lower blood pressure
The University of Manchester has reported that a research team led by one of its professors has shown that a urine test, developed previously in Leicester, leads to a drop in blood pressure in people who had been struggling to regularly take their blood pressure lowering tablets. Professor Maciej Tomaszewski led the team from the … Continue reading Urine test shown to help lower blood pressure
Breakthrough in the treatment of anal cancer
Specialists at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and University of Manchester have made a breakthrough which could potentially improve detection and treatment of anal cancer, as well as have wider implications for other cancers. Anal cancer is a rare form of cancer, but cases have increased dramatically in recent years. Research is urgently needed to … Continue reading Breakthrough in the treatment of anal cancer
More participants needed for Alzheimer’s disease study
People with Alzheimer’s disease are already helping with a ground breaking government-funded trial led by academics from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Queen’s University Belfast and University College London, and hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust, but even more people are needed to take part in the study (University of Bristol, 2017). The research study, … Continue reading More participants needed for Alzheimer’s disease study
Golden Hour study details the earliest changes to the immune system after trauma
University of Birmingham scientists are carrying out pioneering research as part of a major £10m study aimed at improving outcomes for patients who have suffered a traumatic injury (University of Birmingham, 2017). The four year unique “Golden Hour” study, launched in 2014, aims to improve the understanding of what happens to the immune system within … Continue reading Golden Hour study details the earliest changes to the immune system after trauma
People with dementia benefit from goal-oriented therapy
Bangor University has reported that ninety people who are living with dementia and their carers from across North Wales have contributed to new research findings which have shown that personalised cognitive rehabilitation therapy can help people with early stage dementia to significantly improve their ability to engage in important everyday activities and tasks (Bangor University, … Continue reading People with dementia benefit from goal-oriented therapy
Advanced radiotherapy improves lung cancer survival rates
A ten year University of Manchester and Christie NHS Foundation Trust study which used advanced radiotherapy techniques in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has achieved the best survival rates and lowest toxicity ever reported (University of Manchester, 2017). The radiotherapy regimes, given either once daily or twice daily together with chemotherapy, … Continue reading Advanced radiotherapy improves lung cancer survival rates
First patient treated with Creo Medical device
The first patient has been treated with a device made by Chepstow-based surgical technology company Creo Medical (MediWales, 2017). The AIM-listed company’s Speedboat device has been used by Professor Brian Saunders at St Mark’s Hospital in London to treat a patient with a large pre-cancerous lesion in the gastrointestinal tract. Craig Gulliford, chief executive of … Continue reading First patient treated with Creo Medical device
World’s first trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children
Bionic hands for children may soon be available on the NHS as the world’s first clinical trial of a new type of prosthesis begins this week (Independent, 2017). The 3D printed devices for child amputees, based on popular Disney characters, are designed to be produced at a fraction of a cost of current models. Bristol-based … Continue reading World’s first trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children
New “transformational” test for rare childhood genetic disorders
The way doctors diagnose a group of rare genetic disorders in children could be transformed by a new test developed by University of Manchester researchers (University of Manchester, 2017). Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) are rare inherited conditions where enzymes that break down toxins or serve other essential functions in the body are missing. There … Continue reading New “transformational” test for rare childhood genetic disorders
