Rapid point-of-care test for respiratory infections liked by GPs and may reduce antibiotic prescribing4 March 2021A rapid microbiological point-of-care test to diagnose respiratory infections has proved popular with GPs and could reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care, according to a National Institute for Health Research funded study by researchers at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol.
One dose of COVID-19 vaccines effective against hospitalisations in over 80s
3 March 2021Interim results presented here show the effectiveness of one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in preventing hospitalisation of people in their 80s with multiple comorbidities. The AvonCAP study results are reported for the first time today [3 March] by researchers from the University of Bristol, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) and North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT).
Analysis finds four repurposed antiviral drugs have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for COVID-1926 February 2021Repurposed antiviral drugs – remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon – to treat COVID-19 appear to have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for the disease, in terms of overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay. The interim findings from the WHO Solidarity trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), followed 11,266 adults at 405 hospitals in 30 countries.
High fructose diets could cause immune system damage22 February 2021New research led by Swansea University in collaboration with researchers at the University of Bristol and the Francis Crick Institute in London has indicated that consuming a diet high in the sugar fructose might prevent the proper functioning of peoples' immune systems in ways that has, until now, largely been unknown.
Bristol researchers to collaborate on national study to understand long COVID18 February 2021What is long COVID and how can diagnosis be improved? Using data from electronic health records at a national scale alongside information from thousands of participants in the UK's population-based cohort studies, these and other questions will be tackled following today's [18 February] announcement of a nationwide long COVID study led by University College London (UCL). The study will include Bristol’s Children of the 90s health study, based at the University of Bristol.
Contact patterns changed in response to national COVID-19 guidance11 February 2021The number of daily contacts changed over the course of 2020, following the first lockdown, corresponding to alterations in the COVID-19 guidance, suggests a study among staff and students at the University of Bristol. The research led by scientists at the University of Bristol is published on the pre-print server medRxiv.org.
A new vision for adeno-associated virus delivered gene therapies11 February 2021An international collaboration of leading groups in gene therapy and vision science have developed an adeno-associated virus (AAV) genome-coupled immunomodulation strategy that helps cloak the AAV virus from unwanted immune responses and offers important insights into ocular inflammation. The research led by Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and including the University of Bristol is published in Science Translational Medicine.
How GPs coped with the rapid shift to remote consultations to reduce the risk of COVID-199 February 2021One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rapid move to telephone, video and online GP consultations. In a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded study, researchers from the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol and NIHR ARC West found that while the rapid shift to remote GP consulting was successful and maintained a focus on vulnerable patients, it was driven by necessity and may have risks.
Latest review shows intensive care mortality from COVID-19 continued to fall in 2020, but improvement is slowing2 February 2021A meta-analysis of global studies has shown that intensive care morality from COVID-19 has continued to fall since the start of the pandemic, but the improvement is slowing and may have plateaued. The study, published today [2 February] in Anaesthesia (a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists), is by Professor Tim Cook, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Professor in Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences (THS) at the University of Bristol, and colleagues.
Belief in Covid conspiracies linked with vaccine hesitancy, study finds2 February 2021Low likelihood of accepting a coronavirus vaccine is associated with having "conspiracy suspicions" about the pandemic, a new study led by by the University of Bristol and King’s College London has found.
Anonymous cell phone data can quantify behavioural changes for flu-like illnesses, study finds29 January 2021Being prepared for a pandemic, like COVID-19, depends on the ability to predict the course of the pandemic and the human behaviour that drives spread in the event of an outbreak. Cell phone metadata that is routinely collected by telecommunications providers can reveal changes of behavior in people who are diagnosed with a flu-like illness, while also protecting their anonymity, a new study has found. The research, led by Emory University and devised by the University of Bristol, is based on data drawn from a 2009 outbreak of H1N1 influenza in Iceland and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Why are around a third of pregnant women not vaccinated against whooping cough?21 January 2021Whooping cough is widespread, highly contagious and serious for new-born babies. However, 30 per cent of pregnant women in the UK do not receive the whooping cough vaccine, leading to avoidable illness and death and the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be having a negative impact on these numbers. New research led by the University of Bristol aims to understand why pregnant women are not being vaccinated against whooping cough and how to improve delivery by maternity services and mothers’ uptake of vaccines.
Remote, online support for blood pressure management at home is effective and low-cost20 January 2021At-home blood pressure monitoring using a web-based system offering personalised support and linked to a remote healthcare professional can result in better hypertension management than face-to-face consultations, finds a study led by University of Oxford, Bristol and Southampton researchers.
Genetic factors involved in shaping the composition of the human gut microbiome, finds international research team18 January 2021Human genes have an impact on shaping our gut ecosystem according to new evidence from the international MIBioGen consortium study involving more than 18,000 people. The findings, led by the University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands and involving researchers at the University of Bristol, are published today [18 January] in Nature Genetics.
National consortium to study the threats of new SARS-CoV-2 variants16 January 2021A new national research project to study the effects of emerging mutations in SARS-CoV-2 is launched today [15 Jan]. The £2.5 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded ‘G2P-UK’ National Virology Consortium will study how mutations in the virus affect key outcomes such as how transmissible it is, the severity of COVID-19 it causes, and the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments.
Health experts define what’s 'normal’ for children with respiratory infections8 January 2021Respiratory infections in children are common and often result in a trip to the GP. Researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care and the Universities of York, Manchester and Oxford have developed a symptoms-based guide for clinicians that could in future help parents decide when to home care and when to seek medical help.
Global experts urge everyone to talk about COVID-19 vaccines responsibly8 January 2021A team of renowned scientific experts has joined forces from across the world to help fight the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines, which hold the key to beating the deadly pandemic and releasing countries from debilitating lockdown restrictions.
