News

Signposting children to weight management services could happen when parents attend an adult programme 21 January 2025 Parents attending an adult weight management programme, who were worried about their child’s weight, would accept support and signposting to services for their child if it was offered, new research led by the University of Bristol has found. The study is published today [21 January] in BMJ Paediatrics Open.
Bristol researchers part of £50M research award to develop cutting-edge new therapies for heart disease 20 January 2025 Bristol’s heart scientists are involved in one of two new Medical Research Council Centres of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) that aims to develop new advanced therapeutics for currently untreatable diseases. Both Centres will receive up to £50 million each over 14 years.
Bristol researchers part of government project to understand impact of smartphones and social media on young people 17 January 2025 Bristol researchers are part of the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use.
New online guide launched to support people affected by lichen sclerosus 17 January 2025 A new online guide has launched to support and empower people with vulval lichen sclerosus (LS) to learn about the condition, access the right treatment and live more comfortably. It is estimated that around 1 in 100 women have vulval LS. It can be diagnosed at any age, but it seems to happen most often after the menopause. Nobody knows exactly what causes LS.
Waking up is not stressful, study finds 15 January 2025 Waking up does not activate an increase in the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol does, however, increase in the hours prior to wakening as part of the body’s preparation for the next day, new research led by the University of Bristol has found. The study is published today [15 January] in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Smartwatch technology helps people quit smoking, new study finds 1 January 2025 Whether people decide to make New Year resolutions or not, they might want to lead a healthier lifestyle in 2025. According to a new University of Bristol-led study smartwatches could help people give up smoking. The researchers tested a smartwatch fitted with a custom app which used the smartwatch's in-built motion sensors to detect typical smoking movements. The results, published in JMIR Formative Research, showed the technology has the potential to help over two thirds of trial participants quit the habit.
Over 1 in 5 adults worldwide has a genital herpes infection 16 December 2024 Around 846 million people aged between 15 and 49 are living with genital herpes infections – more than 1 in 5 of this age-group globally - according to new estimates. At least 1 person each second – 42 million people annually - is estimated to acquire a new genital herpes infection.
Child asthma deaths linked to air pollution, new report finds 12 December 2024 Of the 54 children who died of asthma between 2019 and 2023, more than 90 per cent were exposed to air pollution levels above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to a new report published today [12 December] by the University of Bristol’s National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) team. The report uses the NCMD’s unique data on all child deaths in England to examine deaths due to asthma or anaphylaxis between April 2019 and March 2023.
Smoking tobacco from childhood can cause premature heart damage 11 December 2024 Two-thirds of children who started tobacco smoking at 10 years of age continued until their mid-twenties, significantly increasing their risk of early heart damage
New targets for diabetic kidney disease could prevent end stage kidney failure 10 December 2024 New potential therapeutic targets have been identified for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) - the leading cause of kidney failure in the world - that could see patients treated with new gene and drug therapies preventing the disease’s progression into end stage kidney failure. The study is published in Nature Communications.
Patients to help set the agenda for food allergy research 10 December 2024 Food allergies affect one in five children in the UK. To help set the priorities for future research, University of Bristol researchers are asking children and young people with food allergies, their parents, and health care professionals who care for them for their views.
Intervention improves the healthcare response to domestic violence in low- and middle-income countries 27 November 2024 Culturally appropriate women-centred interventions can help healthcare systems respond to domestic violence, research has found. HERA (Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse) has been co-developing and evaluating a domestic violence and abuse healthcare intervention in low- and middle-income countries for the past five years. This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Research Group will report their findings, and publish a PolicyBristol report, at a conference in London today [27 November].
Researchers receive share of £7.8 million funding to evaluate digital self-management app for low back pain 26 November 2024 Low back pain affects many people in the UK, restricting their daily activities and accounting for 5 per cent of GP appointments. Researchers from the University of Bristol, UWE Bristol and St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and getUBetter, have secured funding of over £1.3 million to evaluate the implementation of the musculoskeletal self-management app, getUBetter.
Anti-seizure drug Lamotrigine showed lowest risk of neurodevelopmental issues in study of 3 million children 15 November 2024 Children exposed to the anti-seizure drug lamotrigine during pregnancy were at no increased risk for autism or intellectual disability than those exposed to other anti-seizure medications, according to a new study on the use of eight different anti-seizure drugs published in Nature Communications today [15 November].
Over £1 million awarded to investigate Type 1 Diabetes onset in people with early disease markers 14 November 2024 Two new studies to understand more about type 1 diabetes and how it develops in people who already have early markers of the disease in their blood are announced today [14 November] on World Diabetes Day. The awards, totalling over £1 million will help University of Bristol researchers find out how the disease, which affects up to 400,000 people in the UK, could be prevented in future.
Study identifies hip implant materials with the lowest risk of needing revision 7 November 2024 Hip implants with a delta ceramic or oxidised zirconium head and highly crosslinked polyethylene liner or cup had the lowest risk of revision during the 15 years after surgery, a new University of Bristol-led study has found. The research could help hospitals, surgeons and patients to choose what hip implant to use for replacement surgery.
Daylight saving time clock changes have substantial, but short-lived effect on how much sleep we get 25 October 2024 With the clocks going back this weekend, a new study has found that moving the clocks one hour forward in Spring and one hour back in Autumn has a substantial, but short-lived effect on sleep duration.
Bristol Medical School UK’s first to achieve climate accreditation by UN-recognised body 16 October 2024 Bristol Medical School has been awarded Carbon Literate Educator accreditation for its commitment towards tackling climate change.
Gambling harms survivor shares how habit stole her husband and a fortune 11 October 2024 Discovering the family home had been remortgaged and credit cards maxed out in her name was the first time Julie Martin became aware of her husband’s relentless gambling addiction.
New Lancet Commission calls for urgent action on self-harm across the world 9 October 2024 Self-harm remains neglected worldwide, with at least 14 million episodes yearly. A new Lancet Commission, led by University of Bristol researchers, urges policy action on societal drivers and health services’ response to this pressing issue. The report, involving an international team of experts, is published today [9 October].