News in 2024
- A project investigating effects of ageing on circadian rhythms awarded £4.4 million BBSRC funding 12 December 2024 The research programme CircardiAgeing has been awarded £4,456,282 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to investigate the role of circadian rhythms and clock excitability in healthy ageing.
- New report suggests trust still broken in policing violence against women 9 December 2024 A report has revealed trust remains a key issue in the policing of violence against women and girls in Black and minoritised communities – and this type of crime is much less likely to result in offenders being charged compared to other offences.
- Bristol neuroscientist awarded prestigious Sir Colin Blakemore Award 6 December 2024 A Bristol researcher has been recognised for her efforts in raising awareness and public understanding of research involving animals.
- University of Bristol research to improve the sense of touch in prosthetic arms earmarked for Government investment 6 December 2024 Two pioneering Bristol projects are amongst 100 new initiatives which will share £80 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
- Bristol researchers contribute to House of Lords report on obesity and diet 4 December 2024 "The Government needs a plan to fix our broken food system and turn the tide on the obesity public health emergency, says Lords committee.". This is the key conclusion reached by the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee in a report published today. The report, ‘Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system’, finds that obesity and diet-related disease are a public health emergency that costs society billions each year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
- Bristol’s 2024 Doctoral Prize winners 3 December 2024 Each year, more than 500 University of Bristol students are awarded doctorates for their ground-breaking and fascinating research. And each year, a panel of senior University academics have the difficult task of picking six of the best theses to receive Doctoral Prizes.
- Three University of Bristol projects awarded European Research Council Consolidator Grants 3 December 2024 A total of more than £5 million of funding has been awarded to three University of Bristol projects through the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants announced today (Tuesday 3 December 2024).
- 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.
- Bristol Neuroscience Grey Walter 2024 prize winner announced 20 November 2024 Neuroscience research at Bristol has made an impact around the world, including (but certainly not limited to) synaptic and circuit function, robotics, deeper understanding of behaviour and cognition, mental health, epigenetics, and improving the wellbeing of populations, be they animal or human.
- Synchronised movement between robots and humans builds trust, study finds 20 November 2024 Trust between humans and robots is improved when the movement between both is harmonised, researchers have discovered.
- 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].
- UK’s hidden disability: new codes to help thousands with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder 31 October 2024 People living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) — one of the most common yet under-recorded neurodevelopmental conditions worldwide — can now have the condition accurately recorded in their medical records thanks to new clinical codes.
- GW4 Early Career Neuroscientists' Day 2024 29 October 2024 The Early Career Neuroscientists' Day (ECND) symposium was hosted by the University of Bristol on 23 October 2024 in Wills Memorial Building. The event, held every two years, is organised by, and for, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), from undergraduate students to new lecturers, clinical research fellows and technicians, in any aspect of neuroscience and provides an opportunity for researchers from across the GW4 Alliance and beyond to share and learn together.
- 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.
- 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.
- GW4 Alliance researchers awarded £11million to launch a Mental Health Research Group 10 October 2024 Researchers from the GW4 Alliance have been awarded £11 million to establish a Mental Health Research Group (MHRG), which aims to address the urgent mental health needs of the region and increase capacity for applied research.
- 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.
- Robotic clothing which can aid walking a step closer after £11 million funding 6 October 2024 Clever robotic clothing which keeps people active and independent, addressing the needs of the UK’s 6.7 million people in the UK with age or disability-related mobility issues, has received backing from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
- Inexpensive drug can prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies 24 September 2024 Giving women at risk of premature birth a simple magnesium sulphate infusion (or ‘drip’) can prevent their babies from developing cerebral palsy, a recent Cochrane review has confirmed. A new editorial by Bristol's Professor Karen Luyt calls for this intervention to be implemented more widely and equitably, as it is still not consistently available worldwide.
- Pioneering report exposes worsening health threats of climate change in UK 5 September 2024 A new report has revealed for the first time the wide-ranging and increasing health dangers posed by long-term weather extremes in the UK, as the effects of climate change deepen.
- Study of 18 million people finds increased mental illnesses incidence following severe COVID-19, especially in unvaccinated people 21 August 2024 A new study that examined health data on 18 million people reveals higher incidence of mental illnesses for up to a year following severe COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Vaccination appeared to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on mental illnesses. The University of Bristol-led study, published in JAMA Psychiatry today [21 August], investigated associations of COVID-19 with mental illnesses according to time since diagnosis and vaccination status.
- Pioneering research sheds light on how babies and young children understand the art of pretence 13 August 2024 Babies recognise pretence and around half of children can pretend themselves by 12 months, new research has found.
- Prescription painkiller misuse and addiction are widespread in chronic pain patients 8 August 2024 A new scientific review of 148 studies enrolling over 4.3 million adult chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers has found that nearly one in ten patients experiences opioid dependence or opioid use disorder. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Addiction today [8 August], also found nearly one in three shows symptoms of dependence and opioid use disorder.
- ‘House of the Dragon’ technology winging its way to University of Bristol’s world-first facility 30 July 2024 A new virtual production stage which uses computer generated imagery (CGI) to help create imagined worlds, will be installed alongside a one-of-a-kind Smart Cinema that can measure what the audience is feeling.
- Research reveals nearly half of children in Wales had additional learning needs 24 July 2024 A new study has highlighted the prevalence of additional learning needs, formerly known as special educational needs, among under 16-year-olds in Wales.
- Smell of human stress affects dogs’ emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices 22 July 2024 Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more ‘pessimistic’ choices, new research finds. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Scientific Reports today [22 July], is the first to test how human stress odours affect dogs' learning and emotional state.
- Research to help tackle knife crime in Bristol makes headway 22 July 2024 Researchers at the University of Bristol are joining forces with Bristol City Council and other partners in a bid to help reduce knife crime locally and beyond.
- New study identifies two proteins that may contribute to stroke recurrence 22 July 2024 People who experience an arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic stroke (TIA) are at an increased risk of suffering a second stroke or other major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), making it critically important to identify risk factors and treatments to prevent these subsequent occurrences. The new study, led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and University of Bristol researchers, has identified new genetic and molecular risk factors that may reveal new pathways for treating patients after they experience their first stroke.
- Suicide rates lower for almost all ethnic minority groups living in England and Wales 18 July 2024 Suicide rates among almost all ethnic minority groups living in England and Wales are lower than among the majority White-British population. However, this does not apply to people from a Mixed-heritage background and those identifying as Gypsy / Irish Travellers, according to a study published in Lancet Psychiatry.
- New films set to boost effective adoption of Health Impact Assessments 18 July 2024 Expert voices from planning, health, government and consultants have shared their insights of using Health Impact Assessments as a force for good to create healthier new communities.
- Ultra-processed food makes up almost two-thirds of calorie intake of UK adolescents 17 July 2024 Adolescents consume around two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) new research from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge has found.
- Optimising timing of psychological interventions could improve their effectiveness 16 July 2024 Delivering some psychological interventions at times suited to a person’s chronotype (when they are naturally likely to wake up and go to sleep) could improve how effective the interventions are. Initial evidence from a study supported by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre has shown that late chronotypes (or ‘night owls’) could benefit most from taking part in interventions scheduled later in the day.
- Toddlers' brains show significant growth in cognitive skills by 16 months, study finds 11 July 2024 Toddlers engage more regions of their brains around 16-months to help them develop important cognitive skills enabling them to follow simple instructions and control impulses. Findings from the study, led by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and published in Imaging Neuroscience, suggests 16 months is a critical period for brain development.
- Clever clothes! Seams in clothing can capture body movement 3 July 2024 Everyday clothing may soon be able to capture and record body movements according to new research published by the Universities of Bristol and Bath.
- World at their fingertips: Bristol researchers make robotic hand breakthrough 28 June 2024 The University of Bristol has made a key breakthrough in the development of tactile robotic hands.
- Novel Bristol therapeutic to target atheroschlerosis 24 June 2024 Scientists at the University of Bristol have uncovered a new disease driving mechanism which they are aiming to target to help treat the development of atherosclerotic plaques.
- Restricting flavoured vapes could harm smoking cessation efforts, finds study 13 June 2024 Restricting the choice of flavoured vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, could have an adverse effect on the many adults who use them to reduce or quit smoking, according to a new University of Bristol-led study published in the journal Harm Reduction.
- New study identifies link between low levels of omega-3s and symptoms of psychosis in early adulthood 12 June 2024 A new study, the largest of its kind, published in Biological Psychiatry today [12 June], tracked the blood test results of over 3,500 participants for a span of 17 years to explore a possible link between diet and mental health.
- Two can play that game: juvenile dolphins who play together are more successful as adults 10 June 2024 Juvenile social play predicts adult reproductive success in male bottlenose dolphins, a new study has found.
Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research has appointed Professor Pat Kehoe as new Director
Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research has appointed Professor Pat Kehoe as new Director it was announced today (Thursday 23 May 2024).
EBI are delighted to announce that Professor Pat Kehoe has been formally appointed as the Director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute. Pat’s research expertise is in dementia research, and he brings a wealth of experience in interdisciplinary health research through his role as Health and Life Science Faculty Research Director. Professor Pat Kehoe will take up the post of Institute Director from 1 August 2024.
Read the full story here: https://bristol.ac.uk/blackwell/news/2024/new-ebi-director.html
Unlocking insights into insomnia
GP data can provide unique insights into common health conditions, new research looking at insomnia symptom prevalence in England has shown. The University of Bristol-led study also highlights the value of improving access to this data for future health research.
The study aimed to explore how useful GP records are in measuring how many people experience insomnia symptoms. The researchers used data from the UK Biobank, a database which contains health, genetic and lifestyle information on around half a million participants.
The research team directly compared the proportion of English participants reporting insomnia symptoms in a questionnaire completed when they signed up to the UK Biobank to the same people's linked GP records The study found 29 per cent of the sample reported having insomnia symptoms. Of those, only 10 per cent had insomnia symptoms documented in their GP records. Most notably, the research also revealed that over a quarter of people who had insomnia symptoms noted in their GP record in the month immediately before they completed the UK Biobank questionnaire, and had an accompanying prescription for insomnia medication, didn't report having insomnia symptoms in the questionnaire.
This could be due to the stigma associated with having insomnia or because medication reduced the symptoms. Either way, it suggests that GP data can play a vital role in identifying people with insomnia who are not captured by questionnaire data.
The researchers found that many of the characteristics of people visiting their GP with insomnia symptoms were similar to those reporting insomnia symptoms in the questionnaire. These included being female, older, having poorer physical and mental health, smoking, having a high caffeine intake and doing little exercise.
Read the full University of Bristol news item
Paper: ‘Insomnia symptom prevalence in England: a comparison of cross-sectional self-reported data and primary care records in the UK Biobank' by Melanie A de Lange, Sophie V Eastwood, Rebecca C Richmond and Neil M Davies in BMJ Open [open access]