News
Prehabilitation to improve outcomes after major elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Interventions such as eating foods that promote a strong immune system and exercises that strengthen the muscles we use to breathe, could help lower the risk of complications or death after surgery and aid faster recovery, a newly published NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) study has found. These types…
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people living with diabetes, in their ability to manage their condition
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for people living with diabetes, causing ripple impacts for their carers, parents and partners. New research led by the University of Bristol has found coronavirus has had a significant negative impact on the ability of people living with diabetes to manage their condition,…
Professor Jonathan Sterne presents to US Food and Drug Administration on COVID-19 boosters
Professor Jonathan Sterne, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Bristol BRC), has presented evidence to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on COVID-19 vaccination boosters today, Friday 17 September. The presentation is part of the FDA’s advisory committee meeting to discuss…
A case for and against COVID-19 vaccine boosters
In a recent Lancet Viewpoint opinion piece, a group of authors including NIHR BRC’s Jonathan Sterne and Julian Higgins emphasize that while the idea of further reducing the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible delta variant by enhancing immunity in vaccinated people is appealing, any decision…
Introducing Hard Evidence: a performance piece about survivors of domestic abuse and public involvement in research
Hard Evidence, a new production developed in collaboration with Acta Theatre, shines light on how getting involved with research empowered women who have experienced domestic abuse to support others in a similar situation. Written over Zoom in the early months of 2021, the performance follows Jan, a survivor of domestic…
Co-creating communications with patient and public groups
Taking a ‘less is more’ approach and not overwhelming audiences with too much information is the most effective approach to developing patient and public involvement (PPI) recruitment materials, according to public contributors. Involving patient and public groups in the development of health research is important to ensure that it is…
Analysing metabolomics to improve the prediction of pregnancy-related disorders
Using analytical methods such as mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to detect the presence of certain metabolites – the molecules produced during cell processes – could improve how we predict certain pregnancy-related disorders. A recent study, part funded by the NIHR Bristol BRC, discovered that profiling in…
Working collaboratively with public groups to support safe and transparent surgical innovation
The Surgical Innovation team are one step closer to developing a list of baseline information, known as a core information set, to guide consultation discussions following a milestone multi-stakeholder meeting last month. This list will ensure NHS patients being offered new procedures and devices receive more transparent and consistent information…
Exploring trends in recording anxiety symptoms in UK primary care
The way GPs record anxiety in patient records could be leading to a reduction in formal anxiety diagnoses, new research from the University of Bristol has found. Anxiety disorders are common in the UK, with the level of anxiety symptoms being recorded by GPs increasing between 1998 and 2008. However,…