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UK's maternal mortality rate hits 20-year high

The latest set of data presented by the MBRRACE-UK Collaboration investigation into maternal deaths in the UK shows that the mortality rate for women who died during or soon after pregnancy has increased to levels not seen since 2003-05.

11 Jan 2024

New synthetic antibiotic found to be more effective than established drugs against 'superbugs'

A new synthetic antibiotic developed by University of Liverpool researchers is shown to be more effective than established drugs against 'superbugs' such as MRSA, a new study shows.

3 Jan 2024

MHRA provides 5 festive top tips for people taking medicines or using medical devices

Christmas and New Year is a time when we particularly want to keep well and stay safe. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has set out 5 festive top tips for people taking medicines or using medical devices.

21 Dec 2023

UKHSA and ONS publish latest Winter CIS data

The Winter CIS was launched jointly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in November 2023 to deliver real-time prevalence and positivity data to aid the surveillance of COVID-19 in the community and help understand the winter pressures on the NHS.

21 Dec 2023

Young mental health sufferers stuck in hospital limbo, study finds

Young people needing beds urgently for their mental health needs are waiting for long periods on acute general hospital wards, before being placed on wards far from where they live, according to a new study.

15 Dec 2023

Vaccination encouraged for eligible groups as flu cases spike

All those eligible for the flu vaccine are being urged to come forward as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published data showing a significant increase in the number of recorded flu cases.

15 Dec 2023

UK Aid awards funding to Oxford Vaccine Group for research into prevention of five epidemic threats

Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG), which led the rapid clinical development of the Oxford vaccine in COVID-19 in the pandemic, has been awarded a total of £7,788,783 by UK Aid for research into the prevention of five dangerous diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential.

13 Dec 2023

$4.4 million grant drives forward standardization of social determinants of health data in EHRs

LOINC and Health Data Standards at Regenstrief Institute has received a $4.4 million grant from the Regenstrief Foundation to support expansion of work on a global initiative to categorize and standardize social determinants of health (SDOH) information into electronic health records (EHRs), an ambitious project to integrate social needs data into clinical care to more effectively address health inequities.

11 Dec 2023

Ashwagandha extracts show promise in reducing stress hormones, study suggests

A systematic review reveals that Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) extracts can effectively reduce cortisol levels in the short term, offering a natural alternative for stress management, though long-term effects remain unexplored.

6 Dec 2023

New plans can make hospital and hospice visiting as fundamental standard of care

Visits to see loved ones in care homes, hospitals and hospices will be better protected under plans announced by the government.

6 Dec 2023

NHS delivers on promise of 50 million more GP appointments

Data published today by NHS England shows that for the year to October 2023, there were 50.9 million additional general practice appointments delivered when compared to October 2019, meeting a key government commitment set out in 2019.

30 Nov 2023

Elton John welcomes expansion of opt-out testing for HIV to 46 Accident & Emergency sites across England and calls on all political leaders to do more to end AIDS in a speech at Speaker's House

Elton John was honored at a reception hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS at the Speaker's House today in recognition of his enduring commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic, both personally and through the work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

30 Nov 2023

Research paves way for clinical trials of existing drugs for brain metastasis

The largest review of papers for brain cancer that has spread from the lungs has found abnormalities in the brain cancer and for which licensed drugs could be clinically trialled to find out if they could treat the disease.

29 Nov 2023

Large Language Models pose threat to scientific accuracy, new study warns

Large Language Models (LLMs) pose a direct threat to science, because of so-called 'hallucinations' (untruthful responses), and should be restricted to protect scientific truth, says a new paper from leading Artificial Intelligence researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute.

22 Nov 2023

Oral antibiotic taken once-daily for six months reduces risk of developing drug-resistant TB

Two landmark clinical trials reported today at the Union meeting showed that an oral antibiotic taken for six months once-daily substantially reduced the risk of developing drug-resistant TB.

16 Nov 2023

ICMRA celebrates 10 years of global cooperation in regulating medicinal products

This year marks ten years since the MHRA joined seven other global regulators to establish ICMRA to address the need for strong global cooperation and alignment in the regulation of medicinal products.

9 Nov 2023

Study reveals how doctors' communication style impacts obesity treatment outcomes

How doctors communicate with patients with obesity can have a significant impact on their weight loss success, according to a new University of Oxford study published today in Annals of Internal Medicine.

7 Nov 2023

Analysis of dementia incidence trends for England and Wales for 2002-2019

Dementia incidence trend in England and Wales, 2002–19.

3 Nov 2023

Addressing social risks in pediatric care may improve health and wellness without increasing discrimination

A growing recognition of the health impact of social risks – such as food insecurity and homelessness – has prompted researchers, healthcare providers and policymakers to consider ways to address these risk factors as part of holistic clinical care.

1 Nov 2023

Major new campaign launched in the UK to encourage flu and COVID-19 vaccinations

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are urging those eligible who've not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to 'get winter strong' and join the millions of others in taking up the offer ahead of the festive and new year season when flu and COVID-19 are expected to peak.