Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Quality dementia care in nursing homes: Lessons from the pandemic

No one associated with nursing homes – as residents or their families, friends, staff or administrators – is unaware of the massive impact of the pandemic on these facilities which provide essential services to a growing number of older adults, many living with cognitive impairment.

12 Apr 2024

Can synthetic data boost fairness in medical imaging AI?

A recent study in Nature Medicine demonstrates how diffusion models can enhance the robustness and fairness of medical machine learning models in interpreting medical images like histopathology, chest X-rays, and dermatological images by augmenting training datasets with synthetic data, improving accuracy and fairness across diverse patient groups.

11 Apr 2024

Study reveals key gut microbiome differences in prediabetic patients

Study explores the differences in gut microbiome composition between prediabetic patients and healthy individuals, revealing significant variations that correlate with altered metabolic functions and potential diabetes progression.

11 Apr 2024

Annual COVID-19 vaccine proves to be a wise investment for personal health and pocketbook

Study finds that receiving an annual COVID-19 vaccine is clinically and economically beneficial for individuals, regardless of insurance status, offering savings by reducing the likelihood of infection and its associated costs.

11 Apr 2024

ChatGPT could be an effective tool to help reduce vaccine hesitancy

New research being presented at this year's ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) suggests that the free-to-use, widely accessible ChatGPT could be an effective tool to help reduce vaccine hesitancy among the general public, as well as providing helpful advice on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in conjunction with sexual health clinics, by improving knowledge and access to care.

10 Apr 2024

Screening for alcohol use disorder gets a diagnostic accuracy check-up

Study systematically reviews the effectiveness of various screening tools for alcohol use disorder (AUD) according to the DSM-5 criteria, highlighting the need for precise and reliable methods to identify individuals at risk across different demographics, including pregnant women and different age groups.

10 Apr 2024

Oxford University and Brazil partner to advance malaria vaccine development

Professor Sue Ann Costa Clemens CBE, Chair of Global Health at the Department of Paediatrics and Head of Oxford Latam Research Group - a collaboration between Oxford and Brazil, aimed at strengthening our commitment to global health - met with His Excellency Antonio Patriota, Brazilian Ambassador to the UK, to discuss the co-development of a Malaria vaccine and advance public health outcomes in Brazil.

10 Apr 2024

Sugar abnormalities in the blood may promote biological aging and inflammation in HIV patients

The Wistar Institute's associate professor Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Ph.D., along with his team and collaborators, has identified sugar abnormalities in the blood that may promote biological aging and inflammation in people living with HIV (PLWH).

10 Apr 2024

Study provides reassurance regarding the safety of using hormone therapy after age 65 years

After the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in 2002, many women have resisted taking hormone therapy (HT), especially after age 65 years, because of fears of increased risks for various cancers and heart disease.

10 Apr 2024

Enhancer-gene mapping with SCENT method offers insights into disease mechanisms

Genetic studies of diseases map segments of the genome driving disease. But to understand how those changes contribute to disease progression, it is important to understand how they may alter gene regulation of disease genes in cell populations assumed to be driving disease.

10 Apr 2024

An Arm and a Leg: Attack of the Medicare machines

Covering the American health care system means we tell some scary stories. This episode of "An Arm and a Leg" sounds like a real horror movie.

10 Apr 2024

Maternal diabetes linked to a slight increase in ADHD risk in children

Large-scale study reveals that maternal diabetes mellitus is associated with a slightly increased risk of ADHD in offspring, highlighting the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors in neurodevelopmental disorders.

9 Apr 2024

$Hip fracture survival rates in seniors worse than many cancers, study shows$

Hip fracture survival rates in seniors worse than many cancers, study shows

A new article in JBMR Plus, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that patient survival rates after hip or other bone fractures can be very poor.

9 Apr 2024

Maternal influences on food allergy prevention: A closer look at diet and environment

Review assesses how maternal diet and environmental factors during pregnancy influence the prevention of food allergies in offspring, underlining the importance of a balanced diet and questioning the efficacy of allergen avoidance.

9 Apr 2024

Innovative VR sessions tackle mental health challenges in students

St George's, University of London have led revolutionary work to improve student mental health by using sessions in Virtual Reality (VR) to reduce stress and anxiety.

9 Apr 2024

Study: Scientific articles on atopic dermatitis contain almost no patient images

Scientific articles on the common skin condition atopic dermatitis contain almost no images of patients, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

9 Apr 2024

Researchers leverage machine-learning techniques to predict future risk of pressure injuries

Bedsores-;also known as pressure injuries-;are the fastest rising hospital-acquired condition, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research in Quality, and as a result have become the second most common reason for medical malpractice suits in the United States.

9 Apr 2024