Tag: research

Salt water solution to reduce coronavirus progression?

A simple salt water solution may help to reduce the early symptoms and progression of Covid-19, University of Edinburgh research suggests.

This new study builds on a trial, published in 2019, designed to identify a low cost and easily accessible intervention against the common cold.

It found that participants who gargled and cleared their nose with a salt water solution reported fewer coughs and less congestion. Gargling also cut the length of their cold by almost two days.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh say the sea salt may work by boosting cells’ antiviral defence that kicks in when they are affected by a cold.

The team has re-examined the data and discovered the same benefits were also experienced by those participants who were infected with one of the four common coronaviruses known to cause colds.

Researchers now aim to investigate whether the same solution will benefit those who are experiencing symptoms of the new strain of coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

The study is recruiting adults in Scotland with Covid-19 symptoms or a confirmed case of Covid-19. Those who join the trial will be asked to follow government advice on hygiene and self-isolation, with one group asked to gargle and clear their nose with salt water.

The study is funded by BREATHE – the Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health.

The original pilot study – known as the Edinburgh and Lothians Viral Intervention Study, or ELVIS – recruited healthy adults within two days of them contracting an upper respiratory tract infection – commonly known as a cold.

The participants were divided into two groups with one group asked to gargle and rinse their nasal passages with a salt solution as they felt necessary. The other group dealt with the cold the way they normally would do.

All participants kept a diary of their symptoms for up to two weeks. Self-collected swabs were also tested to measure the amount of cold virus in their nose.

Those who did nasal irrigation and gargling with the salty solution had a shorter cold, were less likely to pass it on to their family, had faster viral clearance and were less likely to use medicines from a pharmacy.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, Director of the University’s Usher Institute, said: “We are now moving to trial our salt water intervention in those with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, and hope it will prove to be a useful measure to reduce the impact and spread of the infection.

“It only requires salt, water and some understanding of procedure, so should, if found to be effective, be easy – and inexpensive – to implement widely.”

To find out more about the study and to take part, please go to https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/elvis-covid-19.

Contact-tracing app: We trust the NHS!

The UK public want the NHS to be the controlling body in Covid-19 contact-tracing app, says new research.

The public have massive trust in the NHS, who should have control and access to data in the Covid-19 contact-tracing app, according to new research by researchers at the University of Birmingham and in WMG at the University of Warwick.

Carsten Maple, Principal Investigator of the NCSC-EPSRC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research at the University of Warwick, who led the research, said: “With all of the possible design choices for a contact-tracing app, many commentators and experts have argued which approach is in the best interests of the public.

“For example, some have argued that centralised apps create privacy invasions that are unacceptable; others have argued that to be effective the apps should be centralised.

“However, as yet, the opinions of the public have not been gathered and so we have undertaken a significant survey to elicit their thoughts. We have examined how important privacy is to them and how willing they are to engage and share information.”

Dr Rebecca McDonald, lecturer in experimental economics from the University of Birmingham said: “The first encouraging results of our study are that only 9.6% of the public always chose to opt out of using the contact tracing apps we described to them.

“We asked people to express a direct preference between controlling the pandemic or preserving privacy, and we found that over half (57.4%) of participants favoured prioritising controlling the pandemic over privacy contrasting with around a fifth (20.1%) favouring  protecting privacy over controlling the pandemic.”

However the most powerful and important result from the survey was the contrasting degrees to which participants trust different agencies or individuals with their data, even when anonymised.

The group least trusted to be given access to this data was other app users but by far the most trusted group or organisation was the NHS.

Professor Carsten Maple in WMG at the University of Warwick said: “It is clear that the NHS enjoyed overwhelming trust in terms of access to personal data collected by such apps, even when anonymised. 

“Surprisingly, respondents’ choices suggest they would be most concerned about the decentralised approach that protects from Government access to information and instead shares information among other app users.

“The results indicate that users want a centralised approach, like the one currently being adopted by NHSX.”

“Our research clearly shows that the public is broadly supportive of the use of a COVID-19 contact tracing app and would download it in significant numbers, providing the app providers listen to their wishes on who should have access to their data.The NHS is by far the most trusted gatekeeper for that data.”

The table below shows in percentage terms how much more willing people are to use an app when their data is shared with different organisations (as in a centralised approach), compared to when it is shared with other app users (as in a decentralised approach).

NHS 70.5%
Researchers 53.4%
National Government 18.9%
Local Government 13.0%

The research highlights that people have a strong desire to understand the way a contact tracing app would work, and many respondents said they would need control over what data is shared about them, and who it is shared with, before they would be willing to download the app.

Since widespread uptake is needed for the app to be effective, addressing these potential barriers has to be at the heart of any large-scale roll out of the contact tracing app. The appetite is there, but the public need transparency in order to trust, download, and use the app.

The research also found that public would also have concerns about linking proximity data to other data sources. (They were particularly concerned about the linkage of their shopping location from credit/debit cards data).

Some also had concerns about practical things like the impact on their phone’s battery life, or the amount of data the app might need to use.

Food for thought: ‘pandemic eating’ research

People’s eating habits during the pandemic are providing food for thought in a new piece of research, co-led by the University of Northampton.

The ‘Food, Mood and You’ study is looking to survey people over the age of 18 each day for a single week in which they note their activities, their emotions and how they are eating.

The results for the UK will be collated over the next two weeks and volunteers can register and take the survey online.

The study is also being rolled out across countries including Australia, Canada, USA, Finland, Spain, Italy, Russia, Portugal, China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Korea.

Dr Josephine Chen-Wilson, Senior Lecturer in Developmental and Educational Psychology, is the UON lead. She said: “There are lots of anecdotal conversations about how we are supposedly eating more during lockdown – perhaps due to boredom – but no firm evidence about this and, more importantly, why that is happening, if at all.

“It will be fascinating to see what’s actually going, so I encourage people to take part in our survey and help us add another piece to the complex jigsaw puzzle of human behaviour during our ‘new normal’.”

Professor Tracey Devonport at University of Wolverhampton has been working collaboratively with colleagues from UON and University of Jyväskylä, Finland (Dr Montse Ruiz).

She adds: “It is likely that we have all heard friends and family talking about eating more during the COVID-19 pandemic because they are experiencing emotions such as boredom, stress or frustration.

“We wanted to develop a research project that explores emotions and eating and in doing so provide simple interventions that may help manage emotional eating during these challenging times.”

*The survey can be taken online.

Increased health risks later in life for child abuse survivors, new study finds

People who have experienced maltreatment during childhood are significantly more likely to develop conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type two diabetes in adulthood, a new UK study has found.

Childhood maltreatment, which includes any form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect experienced by those under the age of 18, is a prevalent global public health issue thought to affect 1 in 4 children in the UK and 1 in 3 globally.

This study, led by the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick, reviewed anonymised data from 241,971 patients using medical records from GP surgeries between 1995 and 2018. 80, 657 patients were identified to have a history of childhood maltreatment compared with a control group of 161 314 unexposed patients.

The study is the first to use UK primary care data to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cardio-metabolic disease.

Results of the study, published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, showed that those with a history of childhood maltreatment were 71% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, and 42% percent more likely to develop high blood pressure as well as the risk of developing type 2 diabetes doubled. Patients were also at a 75% increased risk of dying of any other cause during the study period.

Although the research could not ascertain why this relationship exists, previous research suggests that exposure to childhood maltreatment can influence the alteration of the immune, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and the autonomic nervous system.

Additionally, this group may experience greater exposure to other risk factors which may be associated with cardio-metabolic disease.

Lead author Dr Joht Chandan of the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research and Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick said “Considering the high prevalence of childhood maltreatment globally, these findings suggest a substantial, but preventable burden of cardio-metabolic disease.

“The findings are particularly notable within the United Kingdom, where conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes pose an increasing burden on the health service.

“Considering that an estimated 1 in 4 children within the UK are affected by maltreatment, our findings could suggest that a significant proportion of the cardio-metabolic disease cases may be attributable to maltreatment.

“Therefore, there is a clear public health message that requires a population- based approach to not only prevent childhood maltreatment but also the negative consequences as a result of it.”

This latest study adds to a growing body of research published by the team at the two Universities examining the physical and psychological effects of domestic abuse and childhood maltreatment.

Earlier this year, the team published research that found that women who have experienced domestic abuse are 40 per cent more likely to die from any cause compared to the general population while a study in 2019 found that abused or neglected children are four times more likely to develop serious mental illness.

Litter, traffic and vandalism can stop older adults from leaving their homes, study in Edinburgh shows

Maintenance of communities in which elderly people live is vital for their health and wellbeing, new research suggests.

Pot holes, noise, litter, traffic and vandalism can create anxieties in elderly people and stop them from leaving their house, engaging with their communities and prevent them living a healthy and active lifestyle.

The research from Manchester Metropolitan University, published in the PsyEcology journal, interviewed 102 older adults age 60-92 in nine neighbourhoods across Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow to understand more about their experiences of living in urban environments.

Many participants reported feeling insecure in their communities, which often stemmed from concerns about maintenance of their neighbourhoods, and the physical and social features of the environment.

Problem pavements

Pavements and kerbs were particularly problematic for those with mobility and visual impairments, and some participants thought that street spaces failed to reflect the needs of older adults by supporting their accessibility and inclusivity.

Many felt they had an “inability to defend themselves” in potentially dangerous situations and had a “fear of falling”, which often created a barrier to leaving their home.

Dr Jenny Fisher, who was part of the research team, and co-lead at Manchester Metropolitan and Head of the Department, Social Care and Social Work, said: “The design of public spaces can confront older adults with barriers and hazards, making the environment uncomfortable and unsafe to use.

“This can affect older adults’ experiences of being active and involved in their communities, and have an impact on their wellbeing. The research is important as the findings have led to recommendations about how organisations and policy makers can respond to the barriers experienced by older adults.”

Although older adults experience lower victimisation rates when compared to other social groups, older people reported greater levels of perceived insecurities and feeling unsafe in their neighbourhoods.

Sense of community

Negative media portrayals and stigma attached to certain places had an impact on the way participants felt in a public space.

A strong sense of community and familiarity in a neighbourhood provided older adults with a more positive perception of safety and security. Older adults who had friends and were known in the community felt as though they were looked after and were less apprehensive about using the neighbourhood.

Disadvantaged communities were more likely to report a stronger sense of familiarity and feeling of safety compared to the least deprived communities and those experiencing social segregation.

Rebecca Lawthom, Professor of Community Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan, said: “This research shows that we need to shift towards a broader understanding of perceptions of safety and security, beyond current notions of ‘fear of crime’ to including factors such as accessibility and usability of public space, and involvement with other residents.

“Although prevention and policing services are important, we need to find ways to support people to feel more confident and secure in their communities through approaches to place management.”

The researchers now hope to use the results to influence practice and policy priorities relating to age-friendly cities and have produced recommendations.

This research is part of a three-year ESRC-funded project (Economic and Social Research Council) examining enablers and barriers to creating age-friendly communities that promote healthy and active ageing.

The full paper: Place (in)securities: Older adults’ perceptions across urban environments in the United Kingdom can be found here. 

 

New research into Type 1 Diabetes

NHS Lothian’s diabetes research teams based at the Western General Hospital (WGH) and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) have launched a number of exciting new trials to help us understand what might cause type 1 diabetes and how to prevent it.

These new studies include INNODIA, a Europe wide study recruiting people with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and unaffected family members. As diabetes affects 1 in 18 people in Scotland, with around 5,000 people with type 1 and 37,000 with type 2 diabetes in the NHS Lothian region, research to improve patient care and develop new treatments is vitally important.

Key to the success of the research are the volunteers who take part in studies. An easy way for people to participate is to join the NHS Research Scotland Diabetes research register.

Alison Sudworth, Diabetes Specialist Research Nurse in the RIE, said: “Getting more people involved in diabetes research will help make inroads into understanding the disease and create new treatments. For instance, one part of our GoDarts study is looking at genetics.”

Diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys and the WGH team have two trials that aim to improve the health of patients with complications.

Lesley Steven, Specialist Research Nurse at WGH said: “Recruitment in clinical trials is often challenging, particularly in diabetes renal studies. Renal patients often have limited treatment options, so trials in this area are vital to allow access to new drugs that would otherwise not be available to them.”

For more information contact: WGH 0131 537 3327 or RIE 0131 242 1456. 

Any diabetes research project can make use of the NHS Research Scotland Diabetes research register, contact administrator-sdrn@dundee.ac.uk or phone 01382 383595 for more information.

Letters: Support the M.E. study

Dear Editor

Many of your readers will know at least one of the 250,000 children and adults in the UK with myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.), also diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, or M.E./CFS) – though they may not see the devastating toll this serious neurological condition can take. Continue reading Letters: Support the M.E. study

New research shows e-cigarette vape increases the potential for lung bacteria to cause harm

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have discovered that bacteria often found in the lungs became more harmful and caused increased inflammation when they were exposed to e-cigarette vape. Continue reading New research shows e-cigarette vape increases the potential for lung bacteria to cause harm

Researchers discover coffee drinkers could halve their risk of liver cancer

A research team from Queen’s University Belfast has found that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The results were presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference in Glasgow this week and was published in British Journal of Cancer earlier this year. Continue reading Researchers discover coffee drinkers could halve their risk of liver cancer