News

NIHR funds research projects to tackle obesity in children and adults

25 January 2012

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funding nine research projects that aim to address the health burden and economic impact brought about by obesity.

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Call for UK Clinical Research Collaboration Clinical Trials Unit Registration

20 January 2012

The UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Registered Clinical Trials Units (CTU) Network invites its 48 currently registered clinical trials units to apply for review of their registration status and invites new applications from previously unregistered Units to undergo the Registration Process, which is designed to help improve the quality of available expertise to carry out clinical trials in the UK. Leading the review is an International Panel of leading world experts in clinical trials.

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New study into fluid in the middle ear funded

14 December 2011

A new study looking at the best treatment for children with fluid in the middle ear has been funded by the NIHR HTA programme.

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New NETS Annual Review

05 December 2011

The NIHR Evaluation Trials and Studies programmes Annual Review for 2010/11 is now available to view online.

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Detecting fetal abnormalities in pregnancy

01 December 2011

A project funded by the EME programme will trial a new molecular test to detect chromosomal imbalances in foetuses found to have structural abnormalities on routine ultrasound screening.

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Assessing exercise interventions

21 November 2011

A NIHR HTA programme project has been funded under the 45th HTA commissioning board aiming to improve people’s health by incorporating more exercise into their lifestyles.

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Long term effects of weight loss surgery evaluated

16 November 2011

Pioneering research commissioned by the NIHR HTA programme is evaluating the long term effectiveness of weight loss surgery on health.

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New Head of NETSCC appointed

11 November 2011

Professor Ruairidh Milne has today (11 November 2011) been announced as the new Head of the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) and Director of the Wessex Institute (WI).  Professor Milne will take up the post on 1 February when the current Head of NETSCC, Professor James Raftery, retires.

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New study to investigate change in alcohol outlet density

7 November 2011

Will a reduction in the availability of alcohol in the community result in a reduction in alcohol health-related harm and consumption? A new study has been funded by the NIHR PHR programme to investigate change in alcohol outlet density in the local community in Wales.

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NIHR Trials Managers' Network

12 October 2011

The NIHR Trials Managers' Network is now open for membership

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NETSCC publishes a pilot evaluation of the draft MHRA risk-adapted approaches guidance

20 September 2011

NETSCC has published the results of a pilot evaluation examining the draft Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance on risk-adapted approaches to the management of clinical trials of investigational products.

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Effectiveness of antibiotic drug in asthma attacks

14 September 2011

New research funded by the EME programme is to assess the effectiveness of a well-tolerated antibiotic drug in addition to standard treatment for adults suffering from asthma attacks.
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Translation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire into British Sign Language

13 September 2011

The NIHR HSR programme has funded a new project to translate the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) into British Sign Language (BSL).

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Behavioural therapy for treatment resistant depression

8 September 2011

A large trial assessing an adaptation of dialectical behaviour therapy to test its effectiveness in treatment-resistant depression has been funded by the EME programme.

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Safety of antidepressant drugs for older people published in BMJ

12 August 2011, News release from NETSCC, Health Technology Assessment programme

Results of a study published in Health Technol Assess which found that tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) selective may be associated with lower risks of several adverse outcomes compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and some other antidepressants in older people with depression have been published in the BMJ.

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Evaluating the impact of urban regeneration

11 August 2011, News release from NETSCC, Public Health Research programme

A new study evaluating the impact of urban regeneration to discover its' effect on health inequalities has been funded by the NIHR PHR programme.

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NIHR TCC launches Research Professorships

08 August 2011

The NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre (TCC) is inviting nominations from universities and NHS organisations in England for up to five NIHR Research Professorships.

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Newborn heart screening study publishes in The Lancet

News release from NETSCC, Health Technology Assessment programme
A quick and painless test that measures blood oxygen levels is able to detect more cases of life threatening congenital heart defects than current standard approaches reports research published in The Lancet.
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Intervention to prevent aggressive behaviour in schools

News release from NETSCC, Health Technology Assessment programme
A new study examining the delivery, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a universal intervention to reduce aggressive behaviours in adolescents in the school environment has been funded by the NIHR HTA programme.
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Assessing obesity health interventions

News release from NETSCC, Public Health Research
Two NIHR PHR programme projects have been funded under the joint obesity themed call aiming to measure the success of health programmes and public health interventions in both child and adult obesity.
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New funding stream for translational medicine

News release from NETSCC, EME
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is to launch a new, commissioned, workstream for the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme.
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New blood tests reduce the number of people admitted to hospital with suspected heart attacks

News release from NETSCC, HTA
A new study has found that fewer people were admitted to hospital when point-of-care blood tests were used to diagnose patients with severe chest pain. The research has published in Health Technology Assessment, 2011; Vol 15:23.
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New Director of the UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) announced

News item from NIHR, NETSCC
The UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) has announced Mr Martin Burton as their new Director.
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Comparison of length of radiotherapy treatment in early breast cancer

News item from NETSCC, HTA
A new clinical trial, funded by the NIHR HTA programme, will compare one week of radiotherapy treatment to the UK standard three week treatment in early breast cancer.
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Blood tests for active tuberculosis infection evaluated

News item from NETSCC, HTA
A new study to examine two blood tests that detect the presence of active Tuberculosis (TB) infection has been commissioned by the NIHR HTA programme.
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CRASH-2 trial wins BMJ Research Paper of the Year

News item from NETSCC, HTA
Research funded by the NIHR HTA programme into early administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients who suffered major trauma, has won the BMJ's award for Research Paper of the Year at the 2011 BMJ Group award ceremony on the 18 May.
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Health benefits of housing regeneration programme assessed

News item from NETSCC, PHR
A study looking at the immediate and longer health benefits of a major housing regeneration programme has been funded by the NIHR PHR programme.
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Reducing death in trauma - Taking Action: United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020

Press release from NETSCC, HTA
As the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety launches today on 11 May 2011 a world first clinical trial, testing a new way of stopping blood loss from major trauma, has published results showing an inexpensive drug substantially reduces the risk of death when given early and could prevent up to 100,000 deaths per year across the world. continue

Senior Scientific Advisor – job opportunity

News release from NETSCC, PHR
The NIHR Public Health Research programme is currently recruiting for a Senior Scientific Advisor. continue

CRASH-2 trial publishes in the Lancet

News release from NETSCC, HTA
The CRASH-2 trial, originally published in 2010, has published a further article in the Lancet. continue

Assessment in obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome in older people

New research commissioned by the NIHR HTA programme is assessing the effectiveness of treating obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome in older people with a positive airway pressure compared to supportive care alone.
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Professor Dame Sally C Davies announces the new NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme

"Building on the successes and strengths of the NIHR Health Services Research and Service Delivery and Organisation programmes I have great pleasure in announcing that a new NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme is to be established by merging the two existing programmes. This will allow the development of common aims and methods, focused on the public and decision makers' needs, whilst simplifying the research funding landscape, reducing bureaucracy and reducing management costs." – Professor Dame Sally C Davies

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First Woman appointed as Chief Medical Officer

The government announced yesterday that Professor Dame Sally Davies has been named as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the first woman to hold the post. continue

New NETSCC Director appointed

NETSCC has appointed Dr Matt Westmore as Director with responsibility for the management of three of its research programmes: Health Services Research (HSR), Public Health Research (PHR) and Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO). continue

NIHR launches International Register for Health Reseach reviews

A major global initiative to establish an international register that will improve the transparency of health research has been launched by Health Minister Lord Howe. continue

NIHR is seeking a new Chair for INVOLVE

INVOLVE is a national advisory group funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which aims to promote and support active public involvement in NIHR and the Policy Research Programme initiatives. continue

Call for proposals in dementia announced today

Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow has today announced that the National Institute for Health Research will be funding high quality research into dementia. continue

Evidence Aid

The UK Cochrane Centre and several Cochrane Review Groups in the UK, which are part of the National Institute for Health Research, and their partners have created Evidence Aid, a website resource to provide information on systematic reviews relevant to planning for, and responding to, natural disasters and other large-scale emergencies. continue

Guidelines to help clinical trials reduce CO2 emissions launched

Carbon Reduction Guidelines to help support health researchers in the fight against carbon emissions have today been launched by the National Institute for Health Research. These guidelines have been designed to help the NHS meet its carbon reduction target as set by the Climate Change Act, through the publication of the Carbon Reduction Strategy for the NHS in England. continue

Patient and Public members sought for Research Capability Programme Pilot Health Research Support Service

A Health Research Support Service is being created by the NIHR Research Capability Programme (RCP). This will enable research to achieve its full potential as a "core" activity for healthcare alongside other uses of NHS data that lead to improvements in the quality and safety of care. continue

Opportunity to join NIHR Panels and Committees

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is seeking to appoint new members, including Chairs, to serve on its national panels and regional committees that consider researcher-led proposals. continue

Cochrane Collaboration influential in a revision of the Lancet’s publication criteria 

The Lancet, has announced that it will ask authors of all research reports submitted after August 1 2010 to put their work into context of what has gone before, by either reporting their own, up-to-date systematic review or citing a recent systematic review done by others, following findings by the UK Cochrane Centre. continue

Swine flu research publishes in new HTA journal themed issue

The first swine flu themed issue of the Health Technology Assessment journal series has published. continue

HTA launches call for trauma research in a military or civilian context

The NIHR HTA programme’s new specific call for research into the management of disability after trauma has been announced by Health Minister Mike O’Brien. The call is for proposals concerning people needing physical or psychological rehabilitation following trauma in a military or civilian context. continue

First NIHR-funded swine flu project publishes in The Lancet

One of fourteen projects funded by the NIHR into swine flu has published mid-term results in The Lancet . continue

HTA programme: Bariatric surgery effective for treating obesity

Bariatric surgery is a more clinically effective intervention for treating obesity compared to non-surgical options suggests research published by the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. continue

EME Funded Project - New step forward for stroke patients

New research funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme will determine whether an inexpensive drug called L-dopa, widely used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, could also help thousands of stroke patients regain mobility and independence. continue

SDO funded research regarding the evaluation of modernisation of adult critical care services publishes in the BMJ

New SDO funded research evaluating the impact and cost effectiveness of a programme to transform adult critical care in England has been published in the BMJ. continue

HTA programme appoints two new chairs to its boards

Two leaders in the field of health technology assessment and applied clinical research have been appointed to take over as the Chairs for the HTA Commissioning Board and the Clinical Evaluation and Trials Board. continue

Research published assessing the carbon cost of pragmatic randomised controlled trials

Research for the National Institute for Health Research into the carbon cost of trials managed by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is published in the British Medical Journal. continue

Interventions for the interruption or reduction of the spread of respiratory viruses

Updated Cochrane Review published. continue

Tests and treatments for spontaneous pre-term birth assessed

Newly published research by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme has found that currently available tests to identify mothers at risk of spontaneous pre-term birth are of limited use. continue

New research literature database is launched

Public health researchers and practitioners can now access the People in Public Health database, a new database covering research on lay health workers and peer helpers. continue

Chair of the EME Board, Professor Rajesh Thakker receives Founder’s Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Professor Rajesh Thakker, Chair of the EME Board, has been awarded the Founder’s Award (Louis V Avioli) from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).  The EME programme is funded by the Medical Research Council and managed by NIHR.  continue

HTA funded research into serious respiratory failure publishes in The Lancet

New research suggests that patients with severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) should be treated using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), rather than conventional management, according to results in this week’s Lancet. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. continue

Breastfeeding promotion in special care and neonatal intensive care units

Providing mothers with babies in neonatal units with extra help with breastfeeding and expression of breastmilk, is more effective and less costly than normal staff contact. These research findings are newly published by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. continue

Research investigates use of nasal steeroids to treat glue ear in primary care

Research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme has found that the treatment of glue ear with a nasal steroid is not clinically or cost-effective in the primary care setting. Glue ear, or otitis media with effusion (OME), is a common and disabling condition in children for which there is currently no proven effective medical treatment. continue

Painkillers in management of sickle cell disease assessed

The first UK based research project assessing the management of acute pain in sickle cell disease has been commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of red blood cells, which affects over 12,000 people in the UK. continue

Launch of PHR programme commissioned workstream

The next commissioned call for applications in response to specific research questions will be advertised after the 4 November 2009  Programme Advisory Board. continue

Blood pressure cuff could help improve the success of kidney transplants

The first clinical trial funded by the new Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme will investigate whether a simple procedure to activate one of the body’s natural defence mechanisms improves the function of kidneys after transplantation. continue

HTA journal series influence confirmed by 2008 impact factor - news release from NETSCC, HTA

The influence and impact of Health Technology Assessment, the journal of the HTA programme, has been confirmed in the latest published impact factors. The 2008 impact factor is 5.010, rising from 3.87 in 2007, and ranking the journal in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. continue