news

Antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests, UK researchers announced today. The team involves researchers from Oxford University, the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Diamond Light Source and Public Health England. They hope the antibodies - known as nanobodies due to their small size - could eventually be developed as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19.

Infertility is one of the most striking effects of ageing. The impact of ageing on females' fertility is more severe and much better understood, but it also affects males. Male reproductive ageing is less researched, but of those studies that do address it, most focus on sperm. However, ejaculate contains more than just sperm.

In March 2020, the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) trial was established as a randomised clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for COVID-19, including low-dose dexamethasone (a steroid treatment). Over 11,500 patients have been enrolled from over 175 NHS hospitals in the UK.

Parents/carers of children aged 4-10 years of age reported that over a one-month period in lockdown, they saw increases in their child's emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, according to early results from the Co-SPACE study, asking parents and carers about their children's mental health through the COVID-19 crisis.

New research from The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford has found significant gender bias in research authorship relating to COVID-19, which means that women's views are not equally shaping the response to the pandemic. Women are under-represented as authors of research papers in many scientific areas, particularly in the most senior positions of first and last author, and this research published today in BMJ Global Health finds the trend persisting in publications on COVID-19.

An international group of researchers led by Professor Colin Espie from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford is investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep and daily rhythms in adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic, difficulty getting to sleep, difficulty staying asleep and vivid dreaming have been widely reported across the general population.

Scientists at the Universities of Oxford, Exeter, Yunnan and Bristol and have discovered the oldest fossil of the group of animals that contains earthworms, leeches, ragworms and lugworms. This discovery pushes the origin of living groups of these worms (polychaetes) back tens of millions of years, demonstrating that they played an important part in the earliest animal ecosystems.

A new study from researchers at Oxford University's Departments of Zoology and Biochemistry shows that warring bacteria will engage in suicidal attacks in vast numbers to take down competitors. Bacteria are aggressive organisms that have evolved a host of draconian ways to kill and inhibit their competitors.

A new study from researchers at Oxford University's Departments of Zoology and Biochemistry shows that warring bacteria will engage in suicidal attacks in vast numbers to take down competitors. Bacteria are aggressive organisms that have evolved a host of draconian ways to kill and inhibit their competitors.

Data from a BBC citizen science experiment has helped predict how different strategies could control the spread of Covid-19 - according to new preliminary research from Oxford University, University of East Anglia, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The team of researchers re-purposed the BBC data to simulate outbreaks of Covid-19, and see which public health interventions might be effective.

Data from a BBC citizen science experiment has helped predict how different strategies could control the spread of Covid-19 - according to new preliminary research from Oxford University, University of East Anglia, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The team of researchers re-purposed the BBC data to simulate outbreaks of Covid-19, and see which public health interventions might be effective.

A new study from the shows that people who hold coronavirus conspiracy beliefs are less likely to comply with social distancing guidelines or take-up future vaccines. The research, led by clinical psychologists at the and published today in the journal  Psychological Medicine , indicates that a disconcertingly high number of adults in England do not agree with the scientific and governmental consensus on the coronavirus pandemic.

A new study from the University of Oxford shows that people who hold coronavirus conspiracy beliefs are less likely to comply with social distancing guidelines or take-up future vaccines. The research, led by clinical psychologists at the University of Oxford and published today in the journal  Psychological Medicine , indicates that a disconcertingly high number of adults in England do not agree with the scientific and governmental consensus on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Diabetes Trial Unit (DTU) in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine is managing the UK sites for a global study testing if either chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 in vital frontline healthcare workers. Laboratory evidence shows that these well-established drugs might be effective in preventing or treating COVID-19 but there is no conclusive proof.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Universities of Leeds and Birmingham, Kings and Imperial Colleges London, have published new research that suggests pregnant women are no more likely to become ill with severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant woman.

The largest study to date, analysing NHS health data from 17.4 million UK adults between 01 February 2020 and 25 April 2020, has given the strongest evidence on risk factors associated with COVID-19 death. Academics at the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), working on behalf of NHS England and in partnership with NHSX, have analysed the pseudonymised health data of over 17.4 million UK adults to discover the key factors associated with death from COVID-19 .

Countries around the world are in a state of lockdown to help limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, as the number of new daily confirmed cases begins to decrease, governments must decide how to release their populations from quarantine as efficiently as possible without overwhelming their health services.

Work was cited as the most frequent source of stress for parents, followed by their children's wellbeing  The  interim report  from 5,000 responses to the Co-SPACE (COVID-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children in Epidemics) survey led by experts at the , indicates some important concerns for parents, employers and health professionals.

The results of a placebo-controlled trial of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients have been published in the Lancet . In early February scientists in China, supported by the ISARIC Support Centre at the Universi-ty of Oxford, launched a placebo-controlled randomised trial of remdesivir in patients hospi-talised with COVID-19.

Researchers at the University of Oxford are today starting a large, international study to evaluate the effects of Covid-19 in pregnancy. The INTERCOVID study will provide women, families, health care providers and policy makers with high-quality evidence regarding the effects of Covid-19 in pregnancy on the health of the mother, fetus and newborn.