Health & Beauty

A Dawlish man has shared his own experience in support of a national campaign promoting participation in health research.

The National Institute for Health Research promotes opportunities for taking part in clinical research and the benefits for patients through its campaign called ‘Our Stories.’

Howard Almond was diagnosed in 2015 with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) which progressively scars the lung and affects breathing. The cause of IPF is unknown and there is currently no cure for this condition. The British Thoracic Society estimates 5,000 people are diagnosed...

Virtual reality could hold the key to unlocking an affordable, reliable and effective device to provide early diagnosis and management of schizophrenia.

A pioneering new study, led by experts from the University of Exeter in collaboration with partners from the Alterego FP7 EU project, has developed a new, ‘mirror game’ test using computer avatars to accurately detect specific variations in how patients move and interact socially – well-documented characteristics of the mental disorder.

For the study, the research team asked volunteers to perform a series of specific...

Around 52,000 people in the South West are carrying a faulty gene that puts them at high risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death, according to new estimates from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Worryingly, the majority of people affected are undiagnosed and unaware that they may be at risk of a deadly heart attack or cardiac arrest. The figure is higher than previous estimates due to better understanding of the prevalence of inherited heart conditions.

The UK’s leading heart research charity warns the overall figure could be much higher due to...

Researchers in Exeter are to receive £5m in funding to improve the early detection of cancers in GP surgeries, Cancer Research UK has announced. The CanTest is part of Cancer Research UK’s Catalyst Award which aims to help researchers deliver trailblazing progress in their field with long-lasting results. The CanTest team, led by Professor Willie Hamilton - from the University of Exeter will work with researchers in three UK sites and across the globe on a five year project that will help GPs to detect cancers in a primary care setting and reduce the burden of referrals. This research will...