Health Stories

To prevent blood loss from the body when we are injured, our blood clots. Researchers within the Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research have discovered how platelet cells control blood clotting. This new knowledge is helping to understand why unwanted blood clotting occurs during cardiovascular disease, causing heart attacks and strokes, and is paving the way for new medicines to prevent or treat this number one killer disease in the developed world.

Professor Jon Gibbins

j.m.gibbins@reading.ac.uk

A Physician Associate is a healthcare professional who works as a member of a medical team under the supervision of a doctor or surgeon. They support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients and are trained to perform a number of roles in a clinical setting such as taking medical histories, performing examinations, diagnosing illnesses, analysing test results, and developing management plans.

There has been a growing demand for this professional role in the NHS. To address this, the University of Reading launched a Postgraduate Diploma Physician Associate programme in September 2015 in partnership with the Royal Berkshire Hospital and Berkshire Healthcare, and with the collaboration of local clinical commissioning groups. Over the two-year intensive programme these students will acquire the evidence-based academic knowledge coupled with the hands-on workplace training required for this important role.

physicianassociate@reading.ac.uk

Adolescence is a unique period in human development, encompassing puberty and the physical and psychological transition into adulthood. It is a crucial time for healthy development and any adverse environmental conditions, poor nutrition, or chronic infection can alter the timing of these physical changes; delaying the start of the menstrual cycle in girls or the age of peak height velocity in boys.

Recent research has explored the impact of chronic illness on puberty in adolescent skeletons from medieval England (AD 900- 1550). It found that chronic conditions were directly associated with a delay in maturation – a real kick to teenagers in medieval Britain. TB in particular was found to cause significant delay in teenagers achieving puberty.

Dr Mary Lewis

m.e.lewis@reading.ac.uk

Using a methodology developed at the University of Reading, scientists have produced a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The vaccine is synthetic, made up of tiny protein shells designed to trigger the most optimum immune response when administered. It doesn’t rely on growing live infectious virus, and is much safer to produce than traditional vaccines. It is also more stable, so easier to store. This new approach to making and stabilising vaccine could also be used for other viruses from the same family, such as polio.

The collaborative research to develop this vaccine from the original methodology has involved scientists from The Pirbright Institute, Diamond Light Source and University of Oxford.

Professor Ian Jones

i.m.jones@reading.ac.uk

It is thought that at least 200-million young children, predominantly from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, are failing to achieve their developmental potential because of poverty and adversity. These children are disadvantaged in multiple ways, suffering adverse consequences in terms of their growth, physical health, socio-emotional functioning, and their cognitive skills.

It is the deficits in cognitive skills, including literacy and the associated educational failure, which are particularly likely to perpetuate cycles of deprivation, because of their impact on later job prospects and earnings.

The Mikhulu Trust is working to promote the health, wellbeing and development of children living in conditions of adversity by encouraging child cognitive and socio-emotional development. One of the ways it is doing this is by providing training via local facilitators to the carers of young children in an evidence-based programme developed for sharing pictures books. Evaluation of this training programme has found it to be of considerable benefit to both the quality of the parent-child relationship and child cognitive development.

The Mikhulu Trust is directed by Professors Peter Cooper and Lynne Murray from the University of Reading.

Professor Peter Cooper

p.j.cooper@reading.ac.uk

The University of Reading, the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have a history of working together to deliver high quality research to improve patient care and the three organisations recognise the considerable benefits of working collaboratively.

The Thames Valley Clinical Trials Unit represents a natural evolution in the existing long-term relationship and will deliver impactful research to help tackle the ever-increasing demands of complex and chronic health conditions, by expanding clinical research activities in the region. This will enable us to utilise the significant research, medical and clinical expertise in the Thames Valley area to improve patient care and wellbeing. The multi-disciplinary team across the three organisations brings together clinicians, research nurses, trial managers, IT/data experts, statisticians and quality assurance professionals.

tvctu@reading.ac.uk

Since most organic molecules contain protons, this technique is being used to study the small molecular weight molecules known as metabolites in these samples, providing a direct insight into the metabolism of mammalian tissues. In particular this approach is helping us to understand how gut bacteria influence our metabolism, and ultimately our health.

Recent research from Reading found that certain types of bacteria normally present in the gut are associated with circulating levels of bad cholesterol. Researchers are now working on developing dietary interventions which target these specific bacteria, with the aim of reducing the amount of bad cholesterol and improving levels of good cholesterol circulating in the body.

Dr Sandrine Claus

s.p.claus@reading.ac.uk

Damage caused to DNA by light is an extremely fast process. It is really difficult to observe such fast processes in living cells, but the much simpler environment of a DNA crystal has enabled researchers to watch the initial crucial step in great detail.

Infrared radiation has been used to get a snapshot of the extremely fast process – occurring in half a billionth of a second – which takes place when light is shone on the crystals. This activates a ruthenium compound which is bound to a short piece of DNA. The activation causes damage to the DNA.

This is an exciting step in helping us to understand DNA damage. The new methods developed by this international multidisciplinary collaboration with Trinity College and University College Dublin will help to design new cancer therapies which target cancerous tissue but leave the undamaged tissue untouched.

Professor Christine Cardin

c.j.cardin@reading.ac.uk

The equipment is used to measure carcinogenic nitrosamines in faecal samples. Nitrosamines can be formed in the body when it consumes the food additive nitrite, which is present in processed meat products. A research project funded by the EU, in which natural compounds originating from fruits and vegetables are used to reduce the nitrite content, is developing new meat products which reduce the risk of cancer associated with processed meat intake.

Dr Gunter Kuhnle

g.g.kuhnle@reading.ac.uk

Child anxiety is among the most common emotional difficulties experienced by young people and can have considerable impact on both their own and their families’ lives. It also impacts on children’s social and academic development.

The clinic is based in Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, working with the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Anxiety and Depression Care Pathway. The clinic conducts assessments for anxiety disorders and depression in collaboration with the Pathway, and often offers treatments as part of research trials.

The treatments provided within the trials are generally based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which is known to be effective for anxiety disorders and depression in children and young people. CBT aims to help children and young people change how they think and how they behave in order to help them overcome their anxiety or mood problems.

Professor Cathy Creswell

c.creswell@reading.ac.uk

These data were very important for determining the health of the populations, to inform on what to offer as rations and also to monitor the impact of rations on nutrition intake and status of the populations.

A passionate advocate of nutrition and the importance of diet on health promotion and disease prevention, Hugh Sinclair was one of the first academics to hold a title in the discipline of nutrition in the UK. At this time, nutrition was viewed by many to be a subject that was unworthy of scientific research, a view that was not held by Hugh Sinclair, who dedicated his life to furthering the study of the discipline.

The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition (HSUHU) at the University of Reading was founded in October 1995. Over the past 20 years the HSUHN has been working to improve population health and evaluate mechanisms of action for the effects of dietary components on health.

Professor Julie Lovegrove

j.a.lovegrove@reading.ac.uk

This particular research study is using combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to investigate dependencies between cortical regions of the brain during cognitive processing.

Research at CINN builds upon existing interdisciplinary research into the physiological and psychological mechanisms underpinning complex cognitive behaviours, targeting typical and atypical development and decline in individuals.

Professor Douglas Saddy

j.d.saddy@reading.ac.uk

The Walker Institute is working on the ground in Africa to support the development of climate-resilient societies. The relationships between climate change and health are becoming ever more evident, and the innovative interdisciplinary work supported through the Walker Institute is ensuring research is both relevant and directly addresses the needs of real people in Africa.

Professor Ros Cornforth

r.j.cornforth@reading.ac.uk