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Life Sciences - Health - 24.03.2023

Pathogen mapped for the first time – to understand evolution and potential treatments
Pathogen mapped for the first time - to understand evolution and potential treatments A parasite which has devastating impacts on agriculture and human health is the first pathogen to have its proteins located and mapped within its cells - providing clues to their function and helping to identify potential drug targets.

Life Sciences - Health - 24.03.2023

Gene therapy approach to boost ’cold shock protein’ in the brain without cooling protects mice against neurodegenerative disease
Scientists in Cambridge and Berlin have used a form of gene therapy to increase levels of the so-called -cold shock protein- in the brains of mice, protecting them against the potentially devastating impact of prion disease. Essentially, the cold shock protein enables the brain to protect itself - in this case, against the damage nerve cells in the brain during prion disease Giovanna Mallucci The discovery is a step towards harnessing the protective effects of cooling the brain to treat patients with acute brain injury and even to prevent dementias, such as Alzheimer-s.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.03.2023

Novel Regulatory Mechanism of Blood Clotting Discovered
The glycoprotein V of the blood platelets is an important switch point for haemostasis and thrombus formation. This new finding could have great clinical potential. When our blood vessels are injured by cuts, abrasions, or bruises, it is vital that the bleeding is stopped, and the wound is sealed. This process is called hemostasis and involves two main components: First, blood platelets attach to the wound edges, form a plug and provisionally seal the injury.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.03.2023

’Smart’ Bandages Monitor Wounds and Provide Targeted Treatment
Most of the time, when someone gets a cut, scrape, burn, or other wound, the body takes care of itself and heals on its own. But this is not always the case. Diabetes can interfere with the healing process and create wounds that will not go away and that could become infected and fester. These kinds of chronic wounds are not just debilitating for the people suffering from them.

Health - Life Sciences - 23.03.2023

Attack from the gut
Intestinal bacteria are often the trigger of complications after surgery. This is shown in a new study by research teams from Würzburg and Bern. A solution to this problem could come from the liver. Nearly 16 million operations were performed on inpatients in German hospitals in 2021. In Switzerland, the figure is around 1.1 million.

Health - 23.03.2023

Steps towards a safe and silent neonatal ICU
Gabriele Varisco explored ways to improve the monitoring of premature infants in neonatal ICUs with a focus on minimizing false alarms and augmenting the detection of apnea in premature infants. Premature infants are hospitalized in neonatal ICUs where they are monitored to prevent deterioration in their health.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.03.2023

Covid-19: infection-vaccination combination best protects against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2
Publication of the CIRI in the journal Science Translational Medicine on March 15, 2023. Press realease of the INSERM on March 17, 2023. A large proportion of the population has developed immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following infection and/or vaccination. In addition, some infected patients benefit from a so-called "hybrid" immunity when they have been vaccinated after their infectious episode.

Health - Life Sciences - 23.03.2023

Alzheimer’s disease: new contrast agents
Publication of the Chemistry Laboratory in the journal Nanomedicine on March 17, 2023. Communication of the CNRS-INC on March 20, 2023. A consortium of European researchers led by two Lyon laboratories - the Chemistry Laboratory (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) and the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center ( CNRS/Claude Bernard Lyon 1 university/Jean Monnet University/Inserm) - is proposing a new "multi-technique" imaging agent (MRI, X-ray, fluorescence..) targeting amyloid-? (A?) plaques, the first pathological signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Health - Pharmacology - 23.03.2023

Any type of hormonal contraceptive may increase risk of breast cancer
An analysis of data by researchers at Oxford Population Health's Cancer Epidemiology Unit has shown that use of progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives is associated with a 20-30% higher risk of breast cancer. The results are published in PLOS Medicine . Previous studies have shown that use of the combined contraceptive pill, which combines oestrogen and progestogen, is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer that declines after stopping use.

Pharmacology - Health - 23.03.2023

Preventing cancer relapse with a genetic test
Date Scientists have found a new way to predict which myeloma patients will benefit the most from a treatment often used to help keep the blood cancer from coming back after a stem cell transplant. For people with certain high-risk genetic features in their cancer cells, the drug, called lenalidomide, cut their risk of seeing their cancer progress or dying by up to 40-fold.

Materials Science - Health - 23.03.2023

RWTH research team creates the world’s first non-spherical microbubbles
Anisotropic microbubbles open up forward-looking possibilities for ultrasound imaging and drug delivery . An international research team led by Anshuman Dasgupta and Twan Lammers from the Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging at RWTH Aachen University has succeeded for the first time in generating stable non-spherical microbubbles.

Health - Innovation - 23.03.2023

More efficient instruments for cataract surgery
One and a half million times a year, the instruments of eye surgery specialist Oertli Instrumente AG are used for cataract operations. In cooperation with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, the Rhine Valley company is working on instruments that will make the operation safer and even more efficient.

Environment - Health - 23.03.2023

Black, Latinx Californians face highest exposure to oil and gas wells
An oil well located next to a city park in Signal Hill, California. A new study finds Californians living near active oil and gas wells are disproportionately Black, Latinx and low-income. Living within 1 kilometer of active wells can expose people to higher levels of pollution and contribute to a variety of health problems.

Life Sciences - Health - 22.03.2023

Beethoven’s genome
Scientists have sequenced the composer's genome using five genetically matching hair locks The study shows Beethoven was predisposed to liver disease, and infected with Hepatitis B, which - combined with his alcohol consumption - may have contributed to his death. Furthermore, DNA from modern relatives points to an extramarital 'event' in Beethoven's paternal line.

Life Sciences - Health - 22.03.2023

Eating more magnesium each day keeps dementia at bay
More magnesium in our daily diet leads to better brain health as we age, according to scientists from the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU). The researchers say an  increased intake of magnesium-rich foods such as spinach and nuts could also help reduce the risk of dementia, which is the second leading cause of death in Australia and the seventh biggest killer globally.

Health - Innovation - 22.03.2023

Shining a light into the ’’black box’’ of AI
An international team led by the University of Geneva, HUG and NUS has developed an innovative method for evaluating AI interpretability methods, with the aim of deciphering the basis of AI reasoning and possible biases. Researchers from the University of Geneva , the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a novel method for evaluating the interpretability of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, opening the door to greater transparency and trust in AI-driven diagnostic and predictive tools.

Life Sciences - Health - 22.03.2023

How the brain’s ’internal compass’ works
Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with the latest advances in brain imaging techniques. The findings shed light on how the brain orients itself in changing environments - and even the processes that can go wrong with degenerative diseases like dementia, that leave people feeling lost and confused.

Life Sciences - Health - 22.03.2023

Beethoven’s genome offers clues to composer’s health and family history
International team of scientists deciphers renowned composer's genome from locks of hair Ludwig van Beethoven's genome has been sequenced for the first time by an international team of scientists with the participation of the University of Bonn using five genetically matching locks of the well-known composer's hair.

Health - 22.03.2023

Waist to height ratio a better outcome indicator than BMI in patients with heart failure
New research has debunked the idea that there is an "obesity paradox", whereby patients with heart failure who are overweight or obese are thought to be less likely to end up in hospital or die than people of normal weight. The new study - published in the European Heart Journal and led by the University of Glasgow - shows that if doctors measure the waist to height ratio of their patients, rather than looking at their body mass index (BMI), the supposed survival advantage for people with a BMI of 25kg/m2 or more disappears.

Health - Chemistry - 22.03.2023

Next epidemic could be spotted early in wastewater, say scientists
Bath scientists worked with the water industry and UK Health Security Agency to pilot the first UK public health surveillance system that analyses wastewater. Researchers analysing wastewater say that routine monitoring at sewage treatment works could provide a powerful early warning system for the next flu or norovirus epidemic, alerting hospitals to prepare and providing public health agencies with vital health information.