G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are found throughout the human body and are involved in many complex signalling pathways. Despite their importance in many biological processes, the central mechanism of G protein-coupling and the associated signal transmission is not yet understood. A team of researchers from Leipzig University has succeeded in understanding the mechanism of signal transmission through an adrenaline-binding receptor at the atomic level. In the future, researchers may be able to use these results to better avoid side effects…
Similar to smokers, cannabis users nearly twice as likely to need hospitalization, intensive care when infected with the virus. As the deadly disease that came to be known as COVID-19 started spreading in late 2019, scientists rushed to answer a critical question: Who is most at risk? They quickly recognized that a handful of characteristics — including age, smoking history, high body mass index (BMI) and the presence of other diseases such as diabetes — made people infected with the…
MHH: Lower Saxony Severe Burn Center is certified as the first CPT Plasma Competence Center in Europe. The Lower Saxony Severe Burn Center is the only center in the state of Lower Saxony that treats patients with the most severe burns. People with life-threatening injuries from northern Germany and Europe, including war victims from Ukraine, are treated here. The team at the center, which is part of the Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery at Hannover Medical School…
Impact of pollution on embryonic development. Human life begins with a single egg cell that grows into a human being with trillions of cells. To ensure that the highly complex development of tissues and organs is as protected as possible, the placental barrier keeps pathogens and foreign substances out. Tina Bürki and her team from Empa’s Particles-Biology Interactions laboratory in St. Gallen are investigating how this protective mechanism copes with nanoparticles. If nanoparticles enter the placenta during pregnancy, the formation…
The RACOON-RESCUE project, led by the MHH, aims to automatically analyse image data from CT and MRI and find new image-based features in order to be able to more reliably assess the stage of disease in children and adolescents with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) are malignant diseases of the lymphatic tissue and are the fourth most common form of cancer in children and adolescents. More than 30 subgroups are known. The long-term survival rate is between 70 and 90…
MHH research team develops new molecular tool to investigate the influence of telomerase on the development of heart muscle cells. As we age, our appearance changes, our hair turns grey and wrinkles appear. And we become more susceptible to disease. One reason for this is that our telomeres shorten. These are protective caps at the ends of the chromosomes, the carriers of our genetic material. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres become shorter until they reach a critical length…
Brain tumors are fatal when there is a double gene mutation. Result of an international cohort study by MHH researchers. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare hereditary cancer predisposition disease characterized by bone marrow failure as well as endocrine and physical abnormalities. A key clinical feature in those affected is a high risk of cancer. The reason for this is that certain genes involved in the repair of DNA damage do not function properly in the disease. This includes the…
MHH study identifies new autoantibodies in cerebrospinal fluid as a possible biomarker for rapidly progressing cerebellitis. Cerebellar ataxia is a neurological disorder of the cerebellum. This important area at the back of the brain acts as a conductor, so to speak, coordinating our movements and keeping us in balance. This ability is impaired in cerebellar ataxia. Affected people can have difficulties walking, speaking and grasping or even with controlled eye movements. In some cases, the damage begins gradually and develops…
Improving the outcome of patients after a heart attack is one of the major challenges of cardiology. This includes a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology and early detection of those patients who have a high risk of an unfavorable outcome. Researchers at LMU University Hospital, Helmholtz Munich and other institutions have now used high-tech biomedical and bioinformatics methods to comprehensively map the immune response to myocardial infarction in humans and identify signatures that correlate with the clinical course of the…
In order to infect an organ, viruses need the help of the host cells. “An effective approach is therefore to identify targets in the host that can be manipulated by drugs so that they no longer perform this helper function,” explains Mara Klöhn. The researchers became aware of the compound K11777 in a roundabout way: During a control study conducted as part of cell culture studies on the hepatitis C virus with a known active ingredient, they discovered that this…
MHH study investigates the effect of thymus removal on the immune system in children after heart surgery and aims to create a data basis for new therapy and prevention strategies. Many children with congenital heart defects often require heart surgery in the neonatal or infant period. A good overview and safe access are extremely important for a successful operation in view of the small size of the body and organs. The tissue between the heart and the sternum is therefore…
If black skin cancer (melanoma) spreads, there are various therapies that can be used. However, there is still insufficient research into who responds to which therapy and whether resistance may develop over time. In a new study, Dr Simon Fietz, assistant physician at the Clinic for Dermatooncology & Phlebology at the Centre for Skin Diseases at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and PD Dr Dimo Dietrich, scientist at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Otorhinolaryngology at the UKB, have discovered that…
New cryopreservation procedure established at University Hospital Bonn to preserve fertility before cancer treatment. The team led by Prof. Nicole Sänger, Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), has succeeded in establishing a modern method of cryopreserving ovarian tissue known as vitrification. It is used to preserve fertility before cancer therapy. For the first time in Europe, the team has now reported a successful delivery after retransplantation of flash-frozen, stored and thawed ovarian tissue….
MHH researchers compared six methods for diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Liver cirrhosis often results in a condition known as hepatic encephalopathy (HE). This is a functional disorder of the central nervous system with varying degrees of severity. Experts distinguish between minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) and clinically manifest hepatic encephalopathy, which is associated with personality changes, disorientation and impaired consciousness, including coma. mHE is characterized by impaired mental capacity. These cannot yet be recognized during a physical examination or in conversation,…
Prof. Achim Hoerauf, Director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology,Immunology and Parasitology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), and his team have succeeded in collaborating with the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the University of Bonn and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), to enter into a partnership with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai for the further development of the antibiotic corallopyronin A (CorA) as a treatment for the neglected tropical diseases river blindness and lymphatic filariasis…
A recent study by University Medicine Halle shows how sepsis can lead to dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells. The researchers found that elevated lactate levels and acidosis, which can occur acutely during sepsis due to metabolic derailment, only have a disrupting effect in synergistic combination. The study, published in the Journal of Biomedical Science, also provides a possible explanation for why some sepsis survivors experience long-lasting impairments. Treating sepsis poses a major challenge worldwide. Early diagnosis is crucial, as…
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