Studies focus on blocking an enzyme that plays a crucial role in replication of the HIV-1 virus. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with researchers at the National Institutes of Health, report that two new studies in mice with a humanized immune system and human cell lines have identified an enzyme that plays a critical role in the late stages of HIV replication. This enzyme, called neutral sphingomyelinase-2 (nSMase2), plays an important role in the body’s metabolism of lipids,…
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a heavy burden for those affected and for the healthcare system. The “EXTINCT post COVID” project is investigating the effectiveness of apheresis therapy and is seeking participants for a study. The Corona pandemic seems to have been overcome; mandatory masks and other restrictions have largely been abolished. However, about one in ten people continue to suffer the consequences of a Corona infection for longer: persistent fatigue, exhaustion, heart problems, poor concentration and shortness of breath….
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects millions of people worldwide, and there is currently no cure for this disease of the central nervous system. Damage to the nerve fibres, also called axons, is responsible for the severity of MS in patients and for the course of the disease. And myelin, which is the protective layer around axons, plays a key role in this process. Researchers at Leipzig University and Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen have discovered that myelin, which…
… smallest particles will deliver the drug to the lungs in future. KIT and Research Center Borstel present nanoparticles with a high antibiotic concentration for inhalation – nanocarriers of antibiotics can reduce resistances and enhance compatibility. Tuberculosis is the infectious disease with the highest death rate worldwide. As reported by WHO, therapy-resistant tuberculosis infections are increasing. Diseases due to this bacterial infection may also occur in Germany. Tuberculosis represents a special challenge for two reasons: First, the bacteria encapsulate in…
… enters clinical trial led by CI Med and U of Iowa researchers. Clinical testing is underway for a potentially groundbreaking new treatment for cystic fibrosis. Pioneered by scientists at Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa in partnership with the spin-out biotechnology company, cystetic Medicines, this promising inhalable molecular prosthetic is intended to improve lung function in people with CF who cannot benefit from…
The herpes simplex virus-1 can sometimes cause a dangerous brain infection. Combining an anti-inflammatory and an antiviral could help in these cases, report scientists with the Rajewsky and Landthaler labs and the Organoid Platform at the Max Delbrück Center in Nature Microbiology. About 3.7 billion people — 67% of us — carry the herpes simplex virus-1 in our nerves cells where it lies quiescent until triggered by stress or injury. When activated, its symptoms are usually mild, limited to cold…
Get up. Go to the kitchen. Prepare some cereal – but a look into the fridge shows: the milk bottle is empty. What now? Skip breakfast? Ask the neighbour for milk? Eat jam sandwiches? Every day, people are confronted with situations that were actually planned quite differently. Flexibility is what helps. The origin of this skill in the brain is called cognitive flexibility. A neuroscientific research team at the Berufsgenossenschaftliches Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil, University Hospital of Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and…
Latest research reveals the properties of a type of food poisoning bacteria, and paves way for establishment of preventive methods. Recently, Providencia spp. which have been detected in patients with gastroenteritis, and similar to enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. O157 and Salmonella spp., have been attracting attention as causative agents of food poisoning. For children with low immunity, food poisoning can be lethal as it causes severe symptoms such as diarrhea and dehydration, so clarifying the source of infection and pathogenic factors…
Research team at Freie Universität Berlin increases safety of attenuated live SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. After having successfully tested a mucosal vaccine against coronavirus in animals just months ago, Berlin scientists have now further developed their live SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin have increased the safety of the vaccine, which is administered via the nose. The results of their study on the modified form of the live vaccine have been published in Molecular Therapy (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.05.004). In early April 2023, a…
The EU has taken up the cause of cancer prevention. The MHH is participating in the EU project PIECES and aims to reduce the risk of cancer and improve liver health with personalized exercise programs. About three million people in the European Union are affected by cancer. For 1.34 million of them, the disease is fatal. However, around 40 percent of cancer cases could be prevented through effective prevention strategies such as a healthier lifestyle and early detection. To achieve…
The bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can cause severe diseases such as meningitis and blood poisoning in young children. Researchers from the MHH Institute of Clinical Biochemistry have deciphered the pathway of the bacterial capsule and thus created the basis for producing the Hib vaccine inexpensive and safe. The bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) inhabits the human nasal cavity. It causes infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract, especially in infants and young children. But even more…
The Institute for Drug Discovery led by Humboldt Professor Jens Meiler is to receive 1.9 million dollars (1.77 million euros) for the development of vaccines. The international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will fund computer-aided vaccine development at Leipzig University with the aim of building a digital ‘vaccine library’ of components and virtual antigen designs. Using classical and AI-based software, vaccine candidates will be designed for ten priority virus families with epidemic and pandemic potential, with the aim of…
MHH Cardiology participates in a nationwide project to improve risk assessment thanks to structured and standardized data. Digitization in the healthcare sector is intended to improve patient care and simplify workflows in clinics and practices. This is also the goal of the large-scale ACRIBiS project. Here, 15 German research institutions want to jointly advance personalized risk assessment for cardiovascular diseases and improve the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of these diseases. ACRIBiS is an application project of the Medical Informatics Initiative…
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) identify a protein in some people with schizophrenia that causes schizophrenia-like features in mice. Links have been reported between schizophrenia and proteins produced by the immune system that can act against one’s own body, known as autoantibodies. In a study published last month in Brain Behavior and Immunity, Japanese researchers identified autoantibodies that target a ‘synaptic adhesion protein’, neurexin 1α, in a subset of patients with schizophrenia. When injected into mice, the…
MHH neurophysiologist demonstrates the effect of the antipsychotic amisulpride on harmful protein deposits in nerve cells of the brain. A clinical trial will investigate the drug’s efficacy in dementia patients. A common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases are pathological protein deposits in the brain. These protein aggregates cause nerve cells to die and, as a result, entire brain areas to shrink, which manifests itself in affected individuals as progressive dementia. The so-called tau protein in particular is involved in the…
Finally delicious: Daisies, peas, canola, etc.: Researchers at the University of Hohenheim want to replace gluten protein with new alternatives. Instead of ovens, 3-D printers would be possible. Gluten is one of the largest natural proteins and has fantastic properties: It keeps a well-cooked dough airy until baking stabilizes the open-pore structure. Prof. Dr. Mario Jekle from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart is working on processes in which selected proteins from peas, rapeseed, rice, or maize, for example, directly…
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