Researchers at UC San Diego have deployed state-of-the art imaging techniques to discover the metabolism driving Alzheimer’s disease; results suggest new treatment strategies. Alzheimer’s disease causes significant problems with memory, thinking and behavior and is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 50 million people around the world each year. This number is expected to triple by the year 2050. Using their own state-of-the art imaging technologies, scientists at the University of California San Diego have now revealed…

After stroke and heart attack: Every year, between 250,000 and 300,000 people in Germany suffer from a stroke or heart attack. These patients suffer immune disturbances and are very frequently susceptible to life-threatening bacterial infections. Until now, little was known about the underlying mechanisms of this immune dysfunction. Research teams from the Faculty of Medicine at the University Hospital of the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences in Dortmund have now uncovered a previously unknown cause…

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich introduce DELiVR, offering a new AI-based approach to the complex task of brain cell mapping. The deep learning tool democratizes advanced neuroscience by eliminating the need for coding expertise. DELiVR empowers biologists to investigate disease-related spatial cell dynamics efficiently, fostering the development of precision therapies for enhanced patient care. Democratizing 3D Brain Analysis Many diseases are linked with changes in the expression of certain proteins in the brain. To study…

Using light pulses as a model for electrical defibrillation, Göttingen scientists developed a method to assess and modulate the heart function. The research team from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) and the University Göttingen Medical Center thus paved the way for an efficient and direct treatment for cardiac arrhythmias. This may be an alternative for the strong and painful electrical shocks currently used. Cardiac arrhythmias account for around 15-20% of annual deaths worldwide. In case of…

Scientists are closer to finding out how. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are as bitter and toxic as they are hard to pronounce. They’re produced by several different types of plants and are among the leading causes of accidental death in cattle. Plants that contain these alkaloids have made it very clear they don’t want to be consumed, but that hasn’t deterred bella moths (Utetheisa ornatrix). These day-flying moths exclusively eat the alkaloid-laden leaves and seeds of rattlebox plants. They then use the…

FAU chemists conduct research into novel approach of using an organic module for storing solar energy. Until now, the generation and storage of electricity from solar energy has been dependent on various devices, leading to conversion losses. That may change soon: chemists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and other research institutes in Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and the USA are conducting research into a hydrocarbon molecule that can either convert sunlight into electricity or save the energy for…

Useful for thrombectomy data transfer. In an ischaemic stroke, an artery in the brain is blocked by blood clots and the brain cells can no longer be supplied with blood as a result. Doctors must therefore act quickly and unblock the artery with the help of catheters. During the so-called mechanical thrombectomy, a lot of data has to be recorded and then transferred to various registers. Dr Nils Lehnen, senior physician at the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology and…

Scientists at the NMI have unraveled the mode of action of collagen crosslinking in the treatment of corneal defects and the results open up new opportunities for the use of collagen in medicine. Collagen has been used in ophthalmology since the 1990s, particularly in the treatment of corneal defects. However, why and how this technique works was only known in theory. Researchers at the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen led by Lu Fan have found the necessary…

… promotes functional nerve regeneration. Researchers from the University of Cologne have found a new use for Cnicin, a substance produced in blessed thistle. Clinical studies are being planned / publication in ‘Phytomedicine’. Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) is a plant in the family Asteraceae and also grows in our climate. For centuries, it has been used as a medicinal herb as an extract or tea, e.g. to aid the digestive system. Researchers at the Center for Pharmacology of University Hospital…

Joining forces for cancer research: TRON and GSI/FAIR study combination of heavy ion therapy and mRNA vaccine. It could be a new, promising combination of two therapeutic approaches and a key to better combating advanced-stage cancer. Two strong partners have joined forces to explore this possibility: The biopharmaceutical and translational research institute TRON in Mainz with its highly specialized oncology research and the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt with its worldwide unique accelerator facilities and the cancer therapy with…

An international team at the world’s largest X-ray laser European XFEL at Schenefeld near Hamburg has scrutinised the properties of an important nanogel that is often used in medicine to release drugs in a targeted and controlled manner at the desired location in a patient’s body. The team now published the results in the journal Science Advances. An international team led by Felix Lehmkühler from Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg has investigated the temperature induced swelling and collapsing of the…

A research team led by Dr Serge Krasnokutski from the Astrophysics Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at the University of Jena had already demonstrated that simple peptides can form on cosmic dust particles. However, it was previously assumed that this would not be possible if molecular ice, which covers the dust particle, contains water – which is usually the case. Now, the team, in collaboration with the University of Poitiers, France, has discovered that the presence of…

Charité study in Science decodes wiring of the human neocortex. Contrary to previous assumptions, nerve cells in the human neocortex are wired differently than in mice. Those are the findings of a new study conducted by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and published in the journal Science.* The study found that human neurons communicate in one direction, while in mice, signals tend to flow in loops. This increases the efficiency and capacity of the human brain to process information. These discoveries…

…offers increased access for prostate cancer patients. A novel SPECT/CT acquisition method can accurately detect radiopharmaceutical biodistribution in a convenient manner for prostate cancer patients, opening the door for more personalized treatment. Utilizing lead-212 (212Pb), the new imaging technique has the potential to change practice and increase access for patients around the world. The first-in-human images from this method were published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. There is significant interest in the development of 212Pb-PSMA–based targeted alpha therapy…

… as efficient piezocatalyst for synthesis of H2O2 from pure water. As an important chemical raw material, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is widely applied in various aspects of industry and life. The industrial anthraquinone method for H2O2 production has the serious flaws, such as high pollution and energy consumption. By using ubiquitous mechanical energy, piezocatalytic H2O2 evolution has been proven as a promising strategy, but its progress is hindered by unsatisfied energy conversion efficiency. Bi4O5Br2 is regarded as a highly attractive…

Microbial reduction reduces mobility of uranium compounds. When designing repositories for high-level radioactive waste in deep geological layers, various factors must be carefully considered to ensure their long-term safety. Among other things, natural communities of microorganisms can influence the behavior of the waste, especially when it comes into contact with water. The microorganisms interact with released radionuclides and influence their mobility. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have taken a closer look at a microorganism that occurs in the vicinity…