news 2023

A global study led by Gerald Prager of the Department of Medicine I and the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Vienna, a joint MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna facility, and co-workers has demonstrated that the prognosis for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer can be significantly improved.

Faecal incontinence is a major taboo subject and, if left untreated, usually restricts the quality of life of those severely affected. Under the leadership of surgeon Stefan Riss from the Department of General Surgery at MedUni Vienna and the University Hospital Vienna, a study has been launched into a new surgical treatment method.

A new study brings us closer to understanding when and how viewing online paintings can impact our well-being. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Vienna, the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics sheds light on the potential of online art viewing as a tool for improving well-being.

Metabolic disorders play a central role in many common conditions, including Alzheimer's, depression, diabetes and cancer, which call for reliable as well as non-invasive diagnostic procedures. Until now, radioactive substances have been administered as part of the process of mapping glucose metabolism in the brain.

A long-term analysis designed by Christian Gerges and Irene Lang at the Department of Medicine II of the University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna indicates that one third of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) also have left heart disease. In the past, the possibility of overlap between these two conditions had not been considered in the diagnosis and treatment of CTEPH patients.

How do quantum particles share information? A peculiar conjecture about quantum information has been experimentally confirmed at the TU Wien. Some things are related, others are not. Suppose you randomly select a person from a crowd who is significantly taller than the average. In that case, there is a good chance that they will also weigh more than the average.

The connections between the structure of the brain and its function are a key focus of neuroscience. A new Medical University of Vienna study involving a team of international partners has been looking at evolution and its relationship with the capabilities of human and animal brain architecture. The findings showed that the shape of the brain has developed in parallel with the organ's function throughout the course of evolution.

By Falko Schoklitsch The new and patented method for the production of the important mRNA vaccine component pseudouridine is more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective than the previously used chemical synthesis. Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering at TU Graz and the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) have developed a novel method for the production of central components of mRNA vaccines and applied for a patent.

Previously unknown group of bacteria in the deep sea regulates energy balance A team of international researchers led by Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna and José M González of the University of La Laguna has identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean.

A Goldilocks material that might be just right: the precious metal palladium could be used to make superconductors that remain superconducting even at relatively high temperatures, show calculations by TU Wien. It is one of the most exciting races in modern physics: How can we produce the best superconductors that remain superconducting even at the highest possible temperatures and ambient pressure? In recent years, a new era of superconductivity has begun with the discovery of nickelates.

Approx. 40 % of persons with diabetes develop chronic kidney disease, leading to successive deterioration and even the complete loss of kidney function. Up to now, it has not been possible to predict whether and at what rate the kidney disease will progress. Early detection is essential to delay or avoid kidney failure requiring dialysis.

Among the biggest environmental problems of our time, microand nanoplastic particles (MNPs) can enter the body in various ways, including through food. And now for the first time, research conducted at MedUni Vienna has shown how these minute particles manage to breach the blood-brain barrier and as a consequence penetrate the brain.

Iron deficiency is one of the five main causes of impaired health. It affects 30 percent of the world's population, particularly women. Why iron deficiency can occur, even if enough iron is supplied through the diet, has not yet been sufficiently clarified in scientific research. For the first time, a research team from MedUni Vienna has discovered that certain immune cells in the intestine play an important role in iron absorption in the body.

The simplest explanation is often the best - this also applies to fundamental science. Researchers from TU Wien and Toho University recently showed that a supposed quantum spin liquid can be described by more conventional physics. For two decades, it was believed that a possible quantum spin liquid was discovered in a synthetically produced material.

By Susanne Filzwieser In the new Christian Doppler Laboratory for Reliable Systems in Harsh Environments, researchers at TU Graz, supported by the refractories group RHI Magnesita, are focusing on data-driven condition monitoring in the steel production process. Things are heating up in steel production.

For the first time, a team led by Claudia Zimmermann from MedUni Vienna's Centre for Public Health examined the suicide risk among members of several Austrian healthcare professions and other highly skilled professions compared with the general population. The results show that the suicide risk among male doctors, tax consultants/auditors is significantly lower than in the general population, while an increased suicide risk was found in the case of female doctors, dentists, veterinarians and pharmacists.

Vegans are considered health-conscious both in the public and in their own perception. Researchers at the Centre for Public Health have now examined the dietary patterns and physical activity behaviour of vegans and found a discrepancy between appearance and reality in many cases. Although many vegans exercise more than the average person, the widespread consumption of industrially processed foods in this group cannot be classified as beneficial to health.

Clean drinking water is essential. Therefore, an international research team led by Dominik Eder has now shown how groundwater can be efficiently freed from pollutants such as glyphosate. Contaminated drinking water poses a major threat to our health. However, various pollutants such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones, medicines and other chemical compounds cannot be completely removed from groundwater with the methods currently available.

If one converts CO2 into synthesis gas, a valuable starting material for the chemical industry can be obtained. Researchers at TU Wien show how this works even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Thinking of CO2, terms like climate-damaging or waste product probably quickly come to mind. While CO2 has been that for a long time - a pure waste product - more and more processes are being developed with which the greenhouse gas can be converted into valuable raw materials.

By Falko Schoklitsch A new type of meta-optics from Harvard has proven its functionality in experiments at Graz University of Technology. With it, it is possible to observe the smallest structures such as nanoparticles or transistors. Developed at Harvard, and successfully tested at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), a revolutionary new meta-optics for microscopes with extremely high spatial and temporal resolution has proven its functional ability in laboratory tests at the Institute of Experimental Physics at TU Graz.