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In addition to cholesterol, the amino acid homocysteine also plays a role in aortic stiffening. Researchers from Graz University of Technology, the University of Graz and the Medical University of Graz were able to prove this in a new study. Cardiovascular diseases remain the most common cause of death worldwide.

With a diameter of less than 0.001 millimetres, nanoplastic particles can penetrate body tissue and accumulate in organs. Because it is still difficult to detect them precisely in the body, research into the health effects of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNP) remains challenging. Now, a research team led by MedUni Vienna, the University of Hamburg and ETH Zurich has developed a method that can reliably track the path of these tiny particles from oral ingestion down to the cellular level.

Forests are complex living organisms under constant stress. Periods of heat weaken trees, bark beetles exploit this weakness Forest fires destroy within hours what has grown over decades.

Defending the body against pathogens is a feat of strength that must be performed with great precision and speed. A research team from MedUni Vienna and CeMM, led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik, has investigated how immune cells accomplish this task. Their study, published in the journal Cell Systems, provides an analysis of the molecular processes in the 'scavenger cells' (macrophages) of our immune system as they fight various pathogens.

It is not only in Austria that women are having their children later and later. The problem is that the probability of mutations in our genetic information increases with age. A study involving the Johannes Kepler University Linz has investigated whether this is also the case with special mitochondrial DNA.

Microorganisms in the human gut are in constant exchange - with each other and with their host. A new study by the Medical University of Graz, published in the journal Nature Communications, now shows how archaea - a previously little-researched group of microorganisms - control this exchange via tiny vesicles.

In the ERC project HelixMold, a team from TU Graz developed a method for the computer-based design of artificial proteins, with a focus on custom biocatalysts for pharmaceutical applications or the degradation of biopolymers. "Imagine a future in which you can design enzymes - natures catalysts - for your specific application at the push of button", says Gustav Oberdorfer who headed the ERC Starting Grant project 'HelixMold' at the Institute of Biochemistry of the Graz University of Technology (TU Graz).

The rapid tests that were part of everyday life during the Covid pandemic were unpleasant and often not very precise. A new rapid test system developed at the Chair of Functional Materials and Material Systems at the University of Leoben could provide a remedy: Similar to a breathalyzer, you blow into a tube and get a result a few minutes later.

Immune cells turn into 'Mini-Hulks' to push away tissue and make space when migrating Immune responses rely on the efficient movement of immune cells within the complex and geometrically unpredictable three-dimensional tissues that make up our bodies. Recent research by the Sixt group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) unveils how immune cells use their cytoskeleton to exert forces on their surrounding environment to push their way through tissues.

Although the respiratory system is one of the main entry points for microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) from the air into the body, little is known about the effects of these tiny particles on the lungs. Researchers at MedUni Vienna have now demonstrated for the first time that MNPs can trigger malignant changes in lung cells that are associated with the development of cancer.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has developed a blood test that allows the identification of individuals at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) with a high degree of certainty years before the onset of symptoms. As a result, in the future, diagnostic and therapeutic measures could be taken early enough to delay or even prevent the onset of the disease.

An international research team led by scientists from SickKids Hospital in Toronto, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dalhousie University, the University of Exeter (UK) and the Medical University of Vienna has uncovered a previously unknown protective strategy of cells. The study, published in the top journal Science, shows how two cell compartments - mitochondria and peroxisomes - work directly together to defend themselves against so-called "oxidative stress factors".

Some chlamydiae can spread directly from host cell to host cell Chlamydiae are known human pathogens. A better understanding of these bacteria is essential for combating them. A team of microbiologists from the University of Vienna has now been able to show that Some chlamydiae completely dispense with an infectious extracellular form and instead spread directly from host cell to host cell.

The first high-quality pycnogonid genome provides novel insights in chelicerate evo-devo An international collaboration featuring the University of Vienna and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA

New Study Identifies the Evolutionary Origins of the Cells and Molecular Signals Bridging Mother to Fetus An international research team led by scientists from the University of Vienna has uncovered new insights into how specialized cell types and communication networks at the interface between mother and fetus evolved over millions of years.

A recent study led by Philipp Starkl from MedUni Vienna shows that mast cells can influence the behaviour of macrophages in a previously unknown way. The research provides new insights into the interactions of these immune cells in inflammatory processes and immune defence, and lays the foundation for the development of new immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies.

New insights into the prehistory of two major North Eurasian language families Where do the Uralic languages such as Finnish and Hungarian or Yeniseian come from? Ancient DNA could provide answers: Researchers* with the participation of Ron Pinhasi from the University of Vienna analyzed the genome of 180 individuals from the Volga-Ural region to the Lena Valley in central Siberia in the period from the Mesolithic (approx. 11,000 years ago) to the Bronze Age (approx. 4,000 years ago).

An interdisciplinary research team from the Medical University of Vienna, in collaboration with the University of Vienna, found that targeted modification of a single protein in certain immune cells reduces intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of colitis. The study, currently published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, focuses on the protein filamin A, whose structure can be modified by so-called RNA editing.

A new study from the University of Vienna reveals that sea anemones use a molecular mechanism known from bilaterian animals to form their back-to-belly body axis. This mechanism ("BMP shuttling") enables cells to organize themselves during development by interpreting signaling gradients. The findings, published in Science Advances , suggest that this system evolved much earlier than previously assumed and was already present in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians.

A research team led by Stefan Pflügl has succeeded in genetically manipulating the microorganism T. kivui to metabolize carbon monoxide. Stefan Pflügl (left) in the lab with the first authors of the two publications, Angeliki Sitara (center) and Rémi Hocq (right). " aria-haspopup="dialog" Genetic changes can occur naturally through evolution or can be initiated with the help of genetic engineering.