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A collaboration between researchers at the Center for Virology of the Medical University of Vienna and the Pasteur Institute in Paris has provided unexpected insights into the atomic interactions of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in infected cells. In particular, the researchers identified a new molecular switch that is used to control the processes of virus assembly, virus maturation and entry into new cells.

It is important to know whether patients have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), as this distinction plays a key role in treatment and prognosis but cannot be reliably determined by established diagnostic means. In a study led by MedUni Vienna, a new method has now been used to determine alcohol consumption in fatty liver disease.

A research team at MedUni Vienna has discovered key mechanisms of allergy to pollen from the common weed mugwort, thereby also laying the foundation for the development of the world's first vaccine. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) poses a serious problem for allergic individuals in our latitudes from July through to September.

A MedUni Vienna study team has identified the role of a specific subtype of macrophages (white blood cells) in progressive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As part of the immune system, these cells have a protective function against fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. At the same time, they are useful as biomarkers of liver disease progression as they can be measured by a blood test.

Patients with chronic liver disease may suffer hepatic complications as a result of severe Covid-19. A study conducted by a research team led by Lukas Hartl, Thomas Reiberger and Michael Trauner from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna found that a rise in cholestasis parameters and subsequent damage to the bile ducts, so-called secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC), develops with striking frequency in patients with pre-existing liver disease.

Micronutrient deficiencies can promote inflammation and render the immune system particularly sensitive to allergenic substances. In particular, iron deficiency signals danger to immune cells and leads to a more pronounced, exaggerated immune response. For the first time, scientists at the Messerli Research Institute of MedUni Vienna, Vetmeduni Vienna and the University of Vienna conducted a placebo-controlled trial and showed that targeted dietary measures can reduce the symptom burden in allergic reactions.

In view of the constant emergence of new viral variants and the limited duration of immune protection through recovery or vaccination, it is becoming increasingly likely that an annual COVID-19 booster vaccination might be needed. Working with colleagues from the Transatlantic Research Lab on Complex Societal Challenges, Jakob Weitzer and Eva Schernhammer from the Department of Epidemiology at the Medical University of Vienna and Gerald Steiner from the University of Continuing Education Krems investigated the willingness of the population to be vaccinated annually against COVID-19.

In the wake of the pandemic, there have been fewer births in poorer, more disadvantaged areas, while there has hardly been any change in births in affluent and more advantaged areas.

Fluorescent dyes, such as those used in discotheques with black lights or from forensic crime-scene searches for blood traces, play an important role in pharmaceutical research in particular. They can be used to visualize biological structures in fluids, cells or tissues. A team led by neuropharmacologist Margot Ernst from the Medical University of Vienna and theoretical chemist Leticia González from the University of Vienna have conducted a study to investigate the mechanism of a fluorescent dye for neuroscience.

In a recent study, an interdisciplinary research team from MedUni Vienna showed that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used as a non-invasive method for predicting complications in chronic liver disease. The scientists combined a simple risk stratification system developed at MedUni Vienna - the functional liver imaging score (FLIS) - with splenic diameter.

Viral infections during pregnancy affect the mother's brain and her postpartum care behaviour. These are the findings of a research study in a mouse model conducted at MedUni Vienna. The results were published in the leading journal "Molecular Psychiatry". There is ample data from studies in mouse models demonstrating that viral infections during pregnancy can affect the developing brain of the young in utero (in the womb) with lifelong consequences for brain function and behaviour.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a malignant disease associated with a particularly high mortality rate. According to a new multicenter study led by MedUni Vienna and conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States, SCLC can be divided into several subgroups in terms of clinical behaviour.

The various manifestations of head and neck carcinomas rank sixth in frequency worldwide and are fatal for about half a million people every year. In a quarter of cases, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) and, currently, is not always treatable. A research team led by Lorenz Kadletz-Wanke from MedUni Vienna's Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery has now discovered a new therapeutic option in the context of a study.

A MedUni Vienna study found evidence that people with cancer and non-O blood group such as A, B or AB are at increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), blood clots in the veins. The study was recently published in the journal "Blood Advances". VTE includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that typically forms in the deep veins of the leg, and pulmonary embolism (PE), a life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot breaks free and lodges in the pulmonary arteries of the lungs.

For cancer patients, Covid-19 poses a particular risk due to their often compromised immune systems, weakened by therapy or disease, which is why vaccination is very important for their protection. Now, a recent study led by MedUni Vienna shows that, due to Omicron, there is an increasing number of breakthrough infections in people with cancer, especially while they are undergoing cancer therapy.

In the largest study so far conducted into schizophrenia, which included more than 320,000 participants, scientists from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), a group of several hundred researchers from 45 countries, identified a large number of genes that may play a significant role in the disorder.

Up to 80% of people with a spinal cord injury suffer from spasticity. Until now, they had to choose between drugs with severe side effects or risky surgery. Mathematician and neuroscientist Ursula Hofstötter from the Medical University of Vienna developed a procedure that alleviates spasticity and also improves mobility - without any drugs or surgery.

The preclinical data for a vaccine developed at MedUni Vienna to protect against SARS-CoV-2 indicates that it is effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants known to date, including omicron - even in those who have not yet built up any immunity as a result of vaccination (non-responders). The data from the study were recently published in the leading journal "Allergy".

A research team from MedUni Vienna and the Complexity Science Hub analyzed 180,034 patients with diabetes mellitus and found evidence that women are at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than men - particularly during perimenopause. In total, massive amounts of data from around 45 million hospitalizations and 7,239,710 patients in Austria between 2003 and 2014 were studied.

The precise choice of treatment for breast cancer depends upon the status of the hormone receptors (for oestrogen and progesterone). Their conventional determination by means of immunohistochemistry (IHC) is associated with a certain error rate, which can be reduced by adding genomic data. Even conventional statistics can bring about a notable improvement but now it is possible to use decision theory to optimally combine diagnostic findings, particularly where they are contradictory.