news 2023

Climate change is accompanied by increasing temperatures, which are leading to ever greater challenges in urban areas, both at work and in the home office.

A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Neurology at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has demonstrated for the first time that diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be significantly improved by additionally measuring the thickness of retinal layers in the eye. Use of the procedure, which is already available at the Departments of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, helps to detect the condition at an earlier stage and predict its progression more accurately.

Inflammations of the peritoneum (peritonitis) are as frequent as they are feared complications in peritoneal dialysis, a form of kidney replacement therapy for independent use at home. The bacteria responsible for the life-threatening infections are becoming increasingly resistant to many antibiotics.

When people talk about a stroke, they are usually referring to ischemic stroke, in which an artery in the brain becomes blocked and affected areas of the brain are subsequently no longer supplied with nutrients and oxygen. Cerebral hemorrhage is another form of this medical emergency, in which a blood vessel bursts.

PLUS: Pediatric Cancer: Vulnerabilities in the Immune Response against Metastases Discovered Scientists led by Nikolaus Fortelny, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, and Sabine Taschner-Mandl, St. Anna Children's Cancer Research, have gained new insights into the cell architecture and cell-cell communication of neuroblastoma metastases in a groundbreaking study.

For a long time, osteoarthritis was considered to be the result of wear and tear in advanced age. In the meantime, more and more studies are linking the degradation of articular cartilage to inflammatory and metabolic processes in the joint. In researching these processes, a scientific team led by MedUni Vienna has made significant progress in understanding the disease, which could provide a new starting point for diagnosis and therapy.

Small-cell lung cancer is a particularly aggressive type of tumor with a consistently high mortality rate. In recent years, the research of scientists at MedUni Vienna's Department of Thoracic Surgery has significantly contributed to a better understanding and new therapeutic approaches in this malignant disease.

In the quest to find the origin of the puzzling symptoms in four children, researchers from St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), and the Medical University of Vienna have discovered a completely new disease, linking disorders of blood formation, the immune system, and inflammation.

Since its introduction in 2015, a prediction tool developed by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) has been providing support worldwide in the assessment of the clinical benefits of new cancer therapies. However, previously available versions proved unsuitable for use with malignant diseases of the blood, such as different types of leukaemias or lymphomas.

The amount of electric lighting at night has been increasing at a rate of almost ten percent annually over the past ten years. And this primarily has an impact on the 4.4 billion people across the world who live in cities. Excessive exposure to light at night not only has the potential to trigger sleep disorders, but has also been found to increase the risk of disease such as obesity, depression, diabetes and cancer.

A new international study involving the Kepler University Hospital for Neurology in Linz has provided important insights into the optimal timing for starting blood-thinning therapy after stroke in patients* with atrial fibrillation. The results of this ELAN study (Early versus late initiation of direct oral anticoagulants in post-ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation) were published in the renowned journal "New England Journal of Medicine".

Temporarily lowering the body temperature is considered a way to prevent or limit brain damage after resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest. Researchers at MedUni Vienna's Department of Emergency Medicine have now analysed the results of several studies in a Cochrane Review and shown to what extent cooling methods can reduce the risk of brain damage and improve neurological outcomes after successful resuscitation.

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna and the Complexity Science Hub Vienna has analysed the actual prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Austria for the first time as part of a study. In addition to identifying clear regional differences, an alarming and previously unknown figure came to light: one in three people suddenly stop treatment and go without medication and/or medical check-ups for at least a year.

Primate genomes analyzed by AI for clinical relevance of individual gene variants. New genome data from a large number of different monkey species generated by an international research team are providing new insights into the genetic causes of human diseases. With development of a deep-learning-based algorithm, they could serve as a basis for personalized medical treatment concepts in humans in the future.

At the Vienna University of Technology, a breakthrough was achieved in the production of important enzymes: Previously, they were extracted from horseradish roots (horseradish), but now a precise, clean, synthetic production was achieved in the laboratory . It is one of the most important enzymes in medical diagnostics: The so-called - Horseradish Peroxidase- (Horseradish Peroxidase) is used for many medical devices - often it is used when a color change of a test strip is to detect the presence of antibodies or other proteins.

People suffering from obesity are at a significantly greater risk of also developing mental disorders. This applies to all age groups, whereby women are more at risk than men for most diseases, as a recent study by the Medical University of Vienna and the Complexity Science Hub Vienna shows. The results were published in the specialist journal "Translational Psychiatry".

15-country study confirms that people living near or visiting the seaside enjoy better health Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast.

A recent study at JKU sheds light on the development of aortic aneurysm, a pathological dilatation of the aorta. Aortic aneurysm, a pathological enlargement of the aorta that can lead to a tear or rupture of the aorta with life-threatening consequences. Since the disease often occurs without symptoms, it is often diagnosed only at an advanced stage, which usually necessitates surgical intervention.

A study from the University of Vienna shows a positive effect of vaccination even in patients requiring oxygen. Previous studies have shown that the mortality rate of Corona patients hospitalized and requiring oxygen therapy is similar no matter if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

The course of the chronic inflammatory nerve disease multiple sclerosis can vary greatly. Individualized therapies for MS sufferers require early and precise prediction of future disease activity. This is made possible by the combination of different biomarkers, as shown in a study by neuroimmunologist Harald Hegen at the University Clinic for Neurology.