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Severe heart disease or pulmonary hypertension often lead to a leak in the tricuspid valve, the valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle. However, tricuspid regurgitation can also occur without a clearly identifiable cause. In the past, this leakage was mainly treated with medication using diuretics and, for some years now, with clips inserted into the heart valve.

Drugs known as antidepressants target the serotonin transporter in nerve cells and are among the most commonly prescribed medicines worldwide, but are sometimes associated with significant side effects. As part of a study, a research group led by Thomas Stockner from MedUni Vienna identified the basic principles of serotonin transport and thus created a possible basis for the development of novel drugs with improved selectivity and with fewer undesirable effects.

Coronary stents are implanted in more than 26,000 patients in Austria every year to treat angina pectoris or heart attacks. These are vascular stents made of metal that help to keep narrowed vessels open for many years. Acute clot formation (thrombosis) is the most feared complication of these procedures.

A research team led by Georg Stary (Medical University of Vienna and CeMM) has identified a new approach to treating the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis. In a clinical study, the inhibition of a specific signaling pathway showed clear success in the treatment of granulomas in the skin. This opens up new therapeutic paths for sarcoidosis and similar inflammatory diseases.

Despite enormous medical advances, severe burns are still potentially life-threatening injuries. Clinical scores, which take relevant parameters into account, are available to doctors as a decision-making aid for therapeutic measures and to assess the probability of patient survival. Pre-existing diseases were not previously included in these models.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is one of the world's oldest and most widely used vaccines. It was developed in the early 20th century to provide protection from tuberculosis. Surprisingly, this vaccine protects not only against tuberculosis but also reduces the risk for various other infections, through a mechanism called trained immunity.

A recent study by the Medical University of Vienna sheds light on the perception and knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding generics and biosimilars. A survey showed that there is still widespread skepticism and large gaps in knowledge about these medicines. The results were published in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Sneezing on the bus, coughing on the streetcar, catching a cold at work - a record number of sick notes and wastewater analyses show an unprecedented viral load throughout Austria. The winter, and with it the new COVID-19 wave, has hit Austria hard. The virus, which has been keeping us on our toes since the beginning of 2020, is once again sweeping through the country, even if its progress is to be slowed down with the help of vaccinations and precautionary measures.

People with chronic pain are often dependent on drugs from the class of opioids with sometimes considerable side effects. Accordingly, in recent years the search for safer alternatives has been the focus in drug discovery. As part of an international study led by MedUni Vienna, an opioid-like molecule has now been developed which, as shown in animal models, can effectively alleviate pain but with fewer undesirable side effects.

As an extremely aggressive form of skin cancer, cutaneous melanoma is still associated with a high mortality rate. Enormous progress has recently been made in the fight against deadly metastasis, but existing therapeutic measures are still not effective in many cases. Now a research team led by Wolfgang Weninger and Shweta Tikoo from MedUni Vienna's Department of Dermatology has discovered a new option that targets the metastatic capacity of melanoma cells.

The use of nanotechnology offers numerous new possibilities in the development of medicines and the targeted release of active ingredients. One interesting innovation is the use of iron oxide nanoparticles with a special coating. This allows active ingredients to be delivered safely and directly to the affected cells.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is marketed by some suppliers as a painkiller, e.g. for osteoarthritis of the knee. Animal experiments have shown that the substance, which is extracted from the hemp plant, has an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect in arthritis. As pain researchers at MedUni Vienna were now able to show for the first time in humans, CBD is not effective as pain medication, even in high doses.

Approximately half of patients with advanced liver disease have varicose veins in the oesophagus and stomach, and a more than a fifth of them experience bleeding from these varices into the digestive tract. This is a life-threatening complication that contributes significantly to the still high mortality rate in cirrhosis.

An international team from science and industry has revolutionized the modelling and prediction of free energy in crystals. Their work on the new TRHu(ST) method, published in Nature , shows that the stability of crystal forms can be predicted reliably and cost-effectively under real temperature and humidity conditions.

A study led by the Medical University of Vienna shows a sustained survival benefit of the so called antiangiogenic therapy at recurrence of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children and adolescents. The therapy starves the cancer by interfering mainly with the cancer microenvironment.

A large EU-funded study with the participation of experts from Graz has now shown that the removal of the causative blood clot with a catheter intervention in severe strokes can save lives. "Even in patients with severe strokes, treatment using a catheter to open the vessel occlusion is successful. In almost 20 percent of the patients treated, death or the need for nursing care could be prevented by a corresponding procedure," the Hamburg University Hospital (UKE) now reported.

An underlying liver disease can be found in 85% of patients with a new diagnosis of liver cancer. Due to the increasing incidence of fatty liver disease, the number of liver cancer diagnoses could increase by up to 50% by 2040. Affected people with advanced liver disease should be included in early detection programs.

A research team at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital has published a study investigating the influence of chronic diseases on the occurrence of surgical or medical complications in oncological bowel surgery and how these affect long-term survival. It was found that although the number and severity of concomitant diseases influences the occurrence of medical or surgical complications, this does not have a negative impact on long-term survival in sicker individuals.

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is mainly caused by asbestos exposure and characterized by poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. A recent research study led by Karin Schelch and Michael Grusch from MedUni Vienna identified the oncoprotein YB-1 as an attractive therapeutic target in PM and demonstrates that indirect targeting of YB-1 is a promising approach to enhance sensitivity to chemoand radiotherapy.

A joint research group from the Medical University of Vienna and King's College London has presented a "proteome atlas" of atherosclerotic plaques that reveals important gender differences in the development and prognosis of atherosclerosis. The study identified four key proteins that are more predictive of future cardiovascular mortality than conventional methods.