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Largest genetic study on RLS to date An international team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Munich has conducted the largest genetic investigation of restless legs syndrome (RLS) to date. The study represents a significant advancement in deciphering the genetic basis of this disorder and opens novel pathways for patient care.

Living bone is fascinating because of its unique ability to adapt to mechanical stress and regenerate without scarring. During fracture healing, blood vessels and bone cells work closely together to gradually replace the initial cartilaginous wound tissue with ingrowing blood vessels and new bone tissue.

A surface protein helps viruses to enter cells. This has far-reaching consequences for the infection. How exactly do Sars-Cov-2 particles enter host cells? An international team led by Dr Richard Brown from Dr Daniel Todt's Computational Virology group at the Department of Molecular and Medical Virology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, together with researchers from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, investigated this question.

Diagnostic support with artificial intelligence and robotics Prof. Nassir Navab from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) uses robotic ultrasound systems that perform routine examinations autonomously and support doctors in the operating theater. His research shows that these systems can make everyday life easier for doctors.

The gut microbiome influences our decisions in social contexts. This is the conclusion of a study led by Sorbonne Université and INSEAD with the participation of the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB). The study has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus .

What mucins can do in medicine They are in our eyes, on our tongues, and in our stomachs: Protective layers of mucus, a slime consisting primarily of mucins. These are molecules which bind water to form a natural lubricant. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) use them to develop coatings for contact lenses and intubation tubes, healing plasters for use on the tongue and intestines, and much more.

Dynamic structure of FLVCR proteins and their function in nutrient transport in our cells revealed It is known that malfunctions of the proteins FLVCR1 and FLVCR2 lead to rare hereditary diseases in humans that cause motor, sensory and neurological disorders. However, the biochemical mechanisms behind this and the physiological functions of the FLVCR proteins have been unclear to date.

Marine microbes control the flux of matter and energy essential for life in the oceans. Among them, the bacterial group SAR11 accounts for about a third of all the bacteria found in surface ocean waters. A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, now reveals that at times nearly 20 percent of SAR11 cells are infected by viruses, significantly reducing total cell numbers.

Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin "defanging" bacteria, rendering them harmless In most cases, antibiotics are a reliable form of protection against bacterial infections. They have saved billions of human lives since their introduction. This protection, however, is threatened by bacteria's resistance to classical antibiotics and by their aggressive pathogenicity.

The system is already in use in retirement homes. Researchers from Bochum have tested how effective it is in a scientific study. Solving a quiz as a group while moving around the room at the same time - this combination is the basis of a new tool designed to prevent dementia. Researchers developed and evaluated it in the "go4cognition" project with industry partners and brought it to market maturity.

A newly identified compound prevents a cellular enzyme from cleaving the virus particle. As a result, the virus can no longer infect cells. At present, there is no specific active substance against hepatitis E. As the disease kills 70,000 people every year, researchers are actively searching for one.

Researchers at the University Alliance Ruhr have discovered new insights into how acute illness affects empathy. Their study confirms complex relationships between physical well-being and empathy. When people are ill, they feel less empathy for others than when they are healthy. This has been confirmed by a study conducted by Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a dangerous malformation of the lungs and diaphragm that causes almost a third of affected babies to die from underdeveloped lungs. Medical researchers in Leipzig have made important progress in understanding the condition. The team led by Dr Richard Wagner has discovered that the dangerous malformation of the newborn lungs is associated with inflammatory processes involving the increased presence of immune cells.

A new study shows that the cerebellum is involved in processing emotions. This is important to know when caring for people with ataxia. For a long time, the fact that the cerebellum also plays an important role in regulating our emotions - such as when processing fear - has been ignored. Professor Melanie Mark from Ruhr-University Bochum and Professor Dagmar Timmann from the University of Duisburg-Essen are two of the first researchers to provide experimental evidence that the cerebellum contributes towards both the learning and the extinction of conditioned fear responses.

The rapidly escalating prevalence of overweight and obesity poses a significant medical challenge worldwide. In addition to people's changing lifestyles, genetic factors also play a key role in the development of obesity. Scientists at Leipzig University and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have now identified a new regulator of eating behaviour.

In Europe, 1.55 million people die every year due to a poor diet. This is the conclusion of a recent study by Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Economics (INL) and the nutriCARD Competence Cluster. The researchers analysed the importance of nutrition for cardiovascular-related deaths in the period between 1990 and 2019, and have published their findings in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Center for Adipocyte Signaling (SDU), the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have found a protein that is responsible for turning off brown fat activity. This new discovery could lead to a promising strategy for safely activating brown fat and tackling obesity and related health problems.

Antibacterial substance from staphylococci discovered with new mechanism of action against natural competitors Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered a new so-called lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37.

Researchers the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg conducted the first systematic study of CRISPR-based antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The antimicrobial potential of CRISPR-Cas systems is promising, yet how to best design or implement CRISPR nucleases remains poorly understood.

Newly discovered mechanism could significantly improve cancer immunotherapies Tumors actively prevent the formation of immune responses by so-called cytotoxic T cells, which are essential in combating cancer. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) Hospital have now uncovered for the first time how this exactly happens.