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While the German government is planning to relax legislation on the use of cannabis, researchers from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, together with colleagues from Italy, Austria and the USA, have identified the mode of action underlying anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated by cannabinoids.

Worldwide, there is a proliferation in the use of mechanical active cardiovascular support. The hope is to use these assist devices to improve survival after the most severe form of acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock. A recent clinical study, led by heart specialist Prof. Holger Thiele, has shown that these devices do not reduce mortality after cardiogenic shock within 30 days.

After the complete tumour resection, not all patients with an adrenocortical carcinoma require the previous standard therapy Mitotane. Professors Martin Fassnacht and Massimo Terzolo show this in a clinical trial. In 2017, the teams of Massimo Terzolo and Martin Fassnacht published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that provided evidence for the efficacy of Mitotane in the prevention of recurrence in adrenocortical carcinoma.

Whether you have a sports injury, repetitive strain injury or pain in the knee, cortisone preparations are often used to treat acute inflammations. Chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, diabetes and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases are also treated with drugs containing cortisone or derived drugs.

Obesity leads to altered energy metabolism and reduced insulin sensitivity of cells. The so-called "anti-obesity drugs" are increasingly used to treat obesity and have caused tremendous interest, especially in the USA. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany, have now shown in people with obesity that reduced insulin sensitivity affects learning of sensory associations.

Sugar molecule accurately delivers RNA drug to target cells Overly active immune cells are often behind lung damage in diseases such as Covid-19. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an RNA agent for a lung spray that slows the activity of these cells, known as macrophages.

Pills could soon be produced in shapes that resemble design objects. And this would not be just an aesthetic gimmick, but would serve to release active medical ingredients in the body in a controlled manner. A group of computer scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken and the University of California at Davis have developed a process that uses a combination of computation and 3D printing to produce tablets that dissolve in liquids over a specified period of time.

Ganglia play previously unrecognized role in diseases Around one third of people with heart disease suffer from sleep problems. In a paper published in the journal Science, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shows that heart diseases affect the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in the pineal gland.

The development of head and neck cancer is increasingly linked to HPV infection, which is a sexually transmitted disease.

Many hospitals use the adsorber to purify the blood of seriously ill patients in order to trap inflammatory substances and prevent the life-threatening cytokine storm. Many hospitals use the adsorber to purify the blood of seriously ill patients in order to trap inflammatory substances and prevent the life-threatening cytokine storm.

Physics of Cancer finds first potential application in oncology - More accurate prognosis of how breast tumours spread Researchers led by Leipzig University have found a ground-breaking application in oncology for the scientific field of Physics of Cancer. This is a milestone for the new research field, proving its clinical relevance for the first time.

The ATMP-GMPDU development unit at the Institute for Cell Therapeutics supports research groups in the development of new cellular drugs. Using living cells for therapy is a promising alternative when classical treatment methods fail in the fight against the most severe diseases. In addition to stem cell transplantation, therapies using genetically modified cells have now also been approved in Europe as so-called advanced therapy medicinal products.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a heavy burden. The "EXTINCT post COVID" project is investigating the effectiveness of apheresis therapy and is seeking participants for a study. The Corona pandemic seems to have been overcome; mandatory masks and other restrictions have largely been abolished. However, about one in ten people continue to suffer the consequences of a Corona infection for longer: persistent fatigue, exhaustion, heart problems, poor concentration and shortness of breath.

In a multicentre phase 3 trial, researchers at the MHH have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of the drug Bulevirtide, which prevents HD viruses from entering the liver. Infection with hepatitis D virus (HDV) causes the most severe form of chronic, viral hepatitis disease. About ten to 20 million people worldwide are affected.

A single mutation stands in the way of a drug's effectiveness. Understanding it helps find new therapeutic approaches. So far, there are no specific drugs to treat the hepatitis E virus. Doctors only have the broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin at their disposal, which is often associated with severe side effects.

Research team at Freie Universität Berlin increases safety of attenuated live SARS-CoV-2 vaccine After having successfully tested a mucosal vaccine against coronavirus in animals just months ago, Berlin scientists have now further developed their live SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin have increased the safety of the vaccine, which is administered via the nose.

The hypodermic needles on pre-filled syringes can clog when stored incorrectly. A research team subjected the process to a detailed and systematic investigation, including activities at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The results will help improve manufacturing and storage conditions accordingly.

A clinical trial will investigate the drug's efficacy in dementia patients. A common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases are pathological protein deposits in the brain. These protein aggregates cause nerve cells to die and, as a result, entire brain areas to shrink, which manifests itself in affected individuals as progressive dementia.

News from Studying proteins with novel methods is Dr Matthias Elgeti's speciality. An EPR spectrometer is helping him to study the structure and dynamics of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). His work is concerned with the side effects of drugs and the regulation of bodily functions such as hunger.

Cis-tetrahydrocannabinoids can now be produced synthetically, enabling pharmaceutical applications A group of researchers at Leipzig University has developed a new method for synthesising cis-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - a natural substance found in the cannabis plant that produces the characteristic psychoactive effect and has many potential applications, including in the pharmaceutical industry.