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eHealth and mHealth - smart helpers for people with depression

Smartphones have become our everyday companions. A lot of people are critical of this: On the one hand, they connect us to everything and everybody, on the other hand, we lack time and concentration for personal contacts and our surroundings because of them. Still, smartphones and other wearables are a great asset for medicine, as they help people to stay healthy or to manage a chronic illness, for example. Read in our Topic of the month what this can look like for people with depression.

News from the editors of MEDICA-tradefair.com

Image: two hands holding a blood sugar measuring device; Copyright: panthermedia.net/WavebreakmediaMicro

Diabetes added to high risks for people with severe mental illness

People with severe mental illness are more than twice as likely to have Type 2 diabetes, with even higher risks among patients who are African American or Hispanic, according to a new study led by UCSF.

Image: proteins in the nuclear pore complex; Copyright: California Institute of Technology

How 'gatekeepers' to a cell's nucleus let genetic instructions pass through

New structural details emerge about one of the body's biggest protein assemblages, the nuclear pore complex.

Image: electron microscopy images confirm the deposition of an extracellular matrix; Copyright: University of Basel

Blood formation: researchers engineer human bone marrow tissue

Researchers have developed an artificial tissue in which human blood stem cells remain functional for a prolonged period of time. Scientists from the University of Basel, University Hospital Basel, and ETH Zurich have reported their findings in the scientific journal PNAS.

Image: young woman listening to music via head phones; Copyright: panthermedia.net/stokkete

Study finds music therapy brings effective pain relief

New study from University Hospitals Connor Integrative Health Network published in the Journal of Music Therapy.

Image: a woman standing on a scale saying "SOS"; Copyright: panthermedia.net/viperagp

Study offers new hope for the fight against genetically determined obesity

Around two to six per cent of all people with obesity develop obesity already in early childhood; it's in their genetic cards. Obesity-causal mutations in one of their "appetite genes" gives them a strong genetic predisposition for developing obesity, also called monogenic obesity. Their experience of hunger is overruling and their feeling of satiety limited.

Image: young man sleeping, his head resting on the table; Copyright: panthermedia.net/MichalLudwiczak

UA study links sleep loss with nighttime snacking

The study found poor sleep quality was associated with nighttime snacking and a high likelihood of craving junk food. The study also found that junk food cravings were associated with increased risk of obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

Image: young woman in front of a laptop, looking tired; Copyright: panthermedia.net/SIphotography

Why do some sleep-deprived people experience worse cognitive functioning than others?

Penn study reveals that microRNAs predict differences in cognitive impairment in memory and attention after sleep deprivation.

Image: nurse holding a brown dog in her arms; Copyright: Michael Bernkopf/Vetmeduni Vienna

Immunoglobulin E as a promising new form of anti-cancer immunotherapy

If immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are directed against harmless antigens such as pollen, the result can be an allergic reaction. However the original purpose of these IgE antibodies is to repel harmful exogenous substances rather than to trigger allergies.

Image: left: mouse waiting for a reward for a short time; right: mouse waiting for a long time ; Copyright: OIST

Wait for it: Serotonin and confidence at the root of patience

Serotonin keeps mice hanging on if they are sure of getting rewards, but not sure when.

Image: S100A8/S100A9 protein complex (grey/beige) binds to the TLR4 receptor (rainbow-coloured) and MD2 (red); Copyright: Vogl et al./ J. Clin. Invest.

Münster researchers have discovered a possible new treatment for regulating inflammation

Researchers at the Cells-in-Motion Cluster of Excellence have decoded a mechanism found at the beginning of almost every inflammatory response. Their study provides a new approach to develop novel treatment options for many inflammatory disorders with many fewer side effects compared to current drugs.

Biomechanical measuring systems – motion and posture analysis in orthopedics

Biomechanical measuring systems are used in orthopedics to diagnose and treat misalignments and diseases. The Velamed Company uses its high-tech solutions to measure biomechanical parameters that enable a holistic analysis of human movement and posture. We took a closer look at how this works.

Interview

Image: AcCellerator research device at an exhibition stand; Copyright: Daniel Klaue, ZELLMECHANIK DRESDEN GmbH

Cells in the speed trap – diagnosis in a matter of seconds

A drop of blood provides a lot of valuable information. However, it takes several hours to analyze the blood of a patient and make a diagnosis. This takes away a lot of time that's crucial for treatment. A new method intends to considerably speed up this process by testing the cells in the blood in terms of their deformability and immune response.

Read the interview with Dr. Klaue and Dr. Herold here