Food in hospitals often does not enjoy a good reputation. The proportion of meat on the plate in particular is too high and often does not meet the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), which advocates a more plant-based diet in hospitals (in German). Clinics can do a lot to motivate patients to choose a healthier menu, as two new studies by Bonn University Hospital (UKB) and the University of Bonn show. Around 2,000 people took part. The results can now serve as a basis for decision-makers in hospitals to make culinary changes. The results of the study will be published in the current August issue of the “Journal of Environmental Psychology”.
The innermost layer of blood vessels is formed by endothelial cells, which in turn play a role in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Human endothelial cells are therefore required for the "in vitro" investigation of the causes of these diseases. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now established a highly efficient, cost-effective and reproducible way to generate functional endothelial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for tests in cell culture dishes. The results of the study have now been published in the journal " Cardiovascular Research".
The Argentinian archaeologist Professor Gustavo Politis is to receive a research prize from the Humboldt Foundation. Among other things, the researcher is studying the early settlement of the Americas. Professor Carla Jaimes Betancourt from the Department of Anthropology of the Americas at the University of Bonn had put his name forward for the €60,000 award. The pair are now stepping up their collaboration.
The University of Bonn in partnership with Santander Germany has awarded two students a Uni Bonn Sorgenfrei Stipendium Powered by Santander Universities (“Worry-free Scholarship”). The fortunate winners, Zilan Erol and Corinne Oetker-Álvarez, are each to receive 5,000 euros in scholarship funds.
Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in cooperation with other research teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, investigated a particularly large group of affected individuals. They confirmed the central and already known role of the TLR7 gene in severe courses of the disease in men, but were also able to find evidence for a contribution of the gene in women. In addition, they were able to show that genetic changes in three other genes of the innate immune system contribute to severe COVID-19. The results have now been published in the journal "Human Genetics and Genomics Advances".
Team NimbRo from the University of Bonn took first place at the RoboCup@Home World Championships in Eindhoven. From July 17 to 21, the domestic service robots competed against 16 other teams in Eindhoven, Netherlands. NimbRo achieved the highest score in the tests and also impressed the jury in the final. The assistance robots for everyday environments are being developed at the Chair of Autonomous Intelligent Systems at the Institute of Computer Science. They navigate autonomously, can pick up and place objects and interact with people using a speech dialog system.
The majority of rare diseases have a genetic cause. The underlying genetic alteration can be found more and more easily, for example by means of exome sequencing (ES), leading to a molecular genetic diagnosis. ES is an examination of all sections of our genetic material (DNA) that code for proteins. As part of a Germany-wide multicenter study, ES data was collected from 1,577 patients and systematically evaluated. This made it possible to diagnose a total of 499 patients, with 34 patients showing new, previously unknown genetic diseases. The study thus makes a significant contribution to the initial description of new diseases. In addition, software based on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) was used for the first time on a broad scale to support clinical diagnosis. The "GestaltMatcher" AI system can assist in the assessment of facial features with regard to the classification of congenital genetic syndromes. The results of the study, in which 16 universities and university hospitals were involved, including the University of Bonn, have now been published in the renowned journal "Nature Genetics".
What effect does a vegan/vegetarian month have on a canteen? For this experiment, the Studierendenwerk Bonn sought scientific support from researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Kassel. They found that the impact could still be felt up to eight weeks after the campaign month had ended: as a result of the vegan/vegetarian month, the amount of meat consumed in the canteen fell by 7 to 12 percent compared to the level recorded beforehand. In addition, around half of the people surveyed agreed with the idea of one meat-free month a year, while over 80 percent said that canteens should offer more vegetarian options. The findings have been published in a working paper prepared by the ECONtribute Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn.