wire - news in brief

Christmas is a time for donating. As the end of the year approaches, donation requests from various aid organizations tumble in almost daily.

A medication used to treat MS also has a beneficial effect on the composition of the intestinal flora, according to researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel. Conversely, the gut flora also plays a role in which side effects occur during treatment with the medication.

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel has studied the effects of the Covid-19 booster vaccination on the heart muscle.

The values that matter most to primary school children are safety and the well-being of others. Teachers, meanwhile, also want to cultivate self-direction - in the same way that the Swiss curriculum aims to do.

Nikon has selected the Department of Biomedicine's microscopy facility as its first -Center of Excellence- in Switzerland.

How did teaching staff cope with the sudden switch to online teaching during the coronavirus pandemic? Researchers from the University of Basel investigated this in collaboration with Eucor - The European Campus.

How is the outlook regarding Covid-19 for the coming weeks? Professor Richard Neher at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, who has been studying the evolution of the virus since the pandemic started, answers some pressing questions.

It has long been proven that daylight has a positive influence on physical and mental health. Nevertheless, this knowledge is still little used in everyday life and in the clinic.

It has long been proven that daylight has a positive influence on physical and mental health. Nevertheless, this knowledge is rarely used in everyday life or in clinical practice.

Higher aspirations lead to higher achievements. At least, that is true in the context of educational and occupational aspirations, as shown by a new study co-authored by economist Dr. Reto Odermatt of the University of Basel. Unrealistically high aspirations as a teenager, however, can have a negative effect on well-being as an adult.

Signs and symbols are intended to provide orientation in public spaces. Once we-ve understood their message, we take note of it and usually think no more of it.

Prof. Markus Rüegg and Dr. Judith Reinhard from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have founded the start-up SEAL Therapeutics AG together with Dr. Thomas Meier, former CEO of Santhera Pharmaceuticals.

Using a smartphone and ignoring other people in a moment of social interaction is known as phubbing (a blend of phone and snubbing). This habit can endanger relationships and threaten psychological well-being. Researchers at the University of Basel have now examined the factors that contribute to this behavior.

Hermaphroditic species face a fundamental question: how much energy should they expend on their male and female sides? Flatworms have found various answers to this question over the course of evolution - and the solutions are directly correlated with their mating behavior. Many plants and animals have both male and female reproductive organs.

Researchers from the University of Basel and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a rapid test for Covid-19 with a novel functional principle.

Professor Verdon Taylor from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel studies the development of the brain from stem cells, including using animal-free methods. Here, he explains which research questions can be answered using this approach - and why animal experiments are still needed.

At the University of Basel, a large team of experts looks after the welfare of animals used in experiments. The aim is to minimize the stress placed on the animals. This is achieved by means of species-appropriate animal husbandry, careful planning of experiments and close monitoring of each animal.

Professor Alfred Zippelius, from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel, has been conducting experiments with mice for several years.

The latest survey in the University of Basel's Swiss Corona Stress Study shows that psychological stress remains high during the pandemic.

During the current pandemic, face masks have become part of everyday life. In many places their use is now a given.

The way that politicians use social media can influence how they are perceived by voters. Policy-oriented messages contribute to a more professional impression, while too much private content can have a negative effect. These are the findings of a study conducted with the participation of the University of Basel.

Individuals can also experience feelings of ostracism in the digital world. Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Koblenz-Landau have studied how strongly people's fundamental psychological needs are affected when they are not tagged on Instagram. Humans are highly sensitive to what are known as ostracism experiences.

Why do people install a coronavirus warning app on their cell phone - or not? Researchers of the Department of Economic Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Basel investigated.

The lungs are the primary, but not the only target of Covid-19. Early in the pandemic, Basel researchers were among the first to venture to perform autopsies on deceased Covid-19 patients, making important contributions to our understanding of the new infectious disease. Professor Alexandar Tzankov of the University of Basel is leading a research project highlighting the effects of the virus on the body's tissues and organs.

The Center for Data Analytics at the University of Basel helps researchers make the most of their data using cutting-edge techniques such as deep learning.

Researchers from the University of Basel have identified cells in the immune system that are able to attack a wide range of cancer cells.

The latest survey by the University of Basel on psychological stress in the second Covid-19 wave has revealed that levels have increased significantly in comparison with the spring of this year. The proportion of people with severe depressive symptoms stood at 9% during lockdown in April, but this figure had risen to 18% in November.

Iron-deficiency anaemia is a major concern in low income countries, especially for women. A study conducted in Tanzania has now demonstrated the advantage of iron infusion therapy over the usual treatment with iron tablets.

The results of a survey conducted by the University of Basel showed that the pandemic's first wave put a great deal of psychological strain on many people in Switzerland.

The Dammann collection contains photographs and sound recordings, for example of Adelheid Mbuandjou.

Living at home in old age: This is what most older adults want. As a result, there is a high demand for senior apartments and tailor-made services for the care of older adults in need of assistance in their own households.

In the body, so-called programmed cell death prevents cells with irreparable damage from surviving and turning into cancer cells. In the "EMBO Journal", researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum, report how a certain protein variant thwarts the self-destruction and thus promotes the growth of breast cancer cells.

Researchers at the University of Basel have a vision: an individually configurable robot will revolutionize surgical procedures and provide numerous benefits for patients.

No year since weather records began was as hot and dry as 2018. A first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of this drought and heat event shows that central European forests sustained long-term damage.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is still a relatively young approach from behavioral therapy, but has already proven itself in the treatment of a wide range of mental disorders.

There is less fear of coronavirus since the end of the lockdown, but 40% of the population still feels more stressed than before the pandemic began.

Anyone who owns a smartphone, uses social media or drives a "smart" car unwittingly reveals a lot about themselves.

The company Artidis, a University of Basel spin-off, has announced that it developed a test procedure that can detect breast cancer with a very high sensitivity. This is demonstrated by a clinical trial that investigated whether a nanomechanical biomarker of tissue samples is suitable for the diagnosis of breast cancer.