Rare diseases: Focus on paragangliomas in the head and neck area
On the occasion of Rare Disease Day on 28 February 2026, which has the motto "Equity" – justice and equal opportunities in medical care – the German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNO-KHC) is drawing attention to paragangliomas in the head...
Stool test and colonoscopy with consistent participation similarly effective against colorectal cancer
Regular stool tests and preventive colonoscopies can significantly reduce the number of colorectal cancers and deaths in Germany – with high participation, both strategies are almost equally effective. This is shown by a new simulation study by the German Cancer...
Love hormone oxytocin promotes social behavior directly in the medial prefrontal cortex
An animal study led by the Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim shows that the neuropeptide oxytocin specifically promotes social rapprochement via a circuit in the medial prefrontal cortex. This effect is maintained even under physical stress such as...
Almost all people with BMI ≥ 30 meet criteria for clinical obesity
An international analysis of large population and intervention studies led by Prof. Matthias Schulze from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) shows that almost all people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 kg/m² can be confirmed...
Rare diseases: DGRh warns of gaps in care for off-label use
On Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2026, the German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh) has warned of serious gaps in care for rare inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Repeated rejections of medically indicated off-label therapies by health insurance companies and the risk...
MPI Director Calls for Cost Coverage of New Alzheimer’s Drugs
The director of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Prof. Dr. Peter Falkai, has criticized an early rejection of the additional benefit for the Alzheimer's drug lecanemab by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) and called for the costs to be covered by the health...
Clinical Raman Spectroscopy: Jürgen Popp Receives Ellis R. Lippincott Award 2026
Biophotonics researcher Prof. Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT) and Professor of Physical Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, has been awarded the Ellis R. Lippincott Award 2026. The...
ETH researchers produce elastic ear cartilage in the laboratory
Researchers at ETH Zurich, the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel and the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital have grown elastic ear cartilage from human cells in the laboratory, whose mechanical properties largely correspond to those of a natural ear. The artificial tissue...
Next Chance ’27: DGKL continuing education events in Hanover in 2026 already fully booked
The annual multi-day continuing education events of the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) in Hanover are already fully booked for 2026. The courses are organized by Prof. Dr. Ralf Lichtinghagen, Senior Clinical Chemist at the...
NfL biomarkers: Blood markers show biological age and life expectancy in animals
The protein neurofilament light chain (NfL), which is considered a marker for nerve damage and neurodegenerative diseases in human medicine, can also be detected in the blood of numerous animal species. In mice, cats, dogs and horses, its concentration increases with...
