news 2022

New research by a team of UT researchers could provide a promising approach in the battle against malaria. In the research published in the scientific journal ACS Infectious Diseases , the researchers combat the malaria parasite in mosquitoes in a specific phase of their life. "It's a unique approach: previous research focused predominantly on treatment in humans." Malaria is a major health problem all over the world.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a higher chance of suffering from brain-related problems such as anxiety, depression and memory problems. PhD candidate Charlotte Pelgrim discovered that inflammation in the brain and a less protective barrier of the blood vessels in the brain may play a role.

Due to the Western lifestyle with a high fat diet combined with little exercise, more and more people in the Netherlands are overweight or even obese. This causes an increased risk of type II diabetes. What can be done about this besides a healthier lifestyle? The answer comes from an unexpected source: shivering from the cold! Apart from the fact that this mechanism ensures that your body stays a bit warm, it also appears to improve sugar metabolism in type II diabetes patients.

Increasing numbers of young people reportedly make regular use of low doses of LSD or other illegal substances to improve their cognition. Disquiet among parents and educational institutions is growing. Nadia Hutten investigated this phenomenon during her PhD, supervised by Professor Jan Ramaekers. How dangerous is this type of 'microdosing'- And does it actually enhance students' performance? No, Hutten has never used drugs to improve her own mood or cognition.