Nataliia fled Russia’s bombs – now she is researching at KI

Nataliia Petryk ran a private clinic in Kyiv helping women give birth when she was forced to flee Ukraine when Russia invaded her country. By following a call by the European Research Council for EU teams to take in Ukrainian scientists, she is now able to conduct research to prevent miscarriage at Karolinska Institutet. Her experience is an example of how science knows no borders.

Resources for support during the war in Ukraine

Procrastination is linked to poor health

Students who habitually delay tasks are at higher risk of worse health outcomes over time, a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Sophiahemmet University has found. The authors linked procrastiction to more symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, disabling pain and worse sleep quality nine months later. Read more in The Conversation.

Cluster headache may be more common in men, but it’s worse for women

Cluster headache has historically been thought of as a male disease. But two recent studies reveal that while men may still be diagnosed more often, women with the condition tend to be far more affected in their daily lives. Study authors Andrea Carmine Belin and Caroline Ran offer their main takeaways in The Conversation.

Young people in rich countries drink less alcohol, elsewhere youth drinking is on the rise

The amount of alcohol young people drink in many high-income countries has seen a marked decline since the early 2000s. But in many developing countries, the opposite is happening. To find out why, the Conversation Weekly podcast talks to KI researcher Jonas Raninen and two other experts.

More articles from KI researchers published in The Conversation

From cold-resistant genes to face masks, Karolinska Institutet researchers contribute to the global public discourse on a range of topics through our collaboration with the international news site The Conversation. 

Major EU funding for development of AI in healthcare

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the Centre for Imaging Research (CIR), SciLifeLab, and RISE have together received a grant of over SEK 100 million from the European Commission's Digital Europe programme. The project, called TEF-Health, will, among other things, promote the rapid introduction of new artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics solutions in healthcare.

Donation enables KI to establish world’s first research centre for cluster headaches

Cluster headache, or Horton’s syndrome, is so painful that it is sometimes referred to as “suicide headache”. Thanks to a donation of SEK 35 million from financier and philanthropist Rune Andersson, research group leader Andrea Carmine Belin will very soon be setting up the world’s first research centre specialising exclusively in cluster headaches.

Why protein supplements are rarely needed

Who actually needs protein shakes? Tommy Lundberg, researcher in physiology, clears up misconceptions about a controversial nutrient.

Protein movement reveals brain tumour's weak spot

Proteins do not have a single shape, but are more like dynamic robots. But – how do they actually move? And what does this tell us about their function? Laura Orellana describes the movement of proteins using computer simulations – and has discovered a new drug target for glioblastoma brain tumours.

New findings on how to avert excessive weight loss from COVID-19

Losing too much weight when infected with COVID-19 has been linked to worse outcomes. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infection fuels blood vessel formation in fat tissues, thus revving up the body’s thermogenic metabolism. Blocking this process by using an existing drug curbed weight loss in mice and hamsters that were infected with the virus.

Researchers may have found a new biomarker for acute COVID-19

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that patients with acute COVID-19 infection have increased levels of the cytokine IL-26 in their blood. Moreover, high IL-26 levels correlate with an exaggerated inflammatory response that signifies severe cases of the disease. The findings, which are presented in Frontiers in Immunology, indicate that IL-26 is a potential biomarker for severe COVID-19.  

New Omicron subvariant largely evades neutralizing antibodies

A study at Karolinska Institutet shows that the coronavirus variant BA.2.75.2, an Omicron sublineage, largely evades neutralizing antibodies in the blood and is resistant to several monoclonal antibody antiviral treatments. The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggest a risk of increased SARS-CoV-2 infections this winter, unless the new updated bivalent vaccines help to boost immunity in the population.

Positive effects of omega-3 on the immune system in cases of severe COVID-19

Intravenous treatment with omega-3 fatty acids in elderly hospitalised patients in intensive care due to COVID-19 seems to have positive effects on the ability of the immune system to cope with the virus, according to a study from KI. In the future, the study, published in Clinical and Translational Medicine, could lead to a complementary, cost-effective treatment for COVID-19.