Die rekombinante Gürtelrose-Impfung (RZV, Shingrix) ist bei älteren Menschen nach einem Aufenthalt in einer Pflegeeinrichtung mit einem deutlich geringeren Demenzrisiko verbunden. Das zeigt eine US-Studie mit Target-Trial-Emulation. Die Analyse umfasste rund 510.000 ältere Bewohner von Skilled-Nursing-Facilities. Wer innerhalb von zwölf Monaten nach der Aufnahme mindestens eine Dosis der Impfung erhielt, hatte ein um 24 Prozent niedrigeres relatives Demenzrisiko (Risikoverhältnis 0,76; 95%-Konfidenzintervall 0,69–0,84) im Vergleich zu Ungeimpften. Über vier Jahre betrug das kumulative Demenzrisiko bei Geimpften etwa 18,8 Prozent, bei Ungeimpften 24,6 Prozent – ein absoluter Unterschied von rund 5,8 Prozentpunkten. Die Assoziation war bei Frauen und bei Personen ohne vorherige Lebendimpfung besonders ausgeprägt. Auch die Sterblichkeit war in der geimpften Gruppe niedriger. Die Studie von Kaleen Hayes und Kollegen der Brown University wurde am 16. Juni 2026 im Fachjournal Annals of Internal Medicine veröffentlicht. Sie nutzte Daten von Medicare-Begünstigten und… 

Researchers at the University of Cologne have identified a previously unknown Achilles' heel in most forms of pancreatic cancer. KRAS-mutated tumor cells are therefore susceptible to a specific form of programmed cell death (necroptosis) when their defense is disabled by the protein Caspase-8. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer and responds only limitedly to existing therapies. Around 90 percent of tumors carry mutations in the KRAS gene, which drive cancer growth. The team led by Professor Dr. Silvia von Karstedt from the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) has now shown that these mutations prepare cancer cells for necroptosis through constant activation of signals from the innate immune system (Type I interferon signaling pathway). However, to survive, the cells are highly dependent on Caspase-8, which normally prevents this form of cell death. "KRAS-mutated tumors have a previously unknown Achilles' heel," said von Karstedt. "By disabling the tumor cells' defense mechanisms, we can target these… 

Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a new method that allows short peptides to be sequenced with significantly greater accuracy. The process facilitates the analysis of unknown peptide sequences in food and biological samples. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that control numerous biological processes in food and the body. Their sequencing has been considered difficult until now because conventional methods often rely on existing databases and are unreliable with short molecules. As the team led by Associate Professor Mitsuru Tanaka reports in the journal Analytical Chemistry (published June 15, 2026), the new technique uses a chemical label at the N-terminus of the peptides with the coumarin derivative Me-Cou (N-succinimidyl 7-methoxycoumarin-3-carboxylate). This labeling leads to stepwise, easily readable fragmentation during mass spectrometric analysis, enabling de novo sequencing directly from raw data. In tests with 132 standard peptides, the method identified all sequences flawlessly. In contrast, conventional approaches only identified 42 out of…