News

To help promote vaccination in Tartu and Tartu County, on Saturday, the vaccination bus of Tartu University Hospital moves from Raatuse 22 to the city centre, next to Tartu Kaubamaja. On the bus, it is possible to get vaccinated from 10 to 16.

The results of a study conducted with the participation of researchers from the University of Tartu will enable couples struggling with infertility to be treated more effectively in the future. The researchers found that the progesterone supplements used to promote pregnancy in infertility treatment cause different reactions than expected in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, including inflammatory effects in uterine mucosal cells.

The recent stage of coronavirus prevalence study led by the University of Tartu confirms that vaccine protects against falling ill but a vaccinated person may still be a virus carrier. Because of a change in the sample, this stage of the study allows to draw reliable conclusions about vaccinated people only, and not about the entire adult population.

This week the vaccination team from the University of Tartu Hospital will share information about coronavirus vaccinations on Car Free Avenue. The vaccination team will be present on July 27 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., on July 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on July 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The team can answer questions. It is possible to print out a digital vaccination certificate on site for those who have been vaccinated but do not have the opportunity to print one themselves.

On 5 August, at the request of the Government of the Republic, researchers of the University of Tartu restart the study on the prevalence of coronavirus in Estonia. The study wave lasting until 16 August helps to get an overview of both the spread of the virus among the adult population as well as the development of antiviral immunity in society.

We'd like to start teaching and studies in the autumn as normally as possible and meet face to face in class, and therefore it is important that as many of our new and returning students and university staff as possible are vaccinated. The nearest vaccination locations can be found on the website vaktsineeri.ee.

According to the respondents, the University of Tartu diploma is highly valued in the labour market, and high-level research is done and excellent education is offered at the university.

To encourage researchers to apply for European Research Council grants, the Grant Office has developed and is piloting a 10,000-euro UT ERC Incentive Grant. Its purpose is to free up the applicant’s time for writing a research grant application. The first call for applications takes place in the autumn already and will involve up to 20 researchers.

At the meeting on 30 June, the council of the University of Tartu Institute of Clinical Medicine elected Professor in Neurology Pille Taba as the head of the institute. Her term of office starts on 1 September.

The Guild voices its concerns regarding the existing regulatory frameworks on health data which are putting medical research in Europe under a threat. Access to a large volume and diverse range of data is crucial for the improvement of diagnostic techniques and treatments, and for preventive and health strategies.

The results of the last, recently ended stage of the coronavirus prevalence survey led by the University of Tartu show that the percentage of infectious adults in the population has decreased to 0.05%, while the proportion of adults with antibodies has grown to nearly 70%.

In the new funding period of the KoroGeno-EST project, medical researchers of the University of Tartu are planning to sequence and analyse up to 6,500 full-genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in Estonia. An interactive environment to display the most important results of KoroGeno-EST-3 is also being created.

The graduation ceremonies of the University of Tartu are held from 15 to 30 June in person. In Tartu, the ceremonies take place on the square in front of the Old Anatomical Theatre. The graduation of Viljandi Culture Academy will take place as individual ceremonies that were well-received last year. In Narva, Pärnu and Tallinn, graduation ceremonies are held indoors.

The last stage in the study on the prevalence of coronavirus in Estonia led by the University of Tartu is conducted from 10 to 21 June. The study will give an overview of the prevalence of the coronavirus and the number of people with coronavirus antibodies in the adult population.

The results of the recently completed wave of the study on the prevalence of the coronavirus in Estonia led by the University of Tartu show that the easing of restrictions at the beginning of May has not led to a new increase in the number of infectious adults. According to the study, one in 280 adults is infectious, and antibodies against coronavirus have developed in half of adults.

Altigene, a research group of young scientists of the University of Tartu is developing a gene test, which can warn mountaineers of predisposition to altitude sickness. The test can also help livestock farmers save millions of dollars. Altigene is a group of young researchers of the University of Tartu who believe that their gene test enables to diagnose altitude sickness and thereby prevent its serious consequences. Altitude sickness causes flu-like symptoms and at worst may develop into life-threatening cerebral or pulmonary oedema.

Pregnant women and young children do not have many options to relieve pain or lower fever. The best known and most commonly used remedy is paracetamol. Medical researchers of the University of Tartu started a research project that is innovative in many ways and is expected to bring clarity to whether foetal/infant exposure to paracetamol affects brain development and behaviour in later life.

Recreational use of cannabis is increasing worldwide, including in Estonia. A study by medical researchers of the University of Tartu shows that the first use of cannabis in Estonia is taking place in increasingly younger age groups – more and more people try cannabis before the age of 16. From the point of view of brain development, this is too early.

In 2021, the anniversary events of the Faculty of Medicine will take place on October 7th- 8th. We invite everybody to submit abstracts to the scientific conference no later than June 30th.

The examination of an Estonian girl with progressive muscle weakness brought about collaboration of researchers from ten countries, which led to the discovery of a new form of muscular dystrophy caused by changes in the Jagged2 (JAG2) gene. In the research, a special muscle magnetic resonance imaging study was used in Estonia for the first time, revealing a pattern of muscle involvement characteristic of pathogenic variants in JAG2.