News

In a Teams Live Event on 31 March at 14, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Aune Valk spoke about teaching and studies during the emergency situation and answered the questions posted by UT staff members and students.

Although the University of Tartu Library is closed due to the emergency situation, users can again request books via the e-catalogue ESTER starting today, 25 March. The requested books can be picked up from smart lockers in the lobby of the library.

From Monday, 16 March, all UT buildings are closed for visitors and students. The buildings are not alarmed and staff members can enter using their university ID card. Visitors and students are not allowed in the buildings. If visitors need to get in, an employee must personally meet them. Receptionists and information secretaries in the buildings will continue work as usual, cloakrooms are closed.

ME-3, or the probiotic lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum, has formed part of the Estonian diet for 17 years as an ingredient in Hellus dairy products, and has also been available as a food supplement since 2014. Now these highly beneficial bacteria have found their way into chocolate, in a new product launched in March by the internationally renowned Estonian chocolate artisans Chocolala in cooperation with researchers from the University of Tartu.

Aune Valk, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Tartu, confirms that life at the university goes on despite the emergency situation and high-quality teaching and research activities continue. The university is ready to provide individual solutions to difficulties students may face.

Healthy ageing has become one of the priorities of research in Europe. University of Tartu researchers looked for differences in the immune systems of young and old people. They focused on monocytes and found that the monocytes of the elderly do not seem to produce as much energy, and there is an increase in inflammation markers compared to younger people. Looking into the future, this research gives food for thought as to how to slow down age-related changes.

Today, the dean, vice deans, heads of institutes and student representatives met to put together an action plan for the next weeks when classroom teaching is cancelled. For now, the Estonian Health Board has contacted students and lecturers who came into contact with the infected student. Anyone who has not been contacted should remain calm and follow the usual Health Board instructions.

On March 13th, all classroom studies (lectures, seminars, practical trainings) will be canceled in the whole Faculty. Please stay at home and stay calm. We will send further instructions during March 13. People who suspect coronavirus infection should contact their family doctor, ask for advice from the GP helpline 1220 (+372 634 6630 when calling from abroad) or if necessary, call the emergency line 112.

Daily exposure to ground level ozone in cities worldwide is associated with an increased risk of death, finds the largest study of its kind published by The BMJ. Researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health – Associate Professor in Environmental Health Hans Orru and Lecturer in Environmental Health Ene Indermitte – also contributed to the research.

Today, on 19 February, the traineeship and job fair of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities is held in the Philosophicum, and the Maarjavälja career day for students of medicine and science and technology takes place in the Physicum.

Foreigners who have obtained a master's degree in Estonia and stay in Estonia are beneficial to the Estonian state and business in any case. The question may be whether our society is ready for them to stay here, writes Aune Valk, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, University of Tartu. It is definitely useful for Estonia and Estonia’s business sector if foreigners who have obtained a master’s degree in Estonia stay here to work. The question could be, whether our society is ready for this, Aune Valk writes.

Studies show that students’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is declining with age. This has an adverse effect on their physical, social, emotional and academic capabilities. Since young people spend a large portion of their time at school, the school as a whole, as well as the physical education teachers, have an important role on the students’ HRQoL.

Use of a computer environment is a new and fast-developing field in paediatric neurorehabilitation. The first longitudinal study in Estonia on the cognitive and social rehabilitation of children with acquired brain injury was completed at the University of Tartu, confirming the efficiency of using computer-based programmes and virtual reality for improving children's attention, visuospatial abilities and social skills.

Seahorses are wonderful fish. The male fish grows the developing embryos in his pouch with an organ similar to the placenta – studying the pregnancy of seahorses also enables scientists to better understand the adaptive processes of pregnancy in humans. An expert on seahorses from the Canary Islands is working together with the scientists from the University of Tartu.

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, may in certain cases, based on visual inspection, be very similar and this complicates their accurate diagnosis. University of Tartu scientists together with Tartu University Hospital dermatologists studied a novel approach for diagnosing psoriasis vulgaris. The purpose of this research was to drive forward the development of biomarker-based diagnostics in the field of inflammatory skin diseases.

When did you start speaking? Conventional wisdom would suggest that it would be around the one-year old mark. The conventional wisdom could be off by quite a bit in this case. I believe that the first word of our lives was uttered even before we opened our eyes. We have been talking since we were embryos. Yes, embryos do talk. The language is not well understood, and it is inaudible, but embryos do speak to their mothers even before implanting in the uterus. In fact, one big reason we are here is probably because we were such big talkers in utero.

The UT Research Group of Physical Activity for Health was awarded first place in the pan-European #BeActive Awards for initiative "Schools in Motion".

A doctoral thesis written at the University of Tartu studied a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue, Osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease. It affects 1 in 20,000 people. In about 90% of cases, the main target of the disease is type I collagen, which is the base structure of bone, tendons, cartilage and other connective tissues. The results of the doctoral thesis help improve diagnosing and further studying of the disease.

Ageing cannot be prevented, but with regular exercise we can do much for our health later in life. A doctoral student at the University of Tartu, Anni Rava, studied the associations between body composition, mobility and blood inflammatory biomarkers with physical activity in 113 older women. The study confirmed the fundamental truth that physical activity helps maintain physical capability, which is important for maintaining independence in older age.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common movement disorder in the world, and difficult to diagnose and treat. A doctoral student at the University of Tartu’s Faculty of Medicine, Toomas Toomsoo, conducted the first extensive brain sonography study in Estonia, which enables to see changes occurring in the midbrain. The results of the doctoral thesis confirmed the value of sonography in diagnosing PD.