Good indoor air quality is a basic prerequisite for human health and is crucial for the ability to concentrate at work, or while studying. A nationwide study by Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has now shown that most Austrian schools do not comply with national and European guidelines on ventilation. In the past school year, the guideline value for the daily average CO₂ concentration of 1000 ppm was exceeded in 75 per cent of the classrooms examined. In winter, the rate even rose to 88 per cent. In individual cases, the average hourly CO₂ values exceeded 6900 ppm, almost seven times the guideline value. Worse still, A quarter of all classrooms did not even provide the absolute minimum level of ventilation (4 litres of air per second per person) that is required by current European and Austrian standards (10 litres per second per person is recommended under normal operating conditions). This means that many school children are getting less than 40 % of the recommended air flow rate per person.

Obesity is a global health problem that affects many people. In recent years, very promising anti-obesity drugs have been developed. Despite these successes, there are patients who do not respond to these drugs or suffer from side effects. Therefore, there is still an unmet need for therapies. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have now discovered a small group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus of mice brain that influence eating behavior and weight gain. This discovery could pave the way for the development of targeted anti-obesity drugs.

A research team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Oh Sang-Rok), led by Dr. Hyung-Seop Han from the Biomaterials Research Center, Dr. Dae-Geun Song from the Center for Natural Product Systems Biology, and Dr. Oh-Seung Kwon from the Doping Control Center, announced that they have developed a therapeutic substance with both antiviral and tissue regenerative properties, based on a peptide derived from natural sources.