Biomedical Science

In the context of demographic change with an increase in medical services and at the same time a demand for a cost-efficient and affordable healthcare system, it is important to optimize processes. This also applies to laboratory analyses, which make an important contribution to patient care.

Students at the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions in Upper Austria have to complete numerous internships within the scope of their studies. Especially during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic both their unpaid work as interns and their participation in official antigen-testing activities are of great value for the health care system. Studies have shown that health care workers are at increased risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2. In a proportion of hospital personnel, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are detectable in the blood even without evidence of Covid-19 disease. Thus, the question arises whether this also occurs in interns.

With the frequent application of anthelmintics, the targeted micro-organisms become more and more resistant. For some time now, the focus has been on searching for alternative active agents to treat farm animals. Furthermore in the case of parasite infestation, biological treatment is preferable, in order to preserve the animals as a resource for food production.

The prospective pilot study on carbohydrate resorption disorders was implemented as a cooperation project between the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria (Bachelor Programmes Biomedical Science and Dietetics) and the Hospital in Steyr (Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics).