NEW STUDY. The genes that regulate gestational length and the likelihood of preterm delivery, have been identified in a study involving more than 50,000 women. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) describes the scientific breakthrough that can lead to improved health and survival among children. “Preterm delivery is the leading cause of death and disease among children in the world today. Our findings will be the…
Shanghai ranking: High ranking for GU in the life sciences
RANKING. Now that the Shanghai ranking for the first time lists the world’s best universities in the field of life science, the University of Gothenburg does well, as number two in Sweden in the subjects of biological sciences and clinical medicine. The ranking results are seen as proof that GU is on the right path in the life sciences. The Shanghai ranking comprises several broad subject rankings with a focus…
University of Gothenburg number one in Sweden in odontology according to well-reputed ranking
RANKING. The latest Shanghai ranking places University of Gothenburg at the top among Swedish universities in the subject of odontology. In an international comparison, GU ranks 26th worldwide. This year’s Shanghai ranking is the first to present individual lists for a number of narrower subjects, including odontology. The odontological research and education at the University of Gothenburg has long had a strong position, and is ranked among the very best…
New possibility of studying how Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain at different ages
NEW STUDY. Alzheimer’s disease can lead to several widely divergent symptoms and, so far, its various expressions have mainly been observed through the behaviour and actions of patients. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now produced images showing the changes in the brain associated with these symptoms – a development which increases knowledge and could facilitate future diagnostics and treatment. Symptoms vary in cases of Alzheimer’s disease and often…
Severe stress behind self-perceived memory problems
DOCTORAL THESIS. Stress, fatigue, and feeling like your memory is failing you. These are the symptoms of a growing group of patients studied as part of a thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy. Result – They may need help, but they are rarely entering the initial stages of dementia. “We are seeing a growing number of people who are seeking help because of self-perceived cognitive problems, but have no objective signs of…
Reduced risk of relapse after a heart attack
NEW STUDY. Fighting a chronic inflammation of the vascular walls is an effective way of preventing relapse after a heart attack. These are the findings of a study of more than 10,000 patients, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). “This study establishes that the inflammation is the most important when it comes to arteriosclerosis,” says Mikael Dellborg, Professor at the Institute of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, Senior…
Five professors approved for the Sahlgrenska Visiting Professors initiative
GRANTS. Frances Ashcroft, William Jagust, Roger Adan, Sören Riis Paludan and Tudor Oprea. These are the five new visiting professors who have been recruited to Sahlgrenska Academy through the Sahlgrenska Visiting Professors program. The Faculty Board has set up the Sahlgrenska Visiting Professors program to increase high-quality international research exchanges. It is a five-year visiting professors program, and we are now seeing the result of the first call for expressions…
Gene therapy with BMP4 protects against weight gain and insulin resistance in mice
NEW STUDY. There was no weight gain, despite a higher energy intake, and insulin sensitivity was increased. These are the results from experiments on mice that had elevated levels of the protein BMP4 following gene therapy in a study at Sahlgrenska Academy, published in Cell Reports. “By increasing BMP4, we can increase the metabolic rate, but we only see this in initially lean mice. Overweight mice proved to have a…
The process of appointing a new Dean at Sahlgrenska Academy continues
SELECTION OF DEAN. The process of appointing a new Dean at Sahlgrenska Academy has been going on for some time. Today, Vice-Chancellor Eva Wiberg met with the Nominating Committee to discuss the matter. In May, Christina Jern declined to become dean at Sahlgrenska Academy. The previous Vice-Chancellor, Pam Fredman, then decided the commencement of a new process to appoint Dean and Pro-Dean. According to University regulations, the appointment of a new…
A new study rebut the claim that antidepressants do not work
STUDY. A theory that has gained considerable attention in international media, including Newsweek and the CBS broadcast 60 minutes, suggest that antidepressant drugs, such as the SSRIs, do not exert any actual antidepressant effect. A research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy has now analyzed data from clinical trials and can rebut this theory. According to the challenged hypothesis, the fact that many people medicating with antidepressants regard themselves as improved…
Almedalen Week 2017 – High interest in health care and health issues
COLLABORATION. This year’s Almedalen Week is over. With more items on the official program than ever: 4,100 over seven days. Visitors chose anything from “Nordic initiative for vendor responsibility in Thailand” to “More vegan options at work – how I can veganize working hours”. And naturally the speeches from the party leaders. But regardless of this incredible scope, two areas stood out: health and medical care and sustainability. Researchers from…
Researchers cycle 2500 kilometres to improve foot health in diabetes
COLLABORATION. Ulla Hellstrand Tang, who presented her theses at the Clinical Sciences Institution in spring, has undertaken a 90-day cycle trip to draw attention to the major regional differences in prevention and treatment of foot complications in diabetes. The project was called Hoj17. The project was implemented in cooperation with the Gothenburg Diabetes Association, in order to encourage politicians and the health-care profession, in partnership with patient organisations, to develop…
Remote rehab proves highly beneficial to hearing aid users
THESIS. Hearing aids that go unused, and people who choose to muddle through or withdraw from social interactions when their hearing deteriorates – sound familiar? Research currently being carried out at Sahlgrenska Academy has revealed that distance-based rehabilitation which incorporates exercises and helpful tips can be highly beneficial. “Regular hearing aid users felt they got more positive results out of their hearing aids, while others began using their devices more…
Sahlgrenska Life – many wishes for services offered in the future
BUILDING PLANS. A food court with a varied lunch offering, a fitness facility offering different forms of exercise, and a common reception area for everything related to Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the Medicinareberget neighborhood. These were some of the suggestions put forward during the workshop to discuss the support and services that Sahlgrenska Life could offer that was held just before the Midsummer holiday. Sahlgrenska Life is a collaborative project…
Good working environment and better service with Marianne Lextorp as campus manager
CAMPUS MEDICINAREBERGET. Akademiliv put five questions to Marianne Lextorp, who has just been officially appointed Campus Manager for Campus Medicinareberget after having been Acting in the role since November last year. What is your work as Campus Manager at Medicinareberget involve? “My co-workers and I pursue, implement, and develop services for Sahlgrenska Academy and the Faculty of Science. We work to continuously improve our service, quality and efficiency in close…
Engineering Health – seminar this November
SEMINAR. Do you work in healthcare with problems that engineers could possibly help you solve? Are you an engineer working with techniques for the healthcare sector? Or are you just curious as to how engineering and medicine might meet and collaborate? On November 8-9, Chalmers Area of Advance Life Science Engineering will organize the Initiative Seminar Engineering Health with support from Sahlgrenska University Hospital, AstraZeneca, Sahlgrenska Academy and MedTech West.…
Fredrik Bäckhed and Annika Rosengren part of AFA’s venture on working life without cardiovascular disease
GRANTS. On behalf of the labor market parties, AFA Insurance allocates SEK 50 million to six new research projects within an R & D program with focus on research on working life without cardiovascular disease. Professor Fredrik Bäckhed and Professor Annika Rosengren lead two of the projects. Gut microbiota as treatment strategy in cardiovascular disease Obesity, high blood lipids and diabetes increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. While modern drugs…
Decreasing prevalence of dementia among the oldest-old
Better treatment of stroke and higher education in later-born generations are the two main explanations for the decreasing prevalence of dementia among the oldest old, according to a new report from Swedish researchers – Between 1986 and 2008, the prevalence of dementia among 85-year-olds decreased from 30% to 22%, says Professor Ingmar Skoog, one of the researchers behind the study. The decrease was most accentuated for vascular dementia, a disorder…
Effective Protection against Hip Fracture during Cortisone Treatment
There is effective protection against hip fracture for the many elderly people whose skeleton is declining in strength, as a side effect of cortisone treatment. If patients receive the osteoporosis medication alendronate, it reduces the risk of hip fracture by 65 percent, as a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reveals. “The low number of people who receive this protective treatment is often due to…
Sahlgrenska Life visited Karolinska – Akademiliv’s editor reports
COLUMN. The project Sahlgrenska Life recently arranged a field trip to Stockholm to learn more about the extensive premises development taking place at Karolinska Institutet and New Karolinska Solna. One of the 20 people from Gothenburg who went to learn something for our future building plans was Akademiliv’s editor Elin Lindström Claessen. The institute and the university hospital in Solna have their own Per Dubbsgatan – but there, it is…