NEW STUDY. The incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Sweden has decreased sharply since the late 1990s. These are the findings of a study from Sahlgrenska Academy which included almost three million adult Swedes. In relative terms, the biggest winners are persons with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. “This is a huge improvement and a testament to the improvements in diabetes and cardiovascular care throughout Sweden,” says Aidin Rawshani, medical…
Blood test can show severity of concussion
NEW STUDY. By measuring a specific brain protein in the blood, it is possible to assess in advance how serious a case of concussion is. A new study from Sahlgrenska Academy shows that the NF-L protein can be measured in a blood test and be used as a prognostic marker for concussion, which could be of major significance for both emergency healthcare and sports medicine. A person who has received…
Microbiologist awarded the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorial Chair in Medicine
GRANT. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Fredrik Bäckhed, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Gothenburg, the 2016 Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorial Chair in Medicine “for his groundbreaking discoveries regarding the role of intestinal microbiota in the body’s metabolic process.” The grant, which amounts to a total of SEK 10 million, is financed by the Torsten Söderberg Foundation and enables full-time research for five years. There are…
New Findings from Research into Multiple Concussions in Hockey Players
NEW STUDY. The relationship between head injuries suffered during contact sport and Alzheimer’s disease is now being called into question thanks to research by the Sahlgrenska Academy, which has revealed that hockey players with multiple concussions probably have other injuries in their brains. “There seem to be two separate conditions and pathologies involved here,” says Pashtun Shahim, a doctor and researcher of neurology and physiology. He himself has met the…
Three professors from the Sahlgrenska Academy have been nominated for the Pro Vice-Chancellor position
LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENT. A total of nine people have been nominated and have accepted the nomination to be Eva Wiberg’s immediate deputy. All are internal, except one. Three of the nine nominees are from the Sahlgrenska Academy: Agneta Holmäng, Anna Karlsson and Jon Karlsson. Agneta Holmäng and Mette Sandoff, who is Associate Professor of Business Administration and currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for education issues, received the most nominations. Agneta Holmäng,…
An outstanding track record in courting private donations
FACILITATING RESEARCH FUNDING. As head of the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Agneta Holmäng has worked resolutely to make it easier for private foundations to donate funds to the institute’s research programs. She is convinced that by taking a number of relatively simple measures, both the University of Gothenburg and the Swedish state could increase the incentive to make private donations. Agneta Holmäng’s track record as a facilitator of private…
A brief report on this year’s first annual dialogue session with the vice-chancellor
DIALOGUE. At the most recent dialogue session with representations from the management of Sahlgrenska Academy, the vice-chancellor expressed support for many of the ideas presented by the academy’s leadership. Among the topics covered at the meeting, it was agreed that the possibility of future coordination of the academic and medical libraries should be investigated. Twice a year, the vice-chancellor invites the heads of faculty to attend a dialogue regarding operational matters at the…
The new regional TUA agreement launches the University Dental Care program
INTERACTION. The University of Gothenburg and the Västra Götaland Regional Council have agreed to a new regional agreement governing first-cycle dentistry programs, clinically-focused dental research, and the promotion of advances in the field of dentistry. The agreement, often referred to informally as the TUA agreement, provides the framework for the joint undertaking of promoting the field of dentistry through research, education, and development. The agreement replaces the previous regional and…
Jan Lötvall: Protect patients – scrap the classic round
DEBATE. Healthcare rounds must be scrapped in order to protect patients. The statement is made by Jan Lötvall, Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy, who wants to give new fuel to the debate on privacy in health care. In a debate article in Dagens Nyheter, he shares his own experiences as a patient. Jan Lötvall is a physician and professor of clinical allergology, but as he now throws himself into the debate,…
The world’s largest randomized study of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is currently underway in Sweden
ONGOING. The world’s largest randomized study of the invasive treatment of atherosclerosis is currently being carried out in Sweden. Sahlgrenska Academy’s Institute of Clinical Sciences is spearheading the project, which is being financed through the Swedish Research Council’s Fund for Clinical Therapy Research. Atherosclerosis causes intense pain to those who suffer from the disease. Amputation is sometimes necessary. Common invasive treatments (surgical procedures) include balloon angioplasty of the “sick” blood…
Strategic Investments Helping Doctors Study for PhDs at a Younger Age
PhD PROGRAM. Since 2006, the median age of students with medical degrees beginning PhD courses has decreased by six years, with the most obvious drop in age coming for PhD students who had been ‘amanuenser’ (research and teaching assistants) during their time as medical students. Research doctors are an important link when it comes to implementing new scientific discoveries in the healthcare system and identifying unresolved clinical issues that need…
Free consultation with Akademistatistik for your ALF application
GRANTS. The next major call for ALF funds opens on April 20 and closes on June 1. Akademistatistik (‘Academy Statistics’) at the Health Metrics unit can provide up to four hours of free consultation to ensure that the application description of the statistical analysis is of a high scientific level. Experimental design, choice of outcome measures, the calculation of sample size, and appropriate statistical analysis are examples of topics that…
Kjell Asplund on the borderline between research and healthcare – Filmed lecture in Swedish
GENERAL ACADEMY MEETING. “Among clinicians the understanding of the regulations is limited.” The statement is made by Kjell Asplund, chairman of the National Council on Medical Ethics (Smer), regarding the border between clinical research and healthcare. On April 3, he filled the Sahlgrens auditorium at the second General Academy Meeting focusing on ‘Ethics in the Academy’. He talked about lessons made from the Macchiarini case – in which he investigated the actions…
New National Institute for Global Health Funded by the Gates Foundation
COLLABORATION. Peter Friberg’s many years of dedication to global health issues are now paying dividends, in the form of a new national research institute, the Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation (SIGHT). The Institute has been made possible thanks to a substantial donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and will be based at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) in Stockholm. “We live in a global world…
Twice as many international students wish to pursue a master’s degree in Public Health Science
EDUCATION. Among this year’s round of international applicants, the University of Gothenburg’s master’s program in Global Health was the most popular field of study. 757 presumptive international students applied to the program, doubling last year’s numbers. The master’s program in Public Health Science with Health Economics also had twice as many applicants. The master’s program in Global Health is being offered through a collaboration between four different faculties, with Salgrenska…
Hearing and touch mediate sensations via osseointegrated prostheses
RESEARCH. A new study has found that people with a prosthesis attached directly to their skeleton can hear by means of vibrations in their implant. This sound transmission through bones is an important part of osseoperception – sensory awareness of the patient’s surroundings provided by their prosthesis. This discovery sheds new light on the tactile and auditory perception of humans and can be used to develop improved prostheses. How can…
Research into Biological Aging Takes New Direction
REVIEW. Research into biological aging will need to change direction, from its current focus on the individual parts of the cells to how these parts communicate with each other. “This is critical to our understanding of how aging works and to slowing down age-related illnesses,” says Thomas Nyström, Professor of Microbiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy. Thomas Nyström and his colleague Daniel Gottschling from Calico, in San Francisco, have recently provided…
Time to establish of doctoral projects
DOCTORAL STUDIES. All institutes at the Sahlgrenska Academy are invited to make an inventory and establish PhD projects in order to apply for funding for project-linked doctoral student positions. The application documents from the project supervisors must have reached respective institute no later than Wednesday, May 3, 2017. Project applications approved by the institute must have reached the Academy office no later than Wednesday, May 17, 2017. More information and application forms are available on http://sahlgrenska.gu.se/doktorandportalen/internt/projektbundna_doktorandplatser
March for Science is organised to support free and independent research
MARCH FOR SCIENCE. On April 22 2017, a march is organised across the world to put attention to the importance of science for society and for humanity. The goal is a broad manifestation with participants from all scientific areas. — Today, the role of science is challenged around the world, and it is extremely important that we protect scientific freedom to seek and spread knowledge, says Pam Fredman, the University’s Vice-Chancellor.…
Majority of Incontinence Treatments Deliver Poor Results
NEW STUDY. Surgery is the most reliable method of treatment for incontinence – curing the condition in just over eight in ten cases; other types of treatment, meanwhile, do not deliver the same kind of success. These are the findings of a comprehensive systematic overview of cure rates for the treatment of incontinence around the world during the last ten years. “Unfortunately we are not actually curing the condition in…