DOCTORAL THESIS. Impaired memory, reduced motivation, and declining motor skills. These are some of the problems that may persist several years after people contract tick-borne encephalitis, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a virus, found in parts of Europe and Asia, that is spread mainly by tick bites. Though rare, in recent years the disease has become successively more prevalent in Sweden, some 300 cases are reported annually. The new thesis contains studies of TBE patients diagnosed with the disease in western…
Hospital wastewater favors multi-resistant bacteria
NEW STUDY. Scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden presents evidence that hospital wastewater, containing elevated levels of antibiotics, rapidly kills antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, while multi-resistant bacteria continue to grow. Hospital sewers may therefore provide conditions that promote the evolution of new forms of antibiotic resistance. It is hardly news that hospital wastewater contains antibiotics from patients. It has been assumed that hospital sewers could be a place where multi-resistant bacteria…
Age important factor for new intestinal barrier component against bacteria
NEW SYUDY. How do intestinal cells perceive when to put up defenses against intruding bacteria? Which signals are required for a functional barrier? Researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy have discovered a new component of the intestinal barrier that is first established during weaning in mice, presented in Cell Reports. The research was conducted under the supervision of Thaher Pelaseyed, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine, who summarizes the finding in…
Gunnar C. Hansson awarded H.R.H. The King’s Medal of the 8th size
DISTINCTION. Gunnar C. Hansson has been awarded H.R.H. The King’s Medal of the 8th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim “for outstanding contributions within medical research, particularly cystic fibrosis”. Hansson is a senior professor of medical chemistry and cell biology at the University of Gothenburg and an internationally leading researcher on mucin and mucus biology. “Not many medical researchers receive this medal, and it is naturally…
SEK 13.6 million for childhood cancer research in Gothenburg
GRANTS. In its latest funding round, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund awarded a total of SEK 146 million for Swedish research, which is a new record amount for the fight against childhood cancer. SEK 13.6 million of these grants went to research at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. “Research on childhood cancer has made enormous progress; today 85 percent of children survive cancer. But the most difficult…