SWAN SONG. After a multi-year commitment to internationalization at Sahlgrenska Academy, Gunnar Tobin has resigned as International Director. Here, he presents us with his swan song*, in which he concludes that the faculty’s internationalization efforts were dependent on a handful of driving forces who recognized the value of a global perspective in daily activities. During the last years of the previous century, internationalization was a relatively unfamiliar concept. But a…
E-cigarettes can be a health hazard
REPORT. Two out of five boys in upper-secondary school have tried e-cigarettes, whose sweet taste and vapors can have a negative effect on health. They can also be a gateway to smoking regular tobacco cigarettes. That is indicated by a new report on the use, attitudes and potential health effects of e-cigarettes. Since electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) appeared on the market at the turn of the century, their popularity has steadily…
Silke Kern wants to know how early signs of Alzheimer`s disease lead to Alzheimer’s dementia
RESEARCH. Alzheimer’s disease is a protracted process. It can take 15 years or more from the first molecular signs indicating that something has changed in the brain until dementia symptoms occur. Silke Kern, who recently was appointed to a high clinical ALF medical position, is examining what’s happening in the brain from the earliest changes that can be measured in cerebrospinal fluid until the patient later develops dementia. The world’s…
Report from the first international conference on ESSENCE
CONFERENCE. The first international conference on ESSENCE–a relatively new umbrella term for the whole group of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders that manifest themselves during early childhood–convened in Gothenburg on April 10–11. Almost 1,500 participants from around the world attended the conference, which was described as a great success by the organizers. Researcher Nanna Gillberg provides us with a summary of the two days. The ESSENCE 2018 conference was held during…
Large-scale genetic study provides new insight into the causes of stroke
NEW STUDY. An international research consortium studying 520,000 individuals from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, thus tripling the number of gene regions known to affect stroke risk. “A first step towards developing more personalized treatments”, says co-author Christina Jern, Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy. The results demonstrate shared genetic influences with multiple related vascular conditions, especially blood pressure, but also coronary artery disease, venous…