BackgroundThe overall aim of this thesis was to improve the oncological treatment strategies in esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma (EGAC). Podocalyxin-like protein 1 (PODXL) has been associated with poor prognosis in other cancers and we wanted to investigate its potential role as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in resectable EGAC. Another aim was to assess how dose reductions and treatme

Many everyday interactions with moving objects benefit from an accurate perception of their movement. Self-motion, however, complicates object motion perception because it generates a global pattern of motion on the observer's retina and radically influences an object's retinal motion. There is strong evidence that the brain compensates by suppressing the retinal motion due to self-motion, however

Background and purpose — Hip arthroplasty is one of the most performed surgeries in Sweden, and the rate of adverse events (AEs) is fairly high. All patients in publicly financed healthcare in Sweden are insured by the Mutual Insurance Company of Swedish County Councils (Löf). We assessed the proportion of patients that sustained a major preventable AE and filed an AE claim to Löf. Patients and me

In a piloted jet flame, the pilot flame has an effect of stabilizing the main flame. Detailed mechanisms of pilot flame/main flame interaction are however not well studied. It is expected that the pilot flame affects the main flame through the following mechanisms: (a) the pilot flame provides the heat and radicals to the reaction zone of the main flame, (b) the pilot flame prevents the cold ambie

Introduction: For fast and effective antibiotic therapy of serious infections like sepsis, it is crucial with rapid information about antibiotic susceptibility, especially in a time when the number of infections caused by multi resistant bacteria has escalated in the world. Methods: Here, we have used a semi-quantitative MALDI-TOF-MS based method for antibiotic resistance detection, MBT-ASTRA™, wh

Purpose: Comorbidity in stroke is common, but comprehensive reports are sparse. We describe prevalence of comorbidity and the prognostic impact on mortality and functional outcome in a large national ischemic stroke cohort. Methods: We used outcome data from a long-term follow-up survey conducted in 2016 by the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke). Those included in the study were 11 775 pre-strok

Recent research has provided broad accounts of what high institutional quality is; bureaucrats should be impartial and recruited on merit, public power should not be used for private gain, there should be rule of law, and property rights should be secure. Many scholars argue the reason why, in spite of this knowledge, recent institutional reforms have had limited success is that improvements are n

Speed control is the most important aspect of promoting road safety world-wide. The question is how are speeds developing? The European Transport Safety Council concludes: There is little progress on reducing speeds in Europe. Similar conclusions can be drawn from the US and Australia. Attitude surveys show that people’s answers are not very consistent and represent statements without any strong b

The special interest group on sensitive skin of the International Forum for the Study of Itch previously defined sensitive skin as a syndrome defined by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations (stinging, burning, pain, pruritus and tingling sensations) in response to stimuli that normally should not provoke such sensations. This additional paper focuses on the pathophysiology and the management of

Maternal drug abuse during pregnancy is a rapidly escalating societal problem. Psychostimulants, including amphetamine, cocaine, and methamphetamine, are amongst the illicit drugs most commonly consumed by pregnant women. Neuropharmacology concepts posit that psychostimulants affect monoamine signaling in the nervous system by their affinities to neurotransmitter reuptake and vesicular transporter

Introduction: A hospital environment can be a significant burden and a health risk especially for dementia patients. Mobile x-ray equipment (ME) is used to enable imaging of these patients at home. The aim was to compare image quality (IQ) of chest, hip and pelvis images from ME to the stationary equipment (SE) used in a hospital department. Methods: We analysed examinations of the chest (n = 20),

There is a well-documented tension in many nonprofts - particularly those seeking government contracts or working in areas that compete with the private sector - between the institutional logics of business-market and nonproft-mission. This paper presents a case study of a century old Swedish nonproft. It suggests that in the presence of competing hybrid logics, organizational actors respond accor

Background: Severe inflammatory airway diseases are associated with inflammation that does not resolve, leading to structural changes and an overall environment primed for exacerbations. Objective: We sought to identify and inhibit pathways that perpetuate this heightened inflammatory state because this could lead to therapies that allow for a more quiescent lung that is less predisposed to sympto

Aim: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common diagnosis within child- and adolescent psychiatry. Waiting lists and delayed care are major issues. The aim was to evaluate if standardized care (SC) for assessment and treatment of uncomplicated ADHD would reduce resource utilization and increase satisfaction with preserved improvement within the first year of treatment. Meth

Restraint stresses appear in structural parts which are prevented from adjusting their shape when subjected to e.g. shrinkage or thermal actions. If the restrained stresses are large, cracking might occur, which can affect the durability of the structure. In the case of restraint effects, the reinforcement required in a bridge to limit the crack widths can be difficult to determine, as the magnitu