During the early COVID-19 pandemic, many countries took compulsory measures to combating the virus’s spread, while Sweden took a more voluntary approach. This led to polarized reactions in the international media, with some praising it and others proclaiming it disastrous. Using the concept of “moral panic” I examine how actors within the global media environment portrayed Swedes as a deviant popu

Amyloid plaques composed of Aβ amyloid peptides and neurofibrillary tangles are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer Disease. In situ identification of early-stage amyloid aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease is relevant for their importance as potential targets for effective drugs. Synchrotron-based infrared imaging is here used to identify early-stage oligomeric/granular aggregated amyloid species

Background: Chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive dysfunction are common in the elder population. There is evidence of a connection between these conditions, possibly by a shared vascular pathogenesis. Processing speed is commonly impaired in cerebrovascular disease. Methods: The data was obtained from the population based study “Good aging in Skåne” (GÅS), and included 905

The incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a gut hormone but also locally produced in pancreatic islets. We evaluated effects of GLP-1 on the insulin response to a gradual increase in glucose in mice within physiological levels. We initially developed a glucose ramp technique in mice. Glucose levels were slowly increased by 0.2 mmol/l/min for 40 min under control conditions, during intravenou

Background: The microbiology and the susceptibility patterns of infected total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) vary depending on demographic, local antimicrobial stewardship, and surgical factors. We wanted to compare the recent microbial profile and antimicrobial resistance pattern in revisions due to infections after primary TKAs in Sweden and Lithuania. Our hypothesis was that there is a difference

Background: Few studies on pharyngotonsillitis have examined the clinical presentation of different aetiologies where pathogens have been detected using molecular methods. We aimed to assess how well clinical signs and symptoms can predict (1) the presence or absence of a broad range of viruses and bacteria, and (2) reconsultations for a sore throat or a complication. Methods: In this descriptive

Recent studies suggest that brain cell type specific intracellular environments may play important roles in the generation of structurally different protein aggregates that define neurodegenerative diseases. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and biochemical and vibrational spectroscopy techniques, we studied whether Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient genomes could modulate alpha-syn

BACKGROUND: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a marker of type 2 airway inflammation used in clinical practice in asthma. However, reference values are needed to broaden the clinical use of FENO and this is within the scope of a newly started Global Lung Function Initiative task force. We aim to study FENO levels with special emphasis on the upper limit of normal (ULN) in relation to the t

Extensive usage of antibiotics has created an unprecedented scenario of the rapid emergence of many drug-resistant bacteria, which has become an alarming public health concern around the globe. Search for better alternatives that are as efficacious as antibiotics led to the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These small cationic amphiphilic peptides have emerged as a promising option as a

Pedestrians confront risky situations at unsignalized crosswalks when they are consecutively interacting with motorized vehicles and non-motorized vehicles while crossing. This study aims to investigate the safety of pedestrians with a new perspective that focuses on consecutive conflicts occurring during pedestrian crossing. Based on about 9 h video data collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle fr

This practice-based PhD project investigates the conditions for a pedagogy of the utopian image in contemporary art and film. It starts from the premise that there is a need for new political and social visions and scenarios. The project asks what role art and artist film, both as a medium and as a social activity, can play in experimenting with and sketching such visions and scenarios – a process

Every aspect of vision, from the opsin proteins to the eyes and the ways that they serve animal behavior, is incredibly diverse. It is only with an evolutionary perspective that this diversity can be understood and fully appreciated. In this review, I describe and explain the diversity at each level and try to convey an understanding of how the origin of the first opsin some 800 million years ago

Objectives To describe the prevalence of comorbidities in a population referred to standardised first-line intervention (patient education and exercise) for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), in comparison with the general population. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate if eventual differences were associated with socioeconomic inequalities. Design Register-based study. Setting Primary healthcare, Sw

This issue of the AILA Review focuses on transdisciplinarity as the key to developing shared languages in and across domains and professional settings. The relationship and collaboration between researchers and practitioners have long been discussed within and across applied sciences and theoretical disciplines, mainly in the framework of transdisciplinarity (see AILA Review 31, 2018, for a recent

Insect odorant receptor (OR) genes are routinely expressed in Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) 293 cells for functional characterization (“de-orphanization”) using transient or stable expression. However, progress in this research field has been hampered because some insect ORs are not functional in this system, which may be due to insufficient protein levels. We investigated whether codon optimizatio