In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there. Only two genetic regions were previously known. Some of the new genetic variants can be linked to an increased risk of gluten intolerance, haemorrhoids and cardiovascular diseases.
The number of patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy has increased substantially over the past two decades. This is the finding of a new study from Uppsala University that mapped all cases of cardiomyopathy in Sweden. Despite identifying this increase, it is still unclear whether this is due to more people developing cardiomyopathy or to healthcare becoming better at diagnosing it.
Individuals with a birth weight of less than one kilogram have an increased risk of cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Nonetheless, they rate their quality of life as high as individuals with normal birth weight. This finding emerges from a new study of 201 adults who were born prematurely and followed from birth to the age of 26–29 in Sweden.
People who have been exposed to both PFAS and PCBs are more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). These new research findings are based on analyses of blood samples from more than 1,800 individuals in Sweden, one of the most comprehensive studies to date on the influence of chemical environmental exposure on the development of MS.
A healthy Nordic diet, high in dietary fibre from whole grains, fruits and vegetables but with a small percentage of saturated fat, can assist in the treatment of both type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This has been shown in a new clinical study in which the researchers compared three different types of diet.
AI can be used to detect cervical cancer in women in resource-limited parts of the world. However, for this method to work, investments are needed in healthcare staff, reliable supply chains and trust in these communities.
Parents of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes suffer an income drop in the years following the diagnosis. The impact is more pronounced in mothers, especially mothers of children diagnosed in preschool years. These novel findings from a study led by researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden, have now been published in Diabetologia.
In the largest Nordic study to date concerning oesophageal cancer surgery, the researchers found clear evidence that decompression with a nasogastric tube is associated with less serious complications. Their results challenge a trend of declining use of the nasogastric tube after major surgical procedures.
An international research team led from Uppsala University has identified new mechanisms behind how the aggressive brain tumour glioblastoma spreads in the brain. Targeting the identified connection between the tumour invasion routes and the tumour cell states could be a potential new treatment strategy.
With the aid of a 3D printer, researchers at Uppsala University have succeeded in creating a model that resembles human nerve tissue. The model, which can be cultured from the patient’s own cells, makes it possible to test new drug treatments in a lab environment.
Thanks to lab-grown miniature intestines, researchers at Uppsala University have successfully mapped how aggressive Shigella bacteria infect the human gut. The study opens the door to using cultured human mini-organs to investigate a wide range of other serious infections.
That fit people have a reduced risk of premature death from various diseases is a recurring result in many studies. New research from Uppsala University shows that people with high fitness levels in their late teens also have a reduced risk of dying from random accidents. This suggests that the associations seen in previous studies have probably been misleading.
To provide the right treatment for MS, it is important to know when the disease changes from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive, a transition that is currently recognised on average three years too late. Researchers at Uppsala University have now developed an AI model that can determine with 90 per cent certainty which variant the patient has.
The drug that slows down Alzheimer’s disease is already being used by more than 20,000 patients in 10 different countries – and could soon be available in Europe too. The success story is down to the two founders of BioArctic Lars Lannfelt and Pär Gellerfors and the company’s CEO Gunilla Osswald. Their achievement is now recognised by the Uppsala University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.
People with the skin condition psoriasis often have invisible inflammation in the small intestine with an increased propensity for ‘leaky gut’, according to new research at Uppsala University. These changes in the gut could explain why psoriasis sufferers often have gastrointestinal problems and are more prone to developing Crohn’s disease.
All patients who have had a heart attack are typically treated using beta blockers. According to a Swedish study conducted earlier this year, this drug is unlikely to be needed for those heart patients who have a normal pumping ability. Now a sub-study at Uppsala University shows that there is also a risk that these patients will become depressed by the treatment.
The survival rate of men with prostate cancer who had their entire prostate gland removed immediately after the tumour was detected increased by 17 percentage points compared with those who did not have treatment until the tumour began to cause symptoms. On average, they also lived more than two years longer. These are the final results of a 30-year Scandinavian study led from Uppsala University.
Animals bred in the fur animal industry can both carry and spread viruses with the potential to infect humans. In a new study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University and others, researchers have identified 36 previously unknown viruses. The study has been published in the journal Nature.
A new treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer shows favourable results in that surgery can sometimes be avoided completely. It also reduces the risk of recurrence. The method has been confirmed as effective in a comprehensive study conducted at Uppsala University and published in eClinicalMedicine.
Chronic cough is among the most common reasons for seeking medical care, with middle-aged women the group most affected. New studies at Uppsala University also show that this condition appears to be a hereditary phenomenon. The studies have been published in ERJ Open Research and PLOS ONE.
