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Topics: Medicine

"May contain relatively high levels of cholesterol-elevating substances". Photo: Uppsala University

Cholesterol-elevating substances in coffee from machines at work

The coffee from most of the coffee machines in workplaces contains relatively high levels of cholesterol-elevating substances. There is a big difference in comparison to coffee made in regular paper filter coffee makers, which filter out most of these substances.

Our study shows that it may be that some women simply do not want to have children, says Cerisa Obern, intern physician and doctoral student at Uppsala university. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

New study: Fewer women want to have children

More and more young women are hesitant about having children. New research from Uppsala University shows that one in four are either unsure about or do not want to have children at all – a big increase compared to 2014, when only one in ten felt this way. The same study also shows that fewer are using condoms and that a large proportion perceived consent when sexual activity was initiated.

Lobate shape of mammalian lymphatic endothelial cells. Photo: Hans Schoofs

Unique cell shape keeps lymphatic vessels and plant leaves stable

The cells that make up the walls of the finest of all lymphatic vessels have a lobate, oak leaf-like shape that makes them particularly resilient to changes in fluid volume. A similar cell shape also supports mechanical stability in plants. This has been shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a new article published in the journal Nature.

Miika Martikainen and Magnus Essand, researchers at Uppsala University. Photo: Private/Mikael Wallerstedt

Route of entry for Semliki Forest virus into the brain revealed

A recent study shows that the Semliki Forest virus enters the central nervous system by first entering the cerebrospinal fluid and then binding to a specific cell type before penetrating deeper into the brain. This finding could potentially be used to develop the Semliki Forest virus as an agent for treating brain cancer. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Self-help app "Min sorg" (my grief)

App helps alleviate mental health symptoms in bereaved parents

New study: An app can help parents who are mourning the loss of a child. Parents who used the app for three months reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative thoughts. Some parents thought that in future, the app should be offered early in the process of mourning. The study is published in the scholarly journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Therese Johansson, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology and WOMHER

Different menopausal hormone treatments pose different risks

Researchers have analysed the effects of seven different hormone treatments for menopausal symptoms, and the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart attack. The risks differ depending on the active substance and how the medicine is taken. The study involves around one million women aged 50-58 and is the largest and most comprehensive study of currently prescribed hormonal substances in the world.

New antibody could be promising cancer treatment

New antibody could be promising cancer treatment

Researchers at Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new form of precision medicine, an antibody, with the potential to treat several types of cancer. Researchers have managed to combine three different functions in the antibody, which together strongly amplify the effect of T cells on the cancer tumour. The study has been published in Nature Communications.

Dr Charlotte Blease, Associate Professor at Uppsala University.

One in five UK doctors use AI chatbots

A survey led by researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden reveals that a significant proportion of UK general practitioners (GPs) are integrating generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into their clinical workflows. The results highlight the rapidly growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare – a development that has the potential to revolutionise patient care but also raises concerns.

The researchers have analysed the substance neurofilament, a protein that is released from the brain in cases of injurious strain and hypoxia, in blood samples from more than three thousand people with atrial fibrillation. Illustration: Karl Sjölin

Brain biomarker in blood sample predicts stroke

Researchers at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University have demonstrated that a simple blood test that reflects brain health can predict which people are most at risk of suffering a stroke. The discovery could contribute to more individualised treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The study has been published in the journal Circulation.

Luis Nunes, researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University and one of the first authors of the study. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

Genetic signatures provide prognostic information in colorectal cancer

Using a unique collection of genetic and clinical data for colorectal cancer, researchers at Uppsala University have revealed genetic new alterations and developed of a new molecular classifier of tumour variants. The finding could lead to improved possibilities for individualised therapies. This is shown in study recently published in the journal Nature.

New antibiotic class effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria

Scientists at Uppsala University have discovered a new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria, and have shown that it cures bloodstream infections in mice. The new antibiotic class is described in an article in the scientific journal PNAS.

Bank voles in Skåne carry a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. Photo: B. Niklasson

Vole fever spreading further south

Researchers have discovered that bank voles in Skåne, southern Sweden, carry a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. This finding was made more than 500 km south of the previously known range. This is revealed in a new study from Uppsala University. The researchers were surprised that such a high proportion of the relatively few voles they caught were actually carrying a hantavirus.

Camilla Sköld, Specialist Physician in Gynaecological Cancer at the Oncology Clinic, Uppsala University Hospital, researcher at Uppsala University. Photo: Anthoula Koliadi

Lower survival rates for women than men with germ cell tumours

Women with a type of ovarian cancer known as germ cell tumours have a worse prognosis than men with similar tumours, i.e. testicular cancer. After five years with the disease, 98 percent of men were alive while the survival rate for women was only 85 percent. This has been revealed by a new study from Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Important to involve both parents in breastfeeding

The most important support person for women to succeed in their ambition to breastfeed is the new mother’s partner. The partner also needs to be included through more support from healthcare professionals. For single mothers, alternative solutions must be found. “Single people are a vulnerable group and need other types of support," explains researcher Ingrid Blixt.

The tick Ixodes ricinus can transmit the TBE-virus to humans. Photo. Tove Hoffman

Many more infected by TBE virus than previously known

The number of infections by the tick-borne TBE virus that are not detected by health services is far higher than previously assumed. This has been shown in a new study of Swedish blood donors from Uppsala University and the University Hospital in Uppsala. The results have been published in the journal Eurosurveillance, which is associated with the EU’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Agneta Siegbahn, Professor of Clinical Coagulation Science and Mikael Åberg, researcher at the Department of Medical Sciences in Affinity Proteomics lab, SciLifeLab, at Uppsala University. Photo: Anna Frejd

New instrument for precision medicine in cardiovascular disease

Researchers at Uppsala University have developed an instrument that makes it possible to measure 21 biomarkers for cardiovascular disease simultaneously with great precision by means of a simple blood test. The aim is to use this type of tool to improve the prediction of cardiovascular complications and facilitate more personalised treatment for patients.

Some increase in cancer after 1986 Chernobyl disaster

The nuclear accident in Chernobyl in 1986 led to the spread of radioactivity across Sweden and Europe. In a long-term study now published in Environmental Epidemiology, researchers have used new, more specific calculation methods to show the connection between radiation dose and certain types of cancer.

The subthalamic nucleus is located deep in the brain of mice and primates. The study shows that stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus causes aversion and activates neurons in the brain’s aversion system.

Location of strong sense of discomfort in brain found

Researchers have identified a new neural circuit in the brain which produces a strong sense of discomfort when activated. The discovery also allows them to show for the first time that the subthalamic nucleus, a structure in the brain that controls voluntary movements, may also play a role in the development of depression. The results could lead to better treatments for Parkinson's disease.

In the study, the researchers interviewed pre-school children aged 3–6 years about their experiences of family life and conflict. Photo: Anton Dahlberg

“They yell and I yell back”

Young children are able to talk in detail about their feelings and how things are at home. They are also good at reading their parents and their emotions by describing their behaviours, facial expressions and tone of voice. This has been shown in a new study by Uppsala University, published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Genetics influence the risk of blood clots in oral contraceptive users

Women with a high genetic predisposition for blood clots are six times more likely to develop a blood clot during the first two years of using contraceptive pills according to a new study from Uppsala University. The results have been published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

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