Background Peer review is important to the scientific process. However, the present system has been criticised and accused of bias, lack of transparency, failure to detect significant breakthrough and error. At the British Journal of Surgery (BJS), after surveying authors' and reviewers' opinions on peer review, we piloted an open online forum with the aim of improving the peer review process. Met

Mitochondrial dysfunction may result in a variety of diseases. The objectives here were to examine possible differences in mtDNA copy number between healthy controls and patients with depression, anxiety or stress- and adjustment disorders; the association between mtDNA copy number and disease severity at baseline; and the association between mtDNA copy number and response after an 8-week treatmen

In Swedish today, du (‘you’) is sometimes used with generic reference. This use of generic du is often claimed to be a new invention, triggered by English influence in the late 20th century. However, in this article an analysis of occurrences of du from the period 1225–2013 is presented that demonstrates that generic du was used even as early as the Old Swedish period (1225–1526), i.e. long beforeIn Swedish today, du (‘you’) is sometimes used with generic reference. This use of generic du is often claimed to be a new invention, triggered by English influence in the late 20th century. However, in this article an analy­sis of occurrences of du from the period 1225–2013 is presented that demonstrates that generic du was used even as early as the Old Swedish period (1225–1526), i.e. long befor

Objectives: To investigate the association between cognitive decline and cortical atrophy in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and chronic subsyndromal symptoms of depression (SSD) over a 4-year period. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Multicenter, clinic-based. Participants: Within the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative repository, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory

Den föreslagna omregleringen av den svenska spelmarknaden väcker flera EU-rättsliga frågor som berörs i denna analys. En viktig fråga är om det är problematiskt att marknaden delas upp i olika delar där endast en del är konkurrensutsatt. En annan är om den föreslagna svenska spelpolitiken är trovärdig i ett EU-rättsligt perspektiv, dvs. systematisk och sammanhängande. Spellicensutredningen föreslå

Objective: Nuclear receptor interacting protein 1 (NRIP1) is an important energy regulator, but few studies have addressed its role in humans. This study investigated adipose tissue and skeletal muscle NRIP1 gene expression and serum levels in response to weight loss and exercise in humans. Methods: NRIP1 expression was measured by microarray and serum NRIP1 by ELISA and Western blotting. Skeletal

The partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) is an experimentally established phenomenon: behavioural response to a given stimulus is more persistent when previously inconsistently rewarded than when consistently rewarded. This phenomenon is, however, controversial in animal/human learning theory. Contradictory findings exist regarding when the PREE occurs. One body of research has found a w

Late medieval towns have often been neglected within the urban archaeological paradigm. This article tries to discuss the medieval urbanization from the perspective of small late medieval towns in relation to other types of central places by using a regional perspective. The towns of Vimmerby and Eksjö, and the central places of Värnamo and Vetlanda in Småland are used as examples. In this region,

Respiratory disorders are common among people with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, few studies have investigated these disorders among older people with ID. We identified 7936 people, aged 55+ years, with ID and a reference cohort from the general population. Data on diagnoses of chronic respiratory disorders, with a focus on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were c

Aims: Epidemiological evidence indicates a protective effect of light to moderate alcohol consumption compared to non-drinking and heavy drinking. Although several mechanisms have been suggested, the effect of alcohol on atherosclerotic changes in vessel walls is unclear. Therefore, we explored the relationship between alcohol consumption and common carotid intima media thickness, a marker of earl

Background: frailty is associated with an increased risk of fragility fractures. Less is known, however, about the association between frailty and bone health.Methods: men aged 40-79 years were recruited from population registers in eight European centres for participation in the European Male Aging Study. Subjects completed a comprehensive assessment which included quantitative ultrasound (QUS) s

Background: Apathy, a prevalent and clinically relevant symptom in neurodegenerative disease, is often evaluated by the instrument Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). However, this instrument has not been translated into Swedish, halting clinical and research efforts. Furthermore, previous studies lack analyses of some basic properties, such as the legitimacy of a total score, or have analysed dimensio

Introduction: Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a hereditary disorder with progressive postural ataxia, dysarthria, neuropathy, muscle weakness and cardiomyopathy. Lack or malfunction of the protein frataxin due to mutations in the frataxin gene (FXN) is the cause of the disease. Most patients are homozygous for GAA trinucleotide expansions in FXN but disease can also be caused by heterozygosity for t

Background and Purpose - As stroke in young adults is assumed to have different etiologies and risk factors than in older populations, the aim of this study was to examine the contribution of established potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factors to the burden of stroke in young adults. Methods - A German nationwide case-control study based on patients enrolled in the SIFAP1 study (Stroke

Objectives: The rarity of early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) makes randomised controlled trials very difficult. We aimed to use an observational approach to compare effectiveness of currently used treatment approaches. Methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of early dcSSc (within three years of onset of skin thickening). Clinicians selected one of four protocol

This article initially accounts for the discussions concerning the notions ‘ethnic origin’ and ‘race’ that have taken place in the Swedish legislative context and places these within a wider European context. Next follows a mapping of the ways in which Swedish courts, in cases of alleged ethnic discrimination, read the notion of ‘ethnic affiliation’ – defined as ‘national or ethnic origin, skin co