University of Gothenburg

About: University of Gothenburg is a education organization based out in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 23855 authors who have published 65241 publications receiving 2606327 citations. The organization is also known as: Göteborg University & Gothenburg University.

High serum S100B levels for trauma patients without head injuries.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE Studies of patients with head trauma have demonstrated a correlation between a serum marker of brain tissue damage, namely S100B, and neuroradiological findings. It was recently demonstrated that the increases in serum S100B levels after heart surgery have extracerebral origins, probably surgically traumatized fat, muscle, and bone marrow. The current study examined multitrauma patients without head trauma, to determine whether soft-tissue and bone damage might confound the interpretation of elevated serum S100B concentrations for patients after head trauma. METHODS A commercial assay was used to determine serum S100B concentrations for a normal population (n = 459) and multitrauma patients without head injury (n = 17). Concentrations of the two subtypes of S100B (S100A1B and S100BB) were determined using separate noncommercial assays. RESULTS The mean serum S100B concentration for a normal healthy population was 0.032 microg/L (median, 0.010 microg/L; standard deviation, 0.040 microg/L). The upper 97.5% and 95% reference limits were 0.13 and 0.10 microg/L, respectively. No major age or sex differences were observed. Among trauma patients, serum S100B levels were highest after bone fractures (range, 2-10 microg/L) and thoracic contusions without fractures (range, 0.5-4 microg/L). Burns (range, 0.8-5 microg/L) and minor bruises also produced increased S100B levels. S100A1B and S100BB were detected in all samples. CONCLUSION Trauma, even in the absence of head trauma, results in high serum concentrations of S100B. Interpretation of elevated S100B concentrations immediately after multitrauma may be difficult because of extracerebral contributions. S100B may have a negative predictive value to exclude brain tissue damage after trauma. Similarly, nonacute S100B measurements may be of greater prognostic value than acute measurements.

Pitfalls and Opportunities in Nonverbal and Verbal Lie Detection

Abstract: The question of whether discernible differences exist between liars and truth tellers has interested professional lie detectors and laypersons for centuries. In this article we discuss whether people can detect lies when observing someone’s nonverbal behavior or analyzing someone’s speech. An article about detecting lies by observing nonverbal and verbal cues is overdue. Scientific journals regularly publish overviews of research articles regarding nonverbal and verbal cues to deception, but they offer no explicit guidance about what lie detectors should do and should avoid doing to catch liars. We will present such guidance in the present article.

Fine scale distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungi and roots across substrate layers including coarse woody debris in a mixed forest

Abstract: Summary • Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are widespread plant root symbionts in boreal forests, but information is lacking on the fine scale distribution of roots and fungi in substrate patches of different quality, including coarse woody debris (CWD). • Wood and soil cores were taken systematically both horizontally and vertically through decayed logs and underlying soil layers in a mixed forest. Root tips were counted and ECM fungi identified by morphotyping and sequencing. • The abundance of root tips and ECM fungi was highly variable on a 5-cm scale. Most species were replaced on a 50-cm scale. Detrended correspondence analysis demonstrated strong preference of resupinate thelephoroid and athelioid fungi and Sebacinaceae for CWD, whereas ascomycetes and euagarics appeared more frequently in mineral soil. Clavulicium delectabile was determined to be an ECM fungus for the first time. • ECM fungi occupy different niches and show variable distribution patterns. CWD plays an important role as a habitat both for roots and ECM fungi. We suggest sampling larger soil cores and selecting random root tips in future studies. Sequencing is a powerful tool in ECM community studies.

Traumatic brain injuries.

Abstract: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are clinically grouped by severity: mild, moderate and severe. Mild TBI (the least severe form) is synonymous with concussion and is typically caused by blunt non-penetrating head trauma. The trauma causes stretching and tearing of axons, which leads to diffuse axonal injury - the best-studied pathogenetic mechanism of this disorder. However, mild TBI is defined on clinical grounds and no well-validated imaging or fluid biomarkers to determine the presence of neuronal damage in patients with mild TBI is available. Most patients with mild TBI will recover quickly, but others report persistent symptoms, called post-concussive syndrome, the underlying pathophysiology of which is largely unknown. Repeated concussive and subconcussive head injuries have been linked to the neurodegenerative condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has been reported post-mortem in contact sports athletes and soldiers exposed to blasts. Insights from severe injuries and CTE plausibly shed light on the underlying cellular and molecular processes involved in mild TBI. MRI techniques and blood tests for axonal proteins to identify and grade axonal injury, in addition to PET for tau pathology, show promise as tools to explore CTE pathophysiology in longitudinal clinical studies, and might be developed into diagnostic tools for CTE. Given that CTE is attributed to repeated head trauma, prevention might be possible through rule changes by sports organizations and legislators.

Impact of near-future ocean acidification on echinoderms.

Abstract: As a consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2, the world’s oceans are warming and slowly becoming more acidic (ocean acidification, OA) and profound changes in marine ecosystems are certain Calcification is one of the primary targets for studies of the impact of CO2-driven climate change in the oceans and one of the key marine groups most likely to be impacted by predicted climate change events are the echinoderms Echinoderms are a vital component of the marine environment with representatives in virtually every ecosystem, where they are often keystone ecosystem engineers This paper reviews and analyses what is known about the impact of near-future ocean acidification on echinoderms A global analysis of the literature reveals that echinoderms are surprisingly robust to OA and that important differences in sensitivity to OA are observed between populations and species However, this is modulated by parameters such as (1) exposure time with rare longer term experiments revealing negative impacts that are hidden in short or midterm ones; (2) bottlenecks in physiological processes and life-cycle such as stage-specific developmental phenomena that may drive the whole species responses; (3) ecological feedback transforming small scale sub lethal effects into important negative effects on fitness We hypothesize that populations/species naturally exposed to variable environmental pH conditions may be pre-adapted to future OA highlighting the importance to understand and monitor environmental variations in order to be able to to predict sensitivity to future climate changes More stress ecology research is needed at the frontier between ecotoxicology and ecology, going beyond standardized tests using model species in order to address multiple water quality factors (eg pH, temperature, toxicants) and organism health However, available data allow us to conclude that near-future OA will have negative impact on echinoderm taxa with likely significant consequences at the ecosystem level