Iran's Quandary on Nagorno-Karabakh

The Azerbaijan-Armenia war on Nagorno-Karabakh was a serious challenge for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic in Iran

Made in West - A Study of the West's Role in the Iranian Revolution 1979

Did the West - USA, UK, France and West-Germany - overthrow the Shah of Iran year 1979? Many Iranians believe so. Therefore the purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of the West in the Iranian revolution. The question which will be answered is: what are the motives that talk for respectively against the statement that the West overthrew the Shah of Iran? The method used is motive analyzes which analyzes the motives for and against the statement above. Neorealism, which claims that states are the main actors in international relations and for them the survival is everything, is used as a theory. The motives which have been analyzed in favor of the statement is that the Shah controlled the Persian Gulf oil, flirted with the Soviet Union, industrialized Iran and increased Iran's influence in the world, something which scared the West. The motives against the statement are that the Shah was a friend of the West, stopped the influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East, was important for Israel's security and that instability in Iran would increase the oil prices. The conclusion is that the Shah was a threat against the security of West and therefore the West overthrew him in order to decrease Iran's power

Modelling the Effects of Population Structure on Childhood Disease: The Case of Varicella

Realistic, individual-based models based on detailed census data are increasingly used to study disease transmission. Whether the rich structure of such models improves predictions is debated. This is studied here for the spread of varicella, a childhood disease, in a realistic population of children where infection occurs in the household, at school, or in the community at large. A methodology is first presented for simulating households with births and aging. Transmission probabilities were fitted for schools and community, which reproduced the overall cumulative incidence of varicella over the age range of 0–11 years old

Viral Load, Clinical Disease Severity and Cellular Immune Responses in Primary Varicella Zoster Virus Infection in Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND: In Sri Lanka, varicella zoster virus (VZV) is typically acquired during adulthood with significant associated disease morbidity and mortality. T cells are believed to be important in the control of VZV replication and in the prevention of reactivation. The relationship between viral load, disease severity and cellular immune responses in primary VZV infection has not been well studied. METHODOLOGY: We used IFNgamma ELISpot assays and MHC class II tetramers based on VZV gE and IE63 epitopes, together with quantitative real time PCR assays to compare the frequency and phenotype of specific T cells with virological and clinical outcomes in 34 adult Sri Lankan individuals with primary VZV infection. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Viral loads were found to be significantly higher in patients with moderate to severe infection compared to those with mild infection (p<0.001) and were significantly higher in those over 25 years of age (P<0.01). A significant inverse correlation was seen between the viral loads and the ex vivo IFNgamma ELISpot responses of patients (P<0.001, r = -0.85). VZV-specific CD4+ T cells expressed markers of intermediate differentiation and activation. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these data show that increased clinical severity in Sri Lankan adults with primary VZV infection associates with higher viral load and reduced viral specific T cell responses

The death of an emperor – Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and his political cancer

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, was toppled in the Islamic Revolution of 1979. A year later he passed away from lymphoma, a disease he had secretly battled for several years, but still it remains unknown exactly when he was diagnosed with cancer, if he was aware of his condition and who close to him knew about his illness. Following his 1979 exile from Iran, physicians from numerous countries became involved in his treatment, which was typified by political and medical intrigues, contributing to a suboptimal and dangerous medical care which may ultimately have contributed to his death. After acute surgery of his spleen in June 1980, the Shah’s condition worsened and he eventually passed away on July 27. This study shows that the international intelligence organizations were probably aware of the Shah’s disease, and that the Shah was not cared for in accordance with good medical practice

Inga drastiska förändringar när Irans nye president installeras

Iran’s new president has strong ties to the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and Iran will continue on the path of dictatorship and oppression, argue debaters Arvin and Ardavan Khoshnood in an analysis of the new president and Iran’s future under him

Security Implications of the Iran-China Deal

The implications of the newly signed Sino-Iranian deal go beyond economics. The deal also covers security matters pertaining to intelligence and military cooperation that provide both Iran and China with advantages over rival states

”Wallström borde inte ta emot Zarif”

Between 20-21 august 2019, the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, will visit Sweden. In this article published in the Swedish newspaper "Svenska Dagbladet", we write that the Swedish foreign minister should not have met him in the first place since he represents a repressive and tyrannical regime