Matlandet Sverige

Rapporten är en utvärdering av en utbildnings- och rådgivningsinsats gentemot nio små livsmedelsföretag i Skåne med omnejd. FoodExport, som projektet kallas, syftade till att hjälpa företagen börja sälja på export. Utbildningen genomfördes av Exportrådet som i projektets slutskede, den 1 januari 2013, slogs samman med en annan organisation och bytte namn till Business Sweden. Projektet inleddes med en kurs, Steps to Export Business Plan, som genomfördes mellan oktober 2011 och maj 2012. Under kursen fick företagen arbeta med att se över sin affärsidé, analysera sina styrkor och svagheter, ta ställning till vilka produkter som kunde vara aktuella för export och bedöma potentiella exportmarknader. Coacher från Exportrådet hjälpte företagen i detta arbete. Den andra delen av rådgivningsinsatsen bestod av individuella Affärschansprojekt. Varje företag valde ett exportland och med hjälp av Exportrådets/Business Swedens utlandskontor knöts sedan kontaker med potentiella kunder i det valda landet. Denna del inleddes sommaren 2012 och genomfördes vid något olika tidpunkter och i olika tempon av de deltagande företagen, men i skrivande stund, november 2013, har Affärschansprojekten avslutats av de sex företag som valde att fullföljas dem. FoodExport-projektet var en del av satsningen på visionen om Matlandet Sverige, där en av målsättningarna är att livsmedelsexporten ska fördubblas mellan åren 2008 och år 2020. Projektet kan ses som en fallstudie där nio företag och deras försök att sälja på marknader utanför Sverige har följts. Varje företag är unikt. Frågor vi koncentrerat oss på handlar om varför företagen valt att vara med i kursen, vilka förväntningar de har, huruvida de får den hjälp de behöver och om de lyckas uppnå sina mål med kursen. Vidare diskuteras hur väl resultaten av denna kurs ligger i linje med finansiärernas målsättning rörande ökad livsmedelsexport och fler arbetstillfällen inom livsmedelssektorn och jordbruket. Är kurser av detta slag effektiva medel för att nå dessa mål

Using the lens of liminality to understand important steps in creating conditions for networked learning in work-integrated learning

In this paper university teachers' and professionals’ work in the BUFFL project, a networked work-integrated lifelong learning project with flexible online course modules. The project involved a meeting space between academia and industry bank organizations or insurance companies in Sweden. Previous research in the project reported that four important steps are important for a successful establishment of a networked community of practice and networked learning. In this paper, the concept of liminality, or a liminal space, is used to explore work-integrated learning.  The short paper concludes that there is a balance to strike between the risks and possibilities of liminality in learning in practice. From the different perspectives of liminality, a balance is needed when academia and industry meet. While both academia and industry bring their formal spaces and structures, this meeting can be said to create a liminal space that provides a free and uncertain place of possibilities where learning and transformation take place

Primary and Secondary Diagnoses of Gambling Disorder and Psychiatric Comorbidity in the Swedish Health Care System—A Nationwide Register Study

Background: Psychiatric comorbidity is common in gambling disorder, a condition with low rates of treatment seeking. There is a paucity of documented nationwide data on gambling disorder and its co-occurring psychiatric comorbidities in the health care system.Methods: This is a nationwide register-based study of all patients aged above 18 years who were diagnosed with gambling disorder (corresponding to pathological gambling, code F63.0, in the ICD-10) in Swedish specialized out-patient health care or in-patient care, from 2005 through 2016. All psychiatric disorders co-occurring with the diagnoses were recorded, along with age, gender and the type of medical specialty.Results: A total of 2,099 patients were included (1,784 in out-patient care and 629 patients in in-patient care), among whom 77 percent were men. Treatment uptake during the study period increased significantly in out-patient care, with an increasing uptake of younger individuals, whereas in-patient treatment uptake remained stable. A co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis was registered in 73 percent of patients, more commonly in females (77 vs. 71 percent, p < 0.01). Several diagnostic subgroups were more common in women, with anxiety and affective disorders being the most common subgroups. Prevalence of substance use disorders did not differ with respect to gender.Conclusions: Despite a large gap between probable population prevalence of gambling disorder and the number of treated patients, the number of patients treated in out-patient health care with a gambling disorder diagnosis increased over time, with an increasing treatment uptake in younger individuals. Psychiatric comorbidity is common in gambling disorder patients in the health care system, with a higher prevalence in women

Gambling disorder, increased mortality, suicidality, and associated comorbidity: A longitudinal nationwide register study

Background and aims: Gambling disorder (GD) appears to be an independent risk factor for suicide, and all-cause mortality has been sparsely studied in patients with GD. This study aims to explore mortality and suicide rates in individuals with GD compared to the general population as well as explore risk factors associated with all-cause mortality and suicide mortality. Methods: This is a nationwide register study on 2,099 individuals with a GD diagnosis in the Swedish inpatient and/or outpatient specialist health care system between the years of 2005–2016. Comorbid diagnoses from treatment episodes included in national registers were categorized into diagnostic groups according to the 10th revision of International Classification of Diseases, and prevalence rates (any occurrence during 2005–2016) were calculated for each diagnostic group. Multivariate Cox regression analyses on risk factors for death and suicide were performed, controlling for age, gender, and major categories of comorbidity. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for men and women with regard to overall mortality and suicide compared to the general Swedish population. Results: The population consisted of 1,625 men and 474 women ranging from 18 to 83 years of age at first GD diagnosis (mean: 36.5 years). Sixty-seven individuals passed away, among whom 21 deaths were due to suicide. SMR calculations showed a 1.8-fold increase in mortality for individuals 20–74 years old with GD compared to the general population, and a 15-fold increase in suicide mortality. All-cause mortality was predicted by higher age and any treatment episode for cardiovascular disease, whereas suicide death was predicted by depression. Discussion and conclusions: Mortality and suicide rates are significantly elevated among individuals with GD. Although common mental health comorbidities did not predict overall mortality, depression predicted suicide death. Findings call for attention to long-term risk of death in GD patients and interventions against comorbid health problems

Effects on Microbiota Composition after Consumption of Quinoa Beverage Fermented by a Novel Xylose-Metabolizing L. plantarum strain

Demands for novel lactic acid bacteria with potential to be used as probiotics along with healthy fermented plant-based products increase worldwide. In this study, a novel Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 strain with enzymatic capacity to degrade tannins and ferment xylose was used as starter culture for fermentation of a quinoa-based beverage. The probiotic potential of the selected strain was evaluated in healthy volunteers. Twenty participants consumed the beverage for 14 days; microbiota changes in saliva and faecal samples were analyzed by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP), Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and qPCR; and gastrointestinal well-being and digestive symptoms were recorded. The results indicated that the consumption of the beverage with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 in a probiotic dose (1012 CFU/mL) increased the number of Lactobacillus in the feces but not in saliva. Overall, the bacterial community did not seem to be influenced by the bacterium or by the beverage, as expressed by the diversity indexes, butspecific genera were affected, as reflected in changes in amplicon sequence variants. Consequently, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 showed potential to be categorized as a probiotic strain in the fermented quinoa-based beverage

Faktorer som påverkar uppvaknandet efter hjärtkirurgi - en kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie

Bakgrund: Tidig extubation efter hjärtkirurgi förbättrar det postoperativa förloppet vilket leder till minskad morbiditet, mortalitet och vårdtid. Det innebär även kostnadseffektivitet och resurssparande. Syfte: Att jämföra patienter extuberade inom respektive efter fyra timmar avseende faktorer som kan påverka uppvaknandet efter CABG och/eller klaffkirurgi. Metod: En kvantitativ icke experimentell metod användes med utgångspunkt från ett extubationsprotokoll. Urvalet uppgick till 92 patienter, grupp 1 (n=43) extuberades inom och grupp 2 (n=49) efter fyra timmar. Resultat: Intuberad tid i studien var 248 minuter i median. Inga signifikanta skillnader i intraoperativ dos fentanyl eller ketobemidon/morfin/oxykodon givet innan extubation påvisades vid jämförelse av grupperna. Uppfyllda extubationskriterier skiljde sig signifikant mellan patienter i grupp 1 och 2. De faktorer som utmärkte sig och skulle kunna påverka tiden till extubation var otillräcklig egen respiration, nedsatt medvetandegrad, icke fullgod muskeltonus samt om patienten inte var lugn/kooperabel. Andra faktorer som visades påverka uppvaknandet var ålder, kreatinin, ECC-tid, anestesitid och sederad tid genom positiv korrelation med intuberad tid. Konklusion: Kartläggning av faktorer som orsakar fördröjd extubation kan bidra till åtgärder som minskar tiden till uppvaknande

DJ-1 Mutations are Rare in a Swedish Parkinson Cohort

Mutations in the PARK7 gene, DJ-1, have been reported to cause early-onset and familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). The function of DJ-1 and how it contributes to the development of the disease is not clear today, but several studies report that DJ-1 is responsive to oxidative stress and important for the maintenance of mitochondria. We have screened three coding regions of DJ-1 (exon 2, 5 and 7) in a Swedish Parkinson cohort. The Swedish PD material consisted of 67 patients with a self reported positive family history of PD and 77 patients with early-onset of disease (≤50 years old). We detected two patients with the previously reported synonymous mutation, Ala167Ala (c.501A>G, rs71653621), in exon 7. No Ala167Ala carriers were identified among 213 neurologically healthy Swedish controls. Mechanisms by which the synonymous Ala167Ala mutation can have consequences are unknown. It may affect the mRNA stability, secondary structure of mRNA, synthesis, turnover, protein folding and function. We could show a 1.3% decrease in DJ-1 mRNA folding energy in the A<G substituted sequence compared to the wild type sequence in silico, suggesting a possible small effect of Ala167Ala on DJ-1 gene function. This is the first report on an identified DJ-1 mutation in Swedish PD patients. Our results, in combination with those of previous studies, strengthen the hypothesis that alterations in DJ-1 are not a common cause of familial and early-onset PD world-wide

Possible Involvement of a Mitochondrial Translation Initiation Factor 3 Variant Causing Decreased mRNA Levels in Parkinson's Disease

Genes important for mitochondrial function have been implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondrial translation initiation factor 3 (MTIF3) is a nuclear encoded protein required for the initiation of complex formation on mitochondrial ribosomes. Dysfunction of MTIF3 may impair mitochondrial function and dopamine neurons appear to be particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which may relate to their degeneration in PD. An association was recently reported between the synonymous rs7669(C>T) in MTIF3 and PD in a German case-control material. We investigated rs7669 in a Swedish Parkinson case-control material. The study revealed no significant association of the individual genotypes or alleles with PD. When comparing the combined TT/CT-genotypes versus the CC-genotype, we observed a significant association (P = .0473) with PD. We also demonstrated that the TT-genotype causes a significant decrease in MTIF3 mRNA expression compared to the CC-genotype (P = .0163). Our findings support the hypothesis that MTIF3 may be involved in the etiology of PD

Effect of Parental Migration Background on Childhood Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index

Background. Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and obesity in children have important public health implications but, to date, their effects have not been studied in the growing population of children in Sweden with immigrant parents. Methods. We estimated the association between parental migration background and nutrition, physical activity, and weight in 8-year-old children born in Stockholm between 1994 and 1996 of immigrants and Swedish parents (n=2589). Data were collected through clinical examination and questionnaires filled out by parents. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. Results. Children of immigrants complied more closely with Nordic Nutrition Recommendations compared with those of Swedes (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.11–1.64). They had higher intake of dietary fibre, vitamins C, B6, and E, folic acid, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) reflecting higher consumption of foods of plant origin, but lower intake of vitamins A and D, calcium, and iron reflecting lower consumption of dairy products. Children of immigrants had higher intake of sucrose reflecting higher consumption of sugar and sweets. Furthermore, these children had a higher risk of having low physical activity (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.06–1.62) and being overweight (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.06–1.65) compared with children of Swedish parents. The odds of having low physical activity and being overweight were even higher in children whose parents were both immigrants. A low level of parental education was associated with increased risk of low physical activity regardless of immigration background. Conclusions. Culturally appropriate tools to capture the diverse range of ethnic foods and other lifestyle habits are needed. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the low levels of physical activity, increased weight, and lack of consumption of some important vitamins among children of immigrants

Nodule detection in digital chest radiography: part of image background acting as pure noise

There are several factors that influence the radiologist's ability to detect a specific structure/lesion in a radiograph. Three factors that are commonly known to be of major importance are the signal itself, the system noise and the projected anatomy. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the image background acts as pure noise for the detection of subtle lung nodules in five different regions of the chest. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study with five observers was conducted on two different sets of images, clinical chest X-ray images and images with a similar power spectrum as the clinical images but with a random phase spectrum, resulting in an image background containing pure noise. Simulated designer nodules with a full-width-at-fifth-maximum of 10 mm but with varying contrasts were added to the images. As a measure of the part of the image background that acts as pure noise, the ratio between the contrast needed to obtain an area under the ROC curve of 0.80 in the clinical images to that in the random-phase images was used. The ratio ranged from 0.40 (in the lateral pulmonary regions) to 0.83 (in the hilar regions) indicating that there was a large difference between different regions regarding to what extent the image background acted as pure noise; and that in the hilar regions the image background almost completely acted as pure noise for the detection of 10 mm nodule