APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090022-2
sensory response, electrical and mechanical activities of single muscle fibers, intraocular pressure, and acoustic middle-ear reflexes. Clinical research in physiology is creative, adequately supported, and of high quality, with emphasis on circulation problems, pulmonary function, physiology of work and physical training, and evaluation of physiological testing and measurement procedures. Sweden is cooperating with Norway and also the U.S.S.R. in investigations of the physiology of deep sea diving. Research on alcoholism is concerned with the examination of morphological and functional changes after prolonged consumption, with the ultrastructural injuries of acute liver damage, and with vitamin therapy.
Cardiovascular research is at a high level of competence. Experimental hematology studies include pioneer work on the function of hemoglobin and the oxygen-binding capacity of blood corpuscles, the clinical aspects of coagulation and the fibrinolytic dissolution of blood clots, and the use of adenine additives for whole blood preservation. In a WHO-coordinated program, Sweden has contributed an investigation of the distribution and severity of atherosclerosis in the aorta and coronary arteries.
Productive research is underway in isotope labeling, a technique that is being applied to the analysis of derangements in cardiovascular tissues and related clinical problems, capillary blood flow, tissue oxidative metabolism and wound healing, thromboembolism, and cadaver kidney preservation. Projects are underway on the effects of radiation on biological objects varying from single cells to mammals with or without tumors, on radioecological problems, and on protection against radiation damage. Sweden is concerned about environmental contamination with radionuclides, and investigators are examining the hazards of radioisotope internal emitters and the prevention and treatment of exposure. Combined use of adsorbents and radioisotopes is assisting in the separation of fractions in immunological research.
The country has an excellent pharmaceutical industry, which is internationally recognized for the superior quality of its drugs. A WHO Reference Center for Authentic Chemical Substances is located in Stockholm. The National Pharmaceutical Laboratory in Stockholm undertakes research in the chemistry, pharmacy, pharmacology, and therapeutics of drugs. Pharmacologists are interested in psychopharmaceuticals for treatment of depressions, the effects of drugs on cholinergic mechanisms in the central nervous system, and drug regulation of circulatory mechanisms.
Growing interest in problems of pharmacology and toxicology has increased the national demand for trained personnel. University preparation of pharmacologists is excellent, but pharmaceutical and industrial toxicologists are in short supply. Solna is the site of a collaborating laboratory of the WHO International Reference Center for Air Pollution. The National Institute of Public Health is undertaking studies on the relation of exposure to environmental pollution and the incidence of respiratory diseases, as well as on the toxic action of trace elements in food and water. Excellent studies are underway on changes in metabolism following exposure to chlorinated pesticides.
Noteworthy investigations in psychiatry concern the development of psychiatric epidemiology, analysis of the social and clinical features of drug abuse, and study of the relation of cerebral brain flow during mental effort under normal and pathological conditions of the brain.
Basic and applied research on food and nutrition is expanding. Prophylactic and therapeutic studies deal with lipid deposition in cardiac muscle, and protein calorie requirements, primarily in foreign lands. Microbiologists are studying the biosynthesis of edible protein and development of bacteria-free packing systems for milk and fruit juice. Irradiation of food is being tested as a preservative technique. Sensory evaluation assay is being developed for control of food quality of preserved foods.
Capabilities for military medical research are excellent. Military medical scientists cooperate closely with their civilian counterparts and benefit from civilian scientific efforts while retaining a research capability within the medical services. The Defense Medical Research Delegation, under the Ministry of Defense, plans, advises, and coordinates applied military medical research and provides grants to the Military Medical Research Center of the Royal Caroline Medical-Surgical Institute, the Naval Medical Research Center in Karlskrona, and the Aeromedical Research Institute in Malmslatt. The Military Medical Research Center is engaged in clinical, physiological, and BW investigations. The Naval Medical Research Center conducts research in submarine medicine and has a joint project with the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Aeromedical Research Institute is concerned with general aviation medicine and is investigating the effects of low pressure and high altitudes on air force personnel. A Defense Medical Section within the Medical Research Council is concerned with coordinating and planning basic research and has six groups concerned with
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090022-2
