Life Sciences and Human Capital: Jobless Growth on Specialised and Local Labour Markets?

Policy makers and scholars often regard the life science industry in general, and bio‐technology in particular, as an engine of future economic growth. The expectation is that growth in the industry will ultimately provide a major boost to national employment numbers. However, in this paper, I find that the Swedish life science industry (encompassing pharmaceutical, bio‐technology, and medical technology firms) accounts for only a small proportion of total employment in Sweden. Given the recent discussion on jobless growth (i.e., economic growth without employment growth), it is here argued that focusing on employment is not necessarily the best policy approach to assessing the impacts of the life science industry on the overall economy. This paper maps and analyses the scope, structure, and geography of the life science industry and its workforce in Sweden using a unique set of data covering approximately 1,200 firms and 53,000 employees. The industry's workforce has education and income levels significantly higher than national averages, and is heavily concentrated in larger metropolitan areas and major university cities. Despite employing relatively few people and being more or less dependent on the existence and success of a few major pharmaceutical firms, the industry may still have a significant impact on the national economy by engendering high levels of education, income, and export revenues, particularly in specific regions.     

Percutaneous Cementoplasty in the Palliative, Multimodal Treatment of Primary Bone Tumors of the Distal Aspect of the Radius in Four Dogs

Objective— To (1) evaluate the analgesic effect of percutaneous cementoplasty (PC) in dogs with primary bone tumor (PBT) of the distal aspect of the radius and (2) evaluate the impact on the course of disease by adding PC to a palliative, multimodal treatment protocol in these dogs.
Study Design— Prospective pilot study.
Animals— Dogs (n=4) with PBT of the distal aspect of the radius.
Methods— Tumor lesions were filled percutaneously with polymethylmethacrylate under fluoroscopic guidance. Pamidronate was administered once in a week before PC. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were initiated 2 and 6 weeks after PC, respectively. Force plate analysis was performed immediately before 2, and 6 weeks after PC. Survival time was defined from PC to euthanasia.
Results— Two dogs had a significant increase in peak vertical force 2 weeks after PC ( P =.043) and remained free of lameness for 18 and 20 weeks, respectively. One dog had an acute relapse after an initially lame-free period of 10 days. The remaining dog failed to improve ( P =.686). Three dogs developed at least 2 complications including transient worsening of the lameness after PC, cement leakage, wound infection and suspected thromboembolism in combination with cough and anemia. Median survival was 4.8 months (range, 1–5.7 months).
Conclusions— PC in combination with pamidronate significantly improved lameness in 2 dogs; however, PC is not risk-free. Deep wound infection, intraarticular cement leakage, and venous thrombosis were the main complications.
Clinical Relevance— PC might be a useful addition to established palliative, multimodal treatment protocols in dogs with PBT; however, because of the complications encountered PC warrants further study before routine use can be considered.     

Replacement of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the Dog

Abstract—A method using the central one third of the patellar ligament, a full-length strip of the superficial one-half of the patella and a full thickness strip of the quadriceps tendon was used as a replacement for the anterior cruciate ligament in nine experimental dogs and four clinical cases. The pathology and histological picture of the stifle joints in the experimental dogs are described. The results are encouraging. Sammendrag—Det beskrives en ny metode til å erstatte et overrevet ligamentum cruciatum anterius i kneleddet hos hund. En bruker den midterste tredjedelen av ligamentum-patella i hele dets tykkelse, et tilsvarende bredt stykke av ytterste halvpart av patella og et tilsvarende bredt stykke av senen til musculus quadriceps femoris fra dew tilheftning proksimalt pB patella. Operasjonsmetoden er brukt på ni forsökshunder og fire kliniske tilfelle av ligamentruptur. På forsökshundene ble kneleddene undersökt makro og mikroskopisk etter avlivningen. Resultatet etter operasjonene var oppmuntrende. Résumé—Une méthode comportant l'utilisation du centre tiers du ligament rotulien, toute une longueur de la moitié superficielle de la rotule ainsi que toute une épaisseur du tendon quadriceps a été appliquée pour remplacer le ligament cruciforme antérieur chez neuf chiens d'expérience et quatre cas cliniques. La pathologie et l'image histologique des grassets chez les chiens d'expérience furent décrites, et les résultats en furent encourageants. Zusammenfassung—Eine Methode, die das zentrale Drittel des Ligamentum patellae, einen Streifen in voller Länge der oberflachlichen Hälfte der Patella und einen Streifen der ganzen Dicke der Sehne des Quadriceps benutzt, wurde als Ersatz für das Ligamentum cruciatum in 9 Experiment Hunden und 4 klinischen Fallen angewandt. Die Pathologie und Histologie der Kniegelenke der Experiment Hunde wurden beschrieben. Die Resultate waren ermutigend.     

Resection of a Large Intra‐Abdominal Tumor in the Mexican Axolotl: A Case Report

Objective— This case report describes the surgical removal of an intra‐abdominal tumor from a Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). The animal was admitted with left abdominal swelling that had increased over 4 months. Methods— Surgical removal was performed under general anesthesia with MS222 under an operating microscope. Exploratory laparotomy was performed through 2.5 dorsocranial skin incision in the left flank, followed by subcutaneous dissection. Results— The tumor involved the spleen, was adjacent to the descending colon, and supplied by vessels from the spleen, stomach, and colon. The mass was removed by clamping and transecting the spleen and the peritoneum was closed with a continuous suture pattern, while abdominal muscles and skin were closed in layers. After a total duration time of anesthesia of 90 minutes the animal was kept in prophylactic antibiotic baths. Tissue sections revealed characteristics of both lymphangiosarcoma and lymphosarcoma with an appearance typical for a malignant tumor. Conclusions— Abdominal surgery was performed in an axolotl and the surgical wound healed without complication.     

FDG PET/CT IMAGING IN CANINE CANCER PATIENTS

2‐Deoxy‐2‐[¹⁸F]fluoro‐d ‐glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) is becoming increasingly available as an imaging modality in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this study was to report semiquantitative standard uptake values (SUV) of malignant and nonmalignant tissues and organs in canine cancer patients. FDG PET/CT was performed in 14 dogs including, nine mesenchymal tumors, four carcinomas, and one incompletely excised mast cell tumor. A generally higher FDG uptake was observed in carcinomas relative to sarcomas. Maximum SUV of carcinomas ranged from 7.6 to 27.0, and for sarcomas from 2.0 to 10.6. The FDG SUV of several organs and tissues, including regional brain uptake is reported, to serve as a reference for future FDG PET studies in canine cancer patients. Several potential pitfalls have been recognized in interpretation of FDG PET images of human patients, a number of these were also observed in this study.     

Improving light-based geolocation by including sea surface temperature

An approach to integrate sea surface temperature (SST) measurements into estimates of geolocations calculated by changes in ambient light level from data downloaded from pop‐up satellite archival tags (PSAT) is presented. The model is an extension of an approach based on Kalman filter estimation in a state‐space model. The approach uses longitude and latitude estimated from light, and SST. The extra information on SST is included in a consistent manner within the milieu of the Kalman filter. The technique was evaluated by attaching PSATs directly on thermistor‐equipped global positioning system drifter buoys. SSTs measured in the PSATs and drifter buoy were statistically compared with SSTs determined from satellites. The method is applied to two tracks derived from PSAT‐tagged blue sharks (Prionace glauca) in the central Pacific Ocean. The inclusion of SST in the model produced substantially more probable tracks with lower prediction variance than those estimated from light‐level data alone.     

Localized Learning Revisited

ABSTRACT The concept of localized learning outlines how local conditions and spatial proximity between actors enable the formation of distinctive cognitive repertoires and influence the generation and selection of skills, processes, and products within a field of knowledge or activity. The localized learning argument consists of two distinct yet related elements. One has to do with localized capabilities that enhance learning, while the other concerns the possible benefits that firms with similar or related activities may accrue by locating in spatial proximity to one another. This article disentangles these two inherent elements of the concept, reviews some of the critiques that have been raised against it, and sorts out some misunderstandings that are often attached to its present use.