Tutorial on DDI controlled vocabularies

This tutorial will cover the aim and content of the DDI Controlled Vocabularies (CVs) and general principles of their use in metadata. It will include use of CVs in local languages. Tutorial aimed for persons/organisations who are using or planning to use DDI CVs in documentation. Participants may be asked to do a few exercises beforehand, classifying example datasets with some CVs

Microarrays in the Diagnosis of Human Herpesvirus infections

Currently, there are nine known human herpesviruses and these viruses appear to have been a very common companion of humans throughout the millenia. Of human herpesviruses, herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), causative agents of herpes labialis and genital herpes, and varicella-zoster virus (VZV), causative agent of chicken pox, are also common causes of central nervous system (CNS) infections. In addition, human cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesviruses 6A, 6B, and 7 (HHV-6A, HHV-6B, HHV-7), all members of the herpesvirus family, can also be associated with encephalitis and meningitis. Accurate diagnostics and fast treatment are essential for patient recovery in CNS infections and therefore sensitive and effective diagnostic methods are needed. The aim of this thesis was to develop new potential detection methods for diagnosing of human herpesvirus infections, especially in immunocompetent patients, using the microarray technique. Therefore, methods based on microarrays were developed for simultaneous detection of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, CMV, EBV, HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7 nucleic acids, and for HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, and CMV antibodies from various clinical samples. The microarray methods developed showed potential for efficiently and accurately detecting human herpesvirus DNAs, especially in CNS infections, and for simultaneous detection of DNAs or antibodies for multiple different human herpesviruses from clinical samples. In fact, the microarray method revealed several previously unrecognized co-infections. The microarray methods developed were sensitive and provided rapid detection of human herpesvirus DNA, and therefore the method could be applied to routine diagnostics. The microarrays might also be considered as an economical tool for diagnosing human herpesvirus infections.Herpesvirukset ovat kulkeneet ihmisen kumppaneina vuosituhat toisensa jälkeen ja tällä hetkellä tunnetaan yhdeksän ihmiselle patogeenista herpesvirusta. Huuli- ja genitaaliherpestä aiheuttavat herpes simplex virus 1 ja 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2) sekä vesirokkoa aiheuttava varicalla-zoster virus (VZV) ovat ihmisen herpesviruksia, jotka voivat aiheuttaa myös vakavia keskushermostoperäisiä infektioita. Ihmisen herpesviruksista myös ihmisen cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), ihmisen herpesvirukset 6 ja 7 (HHV-6, HHV-7), voidaan liittää aivokuumeeseen ja aivokalvontulehdukseen. Näiden virusten nopea ja tarkka diagnostiikka on oleellista oikean hoidon aloittamiselle sekä potilaan toipumiselle varsinkin keskushermostoperäisissä infektioissa. Taudinaiheuttajien diagnosoimiseksi tarvitaan herkkiä ja tehokkaita menetelmiä. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteina oli kehittää uusia mikrosirupohjaisia menetelmiä ihmisen herpesvirusten aiheuttamien infektioiden diagnostiikkaan. Kehitetyillä mikrosiruilla tunnistettiin yhtä aikaa kahdeksan eri herpesviruksen nukleiinihappoa erilaisista kliinisistä näytteistä. Toisella serologisella mikrosirulla detektoitiin HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV ja CMV:lle spesifisiä vasta-aineita. Herpesvirusten nukleiinihappojen ja vasta-aineiden tunnistamiseen kehitetyt mikrosirumenetelmät osoittautuivat soveltuviksi usean herpesviruksen samanaikaiseen diagnosointiin. Varsinkin keskushermostopohjaisten infektioiden tunnistamisessa mikrosiru osoittautui tehokkaaksi. Mikrosirujen avulla tunnistettiin myös mahdollisia useamman viruksen samanaikaisia infektioita

Arvojen integratiivinen funktio : Tiedonsosiologinen analyysi arvoperusteisten ja oikeudellisten normien funktioista yhteiskunnallisten vuorovaikutussuhteiden jäsentäjänä, erityisesti taloudellisen toimintafunktion näkökulmasta tarkasteltuna

fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Evaluation of Real-Time RT-PCR for Diagnostic Use in Detection of Puumala Virus

Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most common cause of hantavirus infection in Europe, with thousands of cases occurring particularly in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. It causes a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome also known as nephropathia epidemica (NE) with clinical picture ranging from mild to severe. Currently, the laboratory diagnosis of NE is mainly based on serology. Here, we evaluated a real-time one-step qRT-PCR (PUUV-qRT-PCR) for detection of PUUV with 238 consecutive diagnostic serum samples from patients with suspected PUUV infection. The PUUV-qRT-PCR was both specific and sensitive for PUUV RNA. The analytical sensitivity (limit of detection) was estimated to be four copies of PUUV per reaction. Altogether 28 out of 30 (93%) PUUV IgM positive samples were positive also for PUUV RNA. No false positives were detected and the specificity was thus 100%. Interestingly, one sample was found positive in PUUV-qRT-PCR prior to subsequent IgM and IgG seroconversion. PUUV-qRT-PCR could be used for diagnostics in the early phase of NE infection and might be helpful especially in the rare severe cases when the patient’s condition may deteriorate rapidly

Evaluation of Real-Time RT-PCR for Diagnostic Use in Detection of Puumala Virus

Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most common cause of hantavirus infection in Europe, with thousands of cases occurring particularly in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. It causes a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome also known as nephropathia epidemica (NE) with clinical picture ranging from mild to severe. Currently, the laboratory diagnosis of NE is mainly based on serology. Here, we evaluated a real-time one-step qRT-PCR (PUUV-qRT-PCR) for detection of PUUV with 238 consecutive diagnostic serum samples from patients with suspected PUUV infection. The PUUV-qRT-PCR was both specific and sensitive for PUUV RNA. The analytical sensitivity (limit of detection) was estimated to be four copies of PUUV per reaction. Altogether 28 out of 30 (93%) PUUV IgM positive samples were positive also for PUUV RNA. No false positives were detected and the specificity was thus 100%. Interestingly, one sample was found positive in PUUV-qRT-PCR prior to subsequent IgM and IgG seroconversion. PUUV-qRT-PCR could be used for diagnostics in the early phase of NE infection and might be helpful especially in the rare severe cases when the patient’s condition may deteriorate rapidly

Zikavirus

English summaryPeer reviewe

Neonatal brainstem auditory function associates with early receptive language development in preterm children

Aim: To study whether auditory function measured with brainstem auditory evoked potential and brainstem audiometry recordings in the neonatal period associates with language development 1 year later in preterm infants.Methods: This retrospective study included 155 preterm infants (birthweight ≤1500 g and/or birth ≤32 gestational weeks) born between 2007 and 2012 at the Turku University Hospital. Auditory function was recorded in neonatal period. Information of language development was gathered at the mean corrected age of 1 year by using the Finnish version of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory.Results: Slower auditory processing (longer interpeak interval, IPI I-V) in the right ear in the neonatal brainstem auditory evoked potential recording associated with smaller receptive lexicon size at 1 year (P = .043). Infants with longer IPI I-V were more likely to have a deviant (≤17 words) receptive lexicon size (P = .033). The ab-sence of a contralateral response with right ear stimulation increased the risk for deviant lexicon size (P = .049).Conclusion: The results suggest that impaired auditory function in the neonatal pe-riod in preterm infants may lead to a poorer receptive language outcome 1 year later. Auditory pathway function assessment provides information for the identification of preterm children at risk for weak language development.Peer reviewe

Etäisopetusta teknisellä alalla: kokemuksia työteknikko- ja rationalisointitutkinnoista

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, miksi ja millaiset työelämässä toimivat ihmiset hakeutuvat suorittamaan työteknikko- ja rationalisointitutkintoja, millaiset ovat heidän opiskeluolosuhteensa ja miten tutkintojen suorittaminen vaikuttaa heidän työelämärooleihinsa. Tärkeimpinä opiskelumotiiveina korostuivat ammattitaidon kohottaminen ja toisiin tehtäviin pyrkiminen. Monista työn ohella tapahtuneen opiskelun vaikeuksista huolimatta opiskelun anti koettiin positiivisena. Tutkintojen suorittamisen koettiin useimmiten auttavan menestymistä työelämässä

Body composition and bone mineral density in children with premature adrenarche and the association of LRP5 gene polymorphisms with bone mineral density

Peer reviewe