Intestinal permeability to iohexol as an in vivo marker of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats

Gastrointestinal toxicity is the most common adverse effect of chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs damage the intestinal mucosa and increase intestinal permeability. Intestinal permeability is one of the key markers of gastrointestinal function and measuring intestinal permeability could serve as a useful tool for assessing the severity of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity.Peer reviewe

Consumption of Lactose, Other FODMAPs and Diarrhoea during Adjuvant 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer

Chemotherapy-induced mucosal injury of the small intestine may interfere with the enzymes and transporters responsible for the hydrolysis and absorption of dietary carbohydrates causing diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the consumption of foods rich in FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols) and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients receiving adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer. The patients (n = 52) filled in a 4-day food diary at baseline and during therapy and kept a symptom diary. The intakes of FODMAP-rich foods were calculated as portions and the intakes were divided into two consumption categories. Patients with high consumption of FODMAP-rich foods had diarrhoea more frequently than those with low consumption (for lactose-rich foods the odds ratio (OR) was 2.63, P = 0.03; and for other FODMAP-rich foods 1.82, P = 0.20). Patients with high consumption of both lactose-rich and other FODMAP-rich foods had an over 4-fold risk of developing diarrhoea as compared to those with low consumption of both (OR, 4.18; P = 0.02). These results were confirmed in multivariate models. Conclusion: Consumption of lactose-rich foods results in an increased risk of diarrhoea during adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer, especially when the consumption of other FODMAP-rich foods is also high

Consumption of Lactose, Other FODMAPs and Diarrhoea during Adjuvant 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer

Chemotherapy-induced mucosal injury of the small intestine may interfere with the enzymes and transporters responsible for the hydrolysis and absorption of dietary carbohydrates causing diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort and pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the consumption of foods rich in FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols) and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients receiving adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer. The patients (n = 52) filled in a 4-day food diary at baseline and during therapy and kept a symptom diary. The intakes of FODMAP-rich foods were calculated as portions and the intakes were divided into two consumption categories. Patients with high consumption of FODMAP-rich foods had diarrhoea more frequently than those with low consumption (for lactose-rich foods the odds ratio (OR) was 2.63, P = 0.03; and for other FODMAP-rich foods 1.82, P = 0.20). Patients with high consumption of both lactose-rich and other FODMAP-rich foods had an over 4-fold risk of developing diarrhoea as compared to those with low consumption of both (OR, 4.18; P = 0.02). These results were confirmed in multivariate models. Conclusion: Consumption of lactose-rich foods results in an increased risk of diarrhoea during adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer, especially when the consumption of other FODMAP-rich foods is also high

Nukleiinihaponosoitustestillä nopeaa ja luotettavaa malariadiagnostiikkaa

Vertaisarvioitu. Näin tutkin.Kun potilas on palannut tropiikista ja malariaepäily herää, diagnostiikan kultastandardina on veren sivelyvalmisteiden mikroskopointi. Laadukasta ja luotettavaa mikroskopointidiagnostiikkaa on taudin harvinaisuuden vuoksi kuitenkin vaikeaa tarjota päivystyksellisesti osassa suomalaisista sairaaloista. Laajalti käytössä olevan immunokromatografisen pikatestin herkkyys ei riitä luotettavasti sulkemaan pois malariaa. Siksi NordLab Oulussa otettiin käyttöön kaupallinen nukleiinihaponosoitustesti päivystykselliseen malariadiagnostiikkaan. Uuden testin käyttöönoton myötä pikatestin käytöstä ja NordLab Oulussa suoritetusta mikroskopoinnista luovuttiin. Esittelemme NordLab Oulun muuttunutta malariadiagnostiikkaa ja kaksi ensimmäistä nukleiinihaponosoitustestillä todettua malariapotilasta. Kahden vuoden käyttökokemuksen perusteella nukleiinihaponosoitustesti on osoittautunut herkäksi ja toimivaksi menetelmäksi malarian päivystysdiagnostiikassa

Effect of remdesivir post hospitalization for COVID-19 infection from the randomized SOLIDARITY Finland trial

We report the first long-term follow-up of a randomized trial (NCT04978259) addressing the effects of remdesivir on recovery (primary outcome) and other patient-important outcomes one year after hospitalization resulting from COVID-19. Of the 208 patients recruited from 11 Finnish hospitals, 198 survived, of whom 181 (92%) completed follow-up. At one year, self-reported recovery occurred in 85% in remdesivir and 86% in standard of care (SoC) (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.47-1.90). We infer no convincing difference between remdesivir and SoC in quality of life or symptom outcomes (p > 0.05). Of the 21 potential long-COVID symptoms, patients reported moderate/major bother from fatigue (26%), joint pain (22%), and problems with memory (19%) and attention/concentration (18%). In conclusion, after a one-year follow-up of hospitalized patients, one in six reported they had not recovered well from COVID-19. Our results provide no convincing evidence of remdesivir benefit, but wide confidence intervals included possible benefit and harm.Peer reviewe

Social media and small entrepreneurial firms’ internationalization

Abstract Small entrepreneurial firms often need to be quite creative when allocating and deploying their limited resources. Especially in grasping international opportunities, social media provides a seemingly affordable and far-reaching medium. However, challenges—such as the controllability of the content and the outcomes of using social media—become apparent as the reach of social media marketing expands beyond certain threshold limits. In this study, we rely on data from multiple case studies to evaluate to what extent and under which conditions social media can support small entrepreneurial firms’ international expansion. Thereby, we contribute to research on SME internationalization and business implications of digitalization. Our findings indicate that small entrepreneurial firms face somewhat different social media–related challenges in the international business environment compared to domestic settings. The controllability of the contents comes with new tones. Furthermore, small firms’ resources, both in terms of social media use and in different functions, play an important role in determining the extent to which the use of social media supports these firms’ internationalization

Towards successful European societies : the social and economic significance of universities of applied sciences: CARPE Conference 2015 in Turku

The 3rd biennale CARPE conference was hosted by Turku University of Applied Sciences from the 18th to the 20th of May 2015 with over 220 delegates in attendance, including teachers, other staff and students of the member institutions. The conference was an important opportunity for staff and students from the institutions of the Consortium on Applied Research and Professional Education (CARPE) to come together and share expertise in research, development, innovations and teaching. The CARPE network has increased the activity of the member institutions in the European research programmes. The web site of the CARPE Network www.carpenetwork.org includes a large number of research and educational projects

52-year follow-up of a birth cohort reveals a high pneumonia incidence among young men

Abstract Background: Knowledge of pneumonia incidence and risk factors in adults is mainly based on clinical studies of selected patient data and registers with ageing populations. Prospective population-based investigations, such as birth cohort studies, are needed to understand pneumonia incidence and risk factors among young and working-age populations. Methods: Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) 1966 data (n=6750) were analysed for pneumonia incidence and risk factors. Incidence analysis was replicated using data from an independent NFBC 1986 cohort (n=9207). Pneumonia in relation to chronic conditions and lifestyle factors was analysed. Results: A peak with a maximum of 227 pneumonia episodes per 10 000 among men between the ages of 19 and 21 years was found in two independent cohorts. Pneumonia was associated with male sex (relative risk 1.72, 95% CI 1.45–2.04; p<0.001), low educational level (relative risk 2.30, 95% CI 1.72–3.09; p<0.001), smoking (relative risk 1.55, 95% CI 1.31–1.84; p<0.001), asthma (relative risk 2.19, 95% CI 1.73–2.75; p<0.001), cardiovascular diseases (relative risk 2.50, 95% CI 2.04–3.07; p=0.001), kidney diseases (relative risk 4.14, 95% CI 2.81–6.10; p<0.001), rheumatoid arthritis (relative risk 2.69, 95% CI 1.80–4.01; p<0.001), psoriasis (relative risk 2.91, 95% CI 1.92–4.41; p<0.001) and type II diabetes (relative risk 1.80, 95% CI 1.34–2.42; p<0.001). Men with excessive alcohol consumption at age 31 years were at risk of future pneumonia (relative risk 2.40, 95% CI 1.58–3.64; p<0.001). Conclusions: Birth cohort data can reveal novel high-risk subpopulations, such as young males. Our study provides understanding of pneumonia incidence and risk factors among young and working age populations