Cuticular and Suberin Polymers of Edible Plants. Analysis by Gas Chromatographic-Mass Spectrometric and Solid State Spectroscopic Methods

Cutin and suberin are structural and protective polymers of plant surfaces. The epidermal cells of the aerial parts of plants are covered with an extracellular cuticular layer, which consists of polyester cutin, highly resistant cutan, cuticular waxes and polysaccharides which link the layer to the epidermal cells. A similar protective layer is formed by a polyaromatic-polyaliphatic biopolymer suberin, which is present particularly in the cell walls of the phellem layer of periderm of the underground parts of plants (e.g. roots and tubers) and the bark of trees. In addition, suberization is also a major factor in wound healing and wound periderm formation regardless of the plants’ tissue. Knowledge of the composition and functions of cuticular and suberin polymers is important for understanding the physiological properties for the plants and for nutritional quality when these plants are consumed as foods. The aims of the practical work were to assess the chemical composition of cuticular polymers of several northern berries and seeds and suberin of two varieties of potatoes. Cutin and suberin were studied as isolated polymers and further after depolymerization as soluble monomers and solid residues. Chemical and enzymatic depolymerization techniques were compared and a new chemical depolymerization method was developed. Gas chromatographic analysis with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) was used to assess the monomer compositions. Polymer investigations were conducted with solid state carbon-13 cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C CP-MAS NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microscopic analysis. Furthermore, the development of suberin over one year of post-harvest storage was investigated and the cuticular layers from berries grown in the North and South of Finland were compared. The results show that the amounts of isolated cuticular layers and cutin monomers, as well as monomeric compositions vary greatly between the berries. The monomer composition of seeds was found to differ from the corresponding berry peel monomers. The berry cutin monomers were composed mostly of long-chain aliphatic ω-hydroxy acids, with various mid-chain functionalities (double-bonds, epoxy, hydroxy and keto groups). Substituted α,ω-diacids predominated over ω-hydroxy acids in potato suberin monomers and slight differences were found between the varieties. The newly-developed closed tube chemical method was found to be suitable for cutin and suberin analysis and preferred over the solvent-consuming and laborious reflux method. Enzymatic hydrolysis with cutinase was less effective than chemical methanolysis and showed specificity towards α,ω-diacid bonds. According to 13C CP-MAS NMR and FTIR, the depolymerization residues contained significant amounts of aromatic structures, polysaccharides and possible cutan-type aliphatic moieties. Cultivation location seems to have effect on cuticular composition. The materials studied contained significant amounts of different types of biopolymers that could be utilized for several purposes with or without further processing. The importance of the so-called waste material from industrial processes of berries and potatoes as a source of either dietary fiber or specialty chemicals should be further investigated in detail. The evident impact of cuticular and suberin polymers, among other fiber components, on human health should be investigated in clinical trials. These by-product materials may be used as value-added fiber fractions in the food industry and as raw materials for specialty chemicals such as lubricants and emulsifiers, or as building blocks for novel polymers.Siirretty Doriast

Lastensuojeluilmoitus ja siihen johtavat tekijät : Koulutuspäivän järjestäminen Joensuun alueen koulu- sekä opiskeluterveydenhuollon ammattilaisille

Lastensuojelun tehtävänä on edistää lapsen suotuisaa kehitystä ja hyvinvointia. Ehkäisevää lastensuojelutyötä tehdään kuntien peruspalveluissa, kuten esimerkiksi terveydenhuollossa, opetuksessa ja nuorisotyössä. Terveydenhoitajat työskentelevät lähes aina itsenäisesti. Terveydenhoitajan tärkein tehtävä on toimia terveyden edistäjänä ja toimintahäiriöiden tunnistajana ja ehkäisijänä kouluympäristössä. Nuorten yleistyneet mielenterveyden ongelmat ovat lisänneet terveydenhoitajien työmäärää. Nuorilla yleisimpiä mielenterveyden ongelmia ovat mieliala-, ahdistuneisuus-, käytös- ja päihdehäiriöt. Joka viides nuori kärsii jostain mielenterveyden ongelmasta. Yleistyneet mielenterveyden ongelmat ovat yksi monista syistä, jotka voivat johtaa lastensuojeluilmoituksen tekemiseen kouluterveydenhuollossa. Toiminnallisen opinnäytetyömme tehtävänä oli koulutuspäivän järjestäminen Joensuun alueen koulu- sekä opiskeluterveydenhuollon ammattilaisille. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoituksena oli lisätä koulu- ja opiskeluterveydenhuollon ammattilaisten tietoisuutta lastensuojelusta sekä kannustaa heitä keskustelemaan työssään kohtaavista eettisistä ongelmista sekä muista lastensuojeluun ja lastensuojeluilmoituksen tekemiseen liittyvistä asioista. Opinnäytetyö on tehty Joensuun kau-pungin toimeksiannosta. Koulutuspäivään osallistuneet kokivat koulutustilaisuuden hyödylliseksi ja he kertoivat saaneensa aiheesta riittävästi mielenkiintoista sekä ammatillisesti tärkeää tietoa. Koulutuspäivän kesto arvioitiin sopivaksi ja luentojen kehuttiin etenevän luontevasti. Osallistuneet pitivät luennoitsijoita koulutuspäivän aihealueiden asiantuntijoina.The purpose of child welfare is to promote children's development and wellbeing. Preventive child welfare work is done for example in health care, schools and youth work. School and student health care nurses work independently. The nurse’s main job is to promote health, identify dysfunctions and prevent them in a school environment. Young people’s mental health disorders have become more common and therefore increased the nurse’s work in school and student health care. The most common mental health disorders are mood, anxiety and behavioural disorders as well as problems with drugs and alcohol. One of five suffers from some kind of mental health disorders. Mental health problems are among the many reasons which can lead to child welfare reports being made in schools. The purpose of this functional thesis was to arrange an educational day to school and student health care professionals in Joensuu. The purpose of the thesis was to increase the nurse’s awareness of child welfare and encourage them to discuss the ethical problems which they encounter in their work as well as other problems related to child welfare and child welfare reports. The thesis was commissioned by the city of Joensuu. Participants felt that the education was useful, and they think that they received sufficiently interesting and professional information. The duration of the education day was considered suitable, and the lectures progressed naturally. Participants felt that the lecturers were professionals in their fields

Sivistysideaali vaatii uudelleentarkastelua

Maailmassa on monenlaista pahoinvointia ja epätasa-arvoa, eikä aikamme viheliäisiä ongelmia olla onnistuttu ratkaisemaan. Olisi aika synnyttää uusi sivistysideaali, mutta se edellyttää, että ymmärrämme, mitkä ovat uuden ajan reunaehdot, ja kutsumme kaikki mukaan keskusteluun

Serum tumour associated trypsin inhibitor, as a biomarker for survival in renal cell carcinoma : Scandinavian Journal of Urology

Abstract Objective Tumour associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) is a peptide that is a marker for several tumours. TATI may also behave as an acute phase reactant in severe inflammatory disease. Overexpression of TATI predicts an unfavourable outcome for many cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of pre- and postoperative concentration of TATI in serum (S-TATI) of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and methods S-TATI was determined by time resolved immunofluorometric assay in preoperative and postoperative samples that were collected from 132 RCC patients, who underwent partial or complete nephrectomy in Helsinki University Hospital from May 2005 to July 2010. Results Preoperative S-TATI was significantly associated with tumour stage, lymph-node involvement, metastatic stage, Chronic Kidney Disease Stage (CKD grade), and preoperative C-reactive protein level (p?Peer reviewe

Virtsarakkosyöpä

English summaryPeer reviewe

Suosituksia työelämän kehittämisen alueellisten verkostojen rakenteista

Työelämän laajan kokonaisuuden kehittäminen vaatii joustavuuteen ja avoimuuteen sekä keskinäiseen luottamukseen ja sitoutumiseen perustuvaa verkostoitumista ja verkostojen välistä yhteistyötä. Julkaisussa esiteltävät suositukset on tarkoitettu tukemaan työelämän kehittämisessä mukana olevien verkostojen toimintaa ja yhteistyötä, verkostojen parempaa hyödynnettävyyttä sekä niiden pysyvämmän rakenteen kehittämistä. Maakunta- ja sote-valmistelutyössä sekä työelämän kehittämisessä mukana olevat voivat hyödyntää suosituksia

Virtsarakkosyövän hoito

Virtsarakon syöpä on toiseksi yleisin urologinen syöpä. Sen ensioireena on useimmiten makroskooppinen verivirtsaisuus, jonka alkuperän selvittämiseksi voidaan tehdä virtsarakon tähystys ja radiologiset lisätutkimukset. Kasvaimen höyläyksellä saadaan histologinen varmistus kasvaimen erilaistumisasteesta ja invaasion syvyydestä. Hoito määräytyy taudin patologisten tekijöiden sekä levinneisyyden perusteella. Ei-lihasinvasiivisen rakkosyövän uusiutumista ja etenemistä pyritään estämään rakkoinstillaatioilla, mikäli tauti on huonosti erilaistunut, kasvaa invasiivisesti lamina propriaan tai uusiutuu toistuvasti, mutta lihakseen edenneen syövän ensisijainen hoito on edelleen radikaalikirurgia. Säde- ja kemosädehoito ovat vaihtoehtoina leikkaukseen soveltumattomille potilaille. Etäpesäkkeistä tautia hoidetaan solunsalpaajilla ja immunologisella lääkehoidolla.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Male predominance in disease severity and mortality in a low Covid-19 epidemic and low case-fatality area - a population-based registry study

Background Men reportedly suffer from a more severe disease and higher mortality during the global SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) pandemic. We analysed sex differences in a low epidemic area with low overall mortality in Covid-19 in a population based setting with patients treated in specialized healthcare. Methods We entered all hospitalized laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases of all specialized healthcare hospitals of the Capital Province of Finland, into a population-based quality registry and described demographics, severity and case-fatality by sex of the first Covid-19 wave February-June 2020. Results Altogether 5471 patients (49% male) were identified. Patients hospitalized in the specialist healthcare (N = 585, 54% male, OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.05-1.48) were of the same age. Men had less asthma and thyroid insufficiency and more coronary artery disease compared to women. Mean time from symptom onset to diagnosis was at least one day longer for men (p=.005). Men required intensive care unit (ICU) more often (27% vs. 17%) with longer lengths-of-stays at ICU. Male sex associated with significantly higher case-fatality at 90-days (15% vs. 8%) and all excess male deaths occurring after three weeks from onset. Men with fatal outcomes had delays in both Covid-19 testing and hospital admission after a positive test. The delays in patients with the most severe and fatal outcomes differed markedly by sex. In multivariable analysis, male sex associated independently with case-fatality (OR 2.37; 95% CI 1.22-4.59). Conclusions Male sex associated with higher disease severity and case-fatality. Late presentation of male fatal cases could represent different treatment-seeking behaviour or disease progression by sex.Peer reviewe

Virtsarakon BCG-huuhteluhoidon infektiokomplikaatiot

Vertaisarvioitu.Virtsarakkosyöpä on tavallisin virtsateiden syöpätauti. Useimmiten se rajoittuu välimuotoisen uroteelin alaiseen tyvikalvoon. Ei-lihasinvasiivisen virtsarakkosyövän höyläysleikkauksen jälkeisen uusiutumisen ja etenemisen estoon käytetään yleisesti Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) -huuhteluita. BCG sisältää eläviä, heikennettyjä naudan tuberkuloosibakteereja (Mycobacterium bovis), ja sen teho perustuu immuunijärjestelmän aktivoitumiseen. Huuhteluhoito on yleisesti hyvin siedetty, mutta siihen voi liittyä sekä paikallisia että systeemisiä haittavaikutuksia. Selvitimme Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiirin (HUS) sairaaloissa vuosina 2008-2019 todetut huuhteluhoidon jälkeiset BCG-infektiotapaukset. Esittelemme kahdentoista potilaan sarjan, josta käyvät ilmi infektioiden monimuotoisuus, hoitovaihtoehdot ja ennuste

Symptoms and diagnostic delays in bladder cancer with high risk of recurrence : results from a prospective FinnBladder 9 trial

Purpose To investigate the symptoms and delays in the clinical pathway of bladder cancer (BC). Methods This is a substudy of a prospective, randomized, multicenter phase III study (FinnBladder 9, NCT01675219) where the efficacy of photodynamic diagnosis and 6 weekly optimized mitomycin C instillations are studied in pTa bladder cancer with high risk for recurrence. The data of presenting symptoms and critical time points were prospectively collected, and the effect of factors on delays was analyzed. Results At the time of analysis, 245 patients were randomized. Analysis included 131 patients with primary bladder cancer and their complete data. Sixty-nine percent had smoking history and 67% presented with macroscopic hematuria. Median patient delay (from symptoms to health-care contact) was 7 days. The median general practice delay (from health-care contact to urology referral) was 8 days. Median time from urology referral to cystoscopy was 23 days and from cystoscopy to TUR-BT 21 days. Total time used in the clinical pathway (from symptom to TUR-BT) was 78 days. Current and former smokers had non-significantly shorter patient-related and general practice delays compared to never smokers. TUR-BT delay was significantly shorter in patients with malignant cytology (16 days) compared to patients with benign cytology (21 days, p = 0.03). Conclusions Patient-derived delay was short and most of the delay occurred in the referral centers. The majority had macroscopic hematuria as the initial symptom. Surprisingly, current and past smokers were more prone to contact the health-care system compared to never smokers.Peer reviewe