The Impacts of Alternative Policy Scenarios on Multifunctionality

This paper provides first results of the sector model approach to analyze the effects of alternative policy scenarios on the multifunctional role of Finnish agriculture. In terms of environmental non-commodity outputs we focus on nutrient runoffs, landscape diversity and biodiversity. As regards to socio-economic outputs our focus is on direct and indirect agricultural labour force. The results suggest that while partial de-coupling agricultural supports from production is not likely to result in any drastic decline of agricultural production the amount of green fallow will increase considerably. As a result, the agricultural land will become biologically richer. The agricultural labour force is likely to decrease substantially irrespective of agricultural policy.agricultural policy, multifunctionality, sector model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q18, Q21,

Origins and Recovery from Superinfections and Soft Tissue Necrosis

The aim of the study was to gather further information regarding the reasons for superinfections and soft tissue necrosis, and to compare them with common gingivitis and periodontitis. A further aim is to see if there are differences in the recovery from these diseases which all are associated with microorganisms. The information was gathered retrospectively from 250 patients and altogether 4022 visits to a specialist. The material was chosen randomly according to the first letter of the patient’s surname, among the 250 patients that were selected. The treatments of 155 patients took place between 1987-2016. The treatment of some patients had started earlier, but the controls had been continued for a long time after 1987. The examinations have been clinical, microbiological, and based on anamnesis, roentgenograms and histopathological examinations. The follow-up time was between 1 to 40 years. The patients who had periodontitis or superinfection were treated in the same way. Antibiotic therapy was prescribed for recurring infections, or if the patient had a difficult disease. In periodontal-endodontic infections, root canals were treated. Periapical lesions were surgically treated. Both periodontitis and superinfections occurred predominantly in the age group between 41 and 60 years. Narcotic- or snuff-addicts were not included in the material, nor were alcoholics, although 6 patients did report moderate use of alcohol. Diseases and other infections had been treated both in patients with periodontitis and in the superinfection group. Oral symptoms were the same, except that the superinfections were violent. The difference in diagnosis was based on the anamnestic information of the antibiotics which induced the acute reaction, on the clinical and microbiological studies. The patients had received 12 different antibiotics, from which 10 induced superinfection. Extraction of teeth did not prevent normal infection, nor superinfection. The infections appeared as ulcers, white coverings or the flush of mucosa, and if the teeth remained, gingival pockets were purulent. The found micro-organisms were yeasts, mould, bacteria, also periodontopathogens. In the superinfection group, some multiply resistant organisms were found. The prognosis of the treatment was good both for patients with periodontitis and superinfection. Flap necrosis is a local, rare surgical complication, in which one factor is superinfection. Incorrect treatment of soft tissue did not lead to flap necrosis in this study. Superinfection is a different disease to periodontitis or gingivitis, because it is induced by antibiotics, and it is linked with multiply resistant microorganisms that are not sensitive to the antibiotics used. Normal periodontal, surgical and endodontic treatments are suitable for patients with periodontal- endodontic problems or superinfection. Superinfection can be very severe, locally or in the whole periodontium, if the infection is bacterial. When the infection was due to yeasts or moulds, local infection was not found. The recovery prognosis is good both in periodontitis and in superinfection. The connection to other diseases is not clear. Cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, accidents and other infections were in anamnesis both in patients with periodontitis and in patients with superinfection. Patients with urinary tract infections who were prescribed antibiotic treatments were more prone to superinfection. Anyone can contract a superinfection. In a healthy gingival, it appears as ulcers, coverings, flushing or gingival bleeding, whereas in patients with periodontitis, the superinfection is mainly purulent. Endodontic superinfection is also possible.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Predictors for cerebral edema in acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis

Cerebral edema (CED) is a severe complication of acute ischemic stroke. There is uncertainty regarding the predictors for the development of CED after cerebral infarction. We aimed to determine which baseline clinical and radiological parameters predict development of CED in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis. We used an image-based classification of CED with 3 degrees of severity (less severe CED 1 and most severe CED 3) on postintravenous thrombolysis imaging scans. We extracted data from 42 187 patients recorded in the SITS International Register (Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke) during 2002 to 2011. We did univariate comparisons of baseline data between patients with or without CED. We used backward logistic regression to select a set of predictors for each CED severity. CED was detected in 9579/42 187 patients (22.7%: 12.5% CED 1, 4.9% CED 2, 5.3% CED 3). In patients with CED versus no CED, the baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was higher (17 versus 10; P<0.001), signs of acute infarct was more common (27.9% versus 19.2%; P<0.001), hyperdense artery sign was more common (37.6% versus 14.6%; P<0.001), and blood glucose was higher (6.8 versus 6.4 mmol/L; P<0.001). Baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, hyperdense artery sign, blood glucose, impaired consciousness, and signs of acute infarct on imaging were independent predictors for all edema types. The most important baseline predictors for early CED are National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, hyperdense artery sign, higher blood glucose, decreased level of consciousness, and signs of infarct at baseline. The findings can be used to improve selection and monitoring of patients for drug or surgical treatment

Subjective cognitive complaints and permanent work disability : a prospective cohort study

Purpose Work disability (WD) is a medico-legal concept that refers to disability benefits (DB) granted due to diseases. We assessed whether subjective cognitive complaints (SCC)-presenting as self-rated difficulties of concentration, memory, clear thinking, and decision making-predict permanent WD in knowledge-intensive occupations. Methods In this prospective cohort study with up to 7-year follow-up, we combined the SCC questionnaire results with reliable registry data on the DBs of 7161 professional/managerial employees (46% females). We excluded employees who were on long-term sickness absence (SA) or had received a DB at baseline. The exposure variable was the presence of SCC. Age and SA before the questionnaire as a proxy measure of general health were treated as confounders and the analyses were conducted by gender. The outcome variable was a granted DB. The cumulative incidence function illustrates the difference between SCC categories, and the Fine-Gray model estimates the predictors of WD during the 8-year follow-up. Results The annual incidence of DB was 0.15% in the entire cohort: 0.18% among the females, and 0.12% among the males (p = 0.795). The most common primary reasons for permanent WD were mental (36%) and musculoskeletal (20%) disorders. SCC predicted DB in both genders when controlling for age and prior SA. Hazard ratios were 2.9 with a 95% confidence interval 1.4-6.0 for the females and 3.7 (1.8-7.9) for the males. Conclusion Subjective cognitive complaints predict permanent WD in knowledge-intensive occupations. This finding has implications for supporting work ability and preventing work disability among employees with cognitively demanding tasks.Peer reviewe

Miesten kanssa seksiä harrastavat miehet: suhde omaan seksuaalisuuteen ja sosiaaliseen ympäristöön

Tutkimuksessa kuvataan miesten kanssa seksiä harrastavien miesten suhdetta omaan seksuaalisuuteensa sekä sosiaaliseen ympäristöönsä. Aineisto kerättiin vuonna 2010 osana 38 maan yhteistä Internet-kyselyä (EMIS -European MSM Internet Sex Survey) miesten välisestä seksistä. Tämän artikkelin aineistona ovat Suomessa tutkimukseen osallistuneiden miesten (n=2028) vastaukset. Suurin osa vastaajista (69,7 %) oli seksuaalisesti kiinnostunut vain miehistä. Suurin osa (73,7 %) oli identiteetiltään homoseksuaalisia. Nuoremmat suhtautuivat vanhempia vastaajia negatiivisemmin seksuaaliseen suuntautumiseensa. Uudellamaalla asuvat suhtautuivat muualla asuvia positiivisemmin seksuaaliseen suuntautumiseensa. Yli puolet vastaajista (57,2 %) koki ajoittain yksinäisyyttä. Myönteisimmin sosiaalisiin suhteisiin ja tilanteisiin homoseksuaalisten miesten kanssa suhtautuivat vanhemmat ikäluokat ja suurella paikkakunnalla asuvat. Yli puolet vastanneista oli kokenut tuijottamista, uhkailua ja sanallista solvaamista. Tämän tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella erityistä huomiota olisi kiinnitettävä nuoriin ja pienillä paikkakunnalla asuviin miehiin ja heidän hyvinvointiinsa, koska nuoret suhtautuivat tämän tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan seksuaaliseen suuntautumiseen negatiivisemmin kuin muut. Lisäksi pienellä paikkakunnalla asuminen voi vaikeuttaa miespuolisen seurustelukumppanin löytämistä

Cortical symptoms described in emergency calls for patients with suspected large vessel occlusion : a descriptive analysis of 157 emergency calls

Background: Emergency medical dispatchers typically use the dispatch code for suspected stroke when the caller brings up one or more symptoms from the face-arm-speech triad. Paramedics and emergency department physicians are trained to suspect large vessel occlusion stroke when the stroke patient presents with hemiparesis and cortical symptoms: neglect, aphasia, and conjugate eye deviation (CED). We hypothesized that these symptoms could be evident in the emergency call. In this study, we aimed to describe common symptoms mentioned in the emergency calls for paramedic-suspected thrombectomy candidates. Secondly, we wanted to explore how the question about CED arises in the Finnish suspected stroke dispatch protocol. Our third aim was to find out if the symptoms brought up in suspected stroke and non-stroke dispatches differed from each other. Methods: This was a retrospective study with a descriptive analysis of emergency calls for patients with paramedic-suspected large vessel occlusion stroke. We listened to the emergency calls for 157 patients transported to Tampere University Hospital, a Finnish comprehensive stroke centre. Two researchers listened for symptoms brought up in these calls and filled out a pre-planned case report form. Results: Speech disturbance was the most common symptom brought up in 125 (80%) calls. This was typically described as an inability to speak any words (n = 65, 52% of calls with speech disturbance). Other common symptoms were falling down (n = 63, 40%) and facial asymmetry (n = 41, 26%). Suspicion of stroke was mentioned by 44 (28%) callers. When the caller mentioned unconsciousness the emergency dispatcher tended to use a non-stroke dispatch code. The dispatchers adhered poorly to the protocol and asked about CED in only 57% of suspected stroke dispatches. We found CED in 12 emergency calls and ten of these patients were diagnosed with large vessel occlusion. Conclusion: In cases where paramedics suspected large vessel occlusion stroke, typical stroke symptoms were described during the emergency call. Speech disturbance was typically described as inability to say anything. It is possible to further develop suspected stroke dispatch protocols to recognize thrombectomy candidates from ischemic cortical signs such as global aphasia and CED.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Rightward bias in right hemisphere infarct patients with or without thrombolytic treatment and in healthy controls

Right hemisphere (RH) infarct patients have a tendency to begin visual scanning from the right side of a given stimulus. Our aim was to find out whether RH patients with (T+) or without (T-) thrombolytic treatment and healthy controls differ in their starting points in three cancellation tasks. Our sample comprised of 77 patients and 62 controls. Thirty-four patients received thrombolysis. Rightward orientation bias was more evident in the T- group than in the T+ group. The T+ group showed a robust tendency to start all cancellation tasks more often on the right side than the controls. Regardless of whether they had visual neglect, patients in the T+ group showed still defective rightward orienting, possibly indicating residual attentional problems. The analyses of starting points in visual cancellation tasks provide additional information on residual symptoms of attention difficulties after stroke

COVID-19-kriisin haitallisten vaikutusten ehkäiseminen kestävän kehityksen periaatteiden mukaisesti : Valtioneuvoston COVID19 -tiedepaneelin vastaukset valmisteluryhmän kysymyksiin

Valtioneuvoston kanslia asetti 22.4.2020 COVID-19-tiedepaneelin tukemaan valtiosihteeri Martti Hetemäen johtamaa valmisteluryhmää koronaviruskriisin haitallisten vaikutusten arviointiin ja ehkäisyyn sekä tehtyjen toimenpiteiden purkuun ja Suomen jälleenrakennukseen liittyvissä kysymyksissä. Tiedepaneeli asetettiin toimikaudelle 22.4.–31.5.2020. Tiedepaneelin tehtävänä oli auttaa valmisteluryhmää tutkittuun tietoon perustuen arvioimaan ja ennakoimaan COVID-19-kriisiin liittyviä ja siitä seuraavia vaikutuksia sosiaalisen, terveydellisen, taloudellisen ja ekologisen kestävyyden sekä yksilöiden, yhteisöjen ja yhteiskunnan resilienssin näkökulmista. Paneeli muodostettiin seuraavien alojen asiantuntijoista: kansanterveystieteet, koulutuspolitiikka, käyttäytymistiede (ml. psykologia), resilienssi, sosiaalipolitiikka, talouspolitiikka, sekä ympäristö- ja ilmastotieteet. Valtioneuvoston kanslia asetti paneelin jäsenet Tutkimuslaitosten yhteenliittymä Tulanetin, Suomen yliopistojen rehtorineuvosto Unifi ry:n ja Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian esitysten perusteella. Lisäksi valtioneuvosto täydensi tiedepaneelia kolmella asiantuntijalla