BMI in childhood and adolescence is associated with impaired reproductive function-a population-based cohort study from birth to age 50 years

Peer reviewe

Common Inflammation-Related Candidate Gene Variants and Acute Kidney Injury in 2647 Critically Ill Finnish Patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome with high incidence among the critically ill. Because the clinical variables and currently used biomarkers have failed to predict the individual susceptibility to AKI, candidate gene variants for the trait have been studied. Studies about genetic predisposition to AKI have been mainly underpowered and of moderate quality. We report the association study of 27 genetic variants in a cohort of Finnish critically ill patients, focusing on the replication of associations detected with variants in genes related to inflammation, cell survival, or circulation. In this prospective, observational Finnish Acute Kidney Injury (FINNAKI) study, 2647 patients without chronic kidney disease were genotyped. We defined AKI according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. We compared severe AKI (Stages 2 and 3, n = 625) to controls (Stage 0, n = 1582). For genotyping we used iPLEX(TM) Assay (Agena Bioscience). We performed the association analyses with PLINK software, using an additive genetic model in logistic regression. Despite the numerous, although contradictory, studies about association between polymorphisms rs1800629 in TNFA and rs1800896 in IL10 and AKI, we found no association (odds ratios 1.06 (95% CI 0.89-1.28, p = 0.51) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.80-1.05, p = 0.20), respectively). Adjusting for confounders did not change the results. To conclude, we could not confirm the associations reported in previous studies in a cohort of critically ill patients.Peer reviewe

Integrating Academic and Everyday Learning Through Technology: Issues and Challenges for Researchers, Policy Makers and Practitioners

This paper builds on work undertaken over a number of years by a group of international researchers with an interest in the potential of connecting academic and everyday practices and knowledge. Drawing extensively on literature and our own work, we first discuss the challenges around defining informal learning, concluding that learning is multidimensional and has varying combinations of formal and informal attributes. We then highlight the potential of technology for integrating formal and informal learning attributes and briefly provide some exemplars of good practice. We then discuss in depth the challenges and issues of this approach to supporting learning from the perspective of pedagogy, research, policy and technology. We also provide some recommendations of how these issues may be addressed. We argue that for the learner, integration of formal and informal learning attributes should be an empowering process, enabling the learner to be self-directed, creative and innovative, taking learning to a deeper level. Given the complexity of the learning ecosystem, this demands support from the teacher but also awareness and understanding from others such as parents, family, friends and community members. We present a conceptual model of such an ecosystem to help develop further discussions within and between communities of researchers, policy makers and practitioners

Common Inflammation-Related Candidate Gene Variants and Acute Kidney Injury in 2647 Critically Ill Finnish Patients

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome with high incidence among the critically ill. Because the clinical variables and currently used biomarkers have failed to predict the individual susceptibility to AKI, candidate gene variants for the trait have been studied. Studies about genetic predisposition to AKI have been mainly underpowered and of moderate quality. We report the association study of 27 genetic variants in a cohort of Finnish critically ill patients, focusing on the replication of associations detected with variants in genes related to inflammation, cell survival, or circulation. In this prospective, observational Finnish Acute Kidney Injury (FINNAKI) study, 2647 patients without chronic kidney disease were genotyped. We defined AKI according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. We compared severe AKI (Stages 2 and 3, n = 625) to controls (Stage 0, n = 1582). For genotyping we used iPLEX(TM) Assay (Agena Bioscience). We performed the association analyses with PLINK software, using an additive genetic model in logistic regression. Despite the numerous, although contradictory, studies about association between polymorphisms rs1800629 in TNFA and rs1800896 in IL10 and AKI, we found no association (odds ratios 1.06 (95% CI 0.89-1.28, p = 0.51) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.80-1.05, p = 0.20), respectively). Adjusting for confounders did not change the results. To conclude, we could not confirm the associations reported in previous studies in a cohort of critically ill patients

Association of growth from birth until middle age with sex hormone parameters and reproductive function in the Northern Finland Birth cohort 1966

Abstract Obesity predisposes people to numerous morbidities and less well-known reproductive problems. In women, obesity increases the risk of infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In men, obesity impairs reproductive health and is associated with testosterone (T) deficiency. Since the above-mentioned problems affect a significant proportion of the population, this study focuses on the association between early risk factors and reproductive problems, providing a great opportunity to identify the sensitive time periods for preventive actions. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of prenatal factors, birth weight (BW), and BMI, from birth until middle age, on sex hormone levels and reproductive function in both women and men. The study populations (women and men with impaired reproductive function, women with PCOS and men with low T at age 31) were derived from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 with additional data from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Multiple confounding factors, such as socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, marital status, attempts to have children, and adult obesity, could be considered. The results revealed that in girls, obesity in mid-childhood and especially in puberty — and in boys, low BMI in early childhood — predicted impaired reproductive function, as well as an increased risk of childlessness regardless of confounding factors. In boys, overweight and obesity in early childhood was associated with a decreased risk of infertility, but BMI from mid-childhood onwards did not affect their subsequent reproductive function. Both women with PCOS and men with low T at age 31 already had higher weight gain from childhood onwards; their weight gain began earlier, and their BMIs remained higher until age 46. In boys, maternal obesity was associated significantly with later T deficiency, suggesting that metabolic factors during pregnancy affect boys’ endocrine function later in life. Lower BW and prematurity in girls were associated with PCOS later in life. Given the well-known health risks related to obesity and the steadily rising prevalence of maternal obesity, the study results emphasize the importance of preventing obesity, maintaining an optimal growth during childhood, and preventing maternal obesity, as all these factors affect reproductive health later in life.Tiivistelmä Lihavuus aiheuttaa monien sairauksien lisäksi myös merkittäviä lisääntymisterveyden ongelmia ja lisää riskiä lapsettomuudelle. Lihavuus lisää naisilla munasarjojen monirakkulaoireyhtymän (PCOS) ja miehillä mieshormonivajeen riskiä. Nämä ongelmat koskettavat merkittävää osaa väestöstä. Tämä tutkimus antaa mahdollisuuden tunnistaa varhaisten riskitekijöiden yhteyksiä lisääntymisterveyden ongelmiin ja siten löytää keinoja oikea-aikaisiin ennaltaehkäiseviin toimiin. Tässä tutkimuksessa arvioitiin raskauden aikaisten tekijöiden, syntymäpainon ja painoindeksin (BMI) kehityksen vaikutusta hormonaalisiin muuttujiin ja lisääntymisterveyteen sekä naisilla että miehillä keski-ikään saakka. Tutkimuspopulaatiot (lapsettomuudesta kärsivät naiset ja miehet, PCOS-naiset sekä miehet, joilla todettiin mieshormonivaje 31-vuotiaana) koostuivat Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohortista 1966, johon yhdistettiin Terveyden ja hyvinvoinninlaitoksen syntymärekisterin tietoja. Tutkimusaineisto mahdollisti useiden sekoittavien tekijöiden, kuten sosioekonomisen aseman, elintapojen, siviilisäädyn, lapsitoiveen ja aikuisiän lihavuuden, huomioimisen analyyseissa. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että keskilapsuuden ja murrosiän lihavuus tytöillä ja varhaislapsuuden matala BMI pojilla olivat yhteydessä lapsettomuusongelmiin ja riskiin jäädä myöhemmin lapsettomaksi siviilisäädystä riippumatta. Toisaalta poikien ylipaino ja lihavuus varhaislapsuudessa, mutta ei enää sen jälkeen, vähensivät lapsettomuusongelmien riskiä. Sekä PCOS-naisilla että 31-vuotiaana mieshormonivajeesta kärsivillä miehillä todettiin suurempi painon kertyminen jo varhaislapsuudessa, ja BMI pysyi korkeampana kuin kontrolleilla aina keski-ikään saakka. Pojilla äidin lihavuus liittyi merkittävästi itsenäisenä riskitekijänä myöhempään mieshormonivajeeseen viitaten siihen, että raskauden aikaiset aineenvaihdunnalliset tekijät vaikuttavat merkittävästi myöhempään hormonaalisen toimintaan. Tytöillä matalampi syntymäpaino ja ennenaikaisuus lisäsivät riskiä PCOS:lle. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset korostavat synnyttäjien ylipainon ja lapsuusiän lihavuuden ehkäisemisen sekä optimaalisen kasvun tukemisen tärkeyttä, varsinkin kun otetaan huomioon lihavuuteen liittyvät muut terveysriskit ja synnyttäjien ylipainon jatkuva lisääntyminen, koska nämä kaikki vaikuttavat myöhempään lisääntymisterveyteen

Scaffolding learning activities with collaborative scripts and mobile devices

Abstract The use of mobile devices, including mobile phones and tablets, is a growing trend in education. The practice has been widely technology driven and often justified simply by the importance of using new technology in a classroom and by claiming such devices to be important in reaching something referred to, although not that well defined, as 21st century skills. This thesis is one answer to the challenge represented by this development. It brings together theoretical ideas of scaffolding learning with collaborative scripts and the use of mobile devices as cognitive tools in a real life educational settings. This thesis has constructivist grounds and aims at exploring how to support collaborative learning when students have ill-structured problems and their activities are supported with mobile technologies. The study consists of three case studies, which together form an example of how important it is to design, develop and deliver lightweight digital tools and activities for learners to construct knowledge. Overall, the results of three case studies in this thesis confirms that it is a dubious assumption that learners will automatically take appropriate and measured advantage of the affordances of mobile devices and other emergent technologies involved in cognitive activities: rather, these cognitive tools require deliberate attention and effort from learners to make use of the affordances of the tools. Furthermore, results from the case studies reveal that personal factors such as students’ prior knowledge and their metacognitive and collaborative skills, as well as contextual cues such as cultural compatibility and instructional methods, influence student engagement.Tiivistelmä Mobiililaitteiden, kuten puhelinten ja tabletien, opetuskäyttö lisääntyy hyvää vauhtia. Aihepiiri on ollut teknologiavetoinen, opetuskäyttöä on perusteltu lähinnä tarkemmin määrittelemättömillä 2000-luvun kansalaistaidoilla (21th century skills) ja uuden teknologian hyödyntämisen tärkeydellä. Tämä väitöskirja on teoreettisesti ja metodologisesti perusteltu vastine tähän keskusteluun. Tutkimus yhdistää pedagogista vaiheistamista ja kognitiivisia työkaluja käsittelevän teoreettisen viitekehyksen kolmeen todellisissa oppimistilanteissa tehtyyn kokeiluun. Työ koostuu kolmesta tapaustutkimuksesta, jotka yhdessä muodostavat esimerkin kuinka mobiililaitteiden avulla tuettua opiskelua voidaan suunnitella ja toteuttaa erilaisissa konteksteissa. Ensimmäisessä tapaustutkimuksessa tutkittiin maantieteellisesti hajautuneen opetusta suunnittelevan yhteisön vuorovaikutusta. Toisessa tapaustutkimuksessa selvitettiin kuinka tukea luontopolkutyöskentelyä mobiilisovellusten avulla. Kolmannessa tapaustutkimuksessa tutkittiin yliopisto-opiskelijoiden opintojen tukemista mobiilin sosiaalisen median sovelluksia hyödyntäen. Kolme tapaustutkimusta osoittavat että oppilaiden ei voida olettaa automaattisesti osaavan hyödyntää uusinta teknologiaa ja pedagogisia menetelmiä opiskelunsa tukena. Päinvastoin, käyttäminen vaatii opiskelijoilta paljon päämäärätietoista ponnistelua. Henkilökohtaiset tekijät, kuten aiemmat kokemukset, opiskelutaidot, mutta myös tilannesidonnaiset tekijät kuten opetusmenetelmät vaikuttavat opiskelijoiden kykyyn hyödyntää uutta teknologiaa opiskelussa

Alakoululaiset yhteisöllisinä oppijoina:tapaustutkimus 4. luokkalaisten STEAM-projektin kontekstissa

Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on syventää ymmärrystä STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) -pedagogiikan vaikutuksista oppimiseen. Tapaustutkimuksessa keskitytään kuvaamaan alakouluikäisten oppilaiden yhteisöllistä työskentelyä sekä siihen liittyviä taitoja ja asenteita seitsemän viikkoa kestäneen STEAM-projektin aikana. Tutkimukseen osallistui 21 neljännen luokan oppilasta. Aineisto koostuu kyselylomakkeista sekä ryhmäpäiväkirjoista, jotka on analysoitu laadullista sisällönanalyysiä ja kuvailevia tilastollisia menetelmiä hyödyntäen. Tulokset osoittavat, että pienryhmien työskentelyn fokus säilyi hyvin STEAM-projektin aikana, ja pääsääntöisesti ryhmät olivat tyytyväisiä työskentelyynsä. Haasteeksi mainittiin ryhmän jäsenten epätasainen osallistuminen ryhmän työskentelyyn. Tulokset osoittavat, että oppilaat arvioivat yhteisöllisen oppimisen taitonsa hieman heikommiksi projektin lopuksi kuin aluksi. Asenteiden osalta hienoista muutosta tapahtui sekä positiivisempaan että negatiivisempaan suuntaan. Tulokset osoittavat myös, että ryhmänsä työskentelyä positiivisimmin ja negatiivisimmin arvioineet ryhmät erosivat toisistaan niin työskentelyntapojen kuin arvioitujen yhteisöllisen oppimisen taitojen ja asenteiden suhteen. Tuloksista hyötyvät opettajat, jotka haluavat hyödyntää STEAM-pedagogiikkaa tulevaisuuden oppimisen taitojen tukemisessa. Abstract The aim of this study is to deepen our understanding of the impact of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) -pedagogy on learning. The case study focuses on describing primary school students’ collaborative learning as well as related skills and attitudes during the STEAM project. Participants were 21 fourth-graders. The STEAM -project lasted seven weeks. The data consists of questionnaires and group diaries. Qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistical methods have been applied in the analysis. The results show that the focus of the small group work was well maintained during the STEAM project, and the groups were generally satisfied with their work. Group members’ unequal participation was mentioned as a main challenge. The results also show that students evaluate their collaborative learning skills as slightly weaker at the end of the project than at the beginning. In terms of attitudes, there was a slight change for both a more positive and a negative direction. The results also show that the groups that rated their group work the most positively and negatively differed in terms of both work habits and assessed collaborative learning skills and attitudes. The results will benefit teachers who want to apply STEAM -pedagogy to enhance future learning skills of their students

Supporting Fab Lab facilitators to develop pedagogical practices to improve learning in digital fabrication activities

Abstract Planning and facilitating digital fabrication activities, where students engage in creating tangible artefacts with digital technology, requires knowledge on both technology and pedagogy. Currently, most of the studies see facilitators of digital fabrication activities as technology experts and there are only few studies regarding them as educators. There is not much discussion from the learning sciences point of view, considering what are the requirements to enhance learning in the activities. To fill these research gaps, this paper aims to provide theoretically grounded practical suggestions of how the facilitators may contribute to improve students’ learning in digital fabrication activities based on learning science propostions. The aim of this study was to explore, how Fab Lab facilitators and school teachers can design digital fabrication activities to support students’ learning. We explored the current practices in Fab Lab Oulu from the two perspectives: considering novice students’ learning and scaffolding ill-structured problem-solving. We suggest that the facilitators may improve students’ learning by taking into account their background and current learning processes, applying instructional scaffolding, and supporting teachers involvement to take active role in the activities

Interactive visible light communications (iVLC):supporting wireless communications and smart visual interaction with a common lighting infrastructure

Abstract The concept of interactive visible light communications (iVLC) is introduced and discussed in this paper. iVLC exploits a matrix of solid-state light luminaries in multiple ways, namely providing lighting and wireless communications as well as supporting visual signaling and interaction. Every individual element of the light matrix can be exploited in multiple domains, i.e., space, time, color, intensity and data. As a result, the lighting infrastructure works a flexible platform that can be exploited in wide range of applications and use cases. The paper discusses attractive applications of iVLC, particularly in the school of the future, health-care and office spaces. Multiple classroom tasks can be supported by iVLC, including orchestration of activities, feedback between students and teachers, dynamic grouping, etc