Health impact assessment (HIA) collaboration between finnish and Scottish higher education institutions.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is relatively new and a rapidly evolving field in many health and social environments globally. HIA emerged in several different forms as it has been applied to a wide range of issues in diverse social, health and policy plans, projects or programs in different settings for example in fields like urban planning and local government projects. It also informs decision-making which deal with conflicts within an ever changing political climate taking into account the stakeholders views

Role of concerted atomic movements on the diffusion of small islands on fcc(100) metal surfaces

The master equation formalism is used to analytically calculate the center-of-mass diffusion coefficient for small two-dimensional islands on fcc(100) metal surfaces. We consider the case of Cu on Cu(100) containing up to nine atoms, with energetics obtained from semiempirical interaction potentials. In the case where only single-particle processes are taken into account, the analytic results agree well with previous Monte Carlo simulation data. However, when recently proposed many-particle processes are included, in some cases the diffusion coefficients increase by an order of magnitude at room temperatures. Qualitatively, the oscillatory behavior of diffusion as a function of the island size is not affected by the many-particle processes.Peer reviewe

End-of-life decisions guiding the palliative care of cancer patients visiting emergency department in South Western Finland: A retrospective cohort study

BackgroundUntil recently, palliative care (PC) resources in Finland have been sparse. To meet the increasing need for PC an end-of-life (EOL) care project has been ongoing in South Western Finland since 2012, and in 2015, a weekday palliative outpatient clinic was established in Turku University Hospital (TUH). The aim of this study was to explore the effect of the project and the PC clinic on the management practices of EOL cancer patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) of TUH from 2013 to 2016.MethodsThe medical records of all cancer patients (ICD-10 codes C00–97) admitted to the ED of TUH between August 1–December 31, in 2013 and 2016, were analyzed: n = 529, n = 432 respectively (2013 and 2016). The analysis focused on those patients in EOL care; n = 77, n = 63, respectively. The late palliative patients were defined by PC decision, thus termination of life-prolonging cancer-specific treatments. The EOL patients were in the imminently dying phase of their illness. The site of referral after an ED visit was also verified together with the documentation on advance care plans (ACP), and the impact of palliative outpatient visits.ResultsIn 2016, the number of late palliative and EOL patients admitted to the ED has shown a tendency to decrease. The quality of the documentation for treatment goals, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, living wills and connections to primary care providers has improved since 2013. Prior visits to palliative outpatient clinic correlated well with the more comprehensive ACP information: i) DNR order (p = 0.0001); ii) connection to primary care (p = 0.003); iii) documented ICD-10 code Z51.5 (p = 0.0001).ConclusionsEven modest investments in resources for PC can induce an objective change in the allocation of health care resources, and improve the ACP for the cancer patients at their EOL. A visit to a palliative outpatient clinic may offer one approach for improving the quality and completion of ACP documentation.</div

Uneven recovery and a lingering food crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic for rural safety net transfer recipients in Ethiopia

In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at IFPRI and elsewhere worked quickly with their partners in government, the private sector, and survey firms to provide evidence on the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis and related restrictions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, systematic evidence on the effects of the crisis has been more limited in the ensuing months up to and after the one-year anniversary of the pandemic. Early analysis of economic models of the crisis suggested that its economic effects would be severe in the short run and greatest in Africa south of the Sahara, where the pandemic and related lockdowns were projected to depress incomes of both urban workers and rural households (Laborde, Martin, and Vos 2021). Phone surveys and rapid assessments conducted in the first weeks of the pandemic reported significant job losses in both rural and urban areas (Wieser et al. 2020), disruptions to urban food value chains (Tamru, Hirvonen, and Minten 2020), and declines in household dietary diversity in Addis Ababa (Hirvonen, de Brauw, and Abate 2021). In the time since those initial projections and rapid surveillance surveys were conducted, researchers have revisited the same samples to analyze the medium-term effects of the pandemic. In addition, they have gathered information on households at the economic margins of society and those considered to be less affected by the pandemic by virtue of their sector of employment or remote location

Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 in Parkinson's Disease : A Positron Emission Tomography Study with [F-18]FMPEP-d(2)

Background The endocannabinoid system is a widespread neuromodulatory system affecting several biological functions and processes. High densities of type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptors and endocannabinoids are found in basal ganglia, which makes them an interesting target group for drug development in basal ganglia disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective The aim of this study was to investigate CB1 receptors in PD with [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) positron emission tomography (PET) and the effect of dopaminergic medication on the [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) binding. Methods The data consisted of 16 subjects with PD and 10 healthy control subjects (HCs). All participants underwent a [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) high-resolution research tomograph PET examination for the quantitative assessment of cerebral binding to CB1 receptors. To investigate the effect of dopaminergic medication on the [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) binding, 15 subjects with PD underwent [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) PET twice, both on and off antiparkinsonian medication. Results [F-18]FMPEP-d(2) distribution volume was significantly lower in the off scan compared with the on scan in basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala (P < 0.05). Distribution volume was lower in subjects with PD off than in HCs globally (P < 0.05), but not higher than in HCs in any brain region. Conclusions Subjects with PD have lower CB1 receptor availability compared with HCs. PD medication increases CB1 receptor toward normal levels. (c) 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder SocietyPeer reviewe

Temperament, character and serotonin activity in the human brain: A positron emission tomography study based on a general population cohort

BackgroundThe psychobiological model of personality by Cloninger and colleagues originally hypothesized that interindividual variability in the temperament dimension ‘harm avoidance’ (HA) is explained by differences in the activity of the brain serotonin system. We assessed brain serotonin transporter (5-HTT) density in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET) in healthy individuals with high or low HA scores using an ‘oversampling’ study design.MethodSubjects consistently in either upper or lower quartiles for the HA trait were selected from a population-based cohort in Finland (n = 2075) with pre-existing Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) scores. A total of 22 subjects free of psychiatric and somatic disorders were included in the matched high- and low-HA groups. The main outcome measure was regional 5-HTT binding potential (BPND) in high- and low-HA groups estimated with PET and [11C]N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-methylphenylthio)benzylamine ([11C]MADAM). In secondary analyses, 5-HTT BPND was correlated with other TCI dimensions.Results5-HTT BPND did not differ between high- and low-HA groups in the midbrain or any other brain region. This result remained the same even after adjusting for other relevant TCI dimensions. Higher 5-HTT BPND in the raphe nucleus predicted higher scores in ‘self-directedness’.ConclusionsThis study does not support an association between the temperament dimension HA and serotonin transporter density in healthy subjects. However, we found a link between high serotonin transporter density and high ‘self-directedness’ (ability to adapt and control one's behaviour to fit situations in accord with chosen goals and values). We suggest that biological factors are more important in explaining variability in character than previously thought.</jats:sec

SUNSTORM 1/X-ray Flux Monitor for CubeSats (XFM-CS) : Instrument characterization and first results

SUNSTORM 1 CubeSat was launched to Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit on August 17 2021. The primary purpose of the mission is an in-orbit demonstration of X-ray Flux Monitor (XFM) instrument. XFM is an innovative solar X-ray spectrometer for measuring and characterizing solar flares, which are known to be linked to a variety of space weather phenomena. XFM represents a next generation of solar X-ray flux monitors. It is based on silicon drift detector technology, which provides several notable performance improvements over its predecessors, which are based on Si PIN detectors. Transversal electric field and lower output capacitance allow operation at much faster pulse processing shaping times, allowing the system to achieve about 10 times higher throughput without saturation while also making it less sensitive to the increase of leakage current due to high temperature and/or radiation damage. Thus, XFM instruments can cover a very wide dynamic range of solar X-ray emission from the most quiescent conditions to the strongest X-class solar flares, while maintaining good spectral resolution (Peer reviewe

Source-specific fine particulate air pollution and systemic inflammation in ischaemic heart disease patients

Objective To compare short-term effects of fine particles (PM2.5; aerodynamic diameter Methods We followed a panel of 52 ischaemic heart disease patients from 15 November 2005 to 21 April 2006 with clinic visits in every second week in the city of Kotka, Finland, and determined nine inflammatory markers from blood samples. In addition, we monitored outdoor air pollution at a fixed site during the study period and conducted a source apportionment of PM2.5 using the Environmental Protection Agency's model EPA PMF 3.0. We then analysed associations between levels of source-specific PM2.5 and markers of systemic inflammation using linear mixed models. Results We identified five source categories: regional and long-range transport (LRT), traffic, biomass combustion, sea salt, and pulp industry. We found most evidence for the relation of air pollution and inflammation in LRT, traffic and biomass combustion; the most relevant inflammation markers were C-reactive protein, interleukin-12 and myeloperoxidase. Sea salt was not positively associated with any of the inflammatory markers. Conclusions Results suggest that PM2.5 from several sources, such as biomass combustion and traffic, are promoters of systemic inflammation, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.Peer reviewe

Functional expression of NF1 tumor suppressor protein: association with keratin intermediate filaments during the early development of human epidermis

BACKGROUND: NF1 refers to type 1 neurofibromatosis syndrome, which has been linked with mutations of the large NF1 gene. NF1 tumor suppressor protein, neurofibromin, has been shown to regulate ras: the NF1 protein contains a GTPase activating protein (GAP) related domain which functions as p21rasGAP. Our studies have previously demonstrated that the NF1 protein forms a high affinity association with cytokeratin 14 during the formation of desmosomes and hemidesmosomes in cultured keratinocytes. METHODS: The expression of NF1 protein was studied in developing human epidermis using western transfer analysis, indirect immunofluorescence, confocal laser scanning microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy, and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: The expression of NF1 protein was noted to be highly elevated in the periderm at 8 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA) and in the basal cells at 8–14 weeks EGA. During this period, NF1 protein was associated with cytokeratin filaments terminating to desmosomes and hemidesmosomes. NF1 protein did not display colocalization with α-tubulin or actin of the cytoskeleton, or with adherens junction proteins. CONCLUSIONS: These results depict an early fetal period when the NF1 tumor suppressor is abundantly expressed in epidermis and associated with cytokeratin filaments. This period is characterized by the initiation of differentiation of the basal cells, maturation of the basement membrane zone as well as accentuated formation of selected cellular junctions. NF1 tumor suppressor may function in the regulation of epidermal histogenesis via controlling the organization of the keratin cytoskeleton during the assembly of desmosomes and hemidesmosomes