Associations of tissue transglutaminase antibody seropositivity with coronary heart disease: Findings from a prospective cohort study.

Clinical experience and observational studies suggest that individuals with coeliac disease are at increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the precise mechanism for this is unclear. Laboratory studies suggest that it may relate to tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGAs). Our aim was to examine whether seropositivity for tTGA and endomysial antibodies (EMAs) are associated with incident CHD in humans. We used data from Mini-Finland Health Survey, a prospective cohort study of Finnish men and women aged 35-80 at study baseline 1978-80. TTGA and EMA seropositivities were ascertained from baseline blood samples and incident CHD events were identified from national hospitalisation and death registers. Cox regression was used to examine the associations between antibody seropositivity and incident CHD. Of 6887 men and women, 562 were seropositive for tTGAs and 72 for EMAs. During a median follow-up of 26 years, 2367 individuals experienced a CHD event. We found no clear evidence for an association between tTGA positivity (hazard ratio, HR: 1.04, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.83, 1.30) or EMA positivity (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.77, 1.74) and incident CHD, once pre-existing CVD and known CHD risk factors had been adjusted for. We found no clear evidence for an association of tTGA or EMA seropositivity with incident CHD outcomes, suggesting that tTG autoimmunity is unlikely to be the biological link between coeliac disease and CHD

Explaining job satisfaction and job control: a survey among finnish psychiatrists

Background: Job satisfaction has a major impact on mental health and job performance. Additionally, expected work satisfaction may influence choice of specialization within medicine. Methods: A postal survey was conducted in 2009 among the members (N=1398) of Finnish Psychiatric Association. Out of the members 1132 were still working-aged. All in all 64.8% (N=738) of the working-aged members returned the survey. Only psychiatrists and residents were included in the final cohort of the study (N=665). Factors associated to work satisfaction were studied and a principal component analysis was conducted on factors reported to disturb working. The correlations of factors scores with job satisfaction and job-control were analyzed. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between factor scores and work satisfaction. Results: Most respondents (73.8%) were satisfied with their work. Job satisfaction showed a negative correlation with increase in pace of work (rho=-0.24, p&lt;0.001). Job control correlated positively with job satisfaction (rho=0.46, p&lt;0.001). &quot;Working conditions&quot; factor explained 28.6%, &quot;leadership&quot; 8.8%, &quot;failure without support&quot; 7.8%, fear at work 6.5% and &quot;patient records&quot; factors 5.9% of the variation of perceived harmful factors at work. &quot;Working conditions&quot; and &quot;leadership&quot; factors showed the strongest and most significant negative correlations with job satisfaction (rho= -0.45, p&lt;0.001, rho=-0.32, p&lt;0.001, respectively. &quot;Working conditions&quot; associated strongly and significantly with job control (rho=-0.57, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Job satisfaction may be better than expected among psychiatrists considering the findings of prevalence estimates of burnout in various other studies. However, employers should put emphasis on matching employers and type of work to promote well-being of their employees.</p

Risk of donor-site lymphatic vessel dysfunction after microvascular lymph node transfer

BACKGROUND: Microvascular lymph node transfer has been used to improve lymphatic function in patients with lymphoedema. We previously reported changes in the lymphatic function of the donor limb after lymph node transfer. For this reason, we modified our surgical method to be more conservative. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Microvascular lymph node transfer was performed in 13 patients using the previously reported original method. Sixteen patients were operated upon using the more conservative modified method. Lymphatic function in the donor limb was evaluated using volumetry, lymphoscintigraphy and tissue water percentage. RESULTS: In the original method group, the donor-limb volume was on average greater (199 ± 540 ml) than in the non-operated control limb. The volume difference between the limbs was smaller (151 ± 463 ml) in the modified method group. Two patients in the original method group had abnormal transport index (Ti) values in lymphoscintigraphy indicating decreased lymphatic function of the donor limb. In the modified method group, the Ti-values remained normal. The tissue water percentage of the donor limb was on average 40% ± 4% in the original method group and 40% ± 3% in the modified method group. Importantly, none of the patients in either group developed clinical lymphoedema in the donor limb during the 11-84-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Even with the more conservative lymph node transfer method, we can observe slight, subclinical signs of lymphatic dysfunction in the donor limb. These results highlight the importance of minimizing the surgical exploration in the inguinal area and avoiding damage to the lymphatic vessels or sentinel nodes draining the lower limb.</p

Monitavoitearviointi Iijoen vaelluskalakantojen palauttamisen tukena

Iijoki oli yksi Suomen tärkeimmistä lohijoista. Iijoen alajuoksulle vuosina 1961–71 rakennetut voimalaitokset estävät vaelluskalojen nousun poikastuotantoalueille, joita on arvioitu olevan 600–800 hehtaaria. Jokivarren asukkaat ovat toivoneet vaelluskalojen palauttamista ja myös vesienhoitotyössä tämä on asetettu tavoitteeksi. Palauttamisen kiireellisyyttä on perusteltu sillä, että Iijoella on mahdollisuus palauttaa viljelyssä säilyneet vaelluskalakannat (lohi, meritaimen ja vaellussiika) takaisin luonnonkiertoon ja luonnonvalinnan kohteeksi. Tämä raportti on valmistunut osana Vaelluskalat palaavat Iijokeen -hanketta (2008–2010), jonka päätavoitteena oli vaelluskalojen luonnonvaraisen lisääntymisen ja vesivoimatalouden harjoittamisen yhteensovittaminen. Raportissa kuvatussa monitavoitearviointityössä selvitettiin vaihtoehtoja vaelluskalakantojen palauttamiseksi sekä arvioitiin järjestelmällisesti ja läpinäkyvästi niiden hyötyjä, haittoja, kustannuksia ja toteutettavuutta. Lisäksi selvitettiin tietokoneavusteisten haastatteluiden (25 kpl) avulla eri sidosryhmien suhtautumista kolmeen erilaiseen vaihtoehtoon ja niiden vaikutuksia koskeviin asiantuntija-arvioihin. Vaihtoehtoina olivat lohikalojen siirto patojen yläpuolelle ja kaksi kalatievaihtoehtoa. Monitavoitearvioinnissa haastateltavat näkivät parhaimmaksi vaihtoehdon, jossa rakennetaan kalatiet ja toteutetaan muita kalakantojen kotiuttamistoimia laajamittaisina. Ylisiirtovaihtoehto on kustannuksiltaan edullisin ja taloudellisesti kannattavin jos aluetaloudellisia hyötyjä ei oteta tarkastelulussa huomioon. Kalatievaihtoehdot ovat kustannuksiltaan kalleimpia kalateiden rakentamisen vuoksi, mutta myös hyödyt ovat suurimmat; aluetaloushyödyt mukaan lukien laaja kalatievaihtoehto on taloudellisesti kannattavin. Kalateiden rakentamista puoltavat ennen kaikkea vaelluskalojen elinkierron palautuminen, vesienhoidon tavoitteiden saavuttaminen sekä vaikutukset paikallisidentiteettiin, kalastusmatkailuun ja alueen vetovoimaisuuteen. Vaelluskalojen palauttamisen suurimmat epävarmuudet liittyvät Itämeren tilan kehitykseen ja kalastuksen sääntelyyn. Iijoen monitavoitearvioinnissa oli kyse keskeisten sidosryhmien osallistumis- ja oppimisprosessista, ja saadun palautteen perusteella tässä onnistuttiin hyvin. Arvioinnin avulla tunnistettiin keskeiset näkemyserot ja niiden syyt. Lopputuloksena on suunnittelutilanteen ja eri osapuolten tavoitteiden parempi ymmärtäminen. Tämä auttaa hyväksyttävien ratkaisujen löytämisessa Iijoen lisäksi muillakin rakennetuilla joilla

Time Dependence of Charge Transfer Processes in Diamond Studied with Positrons

We have developed a method called optical transient positron spectroscopy and apply it to study the optically induced carrier trapping and charge transfer processes in natural brown type IIa diamond. By measuring the positron lifetime with continuous and pulsed illumination, we present an estimate of the optical absorption cross section of the vacancy clusters causing the brown color. The vacancy clusters accept electrons from the valence band in the absorption process, giving rise to photoconductivity.Peer reviewe

Risk of Complications After Hydrocele Surgery : A Retrospective Multicenter Study in Helsinki Metropolitan Area

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The AuthorsBackground: Despite being one of the most frequent urological procedures, the risk estimates for complications after hydrocele surgery (hydrocelectomy) are uncertain. Decision-making about hydrocelectomy involves balancing the risk of complications with efficacy of surgery—a tradeoff that critically depends on the complication risks of hydrocele surgery. Objective: To examine the 90-d risks of complications of hydrocele surgery in a large, contemporary sample. Design, setting, and participants: We retrospectively reviewed all surgeries performed for nonrecurrent hydroceles conducted in all five Helsinki metropolitan area public hospitals from the beginning of 2010 till the end of 2018, and evaluated the complication outcomes. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The following outcomes were evaluated: (1) risk of moderate or severe (Clavien-Dindo II–V) hydrocele surgery complications, (2) risk of reoperation due to a surgical complication, and (3) risk of an unplanned postoperative visit to the emergency room or outpatient clinic, all within 90 d after surgery. Results and limitations: We identified 866 hydrocele operations (38 [4.3%] bilateral operations). A total of 139 (16.1%) patients had moderate or severe hydrocele surgery complications within 90 d after surgery. Of the 139 complications, 94 were (10.9% of all or 67.6% of patients with moderate or severe complications) Clavien-Dindo grade II, 43 (5.0% and 30.9%, respectively) grade III, two (0.2% and 1.4%, respectively) grade IV, and none grade V. A total of 45 patients (5.2% of all and 32.4% of those who had moderate or severe complications) required immediate reoperation due to complications. All together 219 operated patients (25.3% of all operated patients) had an unplanned visit to the emergency room. The retrospective study design limits the reliability of the results. Conclusions: Complications after hydrocele surgery are common and warrant further research. These estimates can be useful in shared decision-making between clinicians and patients. Patient summary: We investigated the complication rates after hydrocele surgery and found that complications are common after a procedure often considered minor: every ninth patient had a moderate and every 20th a severe complication. Every fourth patient had an unplanned postoperative visit to the emergency room.Peer reviewe

Citral hydrogenation over Pt loaded micro- and mesoporous supports : the interplay between steric limitations and acidity

The effect of pore morphology and acidity on the selectivity in the hydrogenation of citral was investigated on a series of bifunctional catalysts: Pt-H-SAPO-5, Pt-H-Y zeolite, and Pt-H-MCM-41. The reaction was studied in a batch reactor at 70oC with 10 bar total pressure. The highest selectivity to the unsaturated alcohols of 57% was obtained on the Pt-H-SAPO-5 catalyst at a conversion of 46%. The interplay among a monodimensional pore channel of the H-SAPO-5 support, weak Br?nsted acidity of this silicoaluminophosphate, and large platinum nanoparticles contributed to a high selectivity. The corresponding turn over frequency was 0.036 s-1. Pt-H-MCM-41 showed the highest selectivity to menthol as by product, while Pt-H-Y zeolite demonstrated the highest dehydration rate

The Role of Parvalbumin-positive Interneurons in Auditory Steady-State Response Deficits in Schizophrenia

© The Author(s) 2019. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Despite an increasing body of evidence demonstrating subcellular alterations in parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons in schizophrenia, their functional consequences remain elusive. Since PV+ interneurons are involved in the generation of fast cortical rhythms, these changes have been hypothesized to contribute to well-established alterations of beta and gamma range oscillations in patients suffering from schizophrenia. However, the precise role of these alterations and the role of different subtypes of PV+ interneurons is still unclear. Here we used a computational model of auditory steady-state response (ASSR) deficits in schizophrenia. We investigated the differential effects of decelerated synaptic dynamics, caused by subcellular alterations at two subtypes of PV+ interneurons: basket cells and chandelier cells. Our simulations suggest that subcellular alterations at basket cell synapses rather than chandelier cell synapses are the main contributor to these deficits. Particularly, basket cells might serve as target for innovative therapeutic interventions aiming at reversing the oscillatory deficits.Peer reviewe

Sub-aggregator Business Models for Demand Response

publishedVersionPeer reviewe