Porphyromonas gingivalis may interfere with conception in women

In this observational and prospective study, we investigated if microbiological and serological markers of periodontitis associated with conception in 256 non-pregnant women (Mage = 29.2 years; range 19-42 years). Clinical oral and gynecological examinations were performed, major periodontal pathogens in the saliva were detected, and serum and saliva antibodies against major periodontal pathogens were analyzed. The follow-up period for becoming pregnant was 12 months. Porphyromonas gingivalis was significantly (p = 0.032) more frequently detected in the saliva among those who did not become pregnant (8.3%) than among those who became pregnant (2.1%). The median levels of salivary P. gingivalis immunoglobulin A (IgA; p = 0.006) and IgG (p = 0.007) antibodies were higher among those who did not become pregnant compared to those who became pregnant. Hazard ratios (HR) for not becoming pregnant were HR = 3.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-13.9; p = 0.048) if the subject was polymerase chain reaction-positive for P. gingivalis with high salivary antibodies against it, and HR = 1.62 (95% CI 1.03-2.54; p = 0.035) if she had high levels of serum P. gingivalis IgA and signs of periodontal infection. P. gingivalis associated with no success in getting pregnant.Peer reviewe

Mikä Kunto? -viestintäkampanja : Nuorten kuntoutuspalveluiden viestintäkampanjan onnistuneisuus

Kela osallistuu nuorisotakuun toimeenpanoon kuntoutuksen järjestäjänä. Nuoret tuntevat kuntoutusmahdollisuudet huonosti ja kokevat kuntoutuksen palvelujärjestelmän vaikeaselkoiseksi. On arveltu, että monella nuorella saattaisi olla tarvetta opiskelu- ja työkykyä tukevalle kuntoutukselle. Kela toteutti vuosina 2015–2016 Mikä Kunto? -viestintäkampanjan nuorten kuntoutuspalveluista osana kuntoutusviestintänsä kehittämistä. Kampanja oli suunnattu 16–30-vuotiaille nuorille ja niille tahoille, jotka todennäköisimmin ohjaavat nuoria kuntoutuspal-veluihin. Osana kampanjaa perustettiin Mikä Kunto? -verkkosivusto ja tuotettiin mainosvideoita kuntoutuksesta videopalvelu Youtubeen. Kampanjasivustoa mainostettiin muun muassa Facebookissa, internetin mainospaikoilla ja hakusanamainonnalla. Kampanjan tavoitteena oli lisätä nuorten ja nuorten kanssa työskentelevien tietämystä nuorten kuntoutuspalveluista. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, miten Mikä Kunto? -kampanja onnistui sille asetetuissa tavoitteissa. Tutkimuksen informantteina ovat kampanjan kohderyhmänä olleet 16–30-vuotiaat nuoret, kuntoutuksen palveluntuottajat, etsivät nuorisotyöntekijät ja ne Kelan palveluneuvojat, jotka vastaavat Kelan kuntoutuksen palvelunumeroon. Nuorten aineisto (n = 584) kerättiin puhelinhaastatteluna ja kuntoutuksen palveluntuottajien (n = 19), etsivien nuorisotyöntekijöiden (n = 102) sekä Kelan palveluneuvojien (n = 49) aineisto internetkyselynä. Aineisto kerättiin keväällä 2016 eli viisi kuukautta kampanjan viimeisen mainoslähdön jälkeen. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan kampanjasivuston kävijätietoja, Youtube-videoiden katselukerojen määriä sekä nuorten kuntoutushakemusten määriä. Kampanjasivuston kävijätiedot poimittiin Google Analytics -palvelusta kesäkuussa 2016 ja kuntoutushakemusten määrät Kelan kuntoutuksen ratkaisutilastoista. Enemmistö kuntoutuksen palveluntuottajista ja Kelan palveluneuvojista sekä puolet etsivistä nuorisotyöntekijöistä muisti nähneensä kampanjan. Sen sijaan kolme prosenttia nuorista muisti kampanjan. Kuntoutuksen palveluntuottajat, etsivät nuorisotyöntekijät ja Kelan palveluneuvojat kokivat kampanjan tärkeäksi ja sosiaalisen median hyväksi uudeksi kanavaksi viestiä nuorille kuntoutuspalveluista. Vastaajat antoivat parhaimmat arvosanat kampanjan ilmeelle ja kampanjaviestin ymmärrettävyydelle. He kokivat, että kampanjalla onnistuttiin lisäämään tietoa siitä, miten kuntoutukseen hakeudutaan. Palveluntuottajat, etsivät nuorisotyöntekijät ja Kelan palveluneuvojat kuitenkin kokivat, ettei kampanja ollut tarpeeksi näkyvä ja siitä tiedotettiin heille huonosti. Kampanja ei myöskään juuri näkynyt nuorten yhteydenotoissa heihin. Tilastotarkasteluiden perusteella nuorten kuntoutushakemusten määrissä ei ole havaittavissa merkittävää, kampanjaan yhdistettävissä olevaa kasvua. Tulosten perusteella pelkkä tieto kuntoutuspalveluista ei välttämättä riitä ohjaamaan nuoria kuntoutuspalveluihin. Henkilökohtainen neuvonta ja nykyistä tiiviimpi yhteistyö nuorten kanssa työskentelevien kanssa saattaa olla tehokkaampi tapa saada kuntoutuksesta mahdollisesti hyötyvät nuoret kuntoutuspalveluiden piiriin

Night Awakening in Infancy : Developmental Stability and Longitudinal Associations With Psychomotor Development

Fragmented sleep is common in infancy. Although night awakening is known to decrease with age, in some infants night awakening is more persistent and continues into older ages. However, the influence of fragmented sleep on development is poorly known. In the present study, the longitudinal relationship between fragmented sleep and psychomotor development (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development [Bayley-III]; Bayley, 2009) was investigated in infants with (>= 3 night awakenings, n = 81) and without fragmented sleep (Peer reviewe

Signaled night awakening and its association with social information processing and socio-emotional development across the first two years

Study objectives: Night awakening is common in infancy, and some infants continue to have signaled night awakenings throughout early childhood. However, the influence of signaled night awakening on children's social development is less explored. In the present study, longitudinal associations between signaled night awakening, social information processing, and socio-emotional development were measured within the CHILD-SLEEP birth cohort in two groups formed based on parent-reported night awakenings. Methods: At 8 months, there were 77 infants in the waking group (≥3 awakenings) and 69 infants in the nonwaking group (≤1 awakening). At 8 and 24 months, social information processing was measured as children's attention to neutral and emotional faces, and at 24 months, parent-reported socio-emotional behavior was measured with the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) questionnaire. Results: The two groups showed different patterns of attention to emotional faces. The waking group had a more pronounced attentional bias to fearful vs. happy faces, whereas in the nonwaking group, attention to fearful and happy faces did not differ. In addition, at 24 months, the waking group had more dysregulation problems and lower social competence than the nonwaking group, but no clear differences in internalizing or externalizing problems were found. Conclusions: Our results contribute to the literature by showing that during the first two years of life, signaled night awakening is associated with social information processing and socio-emotional behavior.Study objectives: Night awakening is common in infancy, and some infants continue to have signaled night awakenings throughout early childhood. However, the influence of signaled night awakening on children's social development is less explored. In the present study, longitudinal associations between signaled night awakening, social information processing, and socio-emotional development were measured within the CHILD-SLEEP birth cohort in two groups formed based on parent-reported night awakenings. Methods: At 8 months, there were 77 infants in the waking group (≥3 awakenings) and 69 infants in the nonwaking group (≤1 awakening). At 8 and 24 months, social information processing was measured as children's attention to neutral and emotional faces, and at 24 months, parent-reported socio-emotional behavior was measured with the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) questionnaire. Results: The two groups showed different patterns of attention to emotional faces. The waking group had a more pronounced attentional bias to fearful vs. happy faces, whereas in the nonwaking group, attention to fearful and happy faces did not differ. In addition, at 24 months, the waking group had more dysregulation problems and lower social competence than the nonwaking group, but no clear differences in internalizing or externalizing problems were found. Conclusions: Our results contribute to the literature by showing that during the first two years of life, signaled night awakening is associated with social information processing and socio-emotional behavior.Peer reviewe

Serum antibody response to Chlamydia trachomatis TroA and HtrA in women with tubal factor infertility

Persistent genital chlamydial infection may lead to tubal factor infertility (TFI). Chlamydia trachomatis TroA and HtrA are proteins expressed during persistent chlamydial infection in vitro. We studied serum IgG antibody response against these proteins by EIA in women with TFI and in subfertile women without tubal pathology. Altogether, 22 of 258 subfertile women (8.5%) had TFI which was unilateral in 17 cases and bilateral in 5 cases. Overall, 55 (21.3%) of the 258 women had TroA and 39 (15.1%) had HtrA antibodies. Seropositivity to TroA and HtrA was more common among women with TFI than women with other causes for subfertility (45.5 vs. 19.1%, p = 0.004 for TroA; 36.4 vs. 13.1%, p = 0.004 for HtrA). Mean absorbance values and the prevalence of TroA and HtrA antibodies increased with increasing severity of TFI. On the basis of our results, TroA and HtrA serology has the potential to be further developed to a specific biomarker for C. trachomatis-related TFI.Peer reviewe

Reduction of low- and high-grade cervical abnormalities associated with high uptake of the HPV bivalent vaccine in Scotland

In Scotland, a national HPV immunisation programme began in 2008 for 12-13 year olds, with a catch-up campaign from 2008-2011 for those under the age of 18. To monitor the impact of HPV immunisation on cervical disease at the population level, a programme of national surveillance was established.  We analysed colposcopy data from a cohort of women born between 1988-1992 who entered the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme (SCSP) and were aged 20-21 in 2008-2012.  By linking datasets from the SCSP and colposcopy services, we observed a significant reduction in diagnoses of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1 (CIN 1) (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.87, p=0.0008), CIN 2 (RR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4, 0.63, p<0.0001) and CIN 3 (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.58, p< 0.0001) for women who received 3 doses of vaccine compared with unvaccinated women.  To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to show a reduction of low and high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia associated with high uptake of the HPV bivalent vaccine at the population level. These data are very encouraging for countries that have achieved high HPV vaccine uptake

Examining inequalities in the uptake of the school-based HPV vaccination programme in England: A retrospective cohort study

Background: Although uptake of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is high in the United Kingdom, it is unknown whether the programme has been delivered equitably by ethnicity or deprivation. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with HPV vaccine initiation and completion within the routine HPV vaccination programme in the South West of England. Methods: Data were retrieved for young women eligible for routine vaccination from 2008/09 to 2010/11 from three Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)/local authorities. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to examine factors associated with uptake of HPV vaccination. Results: Of 14 282 eligible young women, 12 658 (88.6%) initiated, of whom 11 725 (92.6%) completed the course. Initiation varied by programme year (86.5-89.6%) and PCTs/local authorities (84.8-91.6%). There was strong evidence for an overall difference of initiation by ethnicity (P < 0.001), but not deprivation quintile (P = 0.48). Young women educated in non-mainstream educational settings were less likely to initiate and, if initiated, less likely to complete (both P < 0.001). Conclusions: HPV vaccination uptake did not vary markedly by social deprivation. However, associations with ethnicity and substantially lower uptake in non-mainstream educational settings were observed. Research to identify reasons for low vaccine uptake in these population groups is required. © The Author 2013

Maternal sleep quality during pregnancy is associated with neonatal auditory ERPs

Poor maternal sleep quality during pregnancy may act as a prenatal stress factor for the fetus and associate with neonate neurocognition, for example via fetal programming. The impacts of worsened maternal sleep on neonatal development and, more specifically on neonatal auditory brain responses, have not been studied. A total of 155 mother-neonate dyads drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study participated in our study including maternal self-report questionnaires on sleep at gestational week 24 and an event-related potential (ERP) measurement among 1-2-day-old neonates. For sleep quality assessment, the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ) was used and calculated scores for (1) insomnia, (2) subjective sleep loss and (3) sleepiness were formed and applied in the analyses. In the auditory ERP protocol, three emotionally uttered pseudo words (in happy, angry and sad valence) were presented among neutrally uttered pseudo words. To study the relations between prenatal maternal sleep quality and auditory emotion-related ERP responses, mixed-effects regression models were computed for early (100-200 ms) and late (300-500 ms) ERP response time-windows. All of the selected BNSQ scores were associated with neonatal ERP responses for happy and angry emotion stimuli (sleep loss and sleepiness in the early, and insomnia, sleep loss and sleepiness in the late time-window). For sad stimuli, only maternal sleep loss predicted the neonatal ERP response in the late time-window, likely because the overall ERP was weakest in the sad condition. We conclude that maternal sleep quality during pregnancy is associated with changes in neonatal auditory ERP responses.Peer reviewe

A Longitudinal Study of Maternal Postnatal Bonding and Psychosocial Factors that Contribute to Social-Emotional Development

In this longitudinal study, we examined how maternal bonding and psycho-social factors are associated with social-emotional problems in two-year-old children. Our data came from a birth cohort from which data were collected at four timepoints: prenatally during the third trimester, and postnatally at 3, 8 and 24 months. The participants were 1,667 mothers, of which 943 (56.6%) returned the questionnaire at each timepoint of the longitudinal study. The Children's social-emotional problems were examined using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. According to linear regression analysis, maternal bonding difficulties at three and eight months, maternal expectations of the unborn baby during pregnancy, and maternal relationships within and outside the family were related to social-emotional problems in children of two years of age. The results highlight the importance of screening mothers who already prenatally have bonding problems or mothers who have bonding problems postnatally to provide effective and targeted intervention support.publishedVersionPeer reviewe