Association of different enteroviruses with atopy and allergic diseases in early childhood

Background Enterovirus (EV) infections, being among the most prevalent viruses worldwide, have been associated with reduced risk of allergic diseases. We sought to determine the association between EVs and allergic sensitization and disease in early childhood. Methods The study was carried out in a nested case-control setting within a prospective birth cohort in Finland. We included 138 case children who had specific IgE (s-IgE) sensitization at the age of 5 years and 138 control children without s-IgE sensitization. Allergic disease was recorded at study visits and identified with the ISAAC questionnaire. We screened for the presence of serotype-specific antibodies against 41 EVs at 1-5 years of age and assessed their association with allergic sensitization and disease. Results The overall number of EV infections did not differ between s-IgE-sensitized children and non-sensitized control children. However, there was a tendency of case children with an allergic disease having less EV infections than their controls. This observation was statistically significant for species A EVs in case children with atopic dermatitis vs. control children: OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.36-0.99), p = .048. Conclusion This study supports the evidence that EV exposure and development of allergic disease are inversely associated. Interestingly, the inverse association was not observed for bare atopic IgE sensitization, but for IgE sensitization coupled with clinical atopic disease. This suggests that environmental factors influencing IgE sensitization may differ from those influencing progression to clinical allergic disease.Peer reviewe

Association Between the Gut Microbiota and Blood Pressure in a Population Cohort of 6953 Individuals

Background Several small-scale animal studies have suggested that gut microbiota and blood pressure (BP) are linked. However, results from human studies remain scarce and conflicting. We wanted to elucidate the multivariable-adjusted association between gut metagenome and BP in a large, representative, well-phenotyped population sample. We performed a focused analysis to examine the previously reported inverse associations between sodium intake and Lactobacillus abundance and between Lactobacillus abundance and BP. Methods and Results We studied a population sample of 6953 Finns aged 25 to 74 years (mean age, 49.212.9 years; 54.9% women). The participants underwent a health examination, which included BP measurement, stool collection, and 24-hour urine sampling (N=829). Gut microbiota was analyzed using shallow shotgun metagenome sequencing. In age- and sex-adjusted models, the alpha (within-sample) and beta (between-sample) diversities of taxonomic composition were strongly related to BP indexes (P diversity was only associated with diastolic BP (P=0.032). However, we observed significant, mainly positive, associations between BP indexes and 45 microbial genera (P Conclusions Although the associations between overall gut taxonomic composition and BP are weak, individuals with hypertension demonstrate changes in several genera. We demonstrate strong negative associations of certain Lactobacillus species with sodium intake and BP, highlighting the need for experimental studies.Peer reviewe

Association of different enteroviruses with atopy and allergic diseases in early childhood

Background: Enterovirus (EV) infections, being among the most prevalent viruses worldwide, have been associated with reduced risk of allergic diseases. We sought to determine the association between EVs and allergic sensitization and disease in early childhood. Methods: The study was carried out in a nested case-control setting within a prospective birth cohort in Finland. We included 138 case children who had specific IgE (s-IgE) sensitization at the age of 5 years and 138 control children without s-IgE sensitization. Allergic disease was recorded at study visits and identified with the ISAAC questionnaire. We screened for the presence of serotype-specific antibodies against 41 EVs at 1-5 years of age and assessed their association with allergic sensitization and disease. Results: The overall number of EV infections did not differ between s-IgE-sensitized children and non-sensitized control children. However, there was a tendency of case children with an allergic disease having less EV infections than their controls. This observation was statistically significant for species A EVs in case children with atopic dermatitis vs. control children: OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.36-0.99), p = .048. Conclusion: This study supports the evidence that EV exposure and development of allergic disease are inversely associated. Interestingly, the inverse association was not observed for bare atopic IgE sensitization, but for IgE sensitization coupled with clinical atopic disease. This suggests that environmental factors influencing IgE sensitization may differ from those influencing progression to clinical allergic disease.</p

Association Between the Gut Microbiota and Blood Pressure in a Population Cohort of 6953 Individuals

Background:Several small-scale animal studies have suggested that gut microbiota and blood pressure (BP) are linked. However, results from human studies remain scarce and conflicting. We wanted to elucidate the multivariable-adjusted association between gut metagenome and BP in a large, representative, well-phenotyped population sample. We performed a focused analysis to examine the previously reported inverse associations between sodium intake and Lactobacillus abundance and between Lactobacillus abundance and BP.Methods and Results:We studied a population sample of 6953 Finns aged 25 to 74 years (mean age, 49.212.9 years; 54.9% women). The participants underwent a health examination, which included BP measurement, stool collection, and 24-hour urine sampling (N=829). Gut microbiota was analyzed using shallow shotgun metagenome sequencing. In age- and sex-adjusted models, the alpha (within-sample) and beta (between-sample) diversities of taxonomic composition were strongly related to BP indexes (PConclusions:Although the associations between overall gut taxonomic composition and BP are weak, individuals with hypertension demonstrate changes in several genera. We demonstrate strong negative associations of certain Lactobacillus species with sodium intake and BP, highlighting the need for experimental studies.</div

Sähköisen palvelun asiakastyytyväisyys

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli selvittää asiakastyytyväisyystutkimuksen avulla, ovatko asiakkaat tyytyväisiä sähköiseen tietojärjestelmään ja miten sitä tulisi kehittää asiakkaiden tarpeille sopivammaksi. Teoriaosuudessa määriteltiin keskeiset käsitteet: asiakastyytyväisyys, palvelu ja sähköinen tietojärjestelmä. Työn empiriaosuus koostui asiakastyytyväisyyskyselystä, joka lähetettiin kaikille toimeksiantajan asiakkaille, joilla on käytössään sähköinen tietojärjestelmäpalvelu. Kyselyn avulla saatiin selville, miten asiakkaat kokivat tietojärjestelmän toimivuuden, käyttöönoton ja siihen kohdistuvat odotukset sekä tarpeet.The purpose of this thesis was to examine with a customer satisfaction questionnaire how the customers are satisfied in the electronic information system and how it should be developed to the necessity of the customers. In a theory part the crucial concepts were specified: customer satisfaction, service and electronic information system. The empirical part of the thesis consists of the customer satisfaction questionnaire, which was sent to customers who use the electronic information system. With the questionnaire we realized how the customers experience the operability of the information system, the commissioning and the expectations and necessities of the information system

Korjaamon asiakastyytyväisyyden mittaaminen - Case: Länsiauto Oy Magneetti

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli kehittää Länsiauto Oy Magneetille työkalut asiakastyytyväisyyden mittaamiseen sekä toteuttaa kyselytutkimus sovittuna ajankohtana. Magneetti on autojen ja moottoriajoneuvojen vähittäiskauppaa sekä korjaamotoimintaa harjoittava täyden palvelun autotalo Vantaan Pakkalassa. Magneetin ajatuksena on tarjota kaikki mahdolliset autoihin liittyvät palvelut saman katon alta. Opinnäytetyön asiakastyytyväisyystutkimus ja työkalujen kehittäminen rajoittui vain korjaamotoimintaan. Korjaamopalvelut koetaan usein välttämättömänä pahana. Magneetti haluaa kumota nämä väitteet ja saada asiakkaat kokemaan jälkimarkkinoinnin palvelut lisäarvona itselleen ja autolleen. Magneetti on markkinoinnissaan tuonut esille muutaman tärkeän asiakaslupauksen. Asiakas huomataan kahden minuutin sisällä liikkeeseen saapumisesta sekä määräaikaishuollon luvataan onnistuvan kahden vuorokauden sisällä varauksesta. Näitä lupauksia lähdettiin selvittämään kvantitatiivisen kyselytutkimuksen avulla. Asiakkailta tiedusteltiin tyytyväisyyttä huollon ajanvarauksen, huoltoon tuonnin ja huollosta noudon aikana saamaan palveluun sekä kokonaistyytyväisyyttä huollon toimintaan. Huollon mekaaninen osuus jätettiin tarkoituksella pieneksi. Asiakkaista kaksi kolmasosaa varaa huoltoajan puhelimitse, joten puhelinpalvelua koskevaa palautetta tuli eniten. Puhelinpalveluun toivottiin nopeutta. Magneetin palvelulupauksista huoltoajan saantiin asiakkaat olivat hyvin tyytyväisiä, sitä vastoin asiakkaan huomaamisessa ei päästy asetettuun tavoitteeseen. Kaikki asiakkaat eivät saaneet työstä kustannusarviota etukäteen eikä laskun tietoja käyty riittävän huolellisesti läpi työn luovutuksen yhteydessä. Myös lisätöiden kartoitus koettiin monin osin puutteelliseksi. Tutkimuksesta saatujen tulosten avulla yritys on saanut paljon arvokasta tietoa asiakkaiden tyytyväisyydestä sekä mahdollisuuden reagoida nopeasti reklamaatiotilanteisiin. Tutkimuksesta on saatu niin paljon hyötyä, että sitä on jatkettu. Magneetti on havainnut asiakaspalvelun tärkeyden asiakasuskollisuuden säilyttämiseksi. Kokonaisuudessaan jälkimarkkinointi perustuu pitkälti asiakkaan luottamuksen saantiin yritystä kohtaan.Measuring customer satisfaction of car service : Case: Länsiauto Oy Magneetti The purpose of this Bachelor’s thesis was to develop a tool for measuring customer satisfaction at Länsiauto Oy Magneetti and perform the survey at the appointed time. Magneetti is a company that sells cars and other motor vehicles and runs a car service in Vantaa. The mission of the company is to provide all possible services under the same roof. The thesis concentrates only on the car service department. Servicing a car is often considered a necessary evil. The company wants to overturn these arguments. Magneetti wants the customers to experience the services as an added value, for themselves and their cars. Magneetti has also given some promises to its customers. The customer is promised to be noticed in two minutes after entering the store and also the determinate service is promised to be carried out within two days after the reservation. The success of these promises is the target of this quantitative research. The customers were asked about their satisfaction with the service in the car service department during reserving an appointment, bringing and picking up the car and also their overall satisfaction. The technical performance was left with little attention. Two out of three customers reserve the service with a phone call. The phone service received the largest number of critical reviews. Mostly the customers wanted faster phone service. Customers felt that they were able to get a service appointment quickly, but some of them thought that they were not assisted quickly enough. Some of the customers also said that they did not receive an estimation of the costs and the invoice was not gone through carefully enough. Also the need for possible extra maintenance jobs was not clarified well enough. The company has got lots of valuable information about customer satisfaction from the results of the survey. Magneetti has also been able to react quickly to possible customer complaints. The survey was so good, that the company has kept it going. Magneetti has realised the meaning of efficient customer service in maintaining customer loyalty. After sales relies greatly on winning the customer’s trust in the company

Cold weather increases respiratory symptoms and functional disability especially among patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis

Abstract Cold weather affects the respiratory epithelium and induces bronchial hyperresponsiveness. We hypothesized that individuals with allergic rhinitis or/and asthma experience cold weather-related functional disability (FD) and exacerbation of health problems (EH) more commonly than individuals without these. This was a population-based study of 7330 adults aged 25–74 years. The determinants of interest, including doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis, and the outcomes, including cold weather-related FD and EH, were measured using a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalences of cold-related FD and EH were 20.3% and 10.3%, respectively. In Poisson regression, the risk of FD increased in relation to both allergic rhinitis (adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) 1.19, 95% CI 1.04–1.37 among men; 1.26, 95% CI 1.08–1.46 among women), asthma (1.29, 0.93–1.80; 1.36, 0.92–2.02, respectively) and their combination (1.16, 0.90–1.50; 1.40, 1.12–1.76, respectively). Also the risk of cold weather-related EH was related to both allergic rhinitis (1.53, 1.15,−2.04 among men; 1.78, 1.43–2.21 among women), asthma (4.28, 2.88–6.36; 3.77, 2.67–5.34, respectively) and their combination (4.02, 2.89–5.59; 4.60, 3.69–5.73, respectively). We provide new evidence that subjects with allergic rhinitis or/and asthma are more susceptible to cold weather-related FD and EH than those without pre-existing respiratory diseases

Association of different enteroviruses with atopy and allergic diseases in early childhood

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