Kiukainen Culture Site Locations—Reflections from the Coastal Lifestyle at the End of the Stone Age

The Kiukainen culture constitutes a poorly known phase at the end of the Stone Age in Finland, approximately 2500–1800 cal. BC. It is best known for its pottery, and most of the finds are from the coastal area of the Baltic Sea between Helsinki and Ostrobothnia. Previous research on the culture was done several decades ago, so this study aims to define the geographical distribution of the sites known thus far and discuss the landscape around the settlement sites. Creating an overall view of the culture and lifestyle of the people is also an important part of the study. First, it focuses on different collections of Kiukainen pottery and then maps the location of all the sites where pottery has been found. For the landscape visualizations, three different areas were chosen for closer evaluation. Elevation models were, then, used to visualize the Stone Age coastal landscape. Altogether, we identified 99 settlement sites with a confirmed connection to Kiukainen culture. One common feature of the locations is a connection to the sea. The sites are located in various types of environments, but they all have easy access to seafaring and good landing possibilities from the sea

Kiukainen Culture Site Locations—Reflections from the Coastal Lifestyle at the End of the Stone Age

The Kiukainen culture constitutes a poorly known phase at the end of the Stone Age in Finland, approximately 2500–1800 cal. BC. It is best known for its pottery, and most of the finds are from the coastal area of the Baltic Sea between Helsinki and Ostrobothnia. Previous research on the culture was done several decades ago, so this study aims to define the geographical distribution of the sites known thus far and discuss the landscape around the settlement sites. Creating an overall view of the culture and lifestyle of the people is also an important part of the study. First, it focuses on different collections of Kiukainen pottery and then maps the location of all the sites where pottery has been found. For the landscape visualizations, three different areas were chosen for closer evaluation. Elevation models were, then, used to visualize the Stone Age coastal landscape. Altogether, we identified 99 settlement sites with a confirmed connection to Kiukainen culture. One common feature of the locations is a connection to the sea. The sites are located in various types of environments, but they all have easy access to seafaring and good landing possibilities from the sea

Ordföljd i finska universitetsstuderandes uppsatser i svenska

Syftet med denna studie är att utreda i hur hög grad universitetsstuderande behärskar ordföljden i bisatser och i icke-subjektinledda huvudsatser. Jag undersöker också vilka satsadverbial informanterna använder i bisatser och hur valet påverkar ordföljden. Vidare syftar jag till att ta reda på vad informanterna har använt som fundament i icke-subjektinledda huvudsatser och huruvida inversion förverkligas i dessa satser. Materialet av min studie består av 16 texter skrivna av sex biämnestuderande i svenska vid ett finskt universitet. Förutom två studerande har alla skrivit tre texter som är en argumenterande text, ett referat och ett tentamensvar. Längden av texterna varierar mellan 1–3 sidor. Resultaten visar att informanterna använder mycket och mångsidigt olika bisatser i sina texter. I hög grad (90 %) är ordföljden i bisatserna målspråksenlig. Målspråksavvikande ordföljd i bisatserna har mestadels förorsakats av felaktig placering av satsadverbial. Det allmännaste satsadverbialet är inte, som också har felplacerats mest. Det verkar som om bisatsordföljden inte har blivit helt automatiserad hos mina informanter eftersom varje informant har bisatser med icke-målspråksenlig ordföljd. Cirka en tredjedel av mina informanters huvudsatser inleds med något annat satsled än subjekt varav adverbial är det allmännaste med 83 %. Inversion används till största delen i icke-subjektinledda huvudsatser, d.v.s. bara 11 % uppvisar inte målspråksenlig ordföljd. Typen av fundament påverkar inte ordföljdens korrekthet i mitt material. I icke-målspråksenliga satser är ordföljden rak vilket sannolikt beror på inverkan av modersmålet eller något annat språk. Slarvfel är också en möjlig förklaring till felen

Artemis Lykaotiksen pyhäkön rahat

Tutkielman aiheena ovat Kreikan Peloponnesokselta, Arakhamitain Agia Paraskevin arkeologisilta kaivauksilta vuosina 2007–2016 löydetyt rahat. Arkeologisten tutkimusten kohteena paikalla on antiikin aikainen Artemis Lykaotiksen pyhäkkö, joka oli käytössä nykytiedon mukaan 700-luvulta eKr. aina 200-luvulle jKr. saakka. Tutkielman tavoitteena on tunnistaa mahdollisimman monta kaivauksilta löydettyä rahaa ja niiden avulla analysoida numismatiikan keinoin Artemis Lykoatiksen pyhäkön yhteyksiä ympäröivään maailmaan eri ajanjaksoina. Kaikki tunnistetut rahat on esitelty tutkielmassa sekä valokuvin että kirjallisesti yleisen numismaattisen käytännön mukaisesti. Aineistoa verrataan läheisten Asean ja Gortysin arkeologisilta kaivauksilta julkaistuihin rahalöytöihin ja näin saadaan selville, poikkeavatko Artemis Lykoatiksen pyhäköstä löydetyt rahat näistä merkittävästi vai edustavatko ne Megalopoliin ympäristölle tyypillistä numismaattista aineistoa. Tutkielman yhteensä 139 rahaa käsittävä aineisto jakautuu ajallisesti siten, että klassisella kaudella lyötyjä rahoja on 10 kpl., hellenistisen ajan alkupuolella (323–146 eKr.) lyötyjä 71 kpl., hellenistisen ajan loppupuolella (146–30 eKr.) lyötyjä on 51 kpl. ja roomalaisaikaisia rahoja kolme kappaletta. Artemis Lykoatiksen pyhäköstä löydetyt klassisen kauden rahat olivat peräisin Megalopolista ja Peloponnesoksen koillisosista. Hellenistisen ajan alkupuolla pyhäkön yhteydet laajenevat ja vaikka rahoista suurin osa on edelleen peräisin Arkadiasta ja muualta Peloponnesokselta, niin 35% ajanjakson rahoista on lyöty Peloponnesoksen ulkopuolella. Nämä rahat painottuvat levinnältään Manner-Kreikkaan, mutta joukossa on myös Sisiliassa ja Vähässä-Aasiassa lyötyjä rahoja. Hellenistisen ajan loppupuolen aineiston rahoista valtaosa on lyöty Peloponnesoksella ja niemimaan ulkopuolella lyötyjen rahojen määrä vähenee verrattuna aikaisempaan ajanjaksoon. Artemis Lykoatiksen pyhäköstä löydetyt rahat poikkeavat Asean ja Gortysin aineistoista merkittävästi Peloponnesoksen ulkopuolella löytyneiden rahojen määrässä sekä rahojen maantieteellisen levinnän laajuudessa. Tämä viittaakin pyhäkössä käyneiden ihmisten laajoihin maantieteellisiin yhteyksiin, vaikka osa kaukana lyödyistä rahoista selittyykin historiallisten tapahtumien perusteella

Uterine cervix nitric oxide and human papillomavirus infection in women

Most women acquire genital high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection during their lifetime, but seldom the infection persists and leads to cervical cancer. However, currently it is not possible to identify the women who will develop HPV mediated cervical cancer and this often results to large scale follow-up and overtreatment of the likely spontaneously regressing infection. Thus, it is important to obtain more information on the course of HPV and find markers that could help to identify HPV infected women in risk for progression of cervical lesions and ultimately cancer. Nitric oxide is a free radical gas that takes part both in immune responses and carcinogenesis. Nitric oxide is produced also by cervical cells and therefore, it is possible that cervical nitric oxide could affect also HPV infection. In the present study, including 801 women from the University of Helsinki between years of 2006 and 2011, association between HPV and cervical nitric oxide was evaluated. The levels of nitric oxide were measured as its metabolites nitrate and nitirite (NOx) by spectrophotometry and the expression of nitric oxide producing enzymes endothelial and inducible synthases (eNOS, iNOS) by Western blotting. Women infected with HPV had two-times higher cervical fluid NOx levels compared with non-infected ones. The expression levels of both eNOS and iNOS were higher in HPV-infected women compared with non-infected. Another sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia trachomatis that is an independent risk factor for cervical cancer was also accompanied with elevated NOx levels, whereas vaginal infections, bacterial vaginosis and candida, did not have any effect on NOx levels. The meaning of the elevated HPV related cervical nitric oxide was evaluated in a 12 months follow-up study. It was revealed that high baseline cervical fluid NOx levels favored HPV persistence with OR 4.1. However, low sensitivity (33%) and high false negative rate (67%) restrict the clinical use of the current NOx test. This study indicated that nitric oxide favors HPV persistence and thus it seems to be one of the cofactor associated with a risk of carcinogenesis.Ihmisen papilloomavirus (HPV) infektoi jopa 80%:a naisista. Valtaosa parantuu itsekseen, mutta osalla infektio johtaa kohdunkaulan solumuutoksiin ja hoitamattomana jopa syöpään. Syöpäriskissä olevia naisia ei kyetä tunnistamaan ja siksi HPV-infektoituneita naisia joudutaan seuramaan ja useille tekemään tarpeettomiakin invasiivisia hoitoja. Seuranta- ja hoitojärjestelmä on sekä työläs että kallis ja hoidot voivat altistaa mm. ennenaikaiselle synnytykselle. Tarvitaan lisätietoa HPV infektiosta ja sen kulusta sekä uusia merkkiaineita seurannan ja hoitojen oikein kohdentamiseksi. Potentiaalinen ja mielenkiintoinen molekyyli on kohdunkaulan solujen tuottama typpioksidi. Typpioksidi osallistuu elimistön puolustusjärjestelmään, mutta sen erittyminen on tarkasti säädelty, koska poikkeavan korkeat pitoisuudet pitkäaikaisesti tuotettuna ovat haitallisia ja voivat jopa altistaa syövän syntymiselle. Typpioksidin merkitystä ja sen käyttöä pitkittyneen HPV-infektion merkkiaineena selvitimme 801 naisen avulla Helsingin Yliopistossa vuosina 2006-2011 tehdyssä väitöskirjatutkimuksessa. Tutkimuksessa todettiin HPV-infektoituneilla naisilla kaksi kertaa korkeammat kohdunkaulakanavan typpioksidipitoisuudet verrattuna infektoitumattomiin naisiin. Myös toinen sukupuoliteitse tarttuva infektio ja kohdunkaulan syövän riskitekijä, klamydia, nosti typpioksidipitoisuuksia. Sen sijaan emätintulehdukset, bakterielli vaginoosi ja hiivainfektio, jotka eivät liity kohdunkaulan solumuutoksiin, eivät vaikuttaneet typpioksidipitoisuuksiin. Kohdunkaulakudoksesta määritettiin myös typpioksidia tuottavien entsyymien aktiivisuus; papilloomavirus-infektioon liittyi lisääntynyt aktiivisuus sekä verisuoniperäisessä että tulehduksissa aktivoituvassa entsyymimuodossa. Aktivaatiot paikantuivat verisuonten seinämäsoluihin sekä HPV:n kohdesoluihin. Vuoden seurantatutkimuksella selvitettiin typpioksidipitoisuuden käyttöä merkkiaineena, joka erottelee parantuvat ja pitkittyvät HPV-infektiot. Lähtötilanteen korkeat kohdunkaulan typpioksidi-pitoisuudet nelinkertaistivat HPV-infektion pitkittymisen todennäköisyyden. Näin ollen typpioksidi on paikallinen kohdunkaulan tekijä, joka voi edesauttaa HPV-infektion säilymistä. Tutkimustulostemme kliinistä sovellusta estää nykyisen testin osoittama huono herkkyys ja suuri väärien positiivisten määrä

Long-term re-procedure rate after mid-urethral slings for stress urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis Long-term safety concerns have risen over the mid-urethral sling operation (MUS) for stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which in some countries has led to litigations and even suspending MUS insertions. We examined the long-term re-procedure rate after MUS operations. The main outcome was re-procedures for SUI. The secondary outcome was surgical interventions due to complications. Methods We analysed a retrospective population cohort of 3531 women with MUS operations in 2000-2006 and followed them up until 31 December 2016. Data were collected from a national hospital register and from hospital patient records. Results The median follow-up time was 13 years (IQR 11.6-14.8) for the 3280 women with a retropubic MUS (RP-MUS) and 11 years (IQR 10.3-11.9) for the 245 women with a transobturator MUS (TO-MUS). The cumulative number of re-procedures for SUI was 16 (0.5%) at 1 year, 66 (1.9%) at 5 years, 97 (2.8%) at 10 years and 112 (3.2%) at 17 years. This risk was higher after TO-MUS than after RP-MUS operations (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.5-5.2, p <0.001). The cumulative number of any long-term re-procedure was 43 (1.2%) at year 1, 105 (3.0%) at year 5, 144 (4.1%) at year 10 and 163 (4.6%) at year 17. Conclusions Re-procedures occur up to 17 years after primary MUS insertion, but their incidence is low after the first few postoperative years. Re-procedures for recurrent SUI are more common after TO-MUS than RP-MUS.Peer reviewe

Pregnancy and delivery after mid-urethral sling operation

There is no consensus regarding pregnancy after mid-urethral sling (MUS) operation, and some clinicians recommend postponing the MUS operation if a woman considers further pregnancies or routinely suggest cesarean section as the delivery method after MUS operations. Our primary aim was to assess the risk for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) re-procedure after delivery in women with a MUS operation prior to pregnancy. We also analyzed SUI re-visits and MUS-related complications during pregnancy and postpartum.Peer reviewe

Quality of life and sexual function after TVT surgery versus Bulkamid injection for primary stress urinary incontinence : 1 year results from a randomized clinical trial

Introduction and hypothesis To assess changes in quality of life (QoL) and sexual function outcomes at 1 year after tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) versus polyacrylamide hydrogel injection (PAHG). Methods In a randomized trial comparing TVT (n = 111) and PAHG (n = 113) treatments of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), we compared urinary incontinence and health-related QoL using the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6), Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, Short Form (IIQ-7), Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) and RAND-36 Item Health Survey (RAND-36) at baseline and 1 year. Results UDI-6 and IIQ-7 showed improved incontinence-related QoL (p = 0.001) from baseline in both groups except for difficulty emptying the bladder and pain/discomfort. At 1 year, TVT patients experienced less urinary symptom-related distress compared to PAHG (p <0.001). Sexual function improved in both groups (p <0.001 for TVT and p = 0.01 for PAHG) with higher scores for the physical section subscale (p <0.001) for TVT. Health-related QoL (RAND-36) improved from baseline in both groups in physical and social functioning (p <0.001) with better outcome in the TVT group for physical functioning (p <0.001). Increase in pain from baseline (p = 0.02) was detected for TVT, but not for PAHG. However, there was no difference between the groups (p = 0.78). Conclusions In primary SUI, TVT and PAHG treatments both improved QoL and sexual function at 1 year. However, incontinence and health-related QoL scores were better in the TVT group. More pain compared to the baseline was reported after TVT, although there was no difference between groups. Clinical significance needs to be evaluated in long-term follow-up.Peer reviewe

Quality of life after Uphold (TM) Vaginal Support System surgery for apical pelvic organ prolapse-A prospective multicenter study

Objective: To study the effects on quality of life in women operated for apical pelvic organ prolapse using the Vaginal Uphold (TM) System. Study design: In this prospective cohort study, women (n = 207) with symptomatic apical prolapse, with or without cystocele, were operated using the Uphold (TM) Vaginal Support System. Follow-up for quality of life was performed at 12 months after surgery, and assessed by the PFDI-20, and PFIQ-7, and sexual function by the PISQ-12. We used odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for outcome association analyses using logistic regression. Results: At one-year follow-up majority of women experienced an overall postoperative improvement in quality of life (p <0.001). One year after surgery Uphold (TM) operation alone increased the risk for prolapse related bother as compared to Uphold (TM) combined with anterior colporraphy (POP-IQ-7; OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.01-4.3). The frequency of dyspareunia decreased postoperatively (p = 0.004), however, after one-year, overall sexual function deteriorated significantly (p <0.001). The worsening in sexual function scores was mainly attributed to the partner related domain, whereas the behavioral-emotive and physical domains showed no significant changes. Conclusion: Apical prolapse repair using Uphold (TM) improved quality of life among our patients but worsened overall sexual function postoperatively. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe