Cardiovascular Diseases among Suiciders: A Population-Based Study in Northern Finland Population

Objective. Depression has been found to be an independent risk factor with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and also associated with increased mortality among these patients. Method. We used a comprehensive database of all suicides (n = 2, 283) committed in Northern Finland with information on all hospital-treated cardiovascular diseases and psychiatric disorders. Results. Coronary artery disease (CAD) had been present in 7.7% and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 11.6% of the suiciders. The likelihood of suicide for patients with hospital-treated CAD was estimated to be two-fold compared to the general population while likelihood for suicide was not elevated among those with other CVDs. Males with CAD and females with CAD or any CVD had been hospitalized significantly more often with depression compared to reference group. Conclusions. Suicidality among patients with cardiovascular diseases has been suggested to associate with depression. Psychiatric consultation is highly recommended in clinical practice for cardiac patients with depression or alcohol-related disorders

Propagation and kinetic roughening of wave fronts in disordered lattices

The dynamics of a wave front propagating in diluted square lattices of elastic beams is analyzed. We concentrate on the propagation of the first maximum of a semi-infinite wave train. Two different limits are found for the velocity depending on the bending stiffness of the beams. If it vanishes, a one-dimensional chain model is derived for the velocity and the amplitude is found to decrease exponentially. The first maximum is localized and the average width of the wave front is always finite. For very stiff beams an effective-medium model gives the correct velocity and the amplitude of the first maximum decays according to a power law. No localization of the first maximum is observed in the simulations. In this limit scaling arguments based on Huygen’s principle suggest a growth exponent of 1/2, and a roughness exponent of 2/3. The growth exponent fits the simulation data well, but a considerably lower roughness exponent (0.5) is obtained. There is a crossover region for the bending stiffness, wherein the wave-front behavior cannot be explained by these limiting cases.Peer reviewe

Long-term effects of smoking on tooth loss after cessation among middle-aged Finnish adults: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

Abstract Background Despite smoking cessation efforts, cigarette smoking remains a serious general and oral health problem. We aimed to investigate the putative benefits of smoking cessation on dentition and to analyse whether the time elapsed since smoking cessation associated positively with the remaining number of teeth. Methods This cross-sectional study analyses data from the 46-year follow-up of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966 (NFBC1966). A total of 5 540 subjects participated in this cross-sectional study, which utilises both clinical dental examinations and mailed questionnaires. We used the following information on smoking: status (current, former, never), years of smoking (current, former) and years elapsed since smoking cessation (former). Self-reported and clinically measured number of teeth (including third molars) served as alternative outcomes. We used binary logistic regression models to analyse the dichotomised number of teeth (‘0–27’, ’28–32’) and then calculated unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the smoking variables (never smoker as the reference). Gender, education, tooth brushing frequency, diabetes and alcohol use served as confounders for the adjusted models. Results Ten years or more of smoking associated with tooth loss; this effect was the strongest among men who reported having an ongoing smoking habit (self-reported outcome: adjusted OR = 1.74, CI = 1.40–2.16) and the weakest among women classified as former smokers (self-reported outcome: adjusted OR = 1.27, CI = 1.00–1.62). Conclusions This study shows that smoking has long-term effects on tooth loss even after cessation. The findings support smoking cessation efforts to reduce oral health risks

Cantilever-enhanced photoacoustic measurement of light-absorbing aerosols

Photoacoustic detection is a sensitive method for measurement of light-absorbing particles directly in the aerosol phase. In this article, we demonstrate a new sensitive technique for photoacoustic aerosol absorption measurements using a cantilever microphone for the detection of the photoacoustic signal. Compared to conventional diaphragm microphones, a cantilever offers increased sensitivity by up to two orders of magnitude. The measurement setup uses a photoacoustic cell from Gasera PA201 gas measurement system, which we have adapted for aerosol measurements. Here we reached a noise level of 0.013 Mm(-1) (one standard deviation) with a sampling time of 20 s, using a simple single-pass design without a need for a resonant acoustic cell. The sampling time includes 10 s signal averaging time and 10 s sample exchange, since the photoacoustic cell is designed for closed cell operation. We demonstrate the method in measurements of size-selected nigrosin particles and ambient black carbon. Due to the exceptional sensitivity, the technique shows great potential for applications where low detection limits are required, for example size-selected absorption measurements and black carbon detection in ultra clean environments.Peer reviewe

Ferromagnetic resonance in ϵ\epsilon-Co magnetic composites

We investigate the electromagnetic properties of assemblies of nanoscale $\epsilon$-cobalt crystals with size range between 5 nm to 35 nm, embedded in a polystyrene (PS) matrix, at microwave (1-12 GHz) frequencies. We investigate the samples by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, demonstrating that the particles aggregate and form chains and clusters. By using a broadband coaxial-line method, we extract the magnetic permeability in the frequency range from 1 to 12 GHz, and we study the shift of the ferromagnetic resonance with respect to an externally applied magnetic field. We find that the zero-magnetic field ferromagnetic resonant peak shifts towards higher frequencies at finite magnetic fields, and the magnitude of complex permeability is reduced. At fields larger than 2.5 kOe the resonant frequency changes linearly with the applied magnetic field, demonstrating the transition to a state in which the nanoparticles become dynamically decoupled. In this regime, the particles inside clusters can be treated as non-interacting, and the peak position can be predicted from Kittel's ferromagnetic resonance theory for non-interacting uniaxial spherical particles combined with the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation. In contrast, at low magnetic fields this magnetic order breaks down and the resonant frequency in zero magnetic field reaches a saturation value reflecting the interparticle interactions as resulting from aggregation. Our results show that the electromagnetic properties of these composite materials can be tuned by external magnetic fields and by changes in the aggregation structure.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure

Terveyskeskustyöntekijöiden kokemuksia etäterveydenhuollon käyttöönotosta

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää keskeisimpiä etäterveydenhuollon käyttöönottoon vaikuttavia tekijöitä sekä käyttöönottoon liittyviä hyötyjä terveyskeskustyöntekijöiden näkökulmasta. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 30 terveyskeskustyöntekijän haastattelusta, jotka tehtiin Oulunkaaren seutukunnan Verkostoterveyskeskus –hankkeen yhteydessä. Tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella etäterveydenhuollon käyttöönottoon vaikuttaa sekä toimintamallin ominaisuudet että työntekijöihin ja sosiaaliseen järjestelmään liittyvät tekijät. Keskeisimpinä tekijöistä nousivat esille etäterveydenhuollon käyttöön liittyvät hyödyt, käytön helppous sekä työntekijään liittyvät ominaisuudet. Myös toimintamallin soveltuvuus sekä hankkeen ja organisaation toiminta nousivat esille käyttöönottoon vaikuttavina tekijöinä. Etäterveydenhuollon toimintamallin käyttämisestä oli työntekijöiden mielestä hyötyä potilaalle, työntekijälle ja yhteiskunnalle. Potilaiden hoidossa etäterveydenhuollon käyttämisen edut nähtiin hoidon laadun ja palvelujen saatavuuden paranemisena sekä potilaiden matkustamistarpeiden vähenemisenä. Työntekijöiden kannalta hyödyt olivat koulutusmahdollisuuksien lisääntyminen, verkostoitumisen helpottuminen sekä matkustamistarpeen väheneminen

Rural biomasses in urban cycles

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Hoidon jatkuvuusmalli : Omalääkäri 2.0 -selvityksen loppuraportti

Vahva tieteellinen näyttö osoittaa, että saman yleislääkärin hoitaessa potilasta a) hoidon laatu paranee, b) sairastuvuus ja kuolleisuus vähenevät merkittävästi, c) terveydenhuollon palveluiden kokonaistarve ja -kustannukset pienenevät ja d) potilastyytyväisyys paranee. Suomen aikaisemmat omalääkärimallit ovat kariutuneet työn hallitsemattomuuteen, mikä on aiheutunut rakenteellisesta perusterveydenhuollon heikosta resursoinnista, liian suurista vastuuväestöistä ja työsopimusten työajattomuudesta. Suomen perusterveydenhuolto on hoidon jatkumattomuuden ja aliresursoinnin vuoksi kriisissä, joka on heijastunut muiden terveydenhuollon sektoreiden kasvavina kustannuksina ja ongelmina. Kriisin ratkaisuna on terveydenhuollon resurssien allokaation korjaaminen lisäämällä perusterveydenhuoltoon huomattavasti lääkäri- ja hoitajavakansseja sekä hoitosuhteiden jatkuvuuden varmistaminen. Potilaan oikeutta omaan lääkäriin ja hoitajaan tulee vahvistaa muuttamalla lainsäädäntöä. Selvityksessä kuvataan hoidon jatkuvuusmalli, jonka keskeisenä elementtinä on potilaan ja lääkärin välisen hoitosuhteen jatkuvuus, jossa potilaan hoidon tukena on omahoitaja ja tarvittaessa moniammatillisen tiimin muita jäseniä. Hoidon jatkuvuusmallilla tuetaan parhaiten meneillään olevan sote-uudistuksen tavoitteiden - kuten kustannusten nousun hillitseminen ja yhdenvertaisuuden paraneminen – saavuttamista terveydenhuollossa. Sote-järjestelmästä tulee kokonaistaloudellisesti edullisempi nyt esitetyn, alkuinvestointeja vaativan, strategisen muutoksen myötä

Seasonal and diurnal changes in inorganic ions, carbonaceous matter and mass in ambient aerosol particles in an urban, background area

Concentration and composition of the fine particulate matter (PM) was measured using various online methods for 13 months in an urban, background area in Helsinki, Finland. Seasonal differences were found for ions and carbonaceous compounds. Biomass burning was found to increase inorganic ion and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations in winter, whereas organic carbon (OC) contribution was highest during summer due to secondary aerosol formation. Diurnal cycles, with maxima between 06:00 and 09:00, were recorded for EC and nitrate due to traffic emissions. In addition, the concentrations measured with the online and offline PM sampling devices were compared using regression analysis. In general, a good agreement (r(2) = 0.60-0.95) was found. During the year-long measurements, on average 65% of PM2.5 was identified by submicron chemical analyses (ions, OC, EC). As compared with filter measurements, the high resolution measurements provided important data on short pollution plumes and diurnal changes.Peer reviewe

A Childhood Farm Environment Protects from Allergic Sensitization until Middle Age but Not from New-Onset Sensitization in Adulthood : A 15 Year Longitudinal Study

Data are insufficient on the protective effect of a farm environment in childhood regarding sensitization in middle age and new-onset sensitization in adulthood. A skin prick test (SPT) and questionnaire data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study (NFBC66) were used to investigate sensitization at age 46 years related to childhood living environment. A subpopulation of 3409 participants was analyzed to study factors related to new-onset sensitization between ages of 31 and 46 years. Data on complete SPTs were available for 5373 cohort members at age 46. Professional farming by parents (odds ratio (OR) 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.68) and keeping of farm animals (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.43-0.66) in infancy were associated with a lower risk of sensitization at age 46. Sensitization (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.47-0.72) and polysensitization (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.32-0.57) were less common in those who lived in a rural area in infancy compared to a city area. The childhood living environment had no effect on new-onset sensitization between ages 31 and 46. We conclude that living on a farm or in a rural environment in childhood had a protective effect on sensitization even in middle age, but these factors did not protect from new-onset sensitization in adults.Peer reviewe