Pohjaveden pinnankorkeuden mallintaminen männyn kasvun avulla

Tutkimus suoritettiin Lammin Tullinkankaan pohjavesialueelta. Tutkimusalueelta valittiin kaksi metsikköä, jossa toisessa pohjavesi on noin metrin syvyydellä maanpinnasta (sarja 'vedellinen') ja toisessa noin kahden ja puolen metrin syvyydellä (sarja 'vedetön'). Oletuksena oli, että pohjaveden pinnankorkeus vaikuttaa männyn kasvuun alueella, jossa pohjaveden pinta on lähellä maanpintaa. Sarjoja verrattiin toisiinsa sekä ilmasto- ja pohjavesitietoihin. Molemmilta alueilta otettiin yhteensä n. 20 lustonäytettä, joista muodostettiin omat ristiinajoitetut lustokronologiat. Vedellisen sarjan kronologia kattaa vuodet 1872–2008 (137 vuotta) ja vedettömän sarjan kronologia vuodet 1958–2008 (51 vuotta). Vedellisen alueen männyt korreloivat negatiivisesti touko- ja kesäkuun pohjaveden pinnankorkeuden kanssa sekä positiivisesti kesäkuun sademäärän ja helmikuun lämpötilan kanssa. Vedettömän alueen männyt korreloivat negatiivisesti toukokuun sademäärän ja marraskuun lämpötilan kanssa sekä positiivisesti maaliskuun sademäärän kanssa, mutta eivät ollenkaan pohjaveden pinnankorkeuden kanssa. Vedellisen alueen kronologiaa käytettiin monimuuttujaregressiossa selittävänä tekijänä selittämässä toukokuun pohjaveden pinnankorkeutta. Vedellisen kronologian ja toukokuun pohjaveden pinnankorkeuden välisen mallin korjattu selitysaste oli 0,37 ja korrelaatiokerroin 0,62. Ristiinvalidoidutu rekonstruktiomalli kattaa vuodet 1880– 2002. Rekonstruoidusta pinnankorkeusmallista rekonstruoitiin spektrianalyysin avulla tilastollisesti merkitsevä 23,81 a jaksollisuus

Sydänsähkökäyrän viitearvot ja poikkeavat löydökset terveillä vapaaehtoisilla tutkimushenkilöillä

Sydänsähkökäyrä eli elektrokardiogrammi (EKG) rekisteröidään tyypillisesti epäiltäessä tai seurattaessa sydänsairautta. Lisäksi EKG mitataan usein myös oireettomilta perusterveiltä terveystarkastuksien, leikkauskelpoisuutta arvioivien tutkimuksien tai urheilijoiden sydänterveyden arvioinnin yhteydessä. EKG:n normaalirajojen määrittäminen luo pohjan monien sydänsairauksien diagnostisten kriteerien luomiselle ja määrittämiselle. Tutkimuksessa käsiteltiin 1333 EKG-lyhytrekisteröintiä vapaaehtoisilta perusterveiltä täysi-ikäisiltä suomalaisilta. Rekisteröinnit tehtiin Orion Pharman lääketutkimuksien alkutarkastuksien yhteydessä vuosina 2003 - 2015. Toistomittauksien suodattamisen jälkeen käsiteltiin 898 EKG-rekisteröintiä, joista tarkasteltiin sekä käsin ECIMS- mittausjärjestelmällä mitattuja että EKG:n rekisteröintilaitteiden tulosteisiin määrittämiä automaattisen analyysin arvoja. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli muodostaa terveiden suomalaisten lääketutkimuksiin vapaaehtoisesti osallistuvien henkilöiden EKG-lyhytrekisteröintien normaalit johtumisajat, tutkia iän ja sukupuolen vaikutusta johtumisaikoihin, vertailla saatuja tuloksia kirjallisuuteen ja pohtia terveen väestön EKG:n johtumisaikojen normaalirajoja sekä tarkastella poikkeamalöydösten esiintyvyyttä terveessä populaatiossa. Tutkimuksen tulokset vastaavat johtumisaikojen normaalirajojen suhteen oleellisilta osin aikaisempia aikuisväestölle tehtyjä tutkimuksia, joissa havaittiin ikääntymisen ja sukupuolen vaikuttavan johtumisaikoihin. Tulosten ja kirjallisuuden perusteella pitäisi jatkossa pohtia iän ja sukupuolen mukaisten viiterajojen luomista EKG:n johtumisajoille. Tässä tutkimuksessa tehtyjen havaintojen ja kirjallisuuden perusteella voitaisiin esittää esimerkiksi seuraavia viiterajoja: PR- aika 120 – 210 ms, QRS-aika 70 – 110 ms, QRS-akseli -30° – 90° ja QTcF-ajan ylärajaksi miehille 450 ms ja naisille 460 ms. QTcB-ajan käytöstä tulisi luopua. EKG-poikkeavuuksia löytyi perusterveiltä tutkittavilta jonkin verran, mutta niiden kliininen merkitys vaikuttaa kirjallisuuden perusteella pieneltä. Löydösten esiintyvyys vastaa oleellisesti aikaisempia havaintoja kirjallisuudessa. (205 sanaa

Motivating people to battle their depression with the help of gamification

This paper is about how gamification could be used in a battle against depression. Gamification and depression are both huge topics, hence this paper’s scope had to be narrowed down. This paper’s main focus is on understanding how humans’ motivation works in relation with gamification. This is then linked with some of the reasons why depressed people are unable to get help to their illness. At the end of the thesis, I give a few points on what people who develop gamified mental health apps should think about in the future. To do this, I first conducted a small literature review on the topic. I researched motivation, gamification, and how gamification has been used against depression in the past to gain knowledge in the subject. After the literature review, I then did empirical research and interviewed the founder of a company that develops gamified mental health app to understand what is currently being done in this field. The result of all this is that I found out what is currently being done regarding gamification and depression. From the interview I gained understanding what is currently being done regarding gamified mental health apps and from the literature review I found out what has been done in this subject in close history. For example, I found out that gamification can really be used in the fight against depression, because multiple studies have come into conclusion that remote treatment works. There are few key things to consider when developing an app that is used in treating depression. It is important to understand that depression is a complex illness, and each person faces it differently, and therefore the treatment for it cannot be similar for everyone either. This means that being able to modify the app is an important feature. In addition to that, the features in the app are a crucial part of how motivated people are to use it. One important thing to consider is social features (such as giving achievements to users and letting users communicate with each other) and how to implement them so they affect users positively

Intrapartum zigzag pattern of fetal heart rate is an early sign of fetal hypoxia : A large obstetric retrospective cohort study

Introduction The aim of the present study was to identify possible associations of fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns during the last 2 hours of labor with fetal asphyxia expressed by umbilical artery acidemia at birth and with neonatal complications in a large obstetric cohort. Material and methods Cardiotocographic recordings from 4988 singleton term childbirths over 1 year were evaluated retrospectively and blinded to the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in a university teaching hospital in Helsinki, Finland. Umbilical artery pH, base excess and pO(2), low Apgar scores at 5 minutes, need for intubation and resuscitation, early neonatal hypoglycemia, and neonatal encephalopathy were used as outcome variables. According to the severity of the neonatal complications at birth, the cohort was divided into three groups: no complications (Group 1), moderate complications (Group 2) and severe complications (Group 3). Results Of the 4988 deliveries, the ZigZag pattern (FHR baseline amplitude changes of >25 bpm with a duration of 2-30 minutes) occurred in 11.7%, late decelerations in 41.0%, bradycardia episodes in 52.9%, reduced variability in 36.7%, tachycardia episodes in 13.9% and uterine tachysystole in 4.6%. No case of saltatory pattern (baseline amplitude changes of >25 bpm with a duration of >30 minutes) was observed. The presence of the ZigZag pattern or late decelerations, or both, was associated with cord blood acidemia (odds ratio [OR] 3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-4.7) and severe neonatal complications (Group 3) (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.4-4.9). In contrast, no significant associations existed between the other FHR patterns and severe neonatal complications. ZigZag pattern preceded late decelerations in 88.7% of the cases. A normal FHR preceded the ZigZag pattern in 90.4% of the cases, whereas after ZigZag episodes, a normal FHR pattern was observed in only 0.9%. Conclusions ZigZag pattern and late decelerations during the last 2 hours of labor are significantly associated with cord blood acidemia at birth and neonatal complications. The ZigZag pattern precedes late decelerations, and the fact that normal FHR pattern precedes the ZigZag pattern in the majority of the cases suggests that the ZigZag pattern is an early sign of fetal hypoxia, which emphasizes its clinical importance.Peer reviewe

Intrapartal cardiotocographic patterns and hypoxia-related perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus

Aims In previous reports, cardiotocographic (CTG) fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring has shown only limited benefits in decreasing adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether an association exists between the recently reported ZigZag pattern (FHR baseline amplitude changes of > 25 bpm with a duration of 2-30 min) and asphyxia-related neonatal outcomes in GDM pregnancies. Methods Intrapartal CTGs were recorded in a one-year cohort of 5150 singleton childbirths. The following CTG changes were evaluated: ZigZag pattern, saltatory pattern, late decelerations, episodes of tachycardia and bradycardia, reduced variability, and uterine tachysystole. The cohort was divided into three groups: women with GDM, women with normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and women with no OGTT performed. Umbilical artery (UA) blood gases, Apgar scores, neonatal respiratory distress, and neonatal encephalopathy were used as outcome variables. Results GDM was diagnosed in 624 (12.1%), OGTT was normal in 4115 (79.9%), and OGTT was not performed in 411 (8.0%) women. Hypoxia-related ZigZag patterns (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.64-2.34) and late decelerations (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.27-2.13) of FHR, as well as a greater risk of fetal asphyxia (UA pH < 7.10 and/or UA BE < -12.0 meq/L and/or Apgar scores < 7 at 5-min) (OR 6.64, 95% CI 1.84-12.03) were observed in those with GDM compared with those without GDM. Conclusions GDM is associated with intrapartal ZigZag pattern and late decelerations, cord blood acidemia and low 5-min Apgar scores at birth indicating increased occurrence of fetal hypoxia in GDM pregnancies.Peer reviewe

Assembly of the beta 4-Integrin Interactome Based on Proximal Biotinylation in the Presence and Absence of Heterodimerization

Integrin-mediated laminin adhesions mediate epithelial cell anchorage to basement membranes and are critical regulators of epithelial cell polarity. Integrins assemble large multiprotein complexes that link to the cytoskeleton and convey signals into the cells. Comprehensive proteomic analyses of actin network-linked focal adhesions (FA) have been performed, but the molecular composition of intermediate filament-linked hemidesmosomes (HD) remains incompletely characterized. Here we have used proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) technology to label and characterize the interactome of epithelia-specific beta 4-integrin that, as alpha 6 beta 4-heterodimer, forms the core of HDs. The analysis identified similar to 150 proteins that were specifically labeled by BirA-tagged integrin-beta 4. In addition to known HDs proteins, the interactome revealed proteins that may indirectly link integrin-beta 4 to actin-connected protein complexes, such as FAs and dystrophin/dystroglycan complexes. The specificity of the screening approach was validated by confirming the HD localization of two candidate beta 4-interacting proteins, utrophin (UTRN) and ELKS/Rab6-interacting/CAST family member 1 (ERC1). Interestingly, although establishment of functional HDs depends on the formation of alpha 6 beta 4-heterodimers, the assembly of beta 4-interactome was not strictly dependent on alpha 6-integrin expression. Our survey to the HD interactome sets a precedent for future studies and provides novel insight into the mechanisms of HD assembly and function of the beta 4-integrin.Peer reviewe

RAD51B in Familial Breast Cancer

Common variation on 14q24.1, close to RAD51B, has been associated with breast cancer: rs999737 and rs2588809 with the risk of female breast cancer and rs1314913 with the risk of male breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RAD51B variants in breast cancer predisposition, particularly in the context of familial breast cancer in Finland. We sequenced the coding region of RAD51B in 168 Finnish breast cancer patients from the Helsinki region for identification of possible recurrent founder mutations. In addition, we studied the known rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 SNPs and RAD51B haplotypes in 44,791 breast cancer cases and 43,583 controls from 40 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) that were genotyped on a custom chip (iCOGS). We identified one putatively pathogenic missense mutation c.541C>T among the Finnish cancer patients and subsequently genotyped the mutation in additional breast cancer cases (n = 5259) and population controls (n = 3586) from Finland and Belarus. No significant association with breast cancer risk was seen in the meta-analysis of the Finnish datasets or in the large BCAC dataset. The association with previously identified risk variants rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 was replicated among all breast cancer cases and also among familial cases in the BCAC dataset. The most significant association was observed for the haplotype carrying the risk-alleles of all the three SNPs both among all cases (odds ratio (OR): 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.19, P = 8.88 x 10−16) and among familial cases (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.16–1.32, P = 6.19 x 10−11), compared to the haplotype with the respective protective alleles. Our results suggest that loss-of-function mutations in RAD51B are rare, but common variation at the RAD51B region is significantly associated with familial breast cancer risk.Public Library of Science open acces

Assembly of the beta 4-Integrin Interactome Based on Proximal Biotinylation in the Presence and Absence of Heterodimerization

Integrin-mediated laminin adhesions mediate epithelial cell anchorage to basement membranes and are critical regulators of epithelial cell polarity. Integrins assemble large multiprotein complexes that link to the cytoskeleton and convey signals into the cells. Comprehensive proteomic analyses of actin network-linked focal adhesions (FA) have been performed, but the molecular composition of intermediate filament-linked hemidesmosomes (HD) remains incompletely characterized. Here we have used proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) technology to label and characterize the interactome of epithelia-specific beta 4-integrin that, as alpha 6 beta 4-heterodimer, forms the core of HDs. The analysis identified similar to 150 proteins that were specifically labeled by BirA-tagged integrin-beta 4. In addition to known HDs proteins, the interactome revealed proteins that may indirectly link integrin-beta 4 to actin-connected protein complexes, such as FAs and dystrophin/dystroglycan complexes. The specificity of the screening approach was validated by confirming the HD localization of two candidate beta 4-interacting proteins, utrophin (UTRN) and ELKS/Rab6-interacting/CAST family member 1 (ERC1). Interestingly, although establishment of functional HDs depends on the formation of alpha 6 beta 4-heterodimers, the assembly of beta 4-interactome was not strictly dependent on alpha 6-integrin expression. Our survey to the HD interactome sets a precedent for future studies and provides novel insight into the mechanisms of HD assembly and function of the beta 4-integrin.Peer reviewe

Mutation screening of the RNF8, UBC13 and MMS2 genes in Northern Finnish breast cancer families

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Currently known susceptibility genes such as <it>BRCA1 </it>and <it>BRCA2 </it>explain less than 25% of familial aggregation of breast cancer, which suggests the involvement of additional susceptibility genes. RNF8, UBC13 and MMS2 are involved in the DNA damage response pathway and play important roles in BRCA1-mediated DNA damage recognition. Based on the evidence that several players in the ubiquitin-mediated BRCA1-dependent DDR seem to contribute to breast cancer predisposition, <it>RNF8, UBC13 </it>and <it>MMS2 </it>were considered plausible candidate genes for susceptibility to breast cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The entire coding region and splice junctions of <it>RNF8, UBC13 </it>and <it>MMS2 </it>genes were screened for mutations in affected index cases from 123 Northern Finnish breast cancer families by using conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis, high resolution melting (HRM) analysis and direct sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mutation analysis revealed several changes in <it>RNF8 </it>and <it>UBC13</it>, whereas no aberrations were observed in <it>MMS2</it>. None of the found sequence changes appeared to associate with breast cancer susceptibility.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present data suggest that mutations in <it>RNF8, UBC13 </it>and <it>MMS2 </it>genes unlikely make any sizeable contribution to breast cancer predisposition in Northern Finland.</p