Kalervo Erikssonin muistosymposiumin esitelmäkirja ilmestynyt

Kirja-arvostelu: Genetic aspects of alcoholism International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Congress. 4. Sapporo 198

Alkoholijuomien aiheuttamat terveyshaitat: kulutuksen rakenteen ja juomatapojen vaikutus

Summary: Medical problems caused by alcoholic beverages - effects of different beverages and drinking habits

Inhibition of testosterone biosynthesis by ethanol: relation to the pregnenolone-to-testosterone pathway

AbstractThe concentrations of metabolites in the pregnenolone → testosterone pathway were determined in freezestopped testes in control rats and during ethanol intoxication (2 h after injection of 1.5 g ethanolkg body wt). Ethanol lowered the mean testicular concentrations of testosterone (by 63–74%), androstenedione (49–81%), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (60–76%), progesterone (29–67%) and pregnenolone (12–25%). 4-Methylpyrazole had no effect on the ethanol-induced changes. The present results reveal no inhibition at the 17-hydroxyprogesterone → androstenedione → testosterone steps, but do not exclude inhibition before the step yielding pregnenolone and at the pregnenolone → progesterone → 17-hydroxyprogesterone steps

Alkoholismi ja perintötekijät : uutta tietoa alkoholikongressissa

Summary: Alcoholism and heredity - new information presented in a biomedical congress

Solukalvoilta sosiaalisairaalaan

Kirja-arvostelu: Alkoholi : vaikutukset elimistöön ja terveyteen toim. Kalervo Kiianmaa ja Reino Ylikahr

Strengths and Development Needs in Temporary Agency Work : Temporary Work Agency Managers’ Perspective

In temporary agency work (TAW), the temporary work agency and theuser company have employer responsibilities related to the occupational safetyand health of the temporary agency workers. The aim of the study was to inves-tigate strengths and development needs in TAW as perceived by managers oftemporary work agencies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collectdata from 19 managers at 10 temporary work agencies. The data were analyzedusing qualitative content analysis. The results show that TAW is a flexible andvaluable option for facilitating employment. However, there is room for devel-oping TAW practices and procedures with the co-operation of temporary workagencies, temporary agency workers, and user companies. The findings of thisstudy contribute to development of the occupational safety, health, and well-be-ing of agency workers, and sustainable TAW.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Bronchoscopic assessment of airway retention time of aerosolized xylitol

BACKGROUND: Human airway surface liquid (ASL) has abundant antimicrobial peptides whose potency increases as the salt concentration decreases. Xylitol is a 5-carbon sugar that has the ability to lower ASL salt concentration, potentially enhancing innate immunity. Xylitol was detected for 8 hours in the ASL after application in airway epithelium in vitro. We tested the airway retention time of aerosolized iso-osmotic xylitol in healthy volunteers. METHODS: After a screening spirometry, volunteers received 10 ml of nebulized 5% xylitol. Bronchoscopy was done at 20 minutes (n = 6), 90 minutes (n = 6), and 3 hours (n = 5) after nebulization and ASL was collected using microsampling probes, followed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Xylitol concentration was measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and corrected for dilution using urea concentration. RESULTS: All subjects tolerated nebulization and bronchoscopy well. Mean ASL volume recovered from the probes was 49 ± 23 μl. The mean ASL xylitol concentration at 20, 90, and 180 minutes was 1.6 ± 1.9 μg/μl, 0.6 ± 0.6 μg/μl, and 0.1 ± 0.1 μg/μl, respectively. Corresponding BAL concentration corrected for dilution was consistently lower at all time points. The terminal half-life of aerosolized xylitol obtained by the probes was 45 minutes with a mean residence time of 65 minutes in ASL. Corresponding BAL values were 36 and 50 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSION: After a single dose nebulization, xylitol was detected in ASL for 3 hours, which was shorter than our in vitro measurement. The microsampling probe performed superior to BAL when sampling bronchial ASL

The incidence and severity of hangover the morning after moderate alcohol intoxication

Aims  To determine the incidence and covariates of hangover following a night of moderate alcohol consumption at a targeted breath alcohol level. Design  Data were combined from three randomized cross-over trials investigating the effects of heavy drinking on next-day performance. A total of 172 participants received either alcoholic beverage (mean = 0.115 g% breath alcohol concentration) or placebo on one night and the other beverage a week later. The next day, participants completed a hangover scale. Participants  Participants were 54 professional merchant mariners attending a recertification course at Kalmar Maritime Academy (Kalmar, Sweden) and 118 university students or recent graduates recruited from greater Boston. Setting  One trial was conducted at Kalmar Maritime Academy (Sweden); the other two were conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston Medical Center. Measurements  A nine-item scale assessed hangover. Findings  Hangover was reported by 76% of participants. Neither alcoholic beverage type nor participant characteristics was associated with incidence of hangover. Conclusions  Our findings on the propensity of hangover suggest that 25–30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73046/1/j.1360-0443.2008.02181.x.pd