Nuorten aikuisten orientoituminen virtuaaliympäristöön

Tiivistelmä. Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tarkoituksena oli selvittää nuorten aikuisten orientoitumista virtuaaliympäristöön. Tutkimme toiston, ympäristön ja kontekstin merkitystä esineen löytämiseen virtuaaliympäristössä. Tämä tutkielma on osa laajempaa tutkimusprojektia, jonka tavoitteena on kartoittaa virtuaalilasien käyttömahdollisuuksia puheterapia-kuntoutuksessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin yhteistyössä Peili Vision Oy:n kanssa. Tutkimukseen osallistui 60 nuorta aikuista, jotka olivat Oulun yliopiston opiskelijoita, henkilökuntaa ja vierailijoita. Tutkittavat olivat 18–32-vuotiaita perusterveitä miehiä ja naisia. Tutkittavien tehtävänä oli etsiä erilaisia esineitä virtuaaliympäristöstä. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin kahta virtuaaliympäristöä, kalustettua tilaa eli keittiötä ja tyhjää huonetta. Jokainen koehenkilö kävi tehtävälistan läpi viisi kertaa kummassakin ympäristössä. Etsittävistä esineistä puolet olivat keittiökontekstiin sopivia ja puolet olivat esineitä, jotka eivät tyypillisesti kuulu keittiöön. Koetilanteessa mitattiin esineiden löytämisaika siitä, kun sana ilmestyy näkökenttään ja sitä vastaava esine on löydetty. Tutkimus osoitti, että toistolla on merkitystä esineen hakunopeuteen kummassakin ympäristössä. Molemmissa ympäristöissä koehenkilöiltä kesti keskimäärin kolme tehtäväkertaa saavuttaa taso, jolloin hakunopeus ei enää kehittynyt tilastollisesti merkitsevästi. Keittiön ja tyhjän huoneen välillä havaittiin tilastollisesti merkitsevä ero esineiden hakunopeudessa. Keittiössä esineet löydettiin joka tehtäväkerralla nopeammin kuin tyhjässä huoneessa, jossa varsinaista kontekstia ei ole. Esinekohtaisella kontekstilla oli merkitystä hakunopeuteen ensimmäisten tehtäväkertojen aikana. Kontekstiin sopivat esineet löydettiin nopeammin kuin kontekstiin sopimattomat. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan päätellä, että toistolla, ympäristöllä sekä kontekstilla on kaikilla merkitystä siihen, kuinka orientoidumme ympäristöömme. Tämä tutkimus tarjoaa tietoa siitä, kuinka nopeasti terve nuori aikuinen orientoituu virtuaaliympäristöön. Virtuaalitodellisuus tarjoaa tulevaisuudessa lähes rajattomat mahdollisuudet erilaisten ympäristöjen ja sovellusten hyödyntämiseen myös puheterapiakuntoutuksessa

Carbohydrate esterase family 16 contains fungal hemicellulose acetyl esterases (HAEs) with varying specificity

Acetyl esterases are an important component of the enzymatic machinery fungi use to degrade plant biomass and are classified in several Carbohydrate Esterase families of the CAZy classification system. Carbohydrate Esterase family 16 (CE16) is one of the more recently discovered CAZy families, but only a small number of its enzyme members have been characterized so far, revealing activity on xylan-derived oligosaccharides, as well as activity related to galactoglucomannan. The number of CE16 genes differs significantly in the genomes of filamentous fungi. In this study, four CE16 members were identified in the genome of Aspergillus niger NRRL3 and it was shown that they belong to three of the four phylogenetic Clades of CE16. Significant differences in expression profiles of the genes and substrate specificity of the enzymes were revealed, demonstrating the diversity within this family of enzymes. Detailed characterization of one of these four A. niger enzymes (HaeA) demonstrated activity on oligosaccharides obtained from acetylated glucuronoxylan, galactoglucomannan and xyloglucan, thus establishing this enzyme as a general hemicellulose acetyl esterase. Their broad substrate specificity makes these enzymes highly interesting for biotechnological applications in which deacetylation of polysaccharides is required.Peer reviewe

Carbohydrate esterase family 16 contains fungal hemicellulose acetyl esterases (HAEs) with varying specificity

Acetyl esterases are an important component of the enzymatic machinery fungi use to degrade plant biomass and are classified in several Carbohydrate Esterase families of the CAZy classification system. Carbohydrate Esterase family 16 (CE16) is one of the more recently discovered CAZy families, but only a small number of its enzyme members have been characterized so far, revealing activity on xylan-derived oligosaccharides, as well as activity related to galactoglucomannan. The number of CE16 genes differs significantly in the genomes of filamentous fungi. In this study, four CE16 members were identified in the genome of Aspergillus niger NRRL3 and it was shown that they belong to three of the four phylogenetic Clades of CE16. Significant differences in expression profiles of the genes and substrate specificity of the enzymes were revealed, demonstrating the diversity within this family of enzymes. Detailed characterization of one of these four A. niger enzymes (HaeA) demonstrated activity on oligosaccharides obtained from acetylated glucuronoxylan, galactoglucomannan and xyloglucan, thus establishing this enzyme as a general hemicellulose acetyl esterase. Their broad substrate specificity makes these enzymes highly interesting for biotechnological applications in which deacetylation of polysaccharides is required

Patient‐centered digital biomarkers for allergic respiratory diseases and asthma: The ARIA‐EAACI approach – ARIA‐EAACI Task Force Report

Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with rhinitis and/ or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice. The digital transformation of health and health care (including mHealth) places the patient at the center of the health system and is likely to optimize the practice of allergy. Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) developed a Task Force aimed at proposing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) as digital biomarkers that can be easily used for different purposes in rhinitis and asthma. It first defined control digital biomarkers that should make a bridge between clinical practice, randomized controlled trials, observational real-life studies and allergen challenges. Using the MASK-air app as a model, a daily electronic combined symptom-medication score for allergic diseases (CSMS) or for asthma (e-DASTHMA), combined with a monthly control questionnaire, was embedded in a strategy similar to the diabetes approach for disease control. To mimic real-life, it secondly proposed quality-of- life digital biomarkers including daily EQ-5D visual analogue scales and the bi-weekly RhinAsthma Patient Perspective (RAAP). The potential implications for the management of allergic respiratory diseases were proposed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rhinitis associated with asthma is distinct from rhinitis alone: TARIA‐MeDALL hypothesis

Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of “one-airway-one-disease,” coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept. This article reviews (i) the clinical observations that led to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), (ii) new insights into polysensitization and multimorbidity, (iii) advances in mHealth for novel phenotype definitions, (iv) confirmation in canonical epidemiologic studies, (v) genomic findings, (vi) treatment approaches, and (vii) novel concepts on the onset of rhinitis and multimorbidity. One recent concept, bringing together upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases with skin, gut, and neuropsychiatric multimorbidities, is the “Epithelial Barrier Hypothesis.” This review determined that the “one-airway-one-disease” concept does not always hold true and that several phenotypes of disease can be defined. These phenotypes include an extreme “allergic” (asthma) phenotype combining asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ihomelanooman onkologinen hoito päivittyi

Tiivistelmä Suomen Melanoomaryhmä ry päivitti suosituksensa ihomelanooman onkologisesta hoidosta. Vuoden kestävää liitännäislääkehoitoa PD-1-vasta-aineella eli immuuniaktivaation vapauttajalla (nivolumabi tai pembrolitsumabi) tai dabrafenibilla ja trametinibilla harkitaan leikatuille, levinneisyysasteen IIIB-IV melanoomapotilaille melanooman uusiutumisriskin pienentämiseksi. Päätös liitännäishoidosta tehdään yhdessä potilaan kanssa hyödyt ja haitat huomioiden. Levinneen melanooman ensilinjan hoitovaihtoehtona ovat PD-1-vasta-aineet, joiden lisäksi BRAFV600-mutaatiopositiivisille potilaille soveltuvat hoidot BRAF:n ja MEK:n estäjillä. Immunologista yhdistelmähoitoa CTLA-4- ja PD-1-vasta-aineilla (ipilimumabi ja nivolumabi) harkitaan huonoennusteisille hyväkuntoisille potilaille. Muita edenneen melanooman lääkehoitovaihtoehtoja ovat onkolyyttinen virushoito (TVEC) pinnallisen metastasoinnin ja isoloitu raajaperfuusio- eli ILP-hoito raajaan rajoittuvan metastasoinnin yhteydessä sekä solunsalpaajahoidot. Nopeasti kehittyvän hoidon vuoksi melanoomapotilaat pyritään rekrytoimaan kliinisiin hoitotutkimuksiin aina kun se on mahdollista

Characterization of immune response against Mycobacterium marinum infection in the main hematopoietic organ of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract Tuberculosis remains a major global health challenge. To gain information about genes important for defense against tuberculosis, we used a well-established tuberculosis model; Mycobacterium marinum infection in adult zebrafish. To characterize the immunological response to mycobacterial infection at 14 days post infection, we performed a whole-genome level transcriptome analysis using cells from kidney, the main hematopoietic organ of adult zebrafish. Among the upregulated genes, those associated with immune signaling and regulation formed the largest category, whereas the largest group of downregulated genes had a metabolic role. We also performed a forward genetic screen in adult zebrafish and identified a fish line with severely impaired survival during chronic mycobacterial infection. Based on transcriptome analysis, these fish have decreased expression of several immunological genes. Taken together, these results give new information about the genes involved in the defense against mycobacterial infection in zebrafish

Intelectin 3 is dispensable for resistance against a mycobacterial infection in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract Tuberculosis is a multifactorial bacterial disease, which can be modeled in the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Abdominal cavity infection with Mycobacterium marinum, a close relative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, leads to a granulomatous disease in adult zebrafish, which replicates the different phases of human tuberculosis, including primary infection, latency and spontaneous reactivation. Here, we have carried out a transcriptional analysis of zebrafish challenged with low-dose of M. marinum, and identified intelectin 3 (itln3) among the highly up-regulated genes. In order to clarify the in vivo significance of Itln3 in immunity, we created nonsense itln3 mutant zebrafish by CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis and analyzed the outcome of M. marinum infection in both zebrafish embryos and adult fish. The lack of functional itln3 did not affect survival or the mycobacterial burden in the zebrafish. Furthermore, embryonic survival was not affected when another mycobacterial challenge responsive intelectin, itln1, was silenced using morpholinos either in the WT or itln3 mutant fish. In addition, M. marinum infection in dexamethasone-treated adult zebrafish, which have lowered lymphocyte counts, resulted in similar bacterial burden in both WT fish and homozygous itln3 mutants. Collectively, although itln3 expression is induced upon M. marinum infection in zebrafish, it is dispensable for protective mycobacterial immune response