Restorative effects of urban green environments and the role of urban-nature orientedness and noise sensitivity: A field experiment

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Effects of long-range transported air pollution from vegetation fires on daily mortality and hospital admissions in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland

Introduction: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from vegetation fires can be transported over long distances and may cause significant air pollution episodes far from the fires. However, epidemiological evidence on health effects of vegetation-fire originated air pollution is limited, particularly for mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Objective: We examined association between short-term exposure to long-range transported PM2.5 from vegetation fires and daily mortality due to non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory causes and daily hospital admissions due to cardiovascular and respiratory causes in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. Methods: Days significantly affected by smoke from vegetation fires between 2001 and 2010 were identified using air quality measurements at an urban background and a regional background monitoring station, and modelled data on surface concentrations of vegetation-fire smoke. Associations between daily PM2.5 concentration and health outcomes on i) smoke-affected days and ii) all other days (i.e. non smoke days) were analysed using Poisson time series regression. All statistical models were adjusted for daily temperature and relative humidity, influenza, pollen, and public holidays. Results: On smoke-affected days, 10 mu g/m(3) increase in PM2.5 was associated with a borderline statistically significant increase in cardiovascular mortality among total population at a lag of three days (12.4%, 95% CI -0.2% to 26.5%), and among the elderly (>= 65 years) following same-day exposure (13.8%, 95% CI -0.6% to 30.4%) and at a lag of three days (11.8%, 95% CI -2.2% to 27.7%). Smoke day PM2.5 was not associated with non-accidental mortality or hospital admissions due to cardiovascular causes. However, there was an indication of a positive association with hospital admissions due to respiratory causes among the elderly, and admissions due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma among the total population. In contrast, on non-smoke days PM2.5 was generally not associated with the health outcomes, apart from suggestive small positive effects on non-accidental mortality at a lag of one day among the elderly and hospital admissions due to all respiratory causes following same-day exposure among the total population. Conclusions: Our research provides suggestive evidence for an association of exposure to long-range transported PM2.5 from vegetation fires with increased cardiovascular mortality, and to a lesser extent with increased hospital admissions due to respiratory causes. Hence, vegetation-fire originated air pollution may have adverse effects on public health over a distance of hundreds to thousands of kilometres from the fires. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Natural history of bleeding and characteristics of early bleeders among warfarin initiators – a cohort study in Finland

AimsThe demand for oral anticoagulant therapy will continue to increase in the future along with the aging of the population. This study aimed to determine the rate of bleeding requiring hospitalization and to characterize early bleeders among persons initiating warfarin therapy. Characterization of those most susceptible to early bleeding is important in order to increase the safety of warfarin initiation.Patients and methodsUsing data from nationwide health registers, we identified persons initiating warfarin therapy between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012, n=101,588, and followed them until hospitalization for bleeding, death, or administrative end of the study (December 31, 2012). We defined early bleeders as persons with a bleeding requiring hospitalization within 30 days since warfarin initiation.ResultsThe rate of hospitalization for bleeding during a median follow-up of 1.9 years was 2.6% per person-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5%–2.7%), with a peak within the first 30 days of warfarin initiation (6.5% per person-year, 95% CI 6.0%–7.1%). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, early bleeders were characterized by prior bleeding (<180 days before initiation, hazard ratio [HR] =13.7, 95% CI 10.9–17.1; during 180 days–7 years before initiation, HR =1.48, 95% CI 1.15–1.90), male sex (HR =1.32, 95% CI 1.10–1.57), older age (HR =1.13, 95% CI 1.04–1.22, per 10-year increase), venous thrombosis (HR =1.83, 95% CI 1.44–2.34), pulmonary embolism (HR =1.46, 95% CI 1.11–1.91), alcohol abuse (HR =1.59, 95% CI 1.08–2.35), rheumatic disease (HR =1.40, 95% CI 1.07–1.83), and exposure to drugs with dynamic interaction mechanism with warfarin (HR =1.43, 95% CI 1.20–1.71). In age-adjusted models, Charlson comorbidity index and number of drugs predicted a graded increase in the hazard of early bleeding.ConclusionThe rate of hospitalizations for bleeding peaked in the beginning of warfarin therapy. Early bleeders were characterized by venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and factors that increase bleeding risk without affecting the international normalized ratio

Eri ympäristömelulähteiden häiritsevyys Suomessa

Tieliikennemelulle altistuu enemmän ihmisiä kuin muille ympäristömelun lähteille, ja tieliikenne korostuu usein ympäristömelun haittoja koskevassa keskustelussa. Tieliikenne on kuitenkin vain yksi monista ympäristömelun lähteistä. Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan ensimmäistä kertaa koko Suomen kattavassa aineistossa sitä, kuinka yleistä eri ympäristömelulähteiden kokeminen häiritseväksi on arkielämässä

Ichneumonid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) reared in North Europe from pupae of Chelis puengeleri (Bang-Haas, 1927) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae)

Four ichneumonid species were reared for the first time from pupae of Chelis puengeleri in North Europe. One female of Pimpla sodalis Ruthe, 1859 (Pimplinae) was reared in Cievrracohkka, N Sweden in July 2012. One male of Ichneumon formosus Gravenhorst, 1829 (Ichneumoninae) was reared in Nissuntjårro, Torne Lappland, Sweden in July 2012. One male of Ichneumon vafer Tischbein, 1876 (Ichneumoninae) was reared in July 1999 in the Iremel Mountain reserve, Baskiria, South Ural, Russia. Two females and one male of Ichneumon holoarctiae Riedel et Vikberg sp. n. (Ichneumoninae) were reared in June and July 2004 and 2012 in Finnmark, North Norway

Natural history of bleeding and characteristics of early bleeders among warfarin initiators - a cohort study in Finland

Aims: The demand for oral anticoagulant therapy will continue to increase in the future along with the aging of the population. This study aimed to determine the rate of bleeding requiring hospitalization and to characterize early bleeders among persons initiating warfarin therapy. Characterization of those most susceptible to early bleeding is important in order to increase the safety of warfarin initiation. Patients and methods: Using data from nationwide health registers, we identified persons initiating warfarin therapy between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2012, n = 101,588, and followed them until hospitalization for bleeding, death, or administrative end of the study (December 31, 2012). We defined early bleeders as persons with a bleeding requiring hospitalization within 30 days since warfarin initiation. Results: The rate of hospitalization for bleeding during a median follow-up of 1.9 years was 2.6% per person-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5%-2.7%), with a peak within the first 30 days of warfarin initiation (6.5% per person-year, 95% CI 6.0%-7.1%). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, early bleeders were characterized by prior bleeding (Conclusion: The rate of hospitalizations for bleeding peaked in the beginning of warfarin therapy. Early bleeders were characterized by venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and factors that increase bleeding risk without affecting the international normalized ratio.</p