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Alemao, E., Yin, D., Sintonen, H., Salomaa, V. and
Jousilahti, P.
European Heart Journal. 2005; 26: 363-363. Meeting
Abstract. IF 7.341
Sex difference in proportion of fatal coronary events outside
hospitals
Bata, I. R., Gregor, R. D., Kuulasmaa, K. and Wolf,
H.
European Heart Journal. 2005; 26: 683-684. Meeting
Abstract. IF 7.341
Thirty-year trends of physical activity in relation to age,
calendar time and birth cohort in Finnish men and women
Borodulin, K., Laatikainen, T., Juolevi, A. and Jousilahti,
P.
Circulation. 2006; 114(18): 890-890. Meeting Abstract. IF
11.632
Fast estimation algorithm for likelihood-based analysis of
repeated categorical responses
Jokinen, J.
Computational Statistics & Data Analysis. 2006; 51(3):
1509-1522. Article. IF 0.733
Likelihood-based marginal regression modelling for repeated, or
otherwise clustered, categorical responses is computationally
demanding. This is because the number of measures needed to
describe the associations within a cluster increase geometrically
with increasing cluster size. The proposed estimation methods
typically describe the associations using odds ratios, which result
in computationally unfeasible solutions for large cluster sizes. An
alternative method for joint modelling of the regression,
association, and dropout mechanism for clustered categorical
responses is presented. The joint distribution of a multivariate
categorical response is described by utilizing the mean
parameterization, which facilitates maximum likelihood estimation
in two important respects. The models are illustrated by analyses
of the presence and absence of schizophrenia symptoms on 86
patients at 42 repeated time-points, and a survey of opinions of
607 adults regarding government spending on nine different targets,
measured on a common 3-level ordinal scale. Free software is
available. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Living arrangements and mental health in Finland
Joutsenniemi, K., Martelin, T., Martikainen, P., Pirkola, S.
and Koskinen, S.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006; 60(6): 468-75. Journal
Article. IF 3.003
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't.
BACKGROUND: Non-married persons are known to have poor mental
health compared with married persons. Health differences between
marital status groups may largely arise from corresponding
differences in interpersonal social bonds. However, official
marital status mirrors the social reality of persons to a
decreasing extent, and living arrangements may be a better measure
of social bonds. Little is known about mental health in different
living arrangement groups. This study aims to establish the extent
and determinants of mental health differences by living arrangement
in terms of psychological distress (GHQ) and DSM-IV psychiatric
disorders (CIDI).
METHODS: Data were used from the nationally representative cross
sectional health 2000 survey, conducted in 2000-1 in Finland.
Altogether 4685 participants (80%) aged 30-64 years were included
in these analyses; comprehensive information was available on
measures of mental health and living arrangements. Living
arrangements were measured as follows: married, cohabiting, living
with other(s) than a partner, and living alone.
RESULTS: Compared with the married, persons living alone and those
living with other(s) than a partner were approximately twice as
likely to have anxiety or depressive disorders. Cohabiters did not
differ from the married. In men, psychological distress was
similarly associated with living arrangements. Unemployment, lack
of social support, and alcohol consumption attenuated the excess
psychological distress and psychiatric morbidity of persons living
alone and of those living with other(s) than a partner by about
10%-50% each.
CONCLUSIONS: Living arrangements are strongly associated with
mental health, particularly among men. Information on living
arrangements, social support, unemployment, and alcohol use may
facilitate early stage recognition of poor mental health in primary
health care.
Self-reported sleep duration in Finnish general
population
Kronholm, E., Harma, M., Hublin, C., Aro, A. R. and Partonen,
T.
J Sleep Res. 2006; 15(3): 276-90. Comparative Study. Journal
Article. IF 3.329.
Self-reported short or long sleep duration has been repeatedly
found to be associated with increased mortality and health risks.
However, there is still an insufficient amount of detailed
knowledge available to characterize the short and long sleep
duration groups in general population. Consequently, the underlying
mechanisms potentially explaining the health risks associated with
short and long sleep duration are unclear. In the present study,
the self-reported sleep duration in a sample of Finnish general
population was studied, and its possible associations with such
factors as self-perceived health, sociodemographic characteristics,
lifestyle, sleep difficulties and daytime concomitants were
analyzed. In particular, an effort was made to define mutually
statistically-independent determinants of sleep duration. In the
Finnish Health 2000 Survey, a representative sample of 8,028
subjects of 30 years of age or older and a sample of 1,894 subjects
of 18-29 years of age were invited to take part in the health
interview and health examination. The participation rate of the
study was over 80%. The most important and
statistically-independent determinants of short and long sleep
duration were gender, physical tiredness, sleep problems, marital
status, main occupation and physical activity. However, in the
multivariable model they only accounted for approximately 16% of
the variance in sleep duration in short and long sleepers,
suggesting multiple sources of variance. The present study also
suggests a dose-response like relationship between the sleep
duration and many of its determinants within both short and long
sleepers. A more detailed analysis of the clinical status of the
short and long sleep duration groups is needed to evaluate the
possible importance of these findings for health risks associated
with sleep duration.
Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in patients with impaired
glucose tolerance
Laitinen, T., Oinonen, J., Lindstrom, J., Tuomilehto, J. and
Uusitupa, M.
European Heart Journal. 2005; 26: 497-497. Meeting
Abstract. IF 7.341
Associations of traffic related air pollutants with
hospitalisation for first acute myocardial infarction: the HEAPSS
study
Lanki, T., Pekkanen, J., Aalto, P., Elosua, R., Berglind, N.,
D'Ippoliti, D., Kulmala, M., Nyberg, F., Peters, A., Picciotto, S.,
Salomaa, V., Sunyer, J., Tiittanen, P., von Klot, S. and
Forastiere, F.
Occup Environ Med. 2006; 63(12): 844-51. Journal Article.
IF 1.934
Multicenter Study. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; U.S. Gov't,
Non-P.H.S.
BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause
of death attributed to cardiovascular diseases. An association
between traffic related air pollution and AMI has been suggested,
but the evidence is still limited.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate in a multicentre study association between
hospitalisation for first AMI and daily levels of traffic related
air pollution.
METHODS: The authors collected data on first AMI hospitalisations
in five European cities. AMI registers were available in Augsburg
and Barcelona; hospital discharge registers (HDRs) were used in
Helsinki, Rome and Stockholm. NO2, CO, PM10 (particles <10
microm), and O3 were measured at central monitoring sites. Particle
number concentration (PNC), a proxy for ultrafine particles
(<0.1 microm), was measured for a year in each centre, and then
modelled retrospectively for the whole study period. Generalised
additive models were used for statistical analyses. Age and 28 day
fatality and season were considered as potential effect modifiers
in the three HDR centres.
RESULTS: Nearly 27,000 cases of first AMI were recorded. There was
a suggestion of an association of the same day CO and PNC levels
with AMI: RR = 1.005 (95% CI 1.000 to 1.010) per 0.2 mg/m3 and RR =
1.005 (95% CI 0.996 to 1.015) per 10000 particles/cm3,
respectively. However, associations were only observed in the three
cities with HDR, where power for city-specific analyses was higher.
The authors observed in these cities the most consistent
associations among fatal cases aged <75 years: RR at 1 day lag
for CO = 1.021 (95% CI 1.000 to 1.048) per 0.2 mg/m3, for PNC =
1.058 (95% CI 1.012 to 1.107) per 10000 particles/cm3, and for NO2
= 1.032 (95% CI 0.998 to 1.066) per 8 microg/m3. Effects of air
pollution were more pronounced during the warm than the cold
season.
CONCLUSIONS: The authors found support for the hypothesis that
exposure to traffic related air pollution increases the risk of
AMI. Most consistent associations were observed among fatal cases
aged <75 years and in the warm season.
Association analysis of the LAG3 and CD4 genes in multiple
sclerosis in two independent populations
Lundmark, F., Harbo, H. F., Celius, E. G., Saarela, J.,
Datta, P., Oturai, A., Lindgren, C. M., Masterman, T., Salter, H.
and Hillert, J.
Journal of Neuroimmunology. 2006; 180(1-2): 193-198. Article. IF
2.824
We have investigated the genetic involvement of the CD4 and the
LAG3 genes, two appealing candidates for MS due to their suggested
role in MS pathology. We genotyped a Swedish case-control material
consisting of 920 MS patients and 778 controls in an initial study
of CD4, three SNPs showed a significant association with MS. An
independent material consisting of 1720 Nordic MS patients and 1416
controls were used for confirmation of associated markers in CD4
and to do a confirmative study of the LAG3 gene from previous
findings. The result, including a total of 2640 MS patients and
2194 controls shows no significant association with CD4 and LAG3
and MS. We conclude that these genes are of minor importance in
regard of genetic predisposition to the MS.
(c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Extracellular glutamate and GABA in the ventral tegmental area
of alcohol-preferring AA and alcohol-avoiding ANA rats treated
repeatedly with morphine
Ojanen, S. P., Palmen, M., Hyytia, P. and Kiianmaa,
K.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2006. Journal article. IF 2.477
Glutamate and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) have been implicated
in neuronal plasticity related to behavioral sensitization. In the
present study, we examined morphine-induced changes in the
extracellular concentrations of glutamate and GABA in the ventral
tegmental area in alcohol-preferring Alko Alcohol (AA) and
alcohol-avoiding Alko Non-Alcohol (ANA) rats that have previously
been shown to differ in morphine-induced sensitization. The rats
were given escalating doses (5-20 mg/kg) of morphine every other
day for five days. This treatment produced behavioral sensitization
to locomotor effects of morphine in AA, but not in ANA rats, when
challenged with an additional injection of morphine (10 mg/kg) 10
days later. Morphine also increased the levels of glutamate in the
ventral tegmental area only in AA rats, while no significant
changes were found in the extracellular concentrations of GABA
between the lines. Challenging the morphine-treated AA rats with
ethanol (1.5 g/kg) did not modify the levels of glutamate or GABA.
No changes in the concentrations of glutamate or GABA were seen in
saline-treated AA and ANA rats after morphine challenge. These
results render increased glutamate transmission in the ventral
tegmental area a potential contributor to the higher susceptibility
of AA rats to morphine-induced behavioral and neurochemical effects
relative to ANA rats.
Lifetime Prevalence of Psychotic and Bipolar I Disorders in a
General Population
Perala, J., Suvisaari, J., Saarni, S. I., Kuoppasalmi, K.,
Isometsa, E., Pirkola, S., Partonen, T., Tuulio-Henriksson, A.,
Hintikka, J., Kieseppa, T., Harkanen, T., Koskinen, S. and
Lonnqvist, J.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007; 64(1): 19-28. Journal article. IF
12.642
CONTEXT: Recent general population surveys of psychotic disorders
have found low lifetime prevalences. However, this may be owing to
methodological problems. Few studies have reported the prevalences
of all specific psychotic disorders.
OBJECTIVE: To provide reliable estimates of the lifetime
prevalences of specific psychotic disorders.
DESIGN: General population survey.
Setting and PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of
8028 persons 30 years or older was screened for psychotic and
bipolar I disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic
Interview, self-reported diagnoses, medical examination, and
national registers. Those selected by the screens were then
reinterviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.
Best-estimate DSM-IV diagnoses were formed by combining the
interview and case note data. Register diagnoses were used to
estimate the effect of the nonresponders.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnosis of any psychotic or bipolar I
disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria.
RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of all psychotic disorders was
3.06% and rose to 3.48% when register diagnoses of the nonresponder
group were included. Lifetime prevalences were as follows: 0.87%
for schizophrenia, 0.32% for schizoaffective disorder, 0.07% for
schizophreniform disorder, 0.18% for delusional disorder, 0.24% for
bipolar I disorder, 0.35% for major depressive disorder with
psychotic features, 0.42% for substance-induced psychotic
disorders, and 0.21% for psychotic disorders due to a general
medical condition. The National Hospital Discharge Register was the
most reliable of the screens (kappa = 0.80). Case notes
supplementing the interviews were essential for specific diagnoses
of psychotic disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: Multiple sources of information are essential for
accurate estimation of lifetime prevalences of psychotic disorders.
The use of comprehensive methods reveals that their lifetime
prevalence exceeds 3%.
Endotoxemia, immune response to periodontal pathogens, and
systemic inflammation predict incident cardiovascular disease
events
Pussinen, P. J., Tuomisto, K., Jousilahti, P., Sundvall, J.
and Salomaa, V.
Circulation. 2006; 114(18): 877-877. Meeting Abstract. IF
11.632
Alexithymia behaves as a personality trait over a 5-year period
in Finnish general population
Salminen, J. K., Saarijarvi, S., Toikka, T., Kauhanen, J. and
Aarela, E.
J Psychosom Res. 2006; 61(2): 275-8. Journal Article. IF
2.052.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't.
OBJECTIVE: Temporal stability is a basic assumption underlying any
personality trait construct. Previous research on the stability of
alexithymia has led to a controversy over whether alexithymia
should be viewed as a state-dependent phenomenon or as a stable
personality trait. The aim of this 5-year longitudinal study was to
examine the temporal stability of alexithymia in the general
population in Finland.
METHODS: Alexithymia was measured with the 20-Item Toronto
Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) at the baseline and 5 years later.
RESULTS: The test-retest correlations of the TAS-20 total and
factor-specific scores at the baseline and at the 5-year follow-up
ranged from moderate to high in both genders, reflecting a rather
high relative stability of the TAS-20 scores over a period of 5
years.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study suggest that alexithymia
behaves like a stable personality trait in the general
population.
emm typing of invasive T28 group A streptococci, 1995-2004,
Finland
Siljander, T., Toropainen, M., Muotiala, A., Hoe, N. P.,
Musser, J. M. and Vuopio-Varkila, J.
Journal of Medical Microbiology. 2006; 55(12): 1701-1706.
Article. IF 2.318
A total of 985 group A streptococcus (GAS) bacteraemia isolates
collected in Finland during 1995-2004 were T-serotyped, and of
these, 336 isolates of serotype T28 were subjected to further emm
typing. The total number of isolates referred per year showed an
increase within the study period, from 43 in 1995 to 130 in 2004.
The annual incidence of invasive GAS (iGAS) bacteraemia showed a
general increase during the study period, from 1.1 to 2.5 per 100
000 population. Serotype T28 remained among the most common
serotypes, in addition to serotypes TB3264 and T1. The serotype T28
isolates were found to be distributed across six distinct emm
types: emm28, emm77, emm53 (including subtypes 53.2 and 53.4),
emm87, emm2 and emm4. The serotype distribution and the emm type
distribution of serotype T28 fluctuated over time. Within the study
period, the proportion of T28/emm28 isolates became the most
prominent. During periods of low emm28 incidence, emm types 77 and
53 seemed to show a resurgence. emm typing revealed T28 isolates to
be a genetically heterogeneous group harbouring a variety of
distinct M proteins. This study confirms that T serotyping alone is
not a sufficient method for epidemiological surveillance of
iGAS.
Fall in blood pressure in MONICA populations-how much was from
treatment of hypertension?
Tunstall-Pedoe, H., Connaghan, J., Woodward, M., Tolonen, H.
and Kuulasmaa, K.
European Heart Journal. 2005; 26: 668-668. Meeting
Abstract. IF 7.341
Importance of macrophage cholesteryl ester transfer protein
(CETP) for determining serum cholesteryl ester transfer activity
and atherosclerosis
Van Eck, M., Ye, D., Hildebrand, R. B., Kruijt, J. K.,
Hoekstra, M. and Van Berkel, T. J.
Circulation. 2006; 114(18): 188-188. Meeting Abstract. IF
11.632
Transmission of drug-resistance in Europe is characterized by
single mutations and revertants
Wensing, A. M. J., Vercauteren, J., van de Vijver, D. A.,
Albert, J., Poggensee, G., Schmit, J. C., Struck, D., Vandamme, A.
M., Asjo, B., Balotta, C., Camacho, R., Coughlan, S., Grossman, Z.,
Horban, A., Korn, K., Nielsen, C., Paraskevis, D.,
Puchhammer-Stockl, E., Riva, C., Ruiz, L., Schuurman, R., Salminen,
M., Sonnerborg, A., Stanojevic, M. and Boucher, C. A. B.
Antiviral Therapy. 2006; 11(5): S111-S111. Meeting
Abstract. IF 5.286
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