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Uudet artikkelit 9.9.2005 - ISI Web of Knowledge Search
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Leisure time, occupational, and commuting physical
activity and the risk of stroke
Hu, G; Sarti, C; Jousilahti, P; Silventoinen, K;
Barengo, NC; Tuomilehto, J
STROKE, 36 (9): 1994-1999 SEP 2005
Open Access Article available 12 months after
publication
Background and Purpose - The role of physical activity,
especially that of occupational and commuting physical activity, in
the prediction of stroke risk is not properly established. We
assessed the relationship of different types of physical activity
with total and type-specific stroke risk.
Methods - We prospectively followed 47721 Finnish subjects 25 to 64
years of age without a history of coronary heart disease, stroke,
or cancer at baseline. Hazard ratios (HRs) for incident stroke were
estimated for different levels of leisure time, occupational, and
commuting physical activity.
Results - During a mean follow-up of 19.0 years, 2863 incident
stroke events were ascertained. The multivariate-adjusted ( age,
sex, area, study year, body mass index, systolic blood pressure,
cholesterol, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, and
other 2 types of physical activity) HRs associated with low,
moderate, and high leisure time physical activity were 1.00, 0.86,
and 0.74 (P-trend < 0.001) for total stroke, 1.00, 0.87, and
0.46 (P-trend = 0.011) for subarachnoid hemorrhage, 1.00, 0.77, and
0.63 (P-trend = 0.024) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 1.00,
0.87, and 0.80 (P-trend = 0.001) for ischemic stroke, respectively.
The multivariate-adjusted HRs associated with none, 1 to 29, and
>= 30 minutes of active commuting were 1.00, 0.92, and 0.89
(P-trend = 0.043) for total stroke, and 1.00, 0.93, and 0.86
(P-trend = 0.028) for ischemic stroke, respectively. Occupational
activity had a modest association with ischemic stroke in the
multivariate analysis (P-trend = 0.046).
Conclusion - A high level of leisure time physical activity reduces
the risk of all subtypes of stroke. Daily active commuting also
reduces the risk of ischemic stroke.
ISSN: 0039-2499
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Effect of farming environment on sensitisation to
allergens continues after childhood
Koskela, HO; Happonen, KK; Remes, ST; Pekkanen, J
OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE, 62 (9): 607-611 SEP
2005
Aims: The farming environment in childhood has been reported to
decrease the risk of sensitisation to allergens. The purpose of the
present study was to explore whether later exposure to a farming
environment also could affect this sensitisation.
Methods: A population based sample of 202 women who did not live on
a farm and 231 who did. The subjects filled in a questionnaire and
underwent skin prick tests for several common and farming related
allergens.
Results: The prevalence of sensitisation to any of the allergens
was similar in the two groups (37.1 v 34.6% (p = NS). However,
compared with women who did not live on a farm, the women who lived
on a dairy farm showed a low prevalence of sensitisation to pollens
(4.4 v 17.3%, p = 0.01) and cats (3.5 v 10.4%, p = 0.047). The risk
of sensitisation to pollens and pets was lowest among women with
both a childhood and adulthood farming environment and was dose
dependently associated with current contact with farm animals.
However, this contact increased the risk of sensitisation to bovine
dander.
Conclusion: The farming environment may reduce sensitisation to
common allergens also after early childhood. However, it may also
increase sensitisation to farm allergens.
ISSN: 1351-0711
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Homogenization of milk has no effect on
milk-specific antibodies in healthy adults
Paajanen, L; Tuure, T; Vaarala, O; Korpela, R
MILCHWISSENSCHAFT-MILK SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL, 60 (3): 239-241
2005
It has been claimed that some consumers tolerate unhomogenized
cow's milk better than homogenized cow's milk. The aim of this
study was to compare the effect of homogenized and unhomogenized
milk on the production of specific antibodies against cow's milk
proteins (casein, beta-lactoglobulin) and bovine insulin.
Thirty-six milk-tolerant volunteers were challenged with
homogenized and unhomogenized cow's milk for 28 days in a
randomized, open, cross-over study (>400 ml of milk daily). From
serum samples tak en at baseline and at the end of both milk
challenges IgG and IgA were measured by ELISA against casein,
beta-lactoglobulin and bovine insulin, and IgE against casein. The
antibody production of the subjects remained constant for over 2
months, with no differences between the challenges with homogenized
and unhomogenized milk. Inter-individual variation was greater than
the intra-individual variation or the variation between the milk
challenges. The order of the milk challenges did not affect the
results. In conclusion, there seems to be no difference in the
immunological responses to homogenized and unhomogenized milk in
healthy adults with a good tolerance of milk.
ISSN: 0026-3788
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Using multilocus sequence data to define the
pneumococcus
Hanage, WP; Kaijalainen, T; Herva, E; Saukkoriipi, A; Syrjanen, R;
Spratt, BG
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY, 187 (17): 6223-6230 SEP 2005
Open Access Article
We investigated the genetic relationships between serotypeable
pneumococci and nonserotypeable presumptive pneumococci using
multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and partial sequencing of the
pneumolysin gene (ply). Among 121 nonserotypeable presumptive
pneumococci from Finland, we identified isolates of three classes:
those with sequence types (STs) identical to those of serotypeable
pneumococci, suggesting authentic pneumococci in which capsular
expression had been downregulated or lost; isolates that clustered
among serotypeable pneumococci on a tree based on the concatenated
sequences of the MLST loci but which had STs that differed from
those of serotypeable pneurnococci in the MLST database; and a more
diverse collection of isolates that did not cluster with
serotypeable pneumococci. The latter isolates typically had
sequences at all seven MLST loci that were 5 to 10% divergent from
those of authentic pneumococci and also had distinct and divergent
ply alleles. These isolates are proposed to be distinct from
pneumococci but cannot be resolved from them by optochin
susceptibility, bile solubility, or the presence of the ply gene.
Complete resolution of pneumococci from the related but distinct
population is problematic, as recombination between them was
evident, and a few isolates of each population possessed alleles at
one or occasionally more MLST loci from the other population.
However, a tree based on the concatenated sequences of the MLST
loci in most cases unambiguously distinguished whether a
nonserotypeable isolate was or was not a pneumococcus, and the
sequence of the ply gene fragment was found to be useful to resolve
difficult cases.
ISSN: 0021-9193
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Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans,
and biphenyls in the general population in Finland
Kiviranta, H; Tuomisto, JT; Tuomisto, J; Tukiainen, E; Vartiainen,
T
CHEMOSPHERE, 60 (7): 854-869 AUG 2005
We measured adipose tissue concentrations of polychlorinated
dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in 420 general Finns living in southern Finland.
The mean (median) concentrations of WHOPCDD/F-TEQ and WHOPCB-TEQ
were 29.0 (24.1) and 20.7 (16.7) pgg(-1) fat, respectively. The
concentrations clearly correlated with age. Expressing the
concentrations as a function of subject's ages revealed that the
exposure of Finns has declined over the last 30 years. A downward
gradient was found in the concentrations from the Baltic Sea coast
to inland areas in Finland, and this was assessed to be due to
consumption of the Baltic Sea fish, especially Baltic herring.
Linear regression models for natural logarithm WHOPCDD/F-TEQ,
natural logarithm WHOPCB-TEQ, and natural logarithm WHOtotal-TEQ,
explained 70%, 69%, and 72% of the variability, respectively. Age,
lactation, place of residence, and fish consumption frequencies
were significant predictors in the models. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0045-6535
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Mitochondrial DNA polymerase W748S mutation: A
common cause of autosomal recessive ataxia with ancient European
origin
Hakonen, AH; Heiskanen, S; Juvonen, V; Lappalainen, I; Luoma,
PT; Rantamaki, M; Van Goethem, G; Lofgren, A; Hackman, P; Paetau,
A; Kaakkola, S; Majamaa, K; Varilo, T; Udd, B; Kaariainen, H;
Bindoff, LA; Suomalainen, A
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS, 77 (3): 430-441 SEP 2005
Open Access Article
Mutations in the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial DNA
polymerase g ( POLG) have been found to be an important cause of
neurological disease. Recently, we and collaborators reported a new
neurodegenerative disorder with autosomal recessive ataxia in four
patients homozygous for two amino acid changes in POLG: W748S in
cis with E1143G. Here, we studied the frequency of this allele and
found it to be among the most common genetic causes of inherited
ataxia in Finland. We identified 27 patients with mitochondrial
recessive ataxia syndrome ( MIRAS) from 15 Finnish families, with a
carrier frequency in the general population of 1:125. Since the
mutation pair W748S+E1143G has also been described in European
patients, we examined the haplotypes of 13 non-Finnish, European
patients with the W748S mutation. Haplotype analysis revealed that
all the chromosomes carrying these two changes, in patients from
Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, originate from a
common ancient founder. In Finland and Norway, long, common,
northern haplotypes, outside the core haplotype, could be
identified. Despite having identical homozygous mutations, the
Finnish patients with this adult-or juvenile-onset disease had
surprisingly heterogeneous phenotypes, albeit with a characteristic
set of features, including ataxia, peripheral neuropathy,
dysarthria, mild cognitive impairment, involuntary movements,
psychiatric symptoms, and epileptic seizures. The high carrier
frequency in Finland, the high number of patients in Norway, and
the ancient European founder chromosome indicate that this newly
identified ataxia should be considered in the first-line
differential diagnosis of progressive ataxia syndromes.
ISSN: 0002-9297
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