Browsing by Subject "infection"
Now showing items 1-6 of 6
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(2019)Despite the long history of skin grafting, there is no standardized treatment for split-thickness skin graft donor sites. These sites cause a notable amount of pain and discomfort to the patients and open wounds also introduce a risk for infection. There is an extensive need for treatment options promoting the fastest and least painful healing possible while also being infection-free. The treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites is constantly studied and there is plenty of scientific literature available about this topic. In the theory section of this Master’s thesis, the structure of skin, the process of wound healing, skin grafting surgery and wound care products for split-thickness skin graft donor sites are briefly introduced. Additionally, the method of systematic review is described. In the empirical section, a systematic review is performed to compare animal- and non-animal-based wound care products in the treatment of split skin graft donor sites. The methodological quality of the included studies is reviewed. In the literature search, 3552 references were found. In this systematic review a total of 23 articles were included comprising of 21 comparative clinical studies and two previous literature reviews. Of the original studies, 20 reviewed healing, 14 infection and 17 pain of the split-thickness skin graft donor sites. Based on the results of the systematic review, animal-based wound care products might promote healing and reduce pain experienced by patients in the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites when compared with non-animal-based wound care products. The results concerning infection were inconsistent. Generally, the reporting of the clinical original studies was not comprehensive enough for proper evaluation of methodological quality. Some defects, mostly in the blinding of the patients, study personnel and the assessors of outcomes, were also found. Moreover, the studies were heterogeneous in their definitions and measuring of the reported outcomes. Therefore, there is substantial uncertainty in the results of this systematic review. The systematic and transparent way of conducting the literature search, the review of the methodological quality and the reporting of the outcomes can be considered as a strength of this thesis. The main weakness is, that only one person performed the critical steps of this study, which might increase the risk of bias and reduce the repeatability of the study.
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(2022)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is the pathogen behind COVID-19, a contagious disease that has caused millions of deaths since the beginning of the global pandemic in 2019. It is essential to gain more knowledge about the factors affecting viral entry and infection to understand prevention and treatment possibilities for the pathogen. Initially, an immunostaining assay was set up and showed that at eight hours post-infection, the virus had entered the target cells and started protein production. Five host genes of interest, identified by collaborators, were transiently silenced using small interfering RNA knockdown of cell lines. Once the silencing had been optimized, the effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection was monitored at eight and 24 h post-infection. The main pipeline used to follow the cell entry and replication was an extraction of total RNA, reverse transcription reaction followed by quantitative digital droplet polymerase chain reaction, showing the concentrations of the expressed target genes in the cells. The protocols of the transfection and ddPCR were tested and optimized to provide reproducible and reliable results. Out of six tested transfection reagents, DharmaFECT 2 showed the most effective results, decreasing the expression of target genes DDX3X and PDE4A by more than 75% after a 24 h incubation. The produced knockdown cells were infected with a produced and purified stock of SARS-CoV-2. Plaque assays were made from samples collected 24 hours post-infection, but no difference could be seen in the titer of the virus between the transfected cells and negative control cells. In conclusion, using digital droplet polymerase chain reaction to follow the effect of host gene knockdown on virus replication is possible as long as the initial gene expression is high enough.
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(2022)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is the pathogen behind COVID-19, a contagious disease that has caused millions of deaths since the beginning of the global pandemic in 2019. It is essential to gain more knowledge about the factors affecting viral entry and infection to understand prevention and treatment possibilities for the pathogen. Initially, an immunostaining assay was set up and showed that at eight hours post-infection, the virus had entered the target cells and started protein production. Five host genes of interest, identified by collaborators, were transiently silenced using small interfering RNA knockdown of cell lines. Once the silencing had been optimized, the effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection was monitored at eight and 24 h post-infection. The main pipeline used to follow the cell entry and replication was an extraction of total RNA, reverse transcription reaction followed by quantitative digital droplet polymerase chain reaction, showing the concentrations of the expressed target genes in the cells. The protocols of the transfection and ddPCR were tested and optimized to provide reproducible and reliable results. Out of six tested transfection reagents, DharmaFECT 2 showed the most effective results, decreasing the expression of target genes DDX3X and PDE4A by more than 75% after a 24 h incubation. The produced knockdown cells were infected with a produced and purified stock of SARS-CoV-2. Plaque assays were made from samples collected 24 hours post-infection, but no difference could be seen in the titer of the virus between the transfected cells and negative control cells. In conclusion, using digital droplet polymerase chain reaction to follow the effect of host gene knockdown on virus replication is possible as long as the initial gene expression is high enough.
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(2017)Background: Some oral health factors have been associated with a higher risk for head and neck cancers (HNCs) and most clearly the existing evidence refers to an association between periodontitis and HNC. Aims: To examine oral health in a subset of HNC patients, namely patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) or oral cavity cancer (OCC), and to compare these two tumor sites in this regard. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective study consisting of a series of OPC and OCC patients diagnosed between 2005-2008 at the Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Study subjects were randomly selected from hospital registries. Oral health at diagnosis was assessed by reviewing the corresponding panoramic radiographs. We used modified Total Dental Index (Mattila et al. 1989) to assess oral health as a whole. Results: In univariate analysis the difference in modified Total Dental Index (mean 3,49 ±0,20 for OPC vs. 2,85 ±0,22 for OCC) was statistically significant, but after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption statistical significance was lost. When individual dental variables were considered, the only statistically significant difference in univariate analysis was found concerning residual roots (mean 0,60 ±0,21 for OPC vs. 0,19 ±0,15 for OCC). Conclusions: The present findings demonstrate a fairly poor oral health status among oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients. The observed prevalence of caries and periodontitis seems to be even more common than among the Finnish general population. Whether or not there are differences in oral health risk factors between OPC and OCC patients cannot be reliably established in this study. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our findings either way.
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(University of HelsinkiHelsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitet, 2007)Poronvasojen syysteurastukset ovat porotalouden tuottavuuden perusta. Kesän aikana hyvin kasvaneet vasat ovat syysteurastuksissa painavia ja hyväkuntoisista eläimistä voidaan valita parhaimpia jalostukseen. Kasvun ja kehityksen sekä immuunipuolustuksen muokkautumisen kannalta vasojen alkuelämän terveydelliset haasteet ovat merkittävässä asemassa. Tutkielma koostuu kirjallisuuskatsauksesta ja tutkimusosasta. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa lähestytään vasojen selviytymistä ensimmäisistä elinviikoistaan sekä vaadinten että vasojen näkökulmasta. Vaatimien kunnon ja ympäristöolosuhteiden välistä yhteyttä selvitetään esimerkein sekä paneudutaan vasan mahdollisuuksiin suojautua infektioilta ja taudinaiheuttajilta ensimmäisten elinviikkojensa aikana. Ternimaidon ja erityisesti sen sisältämien immunoglobuliinien merkitystä infektioissa arvioidaan. Tunnettuina infektionaiheuttajina tutkielman molemmissa osioissa on käytetty kahta poron suolistoloisista, giardiaa ja kryptosporidia. Tutkimusosassa selostetaan Paliskuntain yhdistyksen koetokalla vuonna 2004 tehty tutkimus. Siinä pyrittiin selvittämään aikaisessa vaiheessa vasoilla ilmenevien tulehdusten ja loistartuntojen vaikutusta vasojen vastustuskyvyn ja painon kehittymiseen sekä selviytymiseen myöhemmin. Tutkittiin myös maternaalisen immuniteetin vaikutusta loistartuntoihin sekä akuutin vaiheen proteiinien käyttöä poronvasojen subkliinisten infektioiden mittareina sekä ympäristöstä tulevan infektiopaineen arvioinnissa. Aikaisempien kokeiden perusteella odotettiin, että voimakas varhainen loistartunta heti ensimmäisinä elinviikkoina voisi aiheuttaa vasoilla tulehdusvasteen, jolla saattaisi olla merkitystä myöhemmän vastustuskyvyn kehittymisen kannalta. Tutkimuksissa vasoilta (n = 54) otettiin veri- ja ulostenäytteitä sekä ne punnittiin kahdesti päiväkasvujen laskemiseksi. Vaatimilta (n = 54) otettiin kerran veri- ja ulostenäyte. Verinäytteistä määritettiin akuutin vaiheen proteiineista seerumin amyloidi-A (SAA), haptoglobiini (Hp) sekä fibrinogeeni. Lisäksi määritettiin valkosolujen kokonaismäärä. Ulostenäytteistä tutkittiin giardiat ja kryptosporidit. Kaikilta vasoilta löytyi ulostenäytteestä giardioita. Voidaankin sanoa, että se on laajalti levinnyt poronvasojen keskuudessa. Kryptosporideja löydettiin vain 12 vasalta 54:stä ja aiheutunut infektio todettiin lieväksi lähes kaikilla. Loisten aiheuttama tulehdusreaktio vasoilla oli lyhytaikainen eikä sillä näyttänyt olevan vaikutusta vasojen terveyteen ja kasvuun hyvissä olosuhteissa. Tutkituista veriarvoista sekä SAA että Hp nousivat kahteen elinviikkoon saakka ja jäivät tälle tasolle pitkäksi aikaa. Tulos oli yllättävä ja saattaa osaltaan johtua ternimaidon sisältämistä aineista sekä edeltävistä kokeista poikkeavalla infektiopaineella. Vasat kasvoivat tässä kokeessa hyvin. Infektioiden yleisinä mittareina akuutin vaiheen proteiinit lienevät parhaita. Subkliinisissä infektioissa niiden käyttökelpoisuus on epävarmaa. Lievän ympäristöperäisen infektiopaineen mittaamiseen akuutin vaiheen proteiinit sopivat kohtalaisesti, voimakkaan taas todennäköisesti hyvin. Vuodet ovat luonnonoloiltaan hyvin erilaisia keskenään. Tästä syystä eri olosuhteiden vaikutusten arviointi vasojen terveyteen ja eri tutkimuksia vertailu keskenään on vaikeaa.
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Staphylococcus aureus taudinaiheuttajana ja yhteisviljelmämenetelmän käyttö antimikrobiseulonnassa (2010)Staphylococcus aureus is a common commensal and significant opportunistic pathogen. It causes a wide range of infections from superficial skin infections to serious invasive infections. Its pathogenicity is affected by many factors, such as different surface proteins as well as the excretion of toxins and extracellular enzymes. It has many ways to defend a host defense system, such as the formation of capsule and small-colony variants as well as intracellular hiding. Treatment of infections is hindered due to its ability to form resistance to almost every antimicrobial agent used. So far the development of a working and effective vaccine has not been successful. The discovery of new antibacterial agents seems to be still the only efficient way to fight against resistant bacterial strains. However, the development of new antibacterial agents has proved to be difficult. Developing new screening methods is important in order for new drugs to reach the market more effectively and to ensure that new derivatives are more effective and safer. The experimental part of this study aimed at establishing a co-culture of host cells and a pathogen, and to investigate active compounds from primary screen with the established method (Kleymann and Werling 2004). Host cells in the co-culture was HL (Human Lung) cell line and the pathogen was S. aureus (ATCC 25923). Experimental work began by determining bacterial colony-forming units (CFU) and its correlation with absorbance. Based on CFU-determinations the bacterial concentration in the culture media was calculated. Next, the method was optimized and validated. In optimization, statistical parameters S/B-, S/N-values, and Z'-factor were used. Method was optimized regarding cell and bacterial concentrations and incubation time. The method was validated using known antimicrobials. Screening of compounds to be studied was carried out in two stages. All the compounds were first screened in a primary screen. The primary screening method was a standard antibacterial measurement based on turbidometry. Those compounds that were active in the primary screen were investigated in a secondary screen with a co-culture method, but none of the studied compounds showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. Therefore we studied the impact of medium that was used in the co-culture method to the activity of the compounds. It was found that the medium had a significant effect on the antibacterial activity of the compounds, the activity was weakened in the presence of the medium. In conclusion, w the established co-culture method is a powerful way to obtain simultaneously information on antibacterial activity as well as cytotoxicity, and it is well suited for further testing of promising compounds.
Now showing items 1-6 of 6