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Now showing items 2048-2067 of 2464
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(2017)Objectives: Personnel assessments have been shown to have predictive validity when used in recruitment. However, the results of these studies vary and personnel assessment businesses have faced criticism, some of which concerns the methods they use. It is highly important for companies in this field of business, like Psycon Oy, to show that they can predict work performance. The aim of this study was to investigate, how well Psycon Oy predicted the work performance of candidates recruited by Metsä Group. This study also looked at the psychological employee characteristics associated with better work performance at Metsä Group. Methods: This study is a part of a follow-up survey in which Psycon Oy and Metsä Group investigated the work performance, job satisfaction etc. of employees recruited in 2015 and 2016. Data was collected from the employees and their supervisors and the study also included the personnel assessment results of the employees. Those who had been employed for less than six month were left outside from this study. The predictive validity of personnel assessments was examined by comparing the personnel assessment results to work performance evaluated by supervisors. Contrasts in psychological employee characteristics, measured in personnel assessment, were also investigated between those employees whose work performance was strongest and those employees whose performance was weakest. Results and conclusions: The results showed that personnel assessments by Psycon Oy did have predictive validity in work performance evaluated by supervisors and that the stronger work performance was linked to better mathematical reasoning, stronger resilience to stress and more ambitious personality. These results support earlier research by showing that personnel assessments can predict work performance and therefore generate real value for the businesses using personnel assessment in their recruitments. What was not expected, were the employee characteristics associated with better work performance. This result emphasizes the importance of thorough job analysis and consideration of contextuality in personnel assessment.
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(2024)Tyypin 2 diabetes on maailmanlaajuinen terveyshaaste, joka ilmenee heikentyneenä insuliinin tuotantona ja insuliiniresistenssinä, joista seuraa suurentunut verenglukoosipitoisuus. Insuliiniresistenssi voi johtua insuliinista riippuvaisen fosfoinositidi-3-kinaasi (PI3K)/Akt signalointireitin aktiivisuuden heikkenemisestä ja siitä seuraavasta glukoosinoton vähenemisestä. Src-homologi 2 domeenin sisältävä inositoli 5-fosfataasi 2 (SHIP2) vaimentaa PI3K/Akt signalointia hydrolysoimalla fosfatidyyli-inositoli trisfosfaatin (PIP3) fostatidyyli-inositoli bisfosfaatiksi (PIP2). Adenosiini monofosfaatin aktivoima proteiinikinaasi (AMPK) puolestaan aktivoi glukoosinottoa insuliinista riippumattomasti. Uusien tutkimusyhdisteiden #118 ja #120 on osoitettu lisäävän glukoosinottoa sekä insuliinistimulaation jälkeen että ilman sitä L6 myosyyteissä. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää yhdisteiden #118 ja #120 vaikutusmekanismeja tutkimalla niiden vaikutuksia PI3K/Akt- ja AMPK-signalointireitteihin. Lisäksi selvitettiin, että sitoutuivatko nämä yhdisteet suoraan SHIP2:een ja AMPK:hon. Akt:n ja AMPK:n aktiivisuutta (fosforylaatiota) mitattiin kvantitatiivisella immunoblottausmenetelmällä yhdisteiden #118 ja #120 käsittelyn jälkeen L6 myosyyteissä. Samalla menetelmällä tutkittiin myös, vaikuttivatko yhdisteet solujen SHIP2-ilmentymistasoon. Proteiinien lämpöstabilisuutta soluissa mittaavalla menetelmällä (Cellular Thermal Shift Assay, CETSA) tutkittiin, sitoutuvatko yhdisteet #118 ja #120 suoraan SHIP2:een ja AMPK:hon. Yhdiste #118 lisäsi AMPK:n fosforylaation 1,79-kertaiseksi ja #120 1,61-kertaiseksi, mutta vain #118 lisäsi Akt:n fosforylaation 1,4-kertaiseksi. Solujen käsittely yhdisteillä ei vaikuttanut SHIP2-ilmentymistasoon normaaleissa tai seerumivapaissa kasvatusolosuhteissa. Yhdiste #118 ei sitoutunut suoraan SHIP2:een tai AMPK:hon. Pieni ero sulamislämpötilassa (0,6 ℃) viittasi siihen, että #120 mahdollisesti sitoutuu AMPK:hon. Nämä tulokset viittaavat siihen, että yhdisteiden suorat sitoutumiskohteet todennäköisesti sijaitsevat PI3K/Akt- ja AMPK-signalointireittien ylävirrassa. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että AMPK-signalointireitin aktivoituminen osoittaa, että #118- ja #120-käsittelyiden aiheuttama lisääntynyt glukoosinotto tapahtuu insuliinista riippumattoman AMPK-signalointireitin kautta. Tulevaisuuden tutkimuksissa voitaisiin keskittyä #118 ja #120:n suorien sitoutumiskohteiden tunnistamiseen proteomitasolla selvittääksemme yhdisteiden mahdolliset vaikutuskohteet ylävirtaan AMPK:sta.
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(2017)Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. It arises from skeletal muscle stem cells, which fail to differentiate. Multimodal treatment approach has improved the outcome of RMS during the recent years. However, in case of relapsed or metastatic disease, the prognosis is still very poor. This indicates a high demand for novel targeted therapy approach for RMS. Prox1 transcription factor has been shown to regulate myoblast differentiation into skeletal muscle fibers. Our unpublished observations indicate that Prox1 is highly expressed in RMS tumors and that it is essential for RMS cell growth. The aim of this study was to find novel drug candidates for RMS treatment depending on Prox1 and/or its downstream signaling. High-throughput drug screening with 528 oncology compounds was tested on wild-type and Prox1 silenced rhabdomyosarcoma cells (RD cell line). Gene silencing was performed via lentiviral vectors encoding shRNA for Prox1. In the screening results, we focused on the drugs, which were more potent in Prox1 silenced cells with nano- or micromolar concentrations compared to the wild-type cells. The results revealed 7 potential groups of inhibitors, which had superior suppressive effect on RMS cell viability specifically when Prox1 was silenced. In vitro validation of high-throughput screening results by MTT and luciferase assays confirmed the results. Based on the magnitude of their inhibitory effect and information available on these compounds, three drugs were chosen for further investigation. Two of these compounds also potently inhibited the growth of patient-derived primary RMS cells, which we obtained from the Helsinki University Hospital and named KLHEL1. These drugs were also less toxic to healthy myoblasts. In addition, these two compounds significantly decreased Prox1 mRNA and protein levels in wild-type cells, and completely inhibited the ability of both RD and KLHEL1 cells to form colonies. Combinational exposure to these inhibitors further enhanced the effect compared to a single agent treatment. The present findings demonstrate a potential for repurposing of these drugs for targeted treatment in rhabdomyosarcoma expressing high Prox1 levels.
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Tarkkaavaisuuden vaikutus fysikaalisten ja abstraktien ärsykepoikkeamien tuottamaan MMN-vasteeseen (2023)Objectives: The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of event-related potential reflecting a process where violations of regularities in auditory input are detected pre-attentively. In commonly used oddball- paradigm a repetitive standard stimulus is infrequently replaced by a deviant stimulus. Auditory deviance elicits MMN even in the absence of focused attention to stimuli. Automaticity of the MMN process has been an object of controversy due to limitations in methods used in most studies. Object of this study was to examine if potential attentional effects (suppression / enhancement) on MMN are similar or different to auditory stimuli violating regularities either physically or abstractly. Another goal was to examine if commonly used video-watching task can sufficiently keep attention directed away from the stimuli. Methods: Auditory stimuli was presented in an oddball paradigm. In physical stimuli blocks the deviant stimuli were higher in frequency compared to that of the standards. In abstract stimuli blocks the standard stimuli were tone pairs ascending in frequency, and deviant stimuli were descending tone pairs. Direction of attention was modulated by three conditions where subject’s task was to a) play a computer game (Tetris) b) watch a silent movie or c) focus on listening the stimuli and press a button to softer target deviants. Physical and abstract stimuli blocks were presented in each condition. Results: Both physical and abstract deviants elicited significant MMN in all three conditions. Direction of attention modulated by different tasks didn’t have a significant effect on amplitude of MMN elicited by physical and abstract deviants. Attention didn’t have any different effect on MMN regardless if it was elicited by stimuli violating regularities either physically or abstractly. Conclusions: The results of this study support the interpretation of MMN reflecting an automatic, attention- independent process where violations of regularities in auditory input are detected. Watching a silent movie seemed to sufficiently direct attention away from stimuli. Therefore video condition can be used as a primary task in future studies as well. Sometimes using a computer game similar to Tetris can be preferable since it might better uphold the arousal level of the subject.
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(2022)Objectives Executive functions and attentional control are important for development of self-regulation and can be studied in childhood with simple eye tracking tasks. Typically saccades to new targets are slower and easier to inhibit when gaze is fixated on a target. This effect decreases in typical development as eye motor functions become more flexible and controlled. In this study orientation was expected to be faster and maintenance of attention and inhibition of orientation more difficult when the target is removed. The effect and eye motor control were expected to vary, and their relationship to executive functions and general cognitive skills was studied. Methods Study consisted of 52 typically developing 5-7 year old children whose saccadic reaction times and attentional stability and inhibition were evaluated in conditions which differed in terms of fixational targets. Reaction times and proportion of successful inhibition and their differences between the conditions in both tasks were used to predict children’s performance in cognitive tests of executive and attentional control, general cognitive ability and parent rated executive skills. Results and conclusions Fixation to target slowed orientation responses and supported attentional stability and inhibition. Smaller effect of the condition on orienting and better attentional stability were related to better perceptual organization and more parent rated hyperactivity. More stable visual attention predicted better inhibitory control in auditory attention. Results concur with other studies on the relationship between visual fixation and orienting in typical development and suggest simple eye tracking tasks to complement assessment of children’s neurocognitive skills.
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(2017)Previous research has linked music training to enhanced processing of unattended auditory stimuli as indexed by such auditory event-related potential (ERP) responses as mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a. Music training has also been linked with enhanced cognitive abilities more generally, and executive functions have been proposed to mediate this link. The current study concentrates on the processing of unattended auditory stimuli and how this relates to two aspects of executive functions: task-switching and inhibition. Sixty-seven music trained (music group) and non-trained (control group) adolescents and young adults were split into age groups, 14–16 year olds (younger) and 17–20 year olds (older), and compared in their performance on inhibition and task-switching task as well as the neural processing of unattended auditory stimuli. The ERPs were recorded in response to an oddball paradigm consisting of frequent major and infrequent minor chords. The music group demonstrated larger MMN and P3a amplitudes than the control group during the chord paradigm. The younger music group showed better performance in an inhibition task than the younger control group. However, no other differences in task performance were found between the groups. Also, no link between MMN or P3a and task performance was found. Therefore, the results of the current study are in line with the previous findings that music training is linked to enhanced early neural processing of unattended auditory stimuli. However, the results were partly in disagreement with previous reports of enhanced executive functions in musicians as a link between executive functions and music training was only observed in the younger participants, and only in regard to the inhibition task.
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(2021)Aims. There are many individual, hereditary and environmental factors affecting children’s language development. However, there are relatively few studies studying background factors related to preschool-aged Finnish children’s language development. The aim of this study is to study the possible effect of background factors to language development of preschool-aged children. Background factors included to this study are gender, familial risk of dyslexia and education of parents. Methods. The data is part of the LEINIKKI study data. The participants (n = 50) were healthy, Finnish-speaking children aged 3;2–4;0. Participants were evaluated with LEINIKKI method, Reynell Developmental Language Scales and LUKIVA method’s subtest for familial dyslexia. Group differences were analyzed for each of the background factors by descriptive statics and Mann-Whitney test. Finally, all the variables were analyzed together with a linear regression model. Results and conclusions. Gender was statistically significantly correlating with language skills. Preschool-aged boys had weaker overall language skills and receptive language skills. In this study, risk for familiar dyslexia or parents’ education wasn’t affecting the language skills of the child. The explanatory power of the linear regression model was weak suggesting that there are also many other additional variables affecting the language development of the children in this age. The results of this study suggest that boys’ language development should be paid attention to. In this study, familial risk for dyslexia didn’t affect to chldren’s language skills. It seems that in Finland, education of parents isn’t as strongly correlated to preschool-aged healthy children’s language development as reported in international research. In addition to the background factors studied in this study, there seems to be also many other background factors that affect children’s language development in preschool age. Further studies on these background factors are needed to gain deeper understanding of children’s language development in preschool age.
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(2013)Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidasis-ectodermal dystrophy, APECED, is a rare monogenic autoimmune disease in humans, which is caused by loss-of-function mutation in Autoimmune Regulator gene, AIRE. Previous results have shown impairments in the circulating T cells of the APECED patients. In this study we wanted to look closer on the disturbance in the T cell receptor development of APECED patients. By studying the TCR-mediated responsiveness of CD3 stimulation and comparing the activation threshold between APECED patients and controls we here show a lower response on Zap-70 phosphorylation to TCR-mediated stimulation in naïve T cell population of APECED patients as well as an increased IFN-γ production in lymphocytes of APECED patients. The higher cytokine production and the insensitivity toward further activation could in part explain some of the pathogenesis behind disease manifestations seen in APECED.
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(2016)Tutkielman aiheena oli kroonista myeloista leukemiaa sairastavien potilaiden T-solujen aktiivisuus ja sytokiinituotanto. Potilasmateriaalina oli ns. STOP-tutkimuksen potilaat, joita on seurattu Hematologisessa tutkimusyksikössä vuodesta 2006. STOP- tutkimuksen yhtenä kiinnostuskohteena oli KML-potilaiden mahdollinen paraneminen ja molekylaarisen vasteen säilyminen tyrosiinikinaasi-inhibiittorilääkityksen loputtua. Tässä projektissa vertasin relapsoituneiden potilaiden valkosoluja remission säilyttäneiden potilaiden valkosoluihin. T-solujen aktivaation jälkeen tulokset analysoitiin virtaussytometrialla. Tulosten perusteella vaikuttaa siltä, että remission säilyttäneillä potilailla sytokiinituotanto (IFN-γ ja TNF-α) on voimakkaampaa kuin relapsoituneilla potilailla. Tämä voi osin selittää, miksi remission säilyttäminen on joillain potilailla onnistunut pitkäaikaisesti. Tulokset tulee kuitenkin vahvistaa meneillään olevissa kliinisissä tutkimuksissa, joissa on suurempi potilasmäärä mukana.
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(2015)A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for adaptive immune responses and is generated by somatic recombination of TCRβ and TCRα gene segments in the thymus. Previous estimates of the total TCR diversity have studied the circulating mature repertoire, identifying 1-3 x 106 unique TCRβ and 0.5 x 106 TCRα sequences. Here we provide the first estimate of the total TCR diversity generated in the human thymus, an organ which in principle can be sampled in its entirety. High-throughput sequencing of samples from four pediatric donors detected up to 10.3 x 106 unique TCRβ sequences and 3.7 x 106 TCRα sequences, the highest directly observed diversity so far for either chain. To obtain an estimate of the total diversity we then used three different estimators, preseq and DivE, which measure the saturation of rarefaction curves, and Chao2, which measures the size of the overlap between samples. Our results indicate that the thymic repertoire consists of 40-70 x 106 unique TCRβ sequences and 60-100 x 106 TCRα sequences. The thymic repertoire is thus extremely diverse, but the data also suggest that it is transient, with different clones produced at different times.
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(2023)Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. In Finland, the 1-year prevalence of OCD is 1.2% and lifetime prevalence is 1-3.3%. Standard treatment for OCD is drug therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or both combined. This systematic review investigates the efficacy of technology delivered therapeutic interventions for OCD. I conducted a comprehensive search using PubMed (23.12.2021). The search was limited to studies on adults with OCD (1992-2021). Inclusion criteria: (1) participant OCD diagnosis (DSM-IV/V or ICD-10); (2) main outcome measure of treatment efficacy quantified using Y-BOCS; (3) at least one psychosocial intervention studied; (4) not a systematic review or a meta-analysis; and (5) English publication. 7 studies were selected for review: three involved clinician-guided interventions and four self-guided interventions. The risk of bias of each study was assessed using the national guidelines taskforce criteria. Blinding and measuring of treatment adherence were the largest sources of bias. The outcome measures were Y-BOCS, depressive symptoms (e.g. BDI), functionality (e.g. GAF), and any other OCD measures assessed (e.g. OCI-R). Y-BOCS reduction was used to assess clinical significance. 3 Most interventions statistically significantly reduced OCD symptoms. Two studies produced a clinically significant Y-BOCS reduction. Depressive symptoms and functionality were improved by the test interventions. The review was limited by high risk of bias and inclusion of wait-list control setups.
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(2021)Tyypin 1 diabetes ilmenee varhaisvaiheessa usein diabeettisena ketoasidoosina, jonka vaarallisin komplikaatio on pahimmillaan kuolemaan johtava aivoödeema. Tässä tutkimuksessa analysoitiin vastadiagnosoidun tyypin 1 diabeteksen aiheuttaman diabeettisen ketoasidoosin (DKA) johdosta tehohoidettujen lasten sairaudenkulkuun vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Erityishuomio oli muuttujissa, jotka voivat altistaa DKA:n komplikaationa aivoödeeman kehittymiselle. Potilasaineiston muodostavat 1.1.2013 ja 1.7.2017 välisenä aikana HUS-lastenklinikan teho-osastolla hoidetut diabeettiseen ketoasidoosiin sairastuneet vastadiagnosoidut tyypin 1 diabeetikkolapset. Potilaista teho-osastolle saavuttaessa mitatut laboratoriomuuttujat sekä tiedot heidän nesteytyksestään, virtsamääristään ja tajunnantasostaan hoitojakson aikana analysoitiin yleistetyllä logistisella mallilla käyttäen päätemuuttujina kunkin potilaan teho-osastolla viettämän ajan pituutta sekä kohonneen aivopaineen merkkejä. Muutokset sairaalajakson aikana mitatuissa muuttujissa visualisoitiin kuvaajin. Lisäksi verrattiin hoitotuloksia hypotonisella (77 mmol/l) ja isotonisella (120 mmol/l) ylläpitonesteellä hoidettujen potilasryhmien välillä. Hypotonisella ylläpitonesteellä hoidettuja aineistossa oli 38 ja isotonisella hoidettuja 8. Muuttujista alentuneet Glasgow coma scale (GCS) -pisteet, korkea plasman glukoosi ja korkea plasman osmolaliteetti ennakoivat pidempää hoitojaksoa teho-osastolla. Aivoödeeman kehittymiseen liittyivät alentuneet GCS-pisteet sekä korkea osmolaliteetti ja hematokriitti, viitaten kuivuman merkitykseen vaikean tilanteen ennakoijana. Kliininen kuivuman arvio ei ennustanut tehohoitojakson pituutta eikä aivoödeeman kehittymistä. Yksi aineiston potilaista menehtyi aivoödeemaan, eikä analysoiduissa muuttujissa ilmennyt sellaisia poikkeamia, joiden perusteella potilaan menehtymistä olisi voinut luotettavasti ennustaa. Hoitotuloksissa ei ilmennyt eroja isotonisella ja hypotonisella ylläpitonesteellä hoidettujen välillä.
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(2018)Johdanto: Virvoitusjuomien käyttäjien tutkimus tuottaa arvokasta tietoa, jota voidaan käyttää mm. kohdennettaessa ja kehitettäessä virvoitusjuomien käyttöön vaikuttamaan pyrkiviä kansanterveydellisiä interventioita. Virvoitusjuomien käyttöön yhdistyvistä sosioekonomisista tekijöistä, elämäntapatekijöistä sekä psykologisista tekijöistä on julkaistu runsaasti tutkimuksia. Liikunnallisuuden yhteydestä virvoitusjuomien käyttöön on kuitenkin aikaisemmin julkaistu vain yksi pienehkö tutkimus, jossa liikunnallisuus ei ole ollut yhteydessä virvoitusjuomien käyttöön. Toisaalta runsas virvoitusjuomien käyttö yhdistetään tiettyihin (nuorten) alakulttuureihin, esimerkiksi nörttikulttuuriin, jota leimaa kiinnostus tieteeseen ja teknologiaan. Kuitenkaan tieteellisen kiinnostuneisuuden yhteyttä virvoitusjuomien käyttöön ei ole aikaisemmin tutkittu pitkittäisasetelmassa. Pyrimme siten selvittämään, miten tieteellinen kiinnostuneisuus ja liikunnallisuus 16-vuotiaina yhdistyvät virvoitusjuomien käyttöön 25-vuotiaina ja onko tieteellisellä kiinnostuneisuudella ja liikunnallisuudella yhteisvaikutuksia. Menetelmät: Käytössämme on vuosina 1975–1979 Suomessa syntyneistä kaksosista kyselylomakkeilla koostetun Nuorten kaksosten terveystutkimuksen (FinnTwin16) aineisto. Käytimme logistista regressiota selvittääksemme liikunnallisuuden ja tieteellisen kiinnostuneisuuden yhteyttä virvoitusjuomien päivittäiseen käyttöön. Vakioimme tuloksemme lähtötasolla mitatuilla painoindeksillä ja vanhempien koulutuksella. Analysoimme erikseen sokerilla ja keinotekoisesti makeutetut virvoitusjuomat. Tulokset: Lopulliseen analyysiimme päätyi 1717 miestä ja 2070 naista. Miehet olivat selvästi tieteellisesti kiinnostuneempia ja liikunnallisempia kuin naiset ja he myös käyttivät enemmän sokerilla makeutettuja virvoitusjuomia. Naiset kuluttivat enemmän keinotekoisesti makeutettuja virvoitusjuomia. Sekä yksi- että monimuuttujamallissa tieteellinen kiinnostuneisuus suojasi sokerilla makeutettujen virvoitusjuomien käytöltä (miehillä kerroinsuhde (OR) 0,77, 95 % luottamusväli (CI) 0,69–0,86 ja naisilla OR 0,79 95% CI 0,65–0,94). Keinotekoisesti makeutettujen virvoitusjuomien käyttöön sillä ei puolestaan ollut yhteyttä. Liikunnallisuudella ei ollut yhteyttä kummankaan virvoitusjuomatyypin kulutukseen ja tieteellinen kiinnostuneisuus vaikutti miesten keskuudessa samalla tavalla kaikkien eri tavalla liikunnallisten keskuudessa kun taas naisilla suojaava yhteys heikkeni 2-3 kertaa viikossa liikkuvien keskuudessa verrattuna sitä useammin tai sitä harvemmin liikkuviin. Johtopäätökset: Tuloksiemme mukaan tieteellinen kiinnostuneisuus 16-vuotiaana suojaa sokerilla makeutettujen virvoitusjuomien käytöltä 25-vuotiaana, vaikka malli vakioitaisiin lähtötason painoindeksillä ja vanhempien koulutuksella. Miesten keskuudessa emme havainneet viitteitä tilastollisesta yhteisvaikutuksesta liikunnallisuuden ja tieteellisen kiinnostuksen vaikutuksien välillä, mutta naisten kohdalla sellaisen mahdollisuutta emme voi täysin poissulkea.
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(2011)Kartiokeilatietokonetomografiakuvaus (KKTT-kuvaus) on erityisesti hammaslääketieteelliseen käyttöön kehitetty kuvausmenetelmä. KKTT-kuvauksella saadaan kuvauskohteesta kolmiulotteinen kuva, jolla saadaan tietoa esimerkiksi preoperatiivisesti alaviisaudenhampaan ja mandibulaarikanavan kolmiulotteisesta sijoittumisesta toisiinsa nähden. Eri KKTT-laitteiden kuvanlaadussa on havaittu selkeitä eroja, joskin eri teknisten parametrien käytölläkin on vaikutusta kuvanlaatuun. Tutkielmassa arvioitiin teknisten parametrien vaikutusta kliiniseen kuvanlaatuun. Kuvaukset suoritettiin kallofantomilla käyttäen Instrumentarium 3000 3D® KKTT-laitetta muuttamalla jännitettä, virtaa, kuvakenttäkokoa sekä käyttäen hilaa tai alumiinilevyjä. Myös säteilyannos vaihteli. Leikesarjoja kuvattiin 58. Leikesarjoista arvioitiin anatomisten rakenteiden kliinistä kuvanlaatua neliportaisella asteikolla. Tutkimuksessa todettiin, että foramen linguale ja mandibulaarikanava kuvautuivat molemmilla kuvauskentillä ja samoilla säteilyannoksilla selkeämmin kuin pienemmät anatomiset rakenteet, kuten juurikanavat tai parodontaalirako. Käyttämällä korkeampaa jännitettä (90 kV) saavutetaan yhtä hyvä kuvanlaatu pienemmällä säteilyaltistuksella kuin käyttämällä alhaisempaa jännitettä (85 kV). Johtopäätös oli, että esimerkiksi preoperatiivisessa implanttisuunnittelussa kanavarakenteiden sijaintia voidaan tutkia kuvaamalla matalimmalla kuvausannoksella ja kummallakin kuvakentällä kliinisen kuvanlaadun merkittävästi heikentymättä, mutta pienemmät anatomiset rakenteet tulee kuvata hiukan suuremmalla kuvausannoksella riittävän kuvanlaadun saavuttamiseksi.
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(2021)Objectives. As the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders increases, the number of people with ASD who may benefit from speech therapy methods will also increase. People in the autism spec trum have been found to be interested in technology in many studies, so it could be beneficial and smart to utilize it in the context of rehabilitation. In particular, the utilization of 3D and virtual real ity, as well as the usability of HMD-technology are at the center of many research regarding the potential use of technology in ASD rehabilitation. The aim of this literature review is to determine what kind of technological devices, softwares and the types of tasks performed with them are used in the context of ASD. The aim is also to determine what kind of user experiences with these meth ods and technologies have been reported by people with ASD. Methods. The research method of this dissertation is a literature review. The data was collected from five international databases (ACM digital library, Ovid Medline, Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science) using the search phrase (autism* OR autism spectrum disorder* OR high functioning au tism* OR HFA* OR Asperger* OR pervasive disorder*) AND (intervention* OR rehab* OR reha bilitation* OR therap* OR training) AND (virtual* OR augmented* OR “mixed* vr” OR HMD OR headset OR “head mounted” OR head-mounted* OR helmet OR glasses OR goggles OR ve OR im mersive OR immersion OR 3D OR head-worn OR “head worn”) AND (“computer assisted” OR computer-assisted OR “computer aided” OR computer-aided). In accordance with the selection criteria, 17 original studies were selected for the dissertation, regarding technologies and methods used in ASD rehabilitation. Findings and conclusions. Rehabilitation for ASD utilizes technology assistance from traditional computer and video game -technologies to wearable HMD-devices and virtual reality. The technol ogies used in the studies were mainly computer-implemented virtual software and virtual environ ments. About half of them utilized wearable HMD technology. The methods were mainly focused on various problems of social interaction, such as attention, emotion recognition and cooperation skills. People with ASD reported mostly positive reviews of technology-assisted methods, includ ing the use of wearable devices.
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(2022)Aims of the study: In the last couple of decades a central problem in the Finnish society has been an aging of the population. The aging of population is a big challenge for a Finnish welfare society, which creates pressure for the economy as well as for the health care and public services. Therefore, the search for solutions that will be able to meet the growing demand of elderly services has started. A central subject in these solutions has been a larger integration of technology. Technology has enormous potential to help to meet the care needs of the elderly and in its own part ease the labor shortage of the elderly services. Previous research about the technologies in the Finnish elderly care and the factors affecting the use of the technology has mainly focused on surveys and interviews. However, research concerning the factors and phenomena affecting technology has remained very limited. The aim of this study is to analyze an extensive Finnish cross-sectional data and examine what factors affect the use of technology in the Finnish elderly care. In addition, the aim of this study is to also examine how technology and the phenomena related to technology affect the adequacy of staff of the elderly services. Methods: A cross-sectional data from Finnish elderly care units was used in this study (N=2950). The data was collected as a part of the larger Vanpal-project that is carried out by Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Concerning the use of technology, a sum variable was formed. The sum variable expressed how many technologies or how many applications of technology there were at the care unit. Associations between the use of technology and the factors examined were analyzed with the independent samples t-tests and with analyses of variance. Associations between technology-related phenomena and adequacy of staff were also analyzed with t-tests and with analyses of variance. In addition, for a couple of variables the use of technology was analyzed by examining variables’ frequency distributions. Results and conclusions: In this study it was observed that several factors have an association with the use of technology. The use of technology was higher on average if the unit had undergone structural changes in recent years. The use of technology was lower if a person in charge of the equipment was assigned in the unit. The use of technology was also affected by the form of service the unit provided, while technology was used the most in domiciliary care. The more clients of the unit were allowed to participate in the planning of their own care, the more technology was used in the unit. The units where the adequacy of staff was perceived to be better, technology was used less. Utilization of remote connections was not used that much, but ERP-systems were in use, and they were perceived useful. The staff’s competence in technology-related matters as well as clients’ competence and attitudes towards technology were associated with the adequacy of staff in the units. This study added information concerning use of technology in Finnish elderly care, and how the technology-related phenomena affect the operations of the elderly care units. In the future if the use of technology in the elderly care is researched more, this study can be of use when planning the research or while delimiting the phenomena and factors affecting the use of technology.
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(2021)Objectives: Cognitive abilities are highly heritable, but several other factors beyond genes also influence the realization of one’s genetic potential. The role of temperament potentially modifying the association between genes and actualized cognitive performance is not well understood. This study examined whether temperament is associated with cognitive performance and whether it modifies an association between genetic cognitive potential and cognitive test performance. Methods: The participants (n = 1,571, 56% female, 35-50 years) were from the population-based Young Finns Study. Temperament was assessed four times (1997, 2001, 2007, and 2012) with the Temperament and Character Inventory’s four dimensions: Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Persistence. Polygenic scores were calculated based on GWA studies to measure the genetic potential for cognitive performance. Cognitive performance was assessed in 2012 with four CANTAB tests: Visual memory, Reaction Time, Sustained Attention and Spatial Working Memory. Results: Temperament did not modify the realization of genetic potential for cognitive performance but had main effects on the performance: High Persistence was associated with higher visual memory, low Harm Avoidance with higher overall cognitive and reaction time performance, while Novelty Seeking and Reward Dependence had insignificant associations. Harm Avoidance’s subscale high Anticipatory Worry was associated with lower overall cognitive and visual memory performance and high Fatigability with lower reaction time and lower sustained attention performance. High Shyness with Strangers preceded higher visual memory performance. High Fear of Uncertainty was associated with lower visual memory, but higher sustained attention performance. Conclusions: Temperament does not seem to give an advantage or hindrance for an individual to realize their genetic potential for cognitive performance. High Persistence appears beneficial for cognitive performance, whereas high Harm Avoidance is detrimental in certain tasks but beneficial in others.
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(2020)Objectives: Stability over time is a core assumption concerning the definition of temperament or the constellation of biologically based tendencies to behave and experience the world. The stability can be considered either homotypic, when the phenotype of the trait remains the same at different ages, or heterotypic, when the phenotype of the trait changes as the child grows. Several studies have demonstrated both homo- and heterotypic stability of child temperament at least from infancy to middle childhood. However, there are only few studies that have monitored the development of temperament until adolescence. In addition, most studies have relied exclusively on maternal reports although fathers make important contributions to their children’s lives and can be considered comparable informants of their children’s behavior. This study addressed the stability of child temperament on the level of both higher order temperament dimensions and individual temperament traits from infancy to middle childhood and further to early adolescence. Additionally, the study examined whether there are any differences between maternal and paternal ratings of child temperament stability. Methods: The sample of this study was obtained from the 0.5-, 8- and 12-year cohorts of the Glaku- research project which initiated in 1998. The final sample consisted of those mothers (n = 128) and fathers (n = 48) who had rated their child’s temperament at all the three timepoints. Parental ratings of child temperament were derived using the age appropriate questionnaires within the theoretical framework of Rothbart: the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) in infancy, the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) in middle childhood and the Early Adolescence Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R) in early adolescence. Results and conclusions: On the level of temperament dimensions homotypic stability was found from infancy to middle childhood and from middle childhood to early adolescence. No direct association was found between temperament in infancy and temperament in early adolescence. Heterotypic continuity was found for negative emotionality and effortful control from middle childhood to early adolescence. Negative emotionality in middle childhood was associated with lower levels of positive emotionality and effortful control in early adolescence. Effortful control in middle childhood was associated with higher level of positive emotionality and lower level of negative emotionality in early adolescence. On the level of individual temperament traits homotypic stability was found from infancy to middle childhood and from middle childhood to early adolescence according to maternal ratings. According to paternal ratings homotypic stability was found only for one trait from infancy to middle childhood. From middle childhood to early adolescence, however, father rated homotypic associations were comparable to those found for maternal ratings. The results of this study support prior research and theoretical expectation of the stability of child temperament and the comparability of mother and father ratings. The results, however, suggest that maternal and paternal ratings about the stability of child temperament may be more alike regarding to older children, which should be further examined in future research.
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(2020)The aim of the study. Internalizing symptoms are mental health problems of which the most common forms are depression and anxiety. Internalizing symptoms emerging in childhood are associated with a risk of cumulating negative consequences and a tendency to become chronic. To narrow the risk of developing internalizing symptoms, it is crucial to understand their early risk factors. The association between temperament and internalizing symptoms has been demonstrated in earlier studies. However, longitudinal studies have typically examined these associations within relatively short time frames. Studies on the role of early temperament as a potential predictor of internalizing symptoms occurring later in school-age are scarce and insufficient. Also, due to a lack of research data, it is still unclear how temperamental change and stability of traits during childhood years explain the risk of school-age internalizing problems. This study examines the role of infant temperament in the etiology of school-age internalizing symptoms. The study also explores how the changes and the stability of temperament traits from infancy to school-age are associated with the risk of school-age internalizing symptoms. In this study, the definition of temperament is based on Rothbart’s temperament theory. Methods. The data of this study is a part of a larger follow-up study PREDO (The Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction). The sample consists of 919 children. In this study, data from the 6-month infancy assessment point and follow-up at the age of 7 to 11 years were used. Mothers and partly fathers (n = 581) assessed the child’s temperament with the Revised Infant Behavior Questionnaire at the age of 6 months. At the age of 7 to 11 years, mothers assessed the child’s temperament with the Temperament of Middle Childhood Questionnaire and internalizing symptoms with the Childhood Behavior Checklist and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Associations between temperament traits and internalizing symptoms were examined with linear regression analyses. In terms of studying the stability and change of temperament traits, residualization and interaction analyses of traits were used. Results and conclusions. Negative emotionality appeared as a significant risk factor for internalizing symptoms; high levels of negative emotionality in infancy can be seen as an early risk factor for subsequent symptoms. Also, weak regulation capacity in infancy increases the risk of school-age internalizing symptoms. In this study, the stability of temperament traits was low and the role of temperamental change from infancy to school-age was highlighted. According to this study, changes in temperament traits explain the risk of internalizing problems more than the stability of the traits. An increase in negative emotionality and a decrease in effortful control during childhood years are associated with elevated risks of internalizing symptoms. The association between extraversion and internalizing symptoms was modest, but low levels of extraversion through childhood years slightly increase the possibility of symptoms. The results of this study create a possibility to recognize early risk factors, intervene at an early stage, and prevent the development of internalizing problems.
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(2022)Abstract Background Knowledge of the adverse effects of drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) has increased in recent decades. However, research on the temporal trends of the clinical use of DAPs is still sparse. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal trends of DAP use over two decades in the older community-dwelling population and to explore the medication classes contributing to the use of DAPs. Methods The study involved random samples of ≥ 75-year-old community-dwelling Helsinki citizens in 1999, 2009, and 2019 from the Helsinki Ageing Study. A postal questionnaire inquired about their health, functioning, and medications. The medications were categorized as DAPs according to Duran’s list. In addition, we grouped DAPs into various medication groups. Results The prevalence and burden of DAPs on Duran's list showed a decreasing trend over the years. In 1999 the prevalence was 20% and the burden 0.35, in 2009 they were 22% and 0.35, respectively, and in 2019 they were 16% and 0.23, respectively. There were no differences in how the 75- and 80-year-olds used DAPs compared with those aged 85 years and older. The proportion of typical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, hypnotics, urinary antispasmodics, and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease medications decreased, whereas the proportion of atypical antipsychotics, antidepressants, strong opioids, and antihistamines increased. In particular the use of mirtazapine increased—to 3.9% in 2019. In 2019 the three most prevalent groups of DAPs were antidepressants (7.4%), opioids (2.7%), and antihistamines (2.4%). Conclusions The decrease in the use of DAPs on Duran's list is a welcome change. Although the use of old, strong DAPs has decreased, new DAPs have simultaneously emerged. Physicians need continuous education in prescribing DAPs and more recent information on the use and effects of DAPs is needed in order to decrease their exposure among the rapidly growing older population.
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