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Pään ja kaulan alueen syöpä on maailmanlaajuisesti kuudenneksi yleisin syöpäsairaus ja sen esiintyvyys on länsimaissa lisääntymässä. Pään ja kaulan alueen syövän merkittävimmät riskitekijät ovat ikä, tupakointi ja runsas alkoholinkäyttö. HPV-infektio on pään ja kaulan alueen levyepiteelikarsinoomien itsenäinen vaaratekijä ja sen aiheuttama syyosuus vaihtelee syövän sijainnin mukaan ollen yleisin suunielun syövissä. Tutkielman tarkoituksena oli selvittää kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla virusten yhteyttä pään ja kaulan levyepiteelikarsinoomien syntyyn. Kirjallisuuskatsaus perustuu Pubmedistä löytyviin, aihetta käsitteleviin tutkimusartikkeleihin vuosilta 1992-2020. Lisäksi lähdemateriaalina käytettiin alan oppikirjoja ja Suomalaisen Lääkäriseura Duodecimin julkaisemia Käypä hoito -suosituksia. 31,5% pään ja kaulan alueen levyepiteelikarsinoomista on HPV-positiivisia. Näistä 82,2% on HPV-tyyppiä 16. Tämän katsauksen prevalenssiluvut perustuvat HPV-DNA:n osoittamiseen, jolloin saadaan selville viruksen mukanaolo syöpäkudoksessa, mutta ei saada todistetta viraalisen onkogeenin ekspressiosta. Nykyisin kultaisena standardina HPV:n osoittamiseen pidetään HPV E6/E7 mRNA qRT-PCR:ää, sillä HPV-positiiviset karsinoomat ovat riippuvaisia HPV E6 ja E7 mRNA:n pysyvästä yliekspressiosta. Epstein-Barrin virus liittyy lähinnä nenänielun karsinooman etiologiaan. Muiden virusten osuudesta pään ja kaulan alueen levyepiteelikarsinoomien synnyssä on toistaiseksi vain vähän näyttöä. Analyysimenetelmien kehittymisen seurauksena HPV:n todellinen yhteys pään ja kaulan alueen levyepiteelikarsinoomiin tulee oletettavasti vielä tarkentumaan. Tulevaisuudessa myös nähdään, ovatko HPV-rokotteet ratkaisu pään ja kaulan levyepiteelikarsinoomien lisääntyneeseen esiintyvyyteen.

Målet för detta forskningsprojekt var att utveckla en metod med vars hjälp det är möjligt att detektera farmakologiska substanser i levervävnad med hjälp av masspektrometrisk bildtagning, så kallad MALDI-MSI. I litteraturen finns beskrivet tillämpningar av MALDI-MSI med vars hjälp det detekterats till exempel lipider i vävnader eller såsom i denna studie farmkologiska substanser. Arbetet bestod av två delmoment. I den första delen isolerades hepatocyter ur råttlever genom att perfusera kollagenas via portvenen. Hepatocyternas funktion analyserades genom att mäta deras metaboliska aktivitet med en analysator som mäter cellernas syrekonsumtion. Med analysen kunde visas att cellernas som isolerats var livsdugliga och där med sker upptagningen av substanser i hepatocyterna på ett fysiologiskt sätt. I den andra delen perfuserades levern på levande råttor genom portvenen med olika farmakologiska substanser. Levern togs tillvara och skars i tunna fryssnitt som sedan analyserades med MALDI-MSI. Kärlstrukturerna i fryssnitten färgades för att kunna urskilja ifall substanserna var belägna inne i själva i vävnaden eller i blodkärlen, ett bevis på metodens spatiala urskiljningsförmåga. Huvudfokus sattes på detektion av metformin i levervävnad eftersom de kliniska tillämpningsmöjligheterna ansågs vara störst för denna substans, då den nyligen börjats användas vid behandling av cancer. I framtiden är det möjligt att metforminets koncentration i tumörvävnaden kan bestämmas med hjälp av metoden och där med få mera detaljerad information om den optimala behandlingsdosen. Utöver att endast identifiera metformin kunde även dess distribution och koncentration i levervävnaden bestämmas med hjälp av den utvecklade metoden. Nu har metoden endast prövats med perfuserade vävnadssnitt, nästa steg skulle vara att mäta koncentrationen efter systemisk behandling.

Aim. Meaningfulness is an important aspect of well-being. It is closely connected with zest for life and resilience, and in a long run, it is a stronger predictor for psychological well-being than happiness. As self-determination theory applies to meaningfulness, meaningfulness can be seen as satisfaction of the three needs presented by self-determination theory: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Only relatedness has previously been experimentally detected to have an effect on meaningfulness. In this study we examine the relationship between autonomy satisfaction and meaningfulness. We also examine the impact of our intervention on autonomy satisfaction. Experimentally we examine the impact of the intervention on meaningfulness. We also examine the impact of availability of true self-concept on autonomy satisfaction and meaningfulness. Method. The data was collected during spring and summer 2018 using a web based form. The link was distributed in social media, and participating was voluntary. The experiment group received an intervention that increase autonomy satisfaction. Intervention covered a writing task that required the subjects to write as many intrinsically motivating activities as possible in restricted time. The control group received a pseudo-intervention. The respondents filled questionnaires assessing autonomy satisfaction and meaningfulness in life. Both experimental and control forms gathered 248 subjects, altogether 496 subjects. All connections were examined with regression analysis. Results. Autonomy fulfillment was connected to meaningfulness. Intervention was connected to autonomy. Intervention did not have a connection with reported meaningfulness. The accessibility of the true self was not connected to reported autonomy or reported meaningfulness. Conclusions. Even if autonomy was connected to meaningfulness, the experimental results were contradictory with the hypotheses. Availability of the true self was not connected with meaningfulness or autonomy satisfaction. These results are discussed. It seems that the process through which autonomy satisfaction impacts meaningfulness is less straightforward than the hypotheses suggested.

Aims. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) communicate with pre-verbal communication techniques. They have severe difficulties in interaction with other people and building up relationships. Due to the limitations of the physical and mental capacities and the limitations sense organs, sense of touch is a meaningful way to interact with other people. Intensive Interaction is a technique of communication with people who communicate with pre-verbal communication techniques. Intensive Interaction is based on natural interaction between people. Its main goal is to create meaningful interaction and strengthen the basic skills in communication. The purpose of this study is to find out what role does touch play in the interaction between a person with PMLD and a skilled communication partner when the skilled partner uses Intensive Interaction methods. Method. The data of this study were collected in the Finnish Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Tikoteekki. The data were total 36 videos and collected during Intensive Interaction -Coordinator training process. This study had two participants whose interaction sessions were monitored. The skilled partner used Intensive Interaction methods during these sessions. The data were studied with a large table and transcriptions. The data were analyzed with qualitative and quantitative means. Results and conclusions. The most interesting result of this study was the touching between the partners as it became more complex during the intervention session. Touching was a way to orientate towards communication partner, take turns in interaction, participate in shared activities and strengthen the relationship between the communication partners. The results suggest that when used systematically, Intensive Interaction can help build meaningful inter-action with people with PMLD. Role of the skilled partner is crucial in this meaningful interaction.

Background and Objectives: It is crucial to identify children's linguistic and communicative challenges as early as possible. Previous research indicates that early vocabulary and gesture-object expression skills are strong predictors of later linguistic and communicative abilities. By assessing these skills, it is possible to identify children in need of support at an early stage. Various methods have been developed to assess early language and communication development, one of which is Finnish version of Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales, Developmental Profile (FinCSBS). It is a screening method where parents evaluate a child's social communication, speech comprehension, and speech production skills between the ages of 6 to 24 months. While the FinCSBS has been standardized up to two years of age, there is limited research on its application in assessing this age group. The aim of this master's thesis was to investigate whether a child's mastery of vocabulary and gestures at the age of one is related to their linguistic and communicative development at the age of two, as assessed using the FinCSBS. Additionally, the study aimed to examine the usability of the FinCSBS in assessing children's linguistic development at two years of age. Participants and Methods: This study included 50 typically developing Finnish-speaking children. The study sample was part of the validation study of short form of the MacArthur Communication Inventories Finnish version (Sanaseula study). Children's mastery of vocabulary and gesture-object functions was assessed at one year of age using the Finnish Long Form version of the Communicative Development Inventories (FinCDI-LF), while their linguistic and communicative skills at two years of age were assessed using the FinCSBS. The connections between one-year-old children's vocabulary and gesture-object skills and two-year-old children's linguistic and communicative skills were initially examined by analyzing the Spearman correlation coefficient. Subsequently, the connections were further explored through linear regression analysis. Results and Discussion: Based on the correlation coefficients, it was found that vocabulary mastery at one year of age was associated with later vocabulary comprehension, and gesture-object functions were related to later social communication skills. More information is needed to understand the connections between these skills in greater detail. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the FinCSBS may not necessarily be suitable for assessing two-year-old children, as its ability to identify children in need of support at this age may be weaker compared to earlier age groups. Therefore, its usage is advisable to be focused on younger age groups. At the age of two, the FinCSBS could be most beneficial when used alongside another method that provides a more detailed assessment of vocabulary. In the future, it is essential to develop a method that allows for a more precise assessment of a two-year-old child's comprehension of vocabulary.

Objective. Despite the health benefits of physical exercise, several adolescents exercise less than recommended and physical activity decreases from childhood to adolescence. However, there has been quite little research into the factors affecting physical activity. The circadian rhythm shifts later in adolescence, which is linked to problems with schooling, as well as psychological and physical difficulties. However, further objective research is needed of the association of circadian rhythm and physical activity in adolescence. This study examined the association of circadian period length and timing of the circadian rhythm to physical activity in adolescents and whether sex moderates these associations. Methods. The sample consisted of 262 16–19 years old adolescents (70.6 % girls) who participated in the cohort study SleepHelsinki!. Circadian period length was measured by skin temperature and timing of the circadian rhythm was measured with an actigraphs according to the midpoint of sleep, as well as with the reduced version of the MEQ survey, which measures circadian preference. Metabolic equivalents as well as the amount of sedentary behavior, light physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity was calculated from the actigraphy data. Relationship between circadian period length and physical activity was analyzed with linear and quadratic regression analyzes, and relationship between midpoint of sleep and physical activity with linear regression analyzes. Relationship between circadian preference and physical activity was analyzed by one-way analyzes of variance. The moderating effect of gender was examined by adding the interaction of gender and independent variable to the models. Results. Circadian period length was in a quadratic relationship to light as well as moderate to vigorous physical activity: shorter and longer than average circadian period associated with lower activity level and a near-average circadian period with higher activity level. Later sleep midpoint associated with lower metabolic equivalent, lower light and moderate to vigorous physical activity and higher sedentary time. Circadian preference was not associated with physical activity. Gender did not moderate associations. Conclusions. Adolescents whose circadian rhythm is delayed or inconsistent with the rhythm of society should be considered when planning ways to support adolescent’s physical activity, because these adolescents are at greater risk for physical inactivity and its adverse health effects. One way could be shifting school start times later, which would reduce adolescent’s social jet lag, sleep deprivation and daytime fatigue, and thus support their physical activity.

Objectives. There are approximately 14,500 new cases of dementia-associated diseases each year in Finland. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are many changes associated with AD that affect the person's ability to participate in interaction. Until now only very few Finnish studies have been conducted on assessing, treating and supporting language and interaction in dementia-associated diseases, and this type of treatment is not widely available in Finland. The purpose of this study is to introduce one indirect group speech therapy intervention aimed at the spouses of persons with AD, and to study its effectiveness in the interaction strategies they apply as well as their perceptions and satisfaction regarding interaction. The participants' experiences of the intervention and its usefulness are also examined. The study also touches the applicability of a recently translated method for assessing the interaction between persons with AD and their spouses. Method. Three couples participated in the study, all of whom had one partner diagnosed with AD. The studied intervention consisted of six group meetings aimed at the healthy spouses. Data was collected at three separate occasions using VNVIS-CG – a method based on analyzing video-recorded material – and a questionnaire. The participants also filled out a feedback form at the end of the intervention. Results and conclusions. The study found that the participants adopted and implemented some of the strategies that were addressed during the intervention. The changes observed in the behavior of the participants were individual. However, the intervention seems to even out the differences in the number of strategies used by the participants. All of the participants found the intervention useful, and felt that it had affected their behavior, but only one of the participants reported greater satisfaction with the couple's interaction after the intervention. The participants' perceptions of interaction varied greatly, so conclusions about possible changes in these perceptions cannot be made. Further research on the matter, with a larger group of participants and a comparison group, is definitely needed. In the future, the methods used to evaluate effectiveness, as well as the content and the execution of the intervention, should also be modified as needed.

Objective. In today’s workplaces an increasing number of tasks is completed in teams. Hence, to understand the psychological processes affecting interaction within and success of teams in different environments is of great importance. To study these processes, a new TT10 questionnaire (84 questions, 10 separate subscales) was created. The aim of this thesis was to study the validity and reliability of the TT10 by studying multiple literature-based hypotheses about connections between the subscales of the TT10 in two separate studies. Methods. In study 1 (n=49) 10 teams from two Finnish technology companies filled the TT10 and basic demographic information online. In study 2 (n=124) there were 62 pairs consisting of an employee of a Finnish insurance company and a customer. The counterparts in each pair were anonymously in contact with each other in an online chat for 20 minutes during which their task was to solve puzzles together. After the experiment they were asked to review the interaction of their pair with a shortened version (27 questions) of the TT10. Results. Almost all of the hypotheses gained support. Different subscales were in connection with each other mostly in the hypothesized ways. Conclusions. The most promising subscales of the TT10 were psychological safety, social cohesion, collaboration, and co-flow. However, limitations such as a very limited number of participants in study 1 made some of the results a bit unclear. However, according to these preliminary results, the TT10 seems to be a promising questionnaire that still needs fine-graining.

Aims. Psychological determinants of work have become ever so relevant over the recent years. According to self-determination theory, the fulfillment of the basic psychological needs, i.e., the experiences of autonomy, relatedness, and competence, is paramount for occupational well-being and vigor. Regardless, psychological need satisfaction has but preliminary been studied from a person-centered perspective. This study aims to differentiate psychological need satisfaction subgroups from a working population, study potential membership predictors and examine the subgroup association with occupational well-being. Method. The participants of this study (n = 2 000) were from a sample of Finnish workers, collected as a part of a research project funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund. Psychological need satisfaction scores were utilized in a bifactor form, formulated with confirmatory factor analysis. With them, psychological need satisfaction profiles were formed with latent profile analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was utilized for studying group membership predictors, including job crafting, workload, and demographic factors. Finally, the subgroups were compared with analyses of variance for work engagement and burnout as determinants of occupational well-being. Results and conclusions. Five distinct psychological need satisfaction profiles could be differentiated from the sample. As in previous studies, the most prevalent profile group was the Globally satisfied profile group, which had superior well-being in terms of work engagement and burnout. The profile group signified by least well-being was the Globally dissatisfied yet competent profile group. Demographic factors, job crafting, and workload all predicted membership to subgroups. The global level of need satisfaction was most clearly associated with occupational well-being measures. The results support the idea that practitioners should pay attention to the balanced satisfaction of the basic psychological needs in work organizations.

Hammaspuutokset ovat yleisin väestössä esiintyvä perinnöllinen poikkeama normaaliin yksilön kehitykseen nähden. Hammaspuutokset jaotellaan hypodontiaan eli alle 6 hampaan puutokseen sekä oligodontiaan eli 6 tai useamman hampaan puutokseen. Lisäksi tavataan harvinaista kaikkien hampaiden puutosta, anodontiaa. Hammaspuutokset esiintyvät useimmiten erillisinä anomalioina, mutta ne ovat myös osa useiden oireyhtymien oirekuvaa. Yleisyydestään huolimatta hammaspuutosten geneettinen tausta on vain osittain tunnettu. Hampaiden kehitys alkiolla alkaa noin 5. raskausviikon aikana. Hampaiden kehitys on monimutkainen prosessi, johon osallistuvat useat eri signaalireitit. Hampaan kehitystä voi kuvata vuoropuheluksi ektodermaalisen mesenkyymin ja epiteelin signaaliproteiinien välillä. Tunnetut mutaatiot hampaan kehitystä säätelevissä geeneissä vaikuttavat näiden signaalireittien ja niitä säätelevien proteiinien toimintaan. Katsauksessa käsitellään hampaiden sikiöaikaisen kehityksen biologista taustaa. Tässä kirjallisuuskatsauksessa selvitettiin WNT10A-geenin roolia sekä erillisissä että syndroomiin liittyvissä hammaspuutoksissa. Katsauksen tavoitteena oli kerätä vuosien 2007 – 2018 välillä julkaistusta tieteellisestä kirjallisuudesta yksityiskohtaiset tiedot eri WNT10A-mutaatioista ja niiden aiheuttamista hammaspuutoksista homo-, yhdistelmäheterotsygoottisissa ja heterotsygoottisissa mutaatioissa. Kerätyt tiedot eriteltiin propositusten ja heidän sukulaisten välillä, kuten myös syndroomapotilaat henkilöistä, joilla oli erillisistä hammaspuutoksia. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin eri mutaatioiden maantieteellistä jakautumista. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen perusteella näyttää selvältä, että bialleeliset ja homotysygoottiset muodot aiheuttavat useammin vakavamman hammaspuutoksen kuin mutaatioiden heterotsygoottiset muodot. Heterotsygoottisen mutaation ilmiasu on useammin hammaspuutospotilaille tyypillinen inkisiivi-premolaari hypodontia, kun taas bialleellisiin muotoihin liittyy myös molaareiden ja kulmahampaiden puutoksia. Syndroomapotilailla oli useammin bialleellinen mutaation muoto, mutta myös heillä tavattiin heterotsygoottisia genotyyppejä. Yleisimpien mutaatioiden maantieteellinen jakaantuminen oli huomattavaa. F228I ja C107* mutaatiot olivat yleisimpiä mutaatioita länsimaalaisissa tutkimuksissa. Itä-Aasialaisissa populaatioissa taas yleisin mutaatio oli G213S. Hammaspuutospotilaiden geneettistä taustaa tutkittaessa edellä mainitut asiat potilaan ilmiasussa ja maantieteellisessä taustassa on hyvä ottaa huomioon. Perinnöllisyysneuvontaa annettaessa on huomionarvoista syndroomien ja vakavien oligodontioiden suhteellisesti korkeampi esiintyvyys bialleellisten potilaiden joukossa. WNT10A-geenin mutaatioiden ilmiasut ja penetranssi kuitenkin vaihtelevat huomattavasti eri potilaiden kesken. Todennäköistä on, että hammaspuutosten takana on usein monien eri geenien mutaatioiden yhteisvaikutus, ympäristötekijöitä unohtamatta.