Biomedical subjects

H Helenius

Publications and source records attributed to H Helenius.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Antenatal depression, substance dependency and social support.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of depression and factors associated with depressive mood among pregnant women. METHOD: 391 women who were 14-37 weeks pregnant were evaluated with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen (EPDS), which has also been validated for prenatal use. Four questionnaires were used in order to explore associated factors: a questionnaire on background and pregnancy data, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and two Social Support Questionnaires (SSQ1 and 2). RESULTS: 7.7% of the total sample screened positive on the EPDS with a cut-off point of 12/13 recommended. Substance dependency and experienced difficulties in social environment had an independently significant association with maternal depression. LIMITATION: The caseness was defined with a self-report instrument. CONCLUSION: Substance dependency and experienced difficulties, especially in relation to friends, partner and own mother, are associated with antenatal depression. It is important to be aware of this when developing interventions in maternity care primary units.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

An early report on the mother-baby interactive capacity of substance-abusing mothers.

OBJECTIVE: Examination of maternal interactive behavior and psychosocial situation of substance-abusing mothers in treatment. METHOD: Twelve mothers with an alcohol or drug abuse problem and 12 control mothers were assessed in random order with the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment, for the analysis of videotaped mother-infant interactions at 3 and 6 months' postpartum. Depressive symptoms were assessed with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and aspects of social support with two Social Support Questionnaires. RESULTS: Substance-abusing mothers tended to have more problematic areas in their interactive behavior, a tendency which increased during the study period. As was expected, they were more often depressive, and experienced more social environment difficulties and less social support. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers with alcohol and drug abuse problems need intensive professional support in early motherhood, and are seen to be particularly motivated to strive for abstinence and accept help at this stage of life.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Familial occurrence of Parkinson's disease in a community-based case-control study.

Purpose: To study the occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in the relatives of parkinsonian patients (n=119), and of their matched controls (n=238).Scope: More patients reported a positive family history of PD in their first degree relatives, compared to their controls (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3-5.9), and the incidence of PD among those relatives was also significantly higher (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8).Conclusions: Familial occurrence of PD is not necessarily a sign of genetic mechanisms in the etiology of PD. Shared environment with common risk factors might be even more important.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Non-response and related factors in a nation-wide health survey.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse selective factors associated with an unexpectedly low response rate. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The baseline questionnaire survey of a large prospective follow-up study on the psychosocial health of the Finnish working-aged randomly chosen population resulted in 21,101 responses (40.0%) in 1998. The non-respondent analysis used demographic and health-related population characteristics from the official statistics and behavioural, physical and mental health-related outcome differences between early and late respondents to predict possible non-response bias. Reasons for non-response, indicated by missing responses of late respondents, and factors affecting the giving of consent were also analysed. RESULTS: The probability of not responding was greater for men, older age groups, those with less education, divorced and widowed respondents, and respondents on disability pension. The physical health-related differences between the respondents and the general population were small and could be explained by differences in definitions. The late respondents smoked and used more psychopharmaceutical drugs than the early ones, suggesting similar features in non-respondents. The sensitive issues had a small effect on the response rate. The consent to use a medical register-based follow-up was obtained from 94.5% of the early and 90.9% of the late respondents (odds ratio: 1.70; 95% confidence interval: 1.49-1.93). Consent was more likely among respondents reporting current smoking, heavy alcohol use, panic disorder or use of tranquillisers. CONCLUSIONS: The main reasons for non-response may be the predisposing sociodemographic and behavioural factors, the length and sensitive nature of the questionnaire to some extent, and a suspicion of written consent and a connection being made between the individual and the registers mentioned on the consent form.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Validation of a new questionnaire on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis in young adults.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data on asthma and allergies among adults are mainly based on questionnaires: this study validates the questions on asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis of a new Finnish questionnaire. METHODS: To validate questions used in a country-wide study among university students aged 18-25 years, we examined 150 subjects who had ever reported asthma or wheezing, and 140 without asthma symptoms. Questions were validated in relation to current diseases including 1) symptoms detected during the preceding year at the physician's interview 2) objective measurements, such as methacholine challenge, skin prick tests, and specific IgE. Data were adjusted for original proportions of "asthmatics" and"nonasthmatics" in the questionnaire study. RESULTS: Questions on "reported asthma" and "doctor-diagnosed asthma" had good positive predictive value (PPV) and specificity in diagnosing current asthma. The question on "attacks of shortness of breath with wheezing", and especially the question on "cough with wheezing" were most sensitive. Questions on "allergic nasal symptoms" and "allergic eye symptoms" that were "related to pollen or animals" were sensitive, but a further question on doctor's diagnosis yielded higher specificity and PPV. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis-based questions were found suitable for risk-factor studies, because of their good specificity and PPV, and symptom-based questions for screening, because they were highest in sensitivity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Prevalence of nickel allergy among Finnish university students in 1995.

Nickel allergy was studied in a sample of 1st-year university students starting their studies in 1995. A total of 296 subjects (72%) of 413 invited participated in the clinical examination, and 284, 96 male and 188 female, were patch tested (69%). A history of nickel sensitization was enquired for. Prick tests and serum specific IgE levels were determined. Occurrence of atopic dermatitis, hand eczema, and current exposure to metals were recorded. Nickel allergy was encountered in 39% of all female students, in 42% of females with pierced skin, and in 14% of females without pierced skin. The corresponding figures for males were 3%, 7% and 3%. In the multiple regression analysis, the risk factors for nickel allergy were female sex (OR 8.1, p<0.01), current metal exposure at examination (OR 4.1, p<0.01) and skin piercing (OR 3.6, p<0.05). Positive prick tests or elevated IgE levels to common allergens were not significantly associated with nickel allergy. In female students, the prevalence of nickel allergy has increased from 13% in 1986 to 39%. The prevalence among males has remained low at 3%. The results indicate that, in addition to skin piercing, current metal contacts are important risk factors for nickel allergy. This finding gives support to the EU Nickel Directive.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Long-term reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure in unselected elderly subjects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term reproducibility and validity of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM) in an unselected elderly population. In a rural Finnish community 503 randomly chosen invited persons over 65 years of age participated and went through 24-h ABPM. As part of the validation of the methodology, the reproducibility study was conducted in 26 persons (age 65-76 years). Two identical sets of measurement were performed at 4-12 (median 8) month intervals. The agreement between measurements was assessed by correlation coefficients and standard deviation (SD) of the differences. There were no significant differences in 24-h, daytime and night-time average diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and daytime average systolic blood pressure (SBP) between the two measurements. During the second measurement, 24-h SBP and night-time average SBP were slightly higher than those obtained by the first monitoring. Average 24-h SBP and DBP were 18 and 7 mmHg lower, respectively, than office blood pressure averages. The correlation coefficients were significantly higher for 24-h ambulatory blood pressure than for office blood pressure. The SD of the mean difference between visits was significantly lower for 24-h ambulatory blood pressure than for office blood pressure measurements. These findings show that the long-term reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure is good in an elderly unselected population and better than the office blood pressure reproducibility.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2001

Asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux: can the response to anti-reflux therapy be predicted?

The aim of the study was to investigate which features predict favourable response to omeprazole therapy in asthmatics with gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER). The study population consisted of 52 outpatient asthmatics with GER who had completed an intervention where they were randomized to receive omeprazole 40 mg once a day or placebo for 8 weeks. After a 2-week washout period the patients were crossed over. Asthma symptoms were found to be relieved > or = 20% in 18 (35%) patients who were thus regarded as responders. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify which features separate the responders from the non-responders. More responders were found among the patients whose body mass index (BMI) was higher (P = 0.02) or whose distal esophageal reflux was more severe [total time (%) pH < 4 (P = 0.01) or time (%) pH < 4 in upright position (P = 0.04)]. Adding other predictors to the total time (%) pH < 4, which was the most significant predictor for response in multi-variate analysis, did not further increase the prediction for favourable outcome. It is concluded that severe distal oesophageal reflux and obesity predict amelioration in asthma symptoms after 8-week omeprazole treatment in asthmatics with GER. Adding more than one predictor does not seem to further increase prediction for favourable asthma response.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Wood stove heating, asthma and allergies.

In two German studies household wood or coal stove use was negatively associated with atopic sensitization and allergic rhinitis in childhood. Wood stove heating is strongly related to 'traditional lifestyle and therefore subjected to confounding factors possibly yet not known. The study was conducted to study these factors and the independent impact of early exposure to wood stove heating on subsequent asthma and atopic disease. In a questionnaire survey among 10667 Finnish university students aged 18-25 years, we investigated the association between wood stove heating at age 0-6 years and asthma and allergies up to young adulthood. Adjustment was made for factors related to the heating system and atopic disorders by using multivariate regression. Unadjusted lifetime prevalence rates for physician-diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and self-reported wheezing were lower among subjects with wood stove heating compared to other heating systems. There was a significant negative association between childhood wood stove heating and allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis in the univariate model (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.61-0.91), but not for the other diseases. The significant association disappeared in the multivariate analysis after adjusting for various family indoor and outdoor (adjusted OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.77-1.20) factors. The association between wood stove heating and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis was mainly confounded by childhood residential environment, especially the farm environment. Farm environment was found to be the main confounding factor related to association between wood stove heating and asthma, and atopic diseases.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Comorbidity of other pains in schoolchildren with migraine or nonmigrainous headache.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the occurrence of pain other than headache in prepubertal children with migraine and those with nonmigrainous headache. STUDY DESIGN: An unselected population-based prospective follow-up study on the occurrence of headache in school-aged children was carried out in 1290 children aged 8 to 9 years. The children (n = 725) who reported headache during the preceding 6 months were sent a more detailed questionnaire concerning the occurrence of pain other than headaches; 622 children (86%) returned an acceptably completed second questionnaire. Of them, 53 (8.5%) had migraine. Nonmigrainous headache was found in 460 children (74%). RESULTS: Children with migraine reported neck-shoulder pain, abdominal pain, back pain, and otalgia significantly more often than those with nonmigrainous headache. The median of the sum of other pains in children with migraine was significantly higher than that in children with nonmigrainous headache. The sum of other pains correlated positively with the frequency of nonmigrainous headache episodes (r =.40; 95% CI.31-.47), but there was no correlation between the sum of other pains and frequency of migraine attacks (r = -0.09; 95% CI -0.36-0.20). CONCLUSION: Children with migraine are more likely to report types of pain other than headaches, regardless of the frequency of attacks. Children with frequent nonmigrainous headaches also report higher frequencies of other types of pain.

Child↗

PubMed2001

Dieting and weight concerns among Finnish adolescents.

The aim of the study was to examine factors associated with dieting and weight concerns among Finnish adolescents. A school-survey included a 9-item screening scale for assessing attitudes and behaviors involving dieting and body image and a self-report measure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire assessing emotional and behavioral problems. Altogether 1458 questionnaires were analyzed, which accounted for about 89% of the target population including all the 7th and the 9th graders in two cities in Finland. According to the results, dieting and weight concerns were extremely common among Finnish adolescents. For all aspects of weight control and dieting concerns, the rates of occurrence were greater among girls. A high level of dieting concerns was associated with female sex, body mass, emotional, conduct, and hyperactivity symptoms, and alcohol use.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Maternal magnesium sulfate treatment is associated with reduced brain-blood flow perfusion in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of antenatally administered magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and ritodrine on cerebral blood flow and systemic hemodynamics in preterm infants. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care unit of a university central hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-five preterm infants age <33 wks of gestation. INTERVENTIONS: Serial Doppler examinations of the brain circulation, heart rate, systemic blood pressure, and echocardiographic assessment of ductus arteriosus shunting were performed during the first week of life in infants exposed antenatally to maternal MgSO4 (n = 19) or ritodrine treatment (n = 17), and in 19 nonexposed preterm controls. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cerebral blood flow velocity measurements were obtained from the anterior cerebral artery and internal carotid artery. Perfusion pressure and indices of resistance and blood flow in both vessels were subsequently derived. Maternal MgSO4 had no effect on neonatal cerebral blood flow velocity or resistance, but was associated with decreased (p <.05) perfusion pressure and blood flow in the anterior cerebral artery and internal carotid artery during the first day of life. Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were also lower (p <.05) during the whole study period in the MgSO4-exposed infants when compared with the controls. Maternal ritodrine treatment, on the other hand, had no consistent effects on either neonatal cerebral or systemic hemodynamics. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that maternal MgSO4 treatment, in contrast to antenatal ritodrine, is associated with lowered cerebral perfusion in preterm infants on the first day of life.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2001

Cognitive impairment and the 10-year survival probability of a normal 62-year-old population.

The predictive value of cognitive impairment together with demographic and health factors on long-term survival was evaluated. The population sample comprised 389 subjects, all 62 years old. Cognitive performances were measured using verbal, visuomotor and memory tests. Cognitive impairment was determined by comparing performances with norms derived from healthy controls. Ten years after testing, the probability of survival was 89% for the cognitively preserved subjects, 80% for those with mild impairment, and 71% for those with moderate impairment (p = 0.009). Relative risk (RR) for shortened survival was 1.7 (95% CI 0.9-3.2) for the mildly, and 2.6 (95% CI 1.4-4.8) for the moderately impaired. Perceived health problems were, as expected, related to reduced survival (p < 0.001, RR 3.6, 95% CI 2.1-6.0), and there was an association between cognitive impairment and impaired perceived health (p = 0.040). Multivariate analyses with Cox's regression models showed that cognitive impairment, in particular, impaired episodic memory had an association with survival, in addition to the expected effects. Thus, memory impairment may reflect very early signs of underlying disease, and so the findings provide predictive validity for the cognitive methods used.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Home dampness, current allergic diseases, and respiratory infections among young adults.

BACKGROUND: The relation between home dampness and respiratory symptoms among adults is well confirmed, but data on specific allergic diseases and respiratory infections is more limited. Individual factors that may enhance susceptibility to the effects of home dampness are mainly unknown. METHODS: The association between home dampness and current physician diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, common colds, and bacterial respiratory infections was studied in a questionnaire survey of 10 667 Finnish first year university students aged 18-25 years. The dampness categories analysed were visible mould and visible mould or damp stains or water damage during the last year. In multivariate analyses adjustment was made for parental education, active and passive smoking, type and place of residence, pets, and wall to wall carpets. The interaction effect of atopic heredity and dampness was investigated. RESULTS: Visible mould or damp stains or water damage was reported by 15.0% of the respondents. In multivariate models there was a positive association between home dampness and current asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, as well as common colds > or =4 times per year and other respiratory infections, but not between home dampness and allergic conjunctivitis. The strongest association was found between exposure to visible mould and asthma (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.48 to 3.28) and common colds (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.87). The risk of current asthma in damp homes was highest among subjects with atopic heredity. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of current asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis was higher in damp homes. Of the respiratory infections, the risk of common colds was most clearly increased.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I receptors in the temporomandibular joint of the rat.

While there are numerous investigations on hormonal control of long bone epiphyseal growth, corresponding knowledge is sparse concerning the condylar cartilage. We investigated the distribution of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptors in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), especially the condyle, and compared the findings with information of long bone epiphyseal plates. The localization of the receptors was examined in vivo by immunohistochemical methods in one- to 21-day-old rats. GH receptors were detected in various components of the TMJ, but not in the fibrous articular surface or in the cartilage layers of the condyle. IGF-I receptors were found in the fibrous articular surface of the condyle and particularly in the superior and posterosuperior regions of the condylar cartilage, the depth of the labeled cell layer increasing significantly with age. It is evident that the expression of GH and IGF-I receptors is area-specific in the TMJ. Early post-natal growth and development of the mandibular condylar cartilage seem to be IGF-I-dependent but not directly dependent on GH.

Aging↗

PubMed2001

Familial aggregation of ankylosing spondylitis in Southern China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the familial aggregation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in southern China and to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics between the probands and their first-degree relatives with AS. METHODS: On the basis of questionnaires to 473 patients with AS, 402 responded and 36 self-reported having first-degree relatives with symptoms related to spondyloarthropathies. All together, 144 of 150 first-degree relatives of these 36 probands were examined for clinical and radiographic characteristics. HLA typing for HLA-B27 was performed by standard microlymphocytotoxicity method. RESULTS: The disease duration of the 36 probands was 5.03 +/- 3.76 years (0.5-14 yrs). Forty seven first-degree relatives of the 36 probands were diagnosed as having AS. The prevalence of AS among the first-degree relatives of these 36 aggregated families was 31.3%. The overall prevalence of AS among the first-degree relatives in these 402 families was estimated to be 2.8%. The recurrence risk of the first-degree relatives within these aggregated families was 31.3%, suggesting an excess risk to them of 120.4, while it was 10.8 to the general families. The probands more often had peripheral arthritis and enthesopathies (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively) than the AS patients among the first-degree relatives. HLA-B27 was associated with development of AS in the probands and the patients among the first-degree relatives. CONCLUSION: Although familial aggregation of AS in southern China is uncommon in general, the recurrence risk of the first-degree relatives of AS probands within the aggregated families is extremely high, according to our study among hospital based patients. As the disease of the first-degree relatives is often mild and atypical, familial background analysis should be encouraged to assist early diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Connections between parental eating attitudes and children's meagre eating: questionnaire findings.

UNLABELLED: This study investigated whether young children's problematic, meagre eating is associated with the eating habits and attitudes of the parents. The subjects, 397 children, their mothers (n = 397) and fathers (n = 375) participated in a prospective atherosclerosis risk-factor intervention trial. The parents evaluated their own eating behaviour in questionnaires when their child was 13 mo old. The children's eating problems were recorded by the mothers when the child was 13 mo old, and by both parents when the child was 5 y old. At both ages, the weight and height of the children were measured. Problematic or maladaptive eating habits of the children were found to be connected to those of their parents. The mother's poor ability to enjoy eating, high tendency to snack and low tendency to eat only when hungry, as well as the father's difficulty in maintaining ideal weight significantly predicted persistent problems of meagre eating in their children. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the eating habits and attitudes of parents may be reflected in the eating behaviour of young children.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Impact of dental health care on dental health of children with long-term diseases: a nested case-control study.

The objective was to study dental health among nine-year-old long-term ill and disabled children and their matched controls using DMFT/dmft-indices (decayed-missing-filled-teeth, of both permanent and deciduous teeth); to analyze similarities and differences of their family factors; the children's dental health habits which include dietary factors; to assess capabilities of the health care personnel in the identification of the risk groups and in the provision of services; and finally to investigate family satisfaction with the dental health care services provided. One dentist (M-L M) routinely carried out the clinical examinations of the children using the DMFT(dmft)-index. Only cavities extending to dentin were included in the DMF and dmf indices. X-rays were also used. It was found that less than half of the children (46%) had healthy teeth (DMFT and dmft both = 0), with 41% among the study group and 51% among the controls. The DMFS index of the longterm ill children was slightly, but not significantly greater than that of the controls, and these children used dental health care services more but their families were less satisfied with the services. The long-term ill children had less orthodontic care than the controls although they needed it more frequently, and they had a designated candy day significantly more often than the controls. Special diets were associated with long-term ill children, as were the sociodemographic factors of marital status, divorce, or stepfather present. No significant differences existed between the groups in toothbrushing and the use of fluoride products. In the status and health of teeth as measured with the DMFT/dmft indices, there were no statistically significant differences between the group of the long-term-ill children and healthy controls. Estimation of the focusing of care was considered successful concerning dental health, but resource limitations emerged and contributed to parents not being satisfied with the frequency dental care services offered.

Case-Control Studies↗