Biomedical subjects

Juha Mäkinen

Publications and source records attributed to Juha Mäkinen.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Sexual activity and perceived health among Finnish middle-aged women.

BACKGROUND: An increasing awareness of the need to address sexual and orgasm experiences as part of life quality and an understanding of the great individual differences between women play roles in women's health and medical care across the specialities. Information is lacking as to how negative attitude toward self (NATS) and performance impairment (PI) are associated with sexual activity of middle-aged women. We examined the associations of sexual experience, orgasm experience, and lack of sexual desire with perceived health and potential explanatory variables of NATS and PI. METHODS: Questionnaire was mailed to 2 population-based random samples of menopausal or soon-to-be menopausal women (n = 5510, 70% response) stratified according to age (42-46 and 52-56 years). In multivariate analyses of the associations with the outcome variables, perceived health, NATS, and PI were used as covariates in 6 models in which exercise, menstrual symptoms, and illness indicators were taken into account as well. RESULTS: Sexual activity variables were associated with perceived health. When present, NATS formed associations with sexual and orgasm experiences, whereas strenuous exercise formed associations with orgasm among 42-46-year-old women alone. Strenuous exercise was not associated with orgasm experience among older women. CONCLUSION: NATS and PI are closely tied to orgasm experiences and the meaning of the roles needs to be exposed. Sexual activity deserves to be addressed more actively in patient contact at least with perimenopausal women.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Surgical treatment of ovarian cancer in different hospital categories--a prospective nation-wide study in Finland.

This prospective nation-wide study was performed to evaluate the effect of hospital category and subspeciality training on surgical treatment of ovarian cancer. Data were obtained from a questionnaire filled in by the operating unit, and from the surgical and histopathology reports. The survey included 307 patients. Half of them were operated in the university hospitals where gynaecologic oncologists performed 72% of the operations. This was the case in only 4% and 19% in the central and district hospitals, respectively. In university hospitals, pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 88%, and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in 73%, of the patients with stage I disease. The corresponding figures ranged from 11% to 21% in central and district hospitals. For stage III patients operated by gynaecologic oncologists, the estimated odds ratio for no macroscopic tumour was 3.0 times higher (95% CI 1.2-7.5) than for those operated by general gynaecologists. These results favour centralisation of surgical treatment of ovarian cancer.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Increased carotid atherosclerosis in andropausal middle-aged men.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), serum sex hormone levels, and andropausal symptoms in middle-aged men. BACKGROUND: Male sex hormones may play a dual role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in men by carrying both proatherogenic and atheroprotective effects. METHODS: We studied 239 40- to 70-year-old men (mean +/- SD: 57 +/- 8 years) who participated in the Turku Aging Male Study and underwent serum lipid and sex hormone measurements. Ninety-nine men (age 58 +/- 7 years) were considered andropausal (i.e., serum testosterone <9.8 nmol/l or luteinizing hormone [LH] >6.0 U/l and testosterone in the normal range), and in both situations, they had subjective symptoms of andropause (a high symptom score in questionnaire). Three were excluded because of diabetes. The rest of the men (age 57 +/- 8 years) served as controls. Carotid IMT was determined using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound, and serum testosterone, estradiol (E2), LH, and sex hormone-binding globulin were measured using standard immunoassays. RESULTS: Andropausal men had a higher maximal IMT compared with controls in the common carotid (1.08 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.00 +/- 0.23, p < 0.05) and in the carotid bulb (1.44 +/- 0.48 vs. 1.27 +/- 0.35, p = 0.003). Common carotid IMT correlated inversely with serum testosterone (p = 0.003) and directly with LH (p = 0.006) in multivariate models adjusted for age, total cholesterol, body mass index, blood pressure, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Middle-aged men with symptoms of andropause, together with absolute or compensated (as reflected by high normal to elevated LH) testosterone deficiency, show increased carotid IMT. These data suggest that normal testosterone levels may offer protection against the development of atherosclerosis in middle-aged men.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Associations of social support and sex life--the HeSSup Study.

The present study characterized the associations of three sex life issues (importance of, satisfaction with, and ease in talking about sex life) with social support and reciprocity. We utilised survey data of working-aged men and women (n = 21,101) from the population-based random sample of the Health and Social Support (HeSSup) Study (40% response). The respondents with abundant social support considered sex life important, were satisfied with it, and found it easy to talk about sex life more often than those with less social support. Social support in sex life offered by one's own spouse/partner was important particularly to women, not available from the other sources to the same extent. Friends functioned as significant positive sources of support in sex life particularly among women, but relatives did not. Mutual reciprocity was associated with favourable perceptions of sex life. Persons lacking established primary social support should have easy access to services.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Experience of climacteric symptoms among 42-46 and 52-56-year-old women.

OBJECTIVE: The intensity of climacteric symptoms and their connection with sociodemographic background data were assessed among women who are or will soon be menopausal. METHODS: A sample of 5510 Finnish women who were 42-46 or 52-56-years-old was selected to this 'Quality of Life among Middle-aged Women' Study and received a menopause-specific questionnaire. RESULTS: Only 5% of the older and 36% of the younger women were totally asymptomatic. Altogether, 2% of the younger and 11% of the older women had severe climacteric symptoms. In the younger age group, a high symptom intensity was associated with living in town, having a low level of professional education, and being unemployed/laid off, whereas in the older age group, the experience of severe symptoms was associated with those having a couple relationship. CONCLUSION: Altogether 95% of women in the productive working age (52-56-years-old) surprisingly suffer from mild, moderate, or severe climacteric symptoms. Further even up to 64% of the younger women (42-46-years-old) suffered from similar symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

The polymorphic androgen receptor gene CAG repeat, pituitary-testicular function and andropausal symptoms in ageing men.

The activity of androgen receptor (AR) is modulated by a polymorphic CAG trinucleotide repeat in the AR gene. In the present study, we investigated hormonal changes among ageing men, and whether the number of AR CAG triplets is related to the appearance of these changes, as well as symptoms and diseases associated with ageing. A total of 213 41-70-year-old men donated blood for hormone analyses (LH, testosterone, oestradiol and SHBG) and answered questions concerning diseases and symptoms associated with ageing and/or androgen deficiency. Of these men, 172 donated blood for the measurement of the CAG repeat length of AR. The CAG repeat region of the AR gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the products were sized on polyacrylamide gels. The repeat number was analysed as a dichotomized variable divided according to cut-off limits of the lowest (< or =20 repeats) and the highest quartile (> or =23 repeats), and as a continuous variable. The proportion of men with serum LH in the uppermost quartile (>6.0 IU/L) with normal serum testosterone (>9.8 nmol/L, above the lowest 10%) increased significantly with age (p = 0.01). There were fewer men with this hormonal condition among those with CAG repeat number in the uppermost quartile (> or =23 repeats) (p = 0.03). These men also reported less decreased potency (p < 0.05). The repeat number was positively correlated with depression, as expressed by the wish to be dead (r = 0.45; p < 0.0001), depressed mood (r = 0.23; p = 0.003), anxiety (r = 0.15; p < 0.05), deterioration of general well-being (r = 0.22; p = 0.004), as well as decreased beard growth (r = 0.49; p < 0.0001). A hormonal condition where serum testosterone is normal but LH increased is a frequent finding in male ageing. Only certain types of age-related changes in ageing men were associated with the length of the AR gene CAG repeat, suggesting that this parameter may play a role in setting different thresholds for the array of androgen actions in the male.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Ectopic pregnancy].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sexual activity and background variables among Finnish middle-aged women.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the associations of sexual experience, orgasm experience, and lack of sexual desire with background variables. METHODS: Questionnaire was mailed to population-based samples (n=5510, 70% response) of soon-to-be-menopausal (aged 42-46 years) and menopausal (aged 52-56 years) women. RESULTS: Being married/having a spouse meant more sexual activity for both groups but also the likelihood to experience lack of sexual desire. Hormones emerged as the most important perceived reason for lack of sexual desire. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated a discrepancy between the reported frequencies of sexual experiences/orgasms with spouse and lack of desire.

Adolescent↗