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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Population genomics, demography, and circum-Baltic connectivity of Early Medieval southwestern Finland.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of Early Medieval Finland (1050-1250 CE) relies primarily on archaeological evidence, as contemporary sources are scarce. The available evidence indicates two distinct cultural-economic zones: coastal and inland. Using newly generated genomic data from 34 ancient individuals alongside modern Finnish genomes, we characterise Late Iron Age and Early Medieval ancestry in southwestern Finland, reconstruct demographic patterns, and place individuals within a circum-Baltic relatedness network. RESULTS: Early Medieval ancestry in inland southwestern Finland was very similar to that of present-day inhabitants. Ancient coastal and inland individuals were genetically indistinguishable, whereas modern coastal populations showed substantially more Scandinavian ancestry, and less Baltic ancestry compared to their ancient counterparts. IBD (identity-by-descent) analyses also indicate a major genetic shift in the coastal zone since the Early Medieval Period. Effective population size increased throughout the study period and was ~ 13,000 by 1250 CE. IBD links between Scandinavia and Early Medieval Finland align with known archaeological connections. Furthermore, we identify IBD links between individuals from Early Medieval Finland and victims of the Kronan warship sinking. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate nearly a millenium of population continuity in the inland zone of southwestern Finland, contrasted by a large, contemporaneous genetic shift in the coastal zone. This ancestry shift corresponds with documented medieval emigration from Sweden to Finland. The regional population rapidly expanded during this time period, likely due to new agricultural practices and favourable climatic conditions. Our circum-Baltic IBD network indicates that southwestern Finland was firmly embedded into the wider, pre-modern Baltic world.

Humans

Dermatitis herpetiformis in Finland.

During a 3 1/2-year period, 492 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) visited the dermatological departments of Finnish hospitals. The prevalence of DH in Finland was 10.4 patients/100,000 inhabitants, or 1/10,000. About 60 patients contracted DH each year, giving an incidence of 1.3 patients/100,000 inhabitants/year. These figures show that DH is a rather common disease in Finland--much more so in Finland than in Britain. Its incidence does not differ much from that approximated for coeliac disease in Finland. DH occured in all parts of the country. The birth-places of the patients were distributed evenly over the whole country, in contrast to the distribution pattern of rare hereditary diseases in Finland. No significant difference was found in the occurrence of DH in areas with differing levels of wheat consumption or iodine intake.

Adolescent

The prevalence of chronic diseases in children in out-hospital care in Finland.

The records of public health nurses have been used for an estimate of the prevalence of children in domestic care and suffering from various kinds of chronic diseases. This estimate provided a basis for computation of the number of chronically ill children in out-hospital care in Finland. The research was carried out as a sample research and this inquiry resulted in the information of the anamnesis of 12,721 chronic children under 16 years of age taken care of at home. We have counted as chronics those children whose disease is lingering either due to its mechanism of origin or to its nature or known to be such from experience. The total prevalence was 53% of the child population in Finland which corresponds to 59,000 chronically sick children. The geographical distributions of the groups of the diseases were not quite alike in the different parts in our land. The greater prevalences were found on the other hand in Northern Finland and in the wide archipelago of Southwestern Finland. The most common types of the chronic diseases of children were found to be those of sense organs (the total prevalence was 18%). The prevalence of allergic diseases varies between 6--12% and the disease group of endocrinic glands 1.0--3.4%. The prevalence of the neurological diseases was 2.3% and the biggest group consists of the convulsive. The prevalence of the other groups of diseases were: the psychiatric diseases 2.2%, the urological diseases 1.4% and the hematological diseases 0.8%.

Adolescent

Regional coffee consumption and mortality from ischemic heart disease in Finland.

In Finland the mortality from ischemic heart disease is highest in North Karelia and lowest in Southwest Finland. In this study the consumption of coffee has been measured from the total sales in the different areas of Finland to see if it correlates with the mortality from heart disease. North Karelia had higher coffee sales per inhabitant than Southwest Finland. This finding reinforces the view that carefully controlled dietary studies are needed to establish the role of coffee in the mortality from ischemic heart disease.

Adolescent

[Comparative study of stroke morbidity in Tartu (Estonian SSR) and in Espoo and Kauniainen (Finland)].

The incidence of strokes was studied in Tartu (Estonian SSR) during 1970-1973 and in Espoo-Kauniainen (Finland) during 1972-1973. The study involves only cases of first strokes. According to the standardized data (the population of Finland for 1970 was accepted as a standard) the incidence for strokes in Tartu was 160 cases per year. The incidence in Espoo-Kauniainen was higher mainly among females younger than 50 years due to more frequent subarachnoidal hemorrhages in Finland. In both cities the incidence was somewhat higher in males, rather than in females. Lethality during the first 3 months was higher in Tartu (51%), than in Espoo-Kaunianen (39%) due to an older population.

Adult

The distribution of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus L.) in Finland in 1975.

The distribution of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus L.) in Finland was surveyed in the light of an inquiry. The range presented is based on more than one thousand answers to a questionnaire. The extension further northward of this species during the past ten years was confirmed. The distributional areas of the hedgehog in Finland in 1952, 1965 and 1975 are presented in a cartogram. In southern Finland the number of the hedgehog has clearly decreased during the past ten years (1965-1975). Some possible reasons for the decline are discussed.

Animals

Mineral composition of enamel and dentin of primary and permanent teeth in Finland.

The concentrations of 12 different elements were measured in dentin and enamel of primary and permanent teeth collected in six different localities in Finland. Na, Cl, Al, Mn, Ca, and P were determined by neutron activation analysis, K, Mg, Zn, Cu, and Fe by the atomic absorption method, and F with the fluoride-specific electrode. Most elements were present in higher concentrations in the enamel than in the dentin: Mg, however, was higher in the dentin. Compared with the permanent teeth, the primary teeth contained more K and Mn in enamel and K and Mg in dentin, but less Na and Zn in enamel. Differences between the six localities were significant for F, Cl, K, Zn, Na, and Mn. Fe, Cu, and Mn contents of teeth were much lower in Finland than elsewhere; in the typical Finnish diet the contents of Fe and Cu are relatively low and iron deficiency anemia is usually common in Finland.

Adolescent

The epidemiology of autopsies in cardiovascular deaths of middle-aged men in Finland in 1973.

There were 414 certified deaths from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in men aged 35--44, and 1372 at ages 45--54, in Finland during 1973. A detailed analysis of the examination of the cause of death in these cases was made by paying specific attention to the autopsy epidemiology. In men aged 35--44 years 68.6% of all cardiovascular deaths and 55.2% at ages 45--54 was verified by autopsy. The autopsy rate of cardiovascular deaths in these two populations of deceased males (1) was in 1973 about three times higher than it had been 10 years earlier, (2) decreased significantly with the age of the deceased population, (3) was higher in urban than in rural areas, (4) was markedly higher in Helsinki than anywhere else in Finland (at ages 35--44 the rate in Helsinki was 94.9% and at 45--54 76.2% in 1973), (5) was dependent on the actual place of death, (6) was higher than the mean rate recorded for all natural deaths in these two groups of male deceased, (7) was higher in the category of cerebrovascular deaths and lower in deaths from ischaemic heart diseases than the mean rate recorded for all cardiovascular deaths, and (8) was composed mainly of medicolegal autopsies, when the cause of death was some ischaemic or functional heart disease; mostly a clinical autopsy was made when the death was due to some other category of CVD. In addition, 76% of the deceased 35--54-year-old males who died from CVD were either autopsied and/or treated in a hospital before death. This result and the quite high national autopsy rates among the deceased young and middle-aged populations give support to the reliability of the national mortality statistics at these ages.

Adult

Incidence of urolithiasis leading to hospitalization in Finland.

The study population consists of 2304 urolithiasis patients discharged from all hospitals in 21 central hospital districts in 1970. The incidence rate was 50 per 100 000 inhabitants per year, 74 for men and 27 for women. The age distribution resembles the Gaussian curve, with a peak between 45 and 49 years for men and between 50 and 54 years for women. The male/female ratio was 2.7 in the entire material, about 1 in the age group 0--24 years, about 3 in the age group 25--74 years and about 1.5 in patients 75 years or older. The standardized incidence was highest in Southeastern Finland and in the archipelago of Aland, and lowest in the coastal area of Southwestern Finland. In the area with high incidence, the age distribution of urolithiasis patients differed from that in the rest of the country: in the age groups over 40 the incidence of urolithiasis did not appear to decrease. This difference was attributed to some lifelong environmental exposure. The standardized incidence of urolithiasis leading to hospitalization was higher among urban than rural residents. Seasonal variation in the hospital admissions for urolithiasis was not evident, temporal patterns of admissions were, however, dissimilar in urban and rural areas, and might reflect differences in the physical activities of urban and rural populations.

Adolescent

Costs and benefits of measles vaccination in Finland.

Measles vaccination is fairly beneficial. During the third year after launching of the vaccination programme, cumulative benefits accuring from vaccination outweigh the cumulative costs of vaccination. This conclusion is based on a study of the vaccination programme in Finland. According to the vaccination programme, all 1-year-old infants in Finland are vaccinated. The duration of the period under survey has been set at 25 years, the measuring unit is the Finnish mark and the price level is that of the year 1975. When comparing costs and benefits, these are converted to present day monetary values. Vaccination costs per vaccinated infant amount to 32 marks, and in total during the period 1975--1999 they will amount to about 34 million marks according to an interest rate of 9% and to about 41 million marks according to an interest rate of 6% in current monetary value. Benefits gained by vaccination, compared with costs, are manifold. The benefits of one vaccination have been estimated at 230 marks. In total, benefits during the period 1975--99 constitute ca 117 million marks at an interest rate of 9%, and ca 159 million marks at an interest rate of 6% in current monetary value, without any deduction for vaccination costs. The net gain of vaccination--with a deduction of vaccination costs--is ca 84 million marks at an interest rate of 9%, and ca 118 million marks at an interest rate of 6% in current monetary value.

Child, Preschool

Mortality and autopsy rate for gastrointestinal diseases in Finland in 1955--1973.

Gastrointestinal diseases accounted for about 10% of all natural deaths in Finland in 1955--1973. Total mortality for these diseases decreased slightly amongst young and middle-aged people in 1955--1973. This was mainly because mortality for ulcerative diseases of the stomach and the small intestine decreased continuously in practically all are groups, and also because the death rates of men and women from malignant neoplasms of the stomach decreased slightly but linearly at all ages. The autopsy rates increased highly significantly in all major categories of deaths between 1963 and 1973. In 1973 the autopsy rate for diseases of the digestive system (the ninth ICD main group) was 67%. This rate exceeded highly significantly the mean autopsy rate recorded for all (38%) and all natural deaths (33%). The autopsy rate for gastrointestinal malignancies was 26%, which in turn was highly significantly lower than the average rate for all and all natural deaths. The highest single autopsy rates in 1973 were recorded for ulcer of the duodenum (87%), diseases of the pancreas (78%), cholelithiasis (77%), and chronic enteritis and ulcerative colitis (76%). The present results suggest that the mortality statistics of Finland are obviously more reliable for the gastrointestinal diseases as a cause of death than in most other major categories of diseases.

Adolescent

The battle against occupational lead poisoning in Finland. Experiences during the 15-year period 1964--1978.

Occupational lead poisoning has been greatly reduced as a problem in Finland during the 1970s. Case-finding efforts and increased awareness of plant physicians first caused an increase of the incidence with a peak of 89 reported cases in 1974. A sharp decline followed, and, although about 30 mild cases are still reported annually, classical clinical poisoning hardly exists anymore. An extensive regular monitoring program covering 8,000--10,000 blood lead (PbB) analyses a year also shows that exposure levels have been reduced. In 1977 only 70 PbB values, or 1%, were in excess of 70 micrograms/100 ml, and 243 values (4%) exceeded 60 micrograms/100 ml. All such values came from workers employed by less than 30 workplaces, and several of them belonged to workers monitored more than once a year. It is proposed that the general development of occupational health in Finland is to a great extent reflected in this favorable development; however, since special research, educational and informative efforts have been devoted to the lead problem, it may well be that these measures have also influenced the outcome. The results show that, on a nationwide scale, the lead problem can be coped with much more effectively than one has been apt to think. Hence the nonfeasibility of lowering maximum permissible exposure levels has been put in serious doubt. There is no reason to allow unnecessarily high exposure in the vast majority of workplaces only because a small minority has technical difficulties.

Environmental Exposure

The efficacy of polio vaccination in Finland.

The inactivated polio vaccine has eliminated not only the disease but also polioviruses from Finland. The last endemic cases of poliomyelitis were seen in 1961, and two were imported in 1964. To check whether polioviruses were still circulating in Finland, an intensified search for polioviruses was carried out in 1972-1974 in sewage, among patients with polio-like diseases and among healthy preschool children. Viruses, mostly Coxsackie B viruses, were isolated from sewage in 67% of the samples, but no polioviruses. The etiology of aseptic meningitis and other polio-like diseases was explained in 52% of the cases, but without isolation of any polioviruses. Faeces samples from 4878 different preschool children were examined: 15.7% of them excreted viruses, but not polioviruses.

Child, Preschool

Social group and mortality in Finland.

Morality rates for various social groups within the population of Finland were compared, using 179 919 death certificates for the period 1969-72. Morality was generally lowest in the highest social groups and highest among unskilled workers. Male mortality from coronary heart disease was also high among lower salaried employees. In the less developed area of northern Finland, female mortality from coronary heart disease and vascular lesions of the central nervous system was highest among the agricultural population. Cancer of the breast, cancer of the intestine, and suicides among women were apparently concentrated in the higher classes. Life table analysis showed that the social group differences in life expectancy at birth could be as great as 7.2 years. It is considered indispensable for a national health policy to improve on the recording of occupational data and to give regularly the occupation of the deceased when publishing mortality rates.

Female

The occurrence of aflatoxin in nuts and nut products imported to Finland for human consumption during the years 1974-1976.

An examination was made of 1050 lots of nuts and nut products, totalling 4.7 million kg, imported to Finland in the years 1974-1976. Of these, 44 lots (4.2%) were found to contain aflatoxin. The highest percentage of aflatoxin-containing lots, was observed in the case of sliced and crushed peanuts (29.4%). Of the positive samples, 20.5% contained 101-500 microgram aflatoxin per kg, 52.3% contained 6-100 microgram/kg and 20.5% contained less than or equal to 5 microgram/kg. Rest of the samples (6.7%) contained aflatoxin 501 microgram/kg or more. The most commonly detected toxin types were B1 and B2. The proportion of aflatoxin-containing lots showed a slight decrease during the 3-year research period. On the basis of the research results and the sampling plan used, and bearing in mind the acceptable quality level (AQL: 5 microgram/kg) employed in Finland, the reliability of approval and rejection decisions was discussed from the point of view of both the producer's and the consumer's risk.

Aflatoxins

Prevalence of drugs among drivers arrested for drinking and driving in Finland.

A combined thin layer and gas chromatography system was developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of drugs in biological samples after extraction with heptane-isoamyl alcohol. Both acidic and basic extraction procedures were used. Special methods were used for the extraction and detection of salicylates, isoniazid, and morphine. Particular attention was given to the detection of psychostimulants; though these drugs have seldom been found in drinking drivers in Finland they are commonly found in Sweden. Two percent of all suspected drinking drivers were also suspected of concommitant drug use, which led to primary sampling of urine. Of 100 such drivers, 24 had blood alcohol levels (BALs) which were negative and 18 of that 24 had drugs in their sample. Seventy-six of the 100 had positive BALs and 25 of the 76 had drugs in their samples. Of the randomly chosen 100 suspected drinking drivers, 5 had drugs in their samples, and 4 of these 5 had positive BALs. The benzodiazeomes were the most commonly detected drugs. No stimulants were found in our subjects.

Adult

Biguanide-induced lactic acidosis in Finland.

Twenty-four patients with biguanide-induced lactic acidosis were reported to the Adverse Drug Reaction Register of the Finnish National Board of Health from 1974-1977. Of them, 23 had been treated with phenformin and one with metformin. The mean age of the patients was 71 years, and all but one were more than 65 years of age. The mortality rate was 63%. One patient had cirrhosis of the liver and one was already known tohave had impaired renal function. Fourteen of the patients had a normal serum creatinine concentration either before or after the development of lactic acidosis. Thus, in most patients it had not been possible to prevent development of lactic acidosis by observing the contraindications to biguanide therapy. Most patients had some form of co-existing cardiovascular disease. Tetracycline therapy was a probable precipitating factor in three cases. Based on the statistics of biguanide consumption in Finland, the annual incidence of biguanide-induced lactic acidosis in 1976 and 1977 was between 1/2000 and 1/3000 and that of fatal lactic acidosis was 1/4000.

Acidosis

Mercury and chlorinated hydrocarbons in zoobenthos of Lake Päijänne, Finland.

The average amounts of mercury, PCBs, and sigma DDT (primarily DDE), found in macrozoobenthos, on the wet basis, in Lake Päijänne, Finland, for the time period 1972-1974, were 79 ng/g, 29 ng/g, and 8 ng/g, respectively. Lindane was found in negligible amounts in only 2% of the samples examined; aldrin was present in 10% of the samples; no dieldrin was detected. Mercury and PCB concentrations varied regionally in the lake. PCB and sigma DDT concentrations were greater in the predatory bottom animals than in the herbivores or detritus feeders, and the amounts of chlorinated hydrocarbons were greater in profundal animals than in littoral animals. No significant correlation was apparent between the amount of residues found and the weight of the animal (e.g. Anodonta). A significant positive correlation was evident in the amounts of PCBs and sigma DDT in most of the taxonomical groups. Spongilla lacustris and Anodonta piscinalis were excellent species for monitoring purposes.

Animals