326 research outputs found
Seasonal variation of suicides and homicides in Finland : With special attention to statistical techniques used in seasonality studies
No full textAbstractSeasonal variations of events are apparently playing an important part in various psychiatric conditions. To study the seasonal variation of a condition appears to be one useful approach to clarify the aetiology of a mental disorder and phenomena to which mental disorders are associated. In the present study the seasonal variations of suicides during the period of 1980–95 (n=21279) and homicides during the years 1957–95 (n=4553) in Finland were analysed. In addition, the use of statistical techniques for seasonality and some important characteristics of study samples were evaluated from 44 original suicide seasonality studies published between 1970–97. Special attention was paid to statistical methods for seasonality and these were reviewed in the summary part of this dissertation.A statistically significant spring peak of suicides was found in both genders, in all age groups (aged 39 years or below, 40–64 years, and 65 years or more) and in violent (hanging, drowning, shooting, wrist-cutting, jumping from a height) and non-violent suicides (poisoning, gas, other methods). A secondary autumn peak of suicides was present in females and also associated with non-violent methods. The rate of violent suicides had increased significantly during 1980–90 and decreased thereafter, while the non-violent suicides had kept steadily increasing over the whole 16-year study period. The seasonal variation of violent suicides had remained stable and statistically significant over the whole study period, but the seasonality in non-violent suicides has diminished over time.The seasonal pattern of homicides showed a statistically significant peak in summer and a trough in winter. The observed rate of homicides was about 6% higher in summer and 6% lower in winter than expected under the null hypothesis of a uniform distribution. Both the crude numbers of homicide and the rate of homicides per 100 000 population increased significantly over the 39-year study period. The increasing rate of homicides in Finland was accompanied by decreasing homicide seasonality. The seasonal trends in homicides correlated significantly (positive correlation) with the seasonal trends in the violent suicides over the period of 1980–95.The use of particular statistical techniques was specified in the majority of the 44 reviewed suicide seasonality articles. This was considered as satisfactory, although in subgroup analyses and in comparisons of the seasonal pattern of suicides with phenomena other than suicides, researchers tended to interpret their study findings without a statistical significance test. In those 37 articles, which had actually examined the seasonal pattern of suicides with a statistical test, statistical methods varied from simple standard tests like the chi-square test (14 articles, 38%) to sophisticated time series analyses such as a spectral analysis (4 articles, 11%). The calendar effect (i.e. effect due to the unequal lengths of months and leap years) was reported to have been taken into account in only 10 out of 44 (22%) reviewed studies. The lack of reporting the size of a sample (12 articles, 27%) or monthly values of suicides (17 articles, 54%) was found to be a major deficit in the reviewed studies. On the basis of these findings it is recommended to carry out further surveys, which evaluate statistical content and use of statistical methods in published medical articles. These kinds of surveys remind researchers to consider more thoroughly methodological and statistical issues in their investigations.Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, for public discussion in the Väinö Pääkkönen Hall of the Department of Psychiatry (Peltolantie 5), on April 28th, 2000, at 12 noon.Abstract
Seasonal variations of events are apparently playing an important part in various psychiatric conditions. To study the seasonal variation of a condition appears to be one useful approach to clarify the aetiology of a mental disorder and phenomena to which mental disorders are associated. In the present study the seasonal variations of suicides during the period of 1980–95 (n=21279) and homicides during the years 1957–95 (n=4553) in Finland were analysed. In addition, the use of statistical techniques for seasonality and some important characteristics of study samples were evaluated from 44 original suicide seasonality studies published between 1970–97. Special attention was paid to statistical methods for seasonality and these were reviewed in the summary part of this dissertation.
A statistically significant spring peak of suicides was found in both genders, in all age groups (aged 39 years or below, 40–64 years, and 65 years or more) and in violent (hanging, drowning, shooting, wrist-cutting, jumping from a height) and non-violent suicides (poisoning, gas, other methods). A secondary autumn peak of suicides was present in females and also associated with non-violent methods. The rate of violent suicides had increased significantly during 1980–90 and decreased thereafter, while the non-violent suicides had kept steadily increasing over the whole 16-year study period. The seasonal variation of violent suicides had remained stable and statistically significant over the whole study period, but the seasonality in non-violent suicides has diminished over time.
The seasonal pattern of homicides showed a statistically significant peak in summer and a trough in winter. The observed rate of homicides was about 6% higher in summer and 6% lower in winter than expected under the null hypothesis of a uniform distribution. Both the crude numbers of homicide and the rate of homicides per 100 000 population increased significantly over the 39-year study period. The increasing rate of homicides in Finland was accompanied by decreasing homicide seasonality. The seasonal trends in homicides correlated significantly (positive correlation) with the seasonal trends in the violent suicides over the period of 1980–95.
The use of particular statistical techniques was specified in the majority of the 44 reviewed suicide seasonality articles. This was considered as satisfactory, although in subgroup analyses and in comparisons of the seasonal pattern of suicides with phenomena other than suicides, researchers tended to interpret their study findings without a statistical significance test. In those 37 articles, which had actually examined the seasonal pattern of suicides with a statistical test, statistical methods varied from simple standard tests like the chi-square test (14 articles, 38%) to sophisticated time series analyses such as a spectral analysis (4 articles, 11%). The calendar effect (i.e. effect due to the unequal lengths of months and leap years) was reported to have been taken into account in only 10 out of 44 (22%) reviewed studies. The lack of reporting the size of a sample (12 articles, 27%) or monthly values of suicides (17 articles, 54%) was found to be a major deficit in the reviewed studies. On the basis of these findings it is recommended to carry out further surveys, which evaluate statistical content and use of statistical methods in published medical articles. These kinds of surveys remind researchers to consider more thoroughly methodological and statistical issues in their investigations
JP Johanssons Kombo
No full textKonsert med JP Johanssons Kombo under Gällivare Kulturfestival på Nordan i Malberget 4 oktober 2014.Jazzgruppen Jerker Johansson Band möter folkmusikgruppen JP Nyström i en spännande mix av jazz, visa och folkmusik.JP Nyströms består av: Svante Lindkvist, Göran Eriksson, Mats Olausson, Markus Falck och Ulf ”Flu” Jonsson.Jerker Johansson Band: Tomas Henriksson, Gert Dahlström, Kicki Enqvist, Tommy Lakso och Jerker JohanssonGodkänd; 2014; 20141123 (tola)</p
JP Johanssons Kombo
No full textKonsert med JP Johanssons Kombo under Gällivare Kulturfestival på Nordan i Malberget 4 oktober 2014.Jazzgruppen Jerker Johansson Band möter folkmusikgruppen JP Nyström i en spännande mix av jazz, visa och folkmusik.JP Nyströms består av: Svante Lindkvist, Göran Eriksson, Mats Olausson, Markus Falck och Ulf ”Flu” Jonsson.Jerker Johansson Band: Tomas Henriksson, Gert Dahlström, Kicki Enqvist, Tommy Lakso och Jerker JohanssonGodkänd; 2014; 20141123 (tola)</p
Stroke is predicted by low visuospatial in relation to other intellectual abilities and coronary heart disease by low general intelligence
No full textBACKGROUND: Low intellectual ability is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Most studies have used a general intelligence score. We studied whether three different subscores of intellectual ability predict these disorders.METHODS: We studied 2,786 men, born between 1934 and 1944 in Helsinki, Finland, who as conscripts at age 20 underwent an intellectual ability test comprising verbal, visuospatial (analogous to Raven's progressive matrices) and arithmetic reasoning subtests. We ascertained the later occurrence of coronary heart disease and stroke from validated national hospital discharge and death registers.RESULTS: 281 men (10.1%) had experienced a coronary heart disease event and 131 (4.7%) a stroke event. Coronary heart disease was predicted by low scores in all subtests, hazard ratios for each standard deviation (SD) lower score ranging from 1.21 to 1.30 (confidence intervals 1.08 to 1.46). Stroke was predicted by a low visuospatial reasoning score, the corresponding hazard ratio being 1.23 (95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.46), adjusted for year and age at testing. Adjusted in addition for the two other scores, the hazard ratio was 1.40 (1.10 to 1.79). This hazard ratio was little affected by adjustment for socioeconomic status in childhood and adult life, whereas the same adjustments attenuated the associations between intellectual ability and coronary heart disease. The associations with stroke were also unchanged when adjusted for systolic blood pressure at 20 years and reimbursement for adult antihypertensive medication.CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is predicted by low visuospatial reasoning scores in relation to scores in the two other subtests. This association may be mediated by common underlying causes such as impaired brain development, rather than by mechanisms associated with risk factors shared by stroke and coronary heart disease, such as socio-economic status, hypertension and atherosclerosis
Uusia näkökulmia Bill Clintonin hallintoon
No full textArvosteltu teos: Skills and constraints: Bill Clinton's presidential leadership of entitlement reform, 1993–1999 / Markus Kantola. Turku : University of Turku, 2014
Depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome in young adults : The Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study
No full textAbstractDepression is a common mental disorder in the Finnish population. There are several biological, psychological and social factors in the background of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome using data from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.A large, prospectively collected general population-based birth cohort of originally 12058 liveborn children was used as study population. The database provided information on birth characteristics and features of the primary family. The follow-up studies were performed at the age of 14 years by postal inquiry, and at the age of 31 years by postal inquiry and clinical examination. Information on age at menarche and weight and height was obtained from the postal questionnaire at 14 and 31 years and clinical examination at 31 years. Data on abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome were gathered from the clinical examination. Data on depressive symptoms measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), self-reported physician-diagnosed lifetime depression and the use of antidepressants were gathered from the postal questionnaire at 31 years.Females with high birth weight and high ponderal index (index of the birth measures, kg/m3) had a higher risk of depressive symptoms at 31 years measured by the HSCL-25 compared with females with normal birth weight and ponderal index. Males with ponderal index belonging to the lowest 5 percentile had an increased risk for physician-diagnosed depression at 31 years. Females with late menarche (≥ 16 years) had an elevated risk of depression measured by the HSCL-25, the use of antidepressants and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression compared with females with menarche at 12–15 years. Obesity measured by BMI at 14 years increased the risk of depressive symptoms measured by the HSCL-25 at 31 years among both males and females. Females who were obese both at baseline and at follow-up had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher among females who had gained weight compared to females who had stayed normal-weighted. Males with abdominal obesity measured by waist-to-hip ratio had an increased risk of depressive symptoms and physician-diagnosed depression, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher compared with subjects without abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity did not associate with depression in females. Metabolic syndrome did not associate with depression.The results indicate an increased risk of depression at 31 years in females with high birth weight, late menarche, adolescent obesity and weight gain and in males with adolescent obesity and abdominal obesity.TiivistelmäDepressio on yleinen mielenterveyden häiriö suomalaisväestössä. Depression taustalla on monia biologisia, psykologisia ja sosiaalisia tekijöitä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia depressiota selvittäen, onko syntymäpainolla, menarkeiällä, lihavuudella ja metabolisella oireyhtymällä yhteyttä depressioon Pohjois-Suomen vuoden 1966 syntymäkohorttiaineistossa.Tutkimusaineistoon kuului alun perin 12058 elävänä syntynyttä lasta. Tietokantaan oli jo aiemmin kerätty aineistoa syntymään ja primaariperheeseen liittyen. Kohortin jäsenten ollessa 14-vuotiaita tehtiin seurantatutkimus postikyselynä ja 31-vuotiaana tehtiin sekä postikysely että kliininen tutkimus. Tiedot menarkeiästä kerättiin 31-vuotispostikyselystä, paino- ja pituustiedot sekä 14- ja 31-vuotispostikyselyistä että kliinisen tutkimuksen tiedoista. Kliininen tutkimus sisälsi tiedot myös keskivartalolihavuuden ja metabolisen oireyhtymän määrittämiseksi. 31-vuotispostikyselyssä depressio-oireita kysyttiin HSCL-25 -oirekyselyllä; lisäksi kysyttiin, oliko lääkäri todennut aiemmin masennusta sekä oliko tutkittavilla käytössä masennuslääkkeitä.Naisilla, joiden syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi (syntymäpainon ja pituuden suhdetta kuvaava indeksi, kg/m3) oli korkea, depressio-oireiden riski 31-vuotiaana mitattuna HSCL-25:lla oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joilla oli normaali syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi. Miehillä, joilla oli hyvin alhainen ponderaali-indeksi kuuluen alimpaan 5 % ryhmään, riski lääkärin toteamaan masennukseen oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden menarkeikä oli 16-vuotta tai myöhemmin, riski depressio-oireiden esiintyvyyteen, depressiolääkkeiden käyttöön ja lääkärin toteaman depression esiintyvyyteen oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joiden menarkeikä oli 12–15-vuotta. Lihavuus 14-vuotiaana lisäsi masennusoireiden riskiä mitattuna HSCL-25:lla sekä 31-vuotiailla miehillä että naisilla. Naisilla, jotka olivat lihavia sekä 14- että 31-vuotiaana, masennusoireiden riski oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden paino oli noussut, masennuslääkkeitten käyttö oli yleisempää verrattuna naisiin, joilla paino oli pysynyt normaalina. Keskivartalolihavuus oli miehillä yhteydessä suurentuneeseen depressio-oireiden ja lääkärin toteaman masennuksen riskiin, ja he käyttivät yleisemmin masennuslääkkeitä verrattuna miehiin ilman keskivartalolihavuutta. Naisilla keskivartalolihavuus ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen. Metabolinen oireyhtymä ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen.Tulokset osoittavat korkean syntymäpainon, myöhäisen menarkeiän ja nuoruusiän lihavuuden sekä painon nousun lisäävän masennusriskiä 31-vuotiailla naisilla, 31-vuotiailla miehillä nuoruusiän lihavuus sekä keskivartalolihavuus olivat yhteydessä suurentuneeseen masennusriskiin.Academic dissertation to be presented, with the assent of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oulu, for public defence in Auditorium 101 A of the Faculty of Medicine (Aapistie 5 A), on February 23rd, 2007, at 12 noonAbstract
Depression is a common mental disorder in the Finnish population. There are several biological, psychological and social factors in the background of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate depression in association with birth weight, age at menarche, obesity and metabolic syndrome using data from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.
A large, prospectively collected general population-based birth cohort of originally 12058 liveborn children was used as study population. The database provided information on birth characteristics and features of the primary family. The follow-up studies were performed at the age of 14 years by postal inquiry, and at the age of 31 years by postal inquiry and clinical examination. Information on age at menarche and weight and height was obtained from the postal questionnaire at 14 and 31 years and clinical examination at 31 years. Data on abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome were gathered from the clinical examination. Data on depressive symptoms measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), self-reported physician-diagnosed lifetime depression and the use of antidepressants were gathered from the postal questionnaire at 31 years.
Females with high birth weight and high ponderal index (index of the birth measures, kg/m3) had a higher risk of depressive symptoms at 31 years measured by the HSCL-25 compared with females with normal birth weight and ponderal index. Males with ponderal index belonging to the lowest 5 percentile had an increased risk for physician-diagnosed depression at 31 years. Females with late menarche (≥ 16 years) had an elevated risk of depression measured by the HSCL-25, the use of antidepressants and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression compared with females with menarche at 12–15 years. Obesity measured by BMI at 14 years increased the risk of depressive symptoms measured by the HSCL-25 at 31 years among both males and females. Females who were obese both at baseline and at follow-up had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher among females who had gained weight compared to females who had stayed normal-weighted. Males with abdominal obesity measured by waist-to-hip ratio had an increased risk of depressive symptoms and physician-diagnosed depression, and the proportion of those who used antidepressants was higher compared with subjects without abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity did not associate with depression in females. Metabolic syndrome did not associate with depression.
The results indicate an increased risk of depression at 31 years in females with high birth weight, late menarche, adolescent obesity and weight gain and in males with adolescent obesity and abdominal obesity.Tiivistelmä
Depressio on yleinen mielenterveyden häiriö suomalaisväestössä. Depression taustalla on monia biologisia, psykologisia ja sosiaalisia tekijöitä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia depressiota selvittäen, onko syntymäpainolla, menarkeiällä, lihavuudella ja metabolisella oireyhtymällä yhteyttä depressioon Pohjois-Suomen vuoden 1966 syntymäkohorttiaineistossa.
Tutkimusaineistoon kuului alun perin 12058 elävänä syntynyttä lasta. Tietokantaan oli jo aiemmin kerätty aineistoa syntymään ja primaariperheeseen liittyen. Kohortin jäsenten ollessa 14-vuotiaita tehtiin seurantatutkimus postikyselynä ja 31-vuotiaana tehtiin sekä postikysely että kliininen tutkimus. Tiedot menarkeiästä kerättiin 31-vuotispostikyselystä, paino- ja pituustiedot sekä 14- ja 31-vuotispostikyselyistä että kliinisen tutkimuksen tiedoista. Kliininen tutkimus sisälsi tiedot myös keskivartalolihavuuden ja metabolisen oireyhtymän määrittämiseksi. 31-vuotispostikyselyssä depressio-oireita kysyttiin HSCL-25 -oirekyselyllä; lisäksi kysyttiin, oliko lääkäri todennut aiemmin masennusta sekä oliko tutkittavilla käytössä masennuslääkkeitä.
Naisilla, joiden syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi (syntymäpainon ja pituuden suhdetta kuvaava indeksi, kg/m3) oli korkea, depressio-oireiden riski 31-vuotiaana mitattuna HSCL-25:lla oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joilla oli normaali syntymäpaino ja ponderaali-indeksi. Miehillä, joilla oli hyvin alhainen ponderaali-indeksi kuuluen alimpaan 5 % ryhmään, riski lääkärin toteamaan masennukseen oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden menarkeikä oli 16-vuotta tai myöhemmin, riski depressio-oireiden esiintyvyyteen, depressiolääkkeiden käyttöön ja lääkärin toteaman depression esiintyvyyteen oli suurentunut verrattuna naisiin, joiden menarkeikä oli 12–15-vuotta. Lihavuus 14-vuotiaana lisäsi masennusoireiden riskiä mitattuna HSCL-25:lla sekä 31-vuotiailla miehillä että naisilla. Naisilla, jotka olivat lihavia sekä 14- että 31-vuotiaana, masennusoireiden riski oli suurentunut. Naisilla, joiden paino oli noussut, masennuslääkkeitten käyttö oli yleisempää verrattuna naisiin, joilla paino oli pysynyt normaalina. Keskivartalolihavuus oli miehillä yhteydessä suurentuneeseen depressio-oireiden ja lääkärin toteaman masennuksen riskiin, ja he käyttivät yleisemmin masennuslääkkeitä verrattuna miehiin ilman keskivartalolihavuutta. Naisilla keskivartalolihavuus ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen. Metabolinen oireyhtymä ei ollut yhteydessä masennukseen.
Tulokset osoittavat korkean syntymäpainon, myöhäisen menarkeiän ja nuoruusiän lihavuuden sekä painon nousun lisäävän masennusriskiä 31-vuotiailla naisilla, 31-vuotiailla miehillä nuoruusiän lihavuus sekä keskivartalolihavuus olivat yhteydessä suurentuneeseen masennusriskiin
The impact of blood component transfusion practices on patient survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery
No full textBackground: The aim of the present study was to investigate the blood transfusion practice in patients operated for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with special emphasis on massive transfusion in cases with rupture. Material and methods: From a database, 504 patients operated for AAA were stratified into 2 groups; an early transfusion period (1992-1999) and a late transfusion period (2000-2008) to evaluate the changes in transfusion practices over the course of time. Results: Patients operated for nonruptured AAA (n = 330) showed a decreased mortality rate from 4% (early transfusion period) to 1% (late transfusion period) without significant changes in the transfusion practices. In patients operated for ruptured AAA (n = 174) an unexpected low mortality rate was found compared to the 30-day mortality reported in earlier studies. The transfusion practices in ruptured AAA surgery showed a significant increase in platelet use and change of fresh frozen plasma: red blood cell ratio from 0.8 to 0.9 between the early and the late transfusion period. Conclusion: The present database study shows that the operating mortality for AAA surgery has declined during the past decades. The cause of the decline in mortality in patients with ruptured AAA was interpreted as partly due to a modern blood component therapy. © The Author(s) 2012.Correspondence Address: Henriksson, A.E.; Laboratory Medicine, Sundsvall County Hospital, SE-851 86 Sundsvall, Sweden; email: [email protected]</p
What is the correlation between saliva levels of dexamphetamine
No full textABSTRACT
Degree Project, Programme in Medicine 2017. Author: Sofia Henriksson. Institution:
Pharmacology, Pharmacy & Anaesthesiology Unit, University of Western Australia, Perth.
Title: “What is the correlation between saliva levels of dexamphetamine and performance
on visual and auditory-visual illusions?”
Background: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder associated with dopamine (DA)
hyperactivity. Given that dexamphetamine (DEX) elevates levels of DA in the brain, DEX
challenges can be used to model schizophrenia in research. Hallucinations and delusions are
two characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia and psychosis. Previous research suggests a
widened temporal binding window in which sensory stimuli can bind to form one perception
as a mechanism of how DA gives rise to hallucinations and delusions. Using illusion tests,
sensory stimuli can be manipulated and perception measured in an objective manner. Looking
into temporal and spatial windows in the visual-visual and visual-auditory sensory modalities,
26 healthy participants tested the Three Flash Illusion test (3-FI), Sound Induced Flash
Illusion test (SIFI), Visually Induced Flash Illusion test (VIFI), Phantom Word Illusion (PWI)
and McGurk effect on one day given DEX and one day given placebo. Aims: To determine
levels of DEX in saliva samples taken during the testing days and correlate those levels
closest in time to the illusion tests with performance on illusion test. Methods: Liquid-liquid
extraction and high performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the levels of
DEX in saliva. Raw data was analysed primarily with principal components analysis. Results:
For those significant differences in performance on illusion tests between DEX and placebo
days, levels of DEX in saliva correlated positively only with performance on VIFI and PWI
tests and not in the McGurk illusion. Conclusions: DEX-levels in saliva showed in our study
to be an unreliable predictor of performance on the illusion tests. However, more studies with
greater sample sizes are necessary to draw any final conclusions
Cognitive ability and decline after early life stress exposure
No full textWe examined the effects of early life stress on cognitive ability and decline among men of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, 10% of whom were separated temporarily (mean age at separation = 4.1 years) from their parent(s) during World War II. The men underwent the Finnish Defense Forces Basic Intellectual Ability Test twice, at 20 years and retest at 70 years. Compared with the men without childhood separation and matched for year of birth (n = 186), men separated from their parents (n = 93) scored lower by 5.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], ?9.2 to ?1.7), 4.2 (95% CI, ?8.1 to ?0.3), 3.1 (95% CI, ?7.0 to 0.8), and 4.5 (95% CI, ?10.5 to ?1.4) standardized points (SD = 15) on verbal, visuospatial, arithmetic, and general cognitive ability, respectively, at 70 years. Longer duration of separation was associated with lower test scores. Though early life stress was also associated significantly with weaker cognitive performance at the ages 20 and 70 years, it was not associated with cognitive decline over the 50-year period within this sampl
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