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H Mussalo-Rauhamaa

Publications and source records attributed to H Mussalo-Rauhamaa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Weight satisfaction and self-esteem among teenagers in Helsinki, Moscow and Tallinn.

OBJECTIVE: Information on weight satisfaction in Eastern Europe is limited. This study compares relative weight, weight satisfaction and self-esteem of teenagers living in two post-Soviet capitals, Moscow and Tallinn, and a western capital Helsinki. METHOD: Classroom surveys including data about weight and height, weight satisfaction and self-4 esteem among 15-18-year-old girls (n = 911) and boys (n = 650) collected in 1994-95. RESULTS: Body mass index and self-esteem were highest in Helsinki. Nevertheless, feelings of over-weight were most common among Tallinn girls and feelings of over- and underweight among Muscovite girls. Boys were mostly satisfied with their current weight with no differences between cities. Low self-esteem was associated with feelings of overweight among girls and underweight among boys. DISCUSSION: Somewhat unexpectedly, girls grown in non-western cultures were more dissatisfied with their weight than girls in Helsinki. These findings may partly be attributable to rapid economic and cultural transformations that were occurring in these countries during the study period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Intranasal exposure to a damp building mould, Stachybotrys chartarum, induces lung inflammation in mice by satratoxin-independent mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Stachybotrys chartarum is a damp building mould and a potent toxin producer that has been related to serious cases of respiratory health problems. However, the direct link between exposure and health symptoms has not been established. OBJECTIVE: To examine the mechanism by which exposure to spores of satratoxin producing and non-producing S. chartarum strains induce inflammatory responses in murine lungs. METHODS: BALB/c mice were intranasally exposed for 3 weeks to spores of a satratoxin-producing and a non-producing S. chartarum strain. Inflammatory cell infiltration was characterized from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Cytokine and chemokine mRNA expression in lung tissue was measured with real-time PCR. Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) was determined by whole-body plethysmography and serum antibody levels by ELISA. RESULTS: A dose-dependent increase in monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes was observed in BAL fluid after intranasal (i.n.) instillation of S. chartarum spores. There was no difference in the BAL between exposure to the satratoxin-producing and the non-producing strains. Infiltration of inflammatory cells was associated with an induction of pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) and chemokine (CCL3/MIP-1alpha, CCL4/MIP-1beta and CCL2/MCP-1) mRNA levels in the lungs. Interestingly, CXCL5/LIX was the only chemokine that showed significantly higher mRNA levels after exposure to the satratoxin-producing strain compared with the non-producing strain. MCh-induced bronchial responsiveness was not altered significantly after mould instillation. Moreover, no significant increase in total or specific IgE, IgG2a and IgG1 antibody levels were found after S. chartarum exposure. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that lung inflammation induced by i.n. instillations of S. chartarum spores is regulated by the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and leucocyte-attracting chemokines. The data also imply that S. chartarum-derived components, other than satratoxins, are mediating the development of this inflammatory response.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed2003

Hair chromium concentration of northern Finns.

OBJECTIVES: The present study is a pilot project for the Finnish AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme/Human Health) investigations. We examined the exposure of northern Finns to chromium (Cr), because analyses of this metal are not included in the AMAP, and local industry and industry throughout the Kola Peninsula may increase chromium fallout in Finnish Lapland. Chromium exposure and its temporal trend were estimated by analyzing hair of northern Finns collected in 1982 and 1991. METHODS: After washing the hair samples, chromium analyses were carried out in 1995 by a method developed by Salmela et al. (1981) and Kumpulainen et al. (1982). The Perkin-Elmer 5000 atomic absorption spectrometer used was equipped with a graphite furnace (HGA-400). RESULTS: Age showed no statistically significant correlation with Cr concentration in hair, but the hair concentration of Cr in men was higher than that in women, both among southern and northern Finns and Sami. CONCLUSIONS: Chromium levels in the hair of Finns and Sami were too low to result in any health hazard, however, exposure to chromium may have slightly increased during the 1990s.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2001

A baker's occupational allergy to flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella).

BACKGROUND: Allergy to insects is common. However, few reports cover occupational sensitization to flour moth (Ephestia [syn. Anagasta] kuehniella). We describe a baker who suffered from IgE-mediated occupational respiratory allergy to flour moth. METHODS: The skin prick test (SPT) and serum IgE tests were used to evaluate the patient's sensitivity to flour moth. Allergen cross-reactivity with mites was evaluated in IgE-inhibition studies. Clinical sensitivity was evaluated by nasal challenge test. Pulmonary function tests were repeatedly monitored. RESULTS: SPT with flour moth gave a 6-mm wheal, and an elevated level of flour moth-specific IgE was measured in the patient's serum (1.9 PRU/ml, RAST class 2). Immunoblotting with the patient's serum revealed at least seven heavy IgE-binding bands with molecular masses of 22, 35, 43, 53, 65, 77, and >86 kDa in the extract of flour moth. Allergen cross-reactivity with mites was demonstrated in inhibition studies. Immediate-type allergy to flour moth was confirmed by nasal challenge. Increased daily variability of PEF values was observed during workplace exposure. CONCLUSION: A baker's occupational respiratory allergy to flour moth was confirmed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Toxic-metabolite-producing bacteria and fungus in an indoor environment.

Toxic-metabolite-emitting microbes were isolated from the indoor environment of a building where the occupant was suffering serious building-related ill-health symptoms. Toxic substances soluble in methanol and inhibitory to spermatozoa at <10 microg (dry weight) ml(-1) were found from six bacterial isolates and one fungus. The substances from isolates of Bacillus simplex and from isolates belonging to the actinobacterial genera Streptomyces and Nocardiopsis were mitochondriotoxic. These substances dissipated the mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsi) of boar spermatozoa. The substances from the Streptomyces isolates also swelled the mitochondria. The substances from isolates of Trichoderma harzianum Rifai and Bacillus pumilus damaged the cell membrane barrier function of sperm cells.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed2001

Dog allergen in indoor air and dust during dog shows.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Dog dander is one of the most important indoor allergens in Nordic countries. Due to the population flow into cities, the number of dogs in urban areas has increased. Dog allergens can be found practically everywhere indoors. We measured allergen content in indoor air and dust during dog shows. RESULTS: In facilities used for dog shows, the dog allergen content was exceptionally high, up to 2,100,000 ng Can f 1/g dust, but it can be reduced by proper cleaning. The efficiency of cleaning will remain poor if furniture and textiles are not cleaned or the distribution of airborne allergen cannot be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Dog shows should not be held in public facilities, such as schools, where a significant proportion of occupants are hypersensitive to dog allergens and may therefore suffer symptoms due to the exposure to dog dander.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2000

Mycotoxins in crude building materials from water-damaged buildings.

We analyzed 79 bulk samples of moldy interior finishes from Finnish buildings with moisture problems for 17 mycotoxins, as well as for fungi that could be isolated using one medium and one set of growth conditions. We found the aflatoxin precursor, sterigmatocystin, in 24% of the samples and trichothecenes in 19% of the samples. Trichothecenes found included satratoxin G or H in five samples; diacetoxyscirpenol in five samples; and 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, deoxynivalenol, verrucarol, or T-2-tetraol in an additional five samples. Citrinine was found in three samples. Aspergillus versicolor was present in most sterigmatocystin-containing samples, and Stachybotrys spp. were present in the samples where satratoxins were found. In many cases, however, the presence of fungi thought to produce the mycotoxins was not correlated with the presence of the expected compounds. However, when mycotoxins were found, some toxigenic fungi usually were present, even if the species originally responsible for producing the mycotoxin was not isolated. We conclude that the identification and enumeration of fungal species present in bulk materials are important to verify the severity of mold damage but that chemical analyses are necessary if the goal is to establish the presence of mycotoxins in moldy materials.

Aspergillus↗
PubMed1999

Anxiety about environmental hazards among teenagers in Helsinki, Moscow and Tallinn.

Comparative research of environmental attitudes has concentrated on adults of Western countries, whereas knowledge of environmental consciousness of East European people is modest. This article compares anxiety that teenagers in Helsinki, Moscow and Tallinn express about environmental hazards and their health effects. The data (Helsinki, N = 1396; Moscow, N = 618; Tallinn, N = 1268) were collected in schools by questionnaires from pupils between 13 and 18 years in 1994-1995. Air pollution, water pollution and survival of plant and animal species were considered most worrying environmental threats in every city. Environmental concern was usually highest in Moscow, but the effects of pollution on an individual's health worried Estonian teenagers most. The worry was most consistent in Moscow, where sex, class level or opinion of the state of one's own living environment did not usually have an effect on attitudes. Finnish girls and pupils in higher school classes were environmentally more conscious than boys or younger teenagers. In Tallinn, the sex and age differences in worry were smaller. Environmental worry seemed to have connections to a general sense of responsibility and risk behaviour such as heavy drinking and smoking. For all sites those pupils who often throw empty packages onto the street or into the nature expressed lower environmental concern than their more responsible peers. The differences of worry between the cities were difficult to interpret, but the greater total concern of young Muscovites may be part of their general social anxiety, which is associated with the instability of the Russian society.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Lack of association between copper, zinc, selenium and blood pressure among healthy children.

Contradictory results have been published about the relation between copper, zinc and selenium and blood pressure (BP). To evaluate the role of these trace elements in BP regulation, we analysed the correlations between BP and copper, zinc and selenium, measured from serum, diet and hair among 3596 healthy children in a 6-year follow up. Fasting blood samples were used in serum copper, zinc and selenium analyses. The dietary intake of trace elements and energy were determined by the 48-h recall method. The hair copper and zinc analyses were performed from the naturally coloured hair samples. Correlation analysis was used to show the relation between BP and copper, zinc or selenium in each study year and during a 3- or 6-year follow-up period. The zinc-to-copper ratio in serum, diet and hair was calculated. In the correlation analyses the data was adjusted for weight and the daily intake of energy. Neither serum and diet copper or zinc, nor the zinc-to-copper ratio correlated uniformly with BP measured in the same year (correlation coefficients varying from -0.12 to 0.18) or in the subsequent years. Hair copper and zinc correlated weakly negatively with BP (correlation coefficients varying from -0.17 to -0.01). Serum selenium correlated weakly positively with systolic and diastolic BP measured in the same year (correlation coefficients varying from 0.03 to 0.14), but not with subsequent BP measured in the second or third survey. Dietary selenium had an inconsistent effect on BP (correlation coefficients varying from -0.14 to 0.26). In conclusion, copper, zinc, their ratio or selenium did not associate with BP, nor did they have any effect on subsequent BP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Association of cadmium with human breast cancer.

The carcinogenic potential of cadmium might be affected by several factors such as smoking, hormones and presence of other metals, such as selenium and zinc. Cadmium was analyzed in breast-fat tissue of 43 breast cancer patients and 32 healthy control subjects. Patients were thoroughly characterized according to such variables as stage of cancer, smoking habits, and number of children. Correlation of cadmium levels with these variables, with hormone receptors, and with previously reported selenium and zinc were all analyzed. The mean cadmium concentration found in breast cancer patients (20.4 +/- 17.5 micrograms/g) did not differ significantly from that of the healthy controls (31.7 +/- 39.4 micrograms/g). However, unexpectedly high concentrations of cadmium (3.2-86.9 vs. 0.1-160.4 micrograms/g) were found in breast samples, which may indicate that cadmium binding proteins exist in human breast tissue. Correlation of cadmium with smoking rate of cancer patients was positive (Rs = 0.0505, p < 0.05). Correlation of cadmium with estrogen receptors in breast cancer was suggestive (Rs = 0.309, 28 cases, P = 0.06). No correlation was found with other trace elements such as selenium, zinc and copper. These results seem neither to prove nor to disprove the role of cadmium in breast cancer initiation, promotion or progression.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1996

Trace and heavy metal analyses of a skeletal population representing the town people in Turku (Abo), Finland in the 16th-17th centuries: with special reference to gender, age and social background.

The Julin site in the city of Turku, Finland, was excavated in 1964, 1983-1985 and 1987. On this site are the remains of the church of the Holy Spirit with its cemetery. The burial period of the excavated skeletons lasted most probably from the 1580s to the 1650s. Sodium, phosphorus, calcium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, bromine, strontium and lead concentrations of ribs from skeletal remains of 141 individuals were analyzed. The main finding is that the concentrations of Sr and Zn in younger women tend to be lower than that in men of a corresponding age, and in older people both the strontium and zinc values tend to be higher in women than men. On the basis of this study the Pb exposure in the early modern population in Finland was at a very low level. We conclude that the role of migration and the source of grain supply on the variation of the elemental values are more difficult to evaluate than the role of diagenesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Trends in the concentrations of mercury, copper, zinc and selenium in inhabitants of north-eastern Finnish Lapland in 1982-1991. A pilot study.

The heavy industry on the Murmansk region in Russia is releasing huge amounts of waste into the air, including heavy metals and sulphur compounds. To investigate the temporal trend in exposure to certain heavy metals among the inhabitants of north-eastern Finland, a pilot study was carried out involving serum and hair samples from group of 11 persons monitored in Ivalo in 1982 and 1991. A further 6 persons residing near the Russian border in Nellim and 10 adults and 2 children residing in the Sevettijärvi-Näätämö area also participated in 1991. In addition, serum and hair samples were also obtained from controls residing in the Helsinki area. Total mercury content, determined by flow injection analysis and the amalgam system, pointed to a decrease in concentrations in the hair of inhabitants of Ivalo, whereas mercury concentrations were found to be higher in those residing near the Russian border. The mercury concentrations in the hair of northern inhabitants were about 4 times greater than those in the hair of the people from southern Finland on average. No trend towards an increase or decrease was found in copper and zinc concentrations in hair and serum as determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in employing the flame technique. Selenium has been thought to act as an antagonist to the heavy metal mercury. The addition of selenium to fertilisers began in Finland in 1984, but such fertilisers have not been used widely in Lapland. Selenium concentrations, determined by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry, showed an increase with time in the inhabitants of northern Finland. Selenium concentrations were higher in the residents of Lapland than in the southern Finns, but this difference occurred after the addition of selenium to fertilisers has begun to be less common.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers, dibenzo-P-dioxins and dibenzofurans in Finnish human tissues compared to environmental samples.

Finnish human samples from the Helsinki area and Arctic cod samples from Vestertana Fjord (Norway) were analyzed for polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDE) and 2,3,7,8-chloro substituted dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF). The PCDE, PCDD and PCDF contents in human and animal samples from Finland and elsewhere were briefly reviewed. PCDEs were non-detectable in human liver and testis, but some PCDE congeners were identified in human adipose tissue and fat of boiled Arctic cod liver composite. The contents of PCDEs in Finnish human samples were similar to those reported in the literature for human tissues from North America. The estimated concentrations of PCDEs 99, 147 + 153 (coeluting) and 206 ranged between 2 and 8 ng/g lipid weight (lw) in one Finnish human adipose tissue. The concentrations of PCDE congeners identified in the cod liver fat were between 0.4 and 5 ng/g lw. Of toxic PCDDs and PCDFs, hepta- and octa-CDDs dominated in human. The concentrations of PCDD and PCDF congeners varied from < 2 to 7700 pg/g lw in human. In Arctic cod samples analyzed (muscle tissues of an air dried cod and cod liver fat), 2,3,7,8-tetra-CDF was nearly the only congener of PCDD/PCDFs detected.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Public health and children's well-being and health during antiquity.

The health and well-being of children depends on many factors. These factors may include: 1) geographic location, 2) genetic composition of the population, 3) existence of parasites and their hosts, 4) previous history of diseases (e.g. immunity) and 5) socio-economic structure (Grmek 1989). During the last two centuries, industrialized societies have successfully manipulated several of these factors for the benefit of children. But what were the possibilities in pre-industrial societies to improve public health and to promote the health of children? The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between public health and the health and well-being of children during Antiquity (roughly 500 B.C.-500 A.D.). To realize this aim, both written and archeological evidence was considered. Unfortunately both types of sources are biased, their data being defective with regard to children. Public health was not a major topic of interest for ancient authors (medical or others). There are few archaeological studies which have concentrated on public health aspects (e.g. water supply, sewers, housing conditions) of ancient societies.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Increase in serum selenium levels in Finnish children and young adults during 1980-1986: a correlation between the serum levels and the estimated intake.

Serum selenium concentrations of Finnish children and adolescents (ages: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 years) were analysed in 1980. The sample included 1706 subjects from five different areas, each containing rural and urban sectors. The serum selenium concentration levels were compared to the intakes of energy, selenium, protein, fat and carbohydrate estimated by a dietary survey (in a total of 1090 subjects from the 1706). In 1986 corresponding data were obtained from 280 of the subjects from the 1980 sample. The mean intake of selenium from food in 1980 ranged from 12 to 23 micrograms per day for the different age groups. In 1986, after the addition of selenium to fertilizers, the mean daily intake of selenium ranged from 69 to 82 micrograms per day for the groups of subjects, who were 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 years old by that time. In 1980, the children aged 3 and 6 years had lower selenium concentrations in their sera compared to the other age groups. However, serum selenium levels were higher in the Tampere and Oulu areas. In 1986 the selenium concentrations in sera increased with age (9-21-year-olds) and no regional differences were found. The selenium levels in sera were higher in 1986 than in 1980 due to the increased intake after the addition of selenium to fertilizers used in Finland. The increase in selenium levels between the 1980 and 1986 studies were, on the average, 45%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Dietary and biochemical indices of nutritional status in male athletes and controls.

To determine whether physical exercise affects biochemical indices of nutritional status, we compared four groups of male athletes (total n = 427) with two control groups (n = 150). Data about their nutrient intake for 1 month were obtained from a 122-item food frequency questionnaire. An estimate for leisure energy expenditure (EE) was calculated from a 15-item physical activity questionnaire. Athletes were grouped according to their EE (ModEE and HighEE athletes) and weight (light = less than 75 kg; heavy = greater than or equal to 75 kg), and controls according to their weight. Mean energy intake in ModEE and HighEE athletes was 2805-3260 kcal/day. Leisure EE significantly (p less than 0.0001) affected energy and nutrient intakes. Energy, riboflavin and calcium intakes were also higher in heavy subjects (P = 0.0006-0.03). The estimated percentage of subjects with deficient dietary intakes, calculated from probability analyses, was 0-6, depending on group and nutrient. Erythrocyte transketolase activation coefficient (E-TKAC) was highest in controls (1.17 +/- 0.0008; p = 0.001). Serum magnesium was highest (p = 0.01) in ModEE athletes (0.85 +/- 0.006 mmol/L). No intergroup differences were found for plasma ascorbic acid, serum zinc or serum ferritin concentration, whereas blood hemoglobin was lowest (p less than 0.001) in HighEE athletes (149 +/- 0.5 g/L). Ten percent of the control subjects had E-TKAC greater than 1.24. Percentage of other values outside reference range was 0-4, depending on group and indicator. Since lowered blood hemoglobin concentration can be explained by hemodilution, we conclude that sports training did not have a negative effect on biochemical indices of thiamin, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, or zinc status in Finnish male athletes.

Adult↗