Biomedical subjects

Mikko Laaksonen

Publications and source records attributed to Mikko Laaksonen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Linkage disequilibrium screening for multiple sclerosis implicates JAG1 and POU2AF1 as susceptibility genes in Europeans.

By combining all the data available from the Genetic Analysis of Multiple sclerosis in EuropeanS (GAMES) project, we have been able to identify 17 microsatellite markers showing consistent evidence for apparent association. As might be expected five of these markers map within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and are in LD with HLA-DRB1. Individual genotyping of the 12 non-MHC markers confirmed association for three of them--D11S1986, D19S552 and D20S894. Association mapping across the candidate genes implicated by these markers in 937 UK trio families revealed modestly associated haplotypes in JAG1 (p=0.019) on chromosome 20p12.2 and POU2AF1 (p=0.003) on chromosome 11q23.1.

Calcium-Binding Proteins↗

PubMed2006

Multiple measures of socioeconomic circumstances and common mental disorders.

While serious mental disorders typically show socioeconomic differences similar to physical illness-that is, that lower positions imply poorer health-differences for common mental disorders have been inconsistent. We aim to clarify the associations and pathways between measures of socioeconomic circumstances and common mental disorders by simultaneously analysing several past and present socioeconomic measures. The data were derived from middle-aged women and men employed by the City of Helsinki. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2000-2002 among employees who, during each year, reached 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 years of age. The pooled data include 8970 respondents (80% women; response rate 67%). Common mental disorders were measured by GHQ-12 and the SF-36 mental component summary. Seven socioeconomic measures were included: parental education, childhood economic difficulties, own education, occupational class, household income, home ownership, and current economic difficulties. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between the socioeconomic circumstances and common mental disorders. Past and present economic difficulties were strongly associated with common mental disorders, whereas conventional past and present socioeconomic status measures showed weak or slightly reverse associations. Adjusting for age and gradually for each socioeconomic measure did not affect the main findings, which were very similar for women and men, as well as for both measures of common mental disorders. While the associations of conventional socioeconomic status measures with common mental disorders were weak and inconsistent, our results highlight the importance of past and present economic difficulties to these disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Smoking and SF-36 health functioning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between smoking and general health as measured by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. METHODS: Data derived are from three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Respondents to the postal surveys were middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki (1799 men and 7171 women, response rate 67%). Smoking status was divided into current heavy and moderate smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers. Health status was measured by the eight SF-36 subscales and the physical and mental component summaries. RESULTS: On the physical subscales, current smokers reported poorer health than non-smokers on general health and physical functioning in men. On the mental subscales, current smokers had consistently poorer health than non-smokers. However, often only heavy smokers differed from non-smokers. No differences were found between ex-smokers and never smokers on any subscale or the component summaries of the SF-36. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between smoking categories were found on some physical and all mental subscales of the SF-36. The differences were slightly larger among men. As heavy smokers more often report limitations with daily activities as well as loss of well-being, these impairments potentially provide valuable incentives for non-smoking to be used in health education messages and interventions.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2006

Job control, job demands, or social class? The impact of working conditions on the relation between social class and health.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate (1) how much of the association between health and social class is accounted by psychosocial working conditions, and (2) whether health is related to working conditions after controlling for social class. METHODS: The data derive from the surveys of the Helsinki health study, collected in 2000, 2001, and 2002 from 40-60 year old employees working for the City of Helsinki (n=8970, response rate 67%). The study measured occupation based social class and Karasek's demand-control model. The health outcomes were self rated health as less than good and limiting longstanding illness. Age adjusted prevalence percentages and fitted logistic regression models were calculated. RESULTS: The individual effects of social class and psychosocial working conditions on self rated health and limiting longstanding illness were strong among both men and women. The relation between social class and both health outcomes considerably attenuated when job control was controlled for, but was reinforced when controlling for job demands. Controlling for both job control and job demands attenuated the relation between social class and self rated health and limiting longstanding illness among women, however, was reinforced among men. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial part of the relation between social class and health could be attributed to job control, however, job demands reinforced the relation. Although the effect of social class is mediated by psychosocial working conditions, both social class and working conditions were related to health after mutual adjustments.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Pain and health related functioning among employees.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Although employees report high rates of pain, little is known about the effects of pain on health related functioning among them. This study examined the effects of pain on employees' health related functioning by bodily locations of pain, number of painful locations, and whether pain was acute or chronic. DESIGN: Cross sectional questionnaire survey. Data on pain and health related functioning as measured with the eight subscales of the short form 36 health survey (SF-36) were obtained in the years 2001 and 2002. SETTING: Municipal employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: All employees who reached the age of 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 years during each study year. Response rate was 66% (n = 5829). MAIN RESULTS: Compared with those reporting no pain, those with pain had considerably poorer functioning on all SF-36 subscales. The lowest scores for health related functioning were seen in the physical domain of health, whereas the mental domain was less affected. The association of pain with functioning was practically independent of the bodily location of pain. Whether pain was acute or chronic had only a modest effect on functioning. Widest variation in functioning was found by the number of painful locations. CONCLUSIONS: Among employees pain complaints, irrespective of the location, are associated with a decreased level of functioning. The number of painful locations is likely to be the most useful measure to identify employees with a high risk of poor functioning.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Associations of psychosocial working conditions with self-rated general health and mental health among municipal employees.

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations of job demands and job control, procedural and relational organizational fairness, and physical work load with self-rated general health and mental health. In addition, the effect of occupational class on these associations is examined. METHODS: The data were derived from the Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys in 2001-2002. Respondents to cross-sectional postal surveys were middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki (n=5.829, response rate 67%). Associations of job demands and job control, organizational fairness and physical work load with less than good self-rated health and poor GHQ-12 mental health were examined. RESULTS: Those with the poorest working conditions two to three times more, often reported poor general and mental health than those with the best working conditions. Adjustment for occupational class weakened the associations of low job control and physical work load with general health by one fifth, but even more strengthened that of high job demands. Adjustment for occupational class clearly strengthened the associations of job control and physical work load with mental health in men. Mutual adjustment for all working conditions notably weakened their associations with both health measures, except those of job control in men. All working conditions except relational organizational fairness remained independently associated with general and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: All studied working conditions were strongly associated with both general and mental health but the associations weakened after mutual adjustments. Of the two organizational fairness measures, procedural fairness remained independently associated with both health outcomes. Adjustment for occupational class had essentially different effects on the associations of different working conditions and different health outcomes.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Associations of childhood circumstances with physical and mental functioning in adulthood.

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of parental education and specific childhood circumstances with adult physical and mental functioning. Self-reported data were collected in 2000, 2001 and 2002 among middle-aged women (n=7,171) and men (n=1,799) employed by the City of Helsinki. Functioning was measured by the physical and mental component summaries of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The lowest quartile of the scores on each component summary was considered to indicate limited functioning. Adult socio-economic circumstances were measured by their own education. Among women parental education was inversely associated with physical functioning. The association remained after adjusting for specific childhood circumstances but disappeared after adjustment for own education. In contrast, parental education was positively associated with mental functioning among women, and the association remained after adjusting for specific childhood circumstances and the own education. Among women childhood adversities such as own chronic disease, parental mental problems, economic difficulties and having been bullied in childhood were associated with both physical and mental functioning. Parental drinking problems were associated with adult mental functioning among women. Among men, chronic disease, economic difficulties and having been bullied in childhood were associated with physical functioning. Parental mental problems, economic difficulties and having being bullied in childhood were also associated with mental functioning among men. These results suggest that the effect of parental education on physical functioning is mediated through one's own education. The association between parental education and mental functioning and the effects of several specific childhood circumstances may suggest a latency effect. Some evidence of cumulative effects of childhood and adulthood circumstances were found among women in physical functioning. Specific childhood circumstances are therefore important determinants of adult functioning. These circumstances provide detailed information on the association of childhood circumstances with adult functioning over and above parental education.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

A high-density screen for linkage in multiple sclerosis.

To provide a definitive linkage map for multiple sclerosis, we have genotyped the Illumina BeadArray linkage mapping panel (version 4) in a data set of 730 multiplex families of Northern European descent. After the application of stringent quality thresholds, data from 4,506 markers in 2,692 individuals were included in the analysis. Multipoint nonparametric linkage analysis revealed highly significant linkage in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p21 (maximum LOD score [MLS] 11.66) and suggestive linkage on chromosomes 17q23 (MLS 2.45) and 5q33 (MLS 2.18). This set of markers achieved a mean information extraction of 79.3% across the genome, with a Mendelian inconsistency rate of only 0.002%. Stratification based on carriage of the multiple sclerosis-associated DRB1*1501 allele failed to identify any other region of linkage with genomewide significance. However, ordered-subset analysis suggested that there may be an additional locus on chromosome 19p13 that acts independent of the main MHC locus. These data illustrate the substantial increase in power that can be achieved with use of the latest tools emerging from the Human Genome Project and indicate that future attempts to systematically identify susceptibility genes for multiple sclerosis will have to involve large sample sizes and an association-based methodology.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

Socioeconomic position and self-rated health: the contribution of childhood socioeconomic circumstances, adult socioeconomic status, and material resources.

OBJECTIVES: We examined socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health by analyzing indicators of childhood socioeconomic circumstances, adult socioeconomic position, and current material resources. METHODS: We collected data on middle-aged adults employed by the City of Helsinki (n=8970; 67% response rate). Associations between 7 socioeconomic indicators and health self-ratings of less than "good" were examined with sequential logistic regression models. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, each socioeconomic indicator was inversely associated with self-rated health. Childhood economic difficulties, but not parental education, were associated with health independently of all other socioeconomic indicators. The associations of respondents' own education and occupational class with health remained when adjusted for other socioeconomic indicators. Home ownership and economic difficulties, but not household income, were the material indicators associated with health after full adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Own education and occupational class showed consistent associations with health, but the association with income disappeared after adjustment for other socioeconomic indicators. The effect of parental education on health was mediated by the respondent's own education. Both childhood and adulthood economic difficulties showed clear associations with health and with conventional socioeconomic indicators.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Socioeconomic status and smoking: analysing inequalities with multiple indicators.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Socioeconomic differences in smoking have been well established. While previous studies have mostly relied on one socioeconomic indicator at a time, this study examined socioeconomic differences in smoking by using several indicators that reflect different dimensions of socioeconomic position. DATA AND METHODS: Data derive from Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys conducted among the employees of the City of Helsinki in 2000 and 2001. The data include 6243 respondents aged 40-60 years (response rate 68%). Six socioeconomic indicators were used: education, occupational status, household income per consumption unit, housing tenure, economic difficulties and economic satisfaction. Their associations with current smoking were examined by fitting sequential logistic regression models. RESULTS: All socioeconomic indicators were strongly associated with smoking among both men and women. When the indicators were examined simultaneously their associations with smoking attenuated, especially when education and occupational status were considered together, and when income and housing tenure were introduced into the models already containing education and occupational status. After mutual adjustment for all socioeconomic indicators, housing tenure and economic satisfaction remained associated with smoking in men. In women, all indicators except income and economic difficulties were inversely associated with smoking after adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking was associated with structural, material as well as perceived dimensions of socioeconomic disadvantage. Attempts to reduce smoking among the socioeconomically disadvantaged need to target several dimensions of socioeconomic position.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The contribution of lone parenthood and economic difficulties to smoking.

Smoking is more prevalent among lower socioeconomic status groups, among those who perceive economic difficulties and among lone mothers. Less is known of how these factors contribute to smoking independently. The aim of this study was first to examine the association between smoking and both economic difficulties and lone parenthood. We then also studied to what extent smoking among people experiencing economic difficulties and lone parenthood is due to other factors such as socioeconomic status and social relations. The data derive from surveys conducted among the employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland, in 2000 and 2001 including 6243 respondents aged 40-60 yr (response rate 68%). The measures were daily smoking, economic difficulties and family type, as well as socioeconomic status (education, occupational social class, household income, housing tenure) and social relations. The more had respondents experienced economic difficulties, the more prevalent was their smoking. Smoking among lone parents was more common than among parents living together; this was true for both men and women. After controlling for socioeconomic status and housing tenure, the association between smoking and economic difficulties, as well as that between smoking and lone parenthood, attenuated but remained statistically significant. However, after controlling for social relations the associations became stronger. Both economic difficulties and lone parenthood were associated with smoking independent of education, occupational social class, household disposable income, housing tenure or social relations for both men and women.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Hyaluronate receptor (CD44) and integrin alpha4 (CD49d) are up-regulated on T cells during MS relapses.

A longitudinal study of peripheral blood T cell adhesion molecule expression was performed in 24 relapsing-remitting MS patients. There were 15 relapses in 11 patients during 15 months of observation. In comparison with remission, expression of hyaluronate receptor (CD44) was highly significant, and expression of integrin alpha4 (CD49d, VLA-4) significantly up-regulated during relapses. CD44 and CD49d are putative activity markers and CD44 a potential novel therapeutic target in MS.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed2005

Downregulation of VLA-4 on T cells as a marker of long term treatment response to interferon beta-1a in MS.

We determined longitudinally the expression of a panel of adhesion molecules on T cells and soluble ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and tumor necrosis factor apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) in serum during first year of the PRISMS Study with IFNbeta1a in MS. Clinical data and quantitative MRI data were available for 4 years. VLA-4 was down-regulated on T cells and VCAM-1 was up-regulated in serum during the first 3 to 6 months of therapy in patients with favorable long-term treatment response (EDSS progression </=1.0 in 4 years). Short disease duration and low EDSS were clinical pre-treatment characteristics related to good long-term response to therapy.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed2005

Socio-economic differences in the prevalence of acute, chronic and disabling chronic pain among ageing employees.

Pain is a strong predictor of reduced work ability and well-being, but there is little information on the prevalence of and socio-economic differences in acute, chronic and disabling chronic pain among employees. A questionnaire survey conducted in 2000-2002 among employees aged 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 of the City of Helsinki (N=8970, response rate 67%) included socio-demographic and socio-economic factors and measures of current pain, pain duration and pain-related disability. Pain was acute when lasting a maximum of 3 months and chronic when persisting for more than 3 months. Disabling chronic pain was determined using the disability subscale of Von Korff's Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire. Acute pain was reported by 15% of women, chronic pain by 29% and disabling chronic pain by 7%. The corresponding figures for men were 12, 24 and 5%. Chronic and disabling chronic pain were more common in older age groups among both genders. Among women, those with secondary or basic education were more likely to report chronic or disabling chronic pain than those with higher education, and semi-professionals, routine non-manual employees and manual workers were more likely to report disabling chronic pain than managers. Among men, separated/divorced or widowed men were more likely to report acute pain than married men, and manual workers were more likely to report chronic pain than managers. Chronic pain was relatively common in this population, and those with older age, lower education and occupational class appear to be at excess risk for chronic pain, especially for disabling chronic pain.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2005

Body weight and health status: importance of socioeconomic position and working conditions.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between relative body weight and health status and the potential modifying effects of socioeconomic position and working conditions on this association. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The data were derived from three identical cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Respondents to postal surveys were middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki (7148 women and 1799 men, response rate 67%). BMI was based on self-reported weight and height. Health status was measured by the Short-Form 36 subscales and component summaries. RESULTS: Body weight was inversely associated with physical health, but in mental health, differences between BMI categories were small and inconsistent. In women, physical health deteriorated monotonically with increasing BMI, whereas in men, poor physical health was found among the obese only. Socioeconomic position did not modify the association between BMI and health. In women, the association between body weight and physical health became stronger with decreasing job control and increasing physical work load, whereas in men, a similar modifying effect was found for high job demands. DISCUSSION: Body weight was associated with physical health only. Lower levels of relative weight in women than in men may be associated with poor physical health. High body weight combined with adverse working conditions may impose a double burden on physical health.

Body Mass Index↗

PubMed2005

Influence of material and behavioural factors on occupational class differences in health.

OBJECTIVE: To examine material and behavioural factors as explanations for occupational class differences in health, while taking into account the interrelations between these two groups of factors. METHODS: Data from cross sectional surveys among middle aged women and men employed by the City of Helsinki (n = 6062, response rate 68%) were used. The contribution of four material and seven behavioural factors to occupational class differences in self rated health was examined by logistic regression techniques. After examining the contribution of each material and behavioural factor individually these were combined into two groups, whose independent and shared effects on occupational class differences in health were examined. RESULTS: In women, each material factor reduced the association between occupational class and health, while only financial difficulties and financial satisfaction were statistically significant in men. Smoking, dietary habits, and relative body weight were the strongest behavioural factors explaining the association in both women and men. When grouped, both material and behavioural factors explained a large part of occupational class differences in health. The direct effect of material factors was larger than their effect through behavioural factors, and the effect of behavioural factors depending on material factors was about half of their independent effect. CONCLUSIONS: Material and behavioural factors explained more than a half of occupational class differences in self rated health among women and one third among men. The effects of material and behavioural factors were mostly independent of each other, although some part of their contribution was shared, especially in women.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2004

Working conditions and health behaviours among employed women and men: the Helsinki Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Working conditions influence health, but previous studies on the associations between work-related factors and health behaviours are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyse whether unfavourable working conditions are associated with diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking. METHODS: The data derive from postal questionnaires collected in 2000-2001 from 40- to 60-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki (n=6243, response rate: 68%). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine health behaviours as outcomes. Job demands and job control, physically and mentally strenuous work, work fatigue, working overtime and satisfaction with work-home interface were independent variables, adjusted for age, education, occupational social class and marital status. RESULTS: Most of the examined associations between working conditions and health behaviours were not statistically significant. Among women, mentally strenuous work and high job control were associated with a healthy diet. Work fatigue was associated with physical inactivity, whereas physically strenuous work and satisfaction with work-home interface were more often reported by physically active women. Work fatigue was associated with high drinking among men. Low job strain was reported by nonsmoking women, whereas working overtime was associated with nonsmoking among men. CONCLUSIONS: Working conditions were only weakly associated with health behaviours, and the associations varied for different health behaviours.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Multiple dimensions of socioeconomic position and obesity among employees: The Helsinki Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine socioeconomic differences in obesity using several different socioeconomic indicators, ranging from childhood socioeconomic environment and adult socioeconomic status to material resources and economic satisfaction. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The data derived from the Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys in 2000 and 2001. Respondents to postal surveys were middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki (4,975 women and 1,252 men, response rate 68%). Associations between eight socioeconomic indicators and obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2)), calculated from self-reported data, were examined by fitting a series of logistic regression models. RESULTS: In women, all socioeconomic indicators except household income and economic satisfaction were associated with obesity. Parental education and childhood economic difficulties, i.e., socioeconomic conditions in childhood, remained associated with obesity after adjusting for all indicators of current socioeconomic position. Indicators of adult socioeconomic status, own education and occupational class, were no longer associated with obesity when childhood socioeconomic conditions were adjusted for. Home ownership and economic difficulties were associated with obesity after full adjustments. In men, the findings paralleled those among women, but few associations reached statistical significance. DISCUSSION: Obesity was associated with several dimensions of socioeconomic position. Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with obesity independently of the various indicators of current socioeconomic position. Associations between obesity and both educational level and occupational class disappeared after adjustment for other indicators of socioeconomic position. This suggests that the variation observed in the prevalence of obesity by these key socioeconomic indicators may reflect differences in the related material resources.

Adult↗