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Biomedical subjects

P Virtanen

Publications and source records attributed to P Virtanen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Sickness absence as a risk factor for job termination, unemployment, and disability pension among temporary and permanent employees.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined sickness absence as a risk factor for job termination, unemployment, and disability pension among temporary and permanent workers. METHODS: Prospective cohort study with data on employment contract and sickness absence in 1996, job termination by 1997, and employment status in 1997 and 2000 for 19,093 temporary and 41,530 permanent public sector employees. RESULTS: For women aged 40 years or less and for women over 40, a high sickness absence increased the risk of job termination among temporary employees (OR 1.52 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.71) and OR 1.70 (95% CI 1.36 to 2.13) respectively). High absence was not associated with job termination among men in temporary employment. Among permanent employees, high sickness absence predicted job termination among older, but not among younger employees. Temporary employees with high sickness absence were at the highest risk of immediate unemployment and unemployment three years later. Among older permanent employees, high sickness absence was associated with subsequent work disability pension. CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of sickness absenteeism increases the risk of job termination and unemployment among women in temporary public sector jobs. For permanent employees, secure employment provides protection against unemployment even in the case of high sickness absence.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2004

Economy and job contract as contexts of sickness absence practices: revisiting locality and habitus.

This study revisits two Finnish local governments-Raisio and Nokia-that in an earlier study showed different sickness absence rates in the early 1990s. The locality difference was interpreted sociologically, within a framework inspired by Bourdieu's theory of social field, habitus and practice. The same framework is applied in the present study, starting out from the hypothesis that a constant historical and cultural locality context tends to reproduce prevailing sickness absence practices. The hypothesis was tested by extending the context beyond the locality to the macroeconomic fluctuations that occurred during the 1990s and to the type of employment contract. In both localities a 30% rise was observed in levels of sickness absence from 1991-1993 to 1997-2000. At the beginning of the 1990s the absence rate among permanent employees was 1.86 times higher in Nokia than in Raisio; at the end of the decade the corresponding rate ratio was 1.88. The absence rates were significantly lower among fixed-term employees than permanent employees, but the locality difference was seen in their case, too. Both results support the hypothesis. In spite of major changes taking place in the national economy, the differences between the two towns' sickness absence rates persisted, which in this particular case probably reflects the persisting working-class character of Nokia and middle-class character of Raisio. The theory also applies to the difference between permanent and fixed-term employees: the peripheral power position of the latter on work related social fields leads to the observed practices, i.e. to the relatively low absence rate. The results of our revisit give reason to recapitulate and elaborate upon our theoretical interpretation with a view to deepening our understanding of the social origins of sickness absence practices in the post-industrial workplace, which is characterised by increasing atypical employment and growing job insecurity.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2003

Synthesis and degradation of type IV collagen in rat skeletal muscle during immobilization in shortened and lengthened positions.

AIM: Type IV collagen is a major protein in basement membranes surrounding and supporting skeletal muscle cells. In the present study, we tested the hypotheses that immobilization down-regulates synthesis and up-regulates degradation of type IV collagen in skeletal muscle. METHODS: mRNA level and concentration of type IV collagen as well as mRNA levels and activities of proteins involved in its degradation were analysed from soleus (SOL), gastrocnemius (GAS) and extensor digitorum longus muscles after immobilization in shortened and lengthened positions for 1, 3 and 7 days. RESULTS: Following immobilization, type IV collagen mRNA level was decreased in SOL and GAS suggesting down-regulated synthesis of this protein. The mRNA level and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (proMMP-2) were increased in all muscles, while the activity of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 was decreased in SOL and GAS. These findings reflect an increased capacity for degradation of type IV collagen. CONCLUSIONS: As a consequence of decreased synthesis/degradation ratio immobilization reduced the concentration of type IV collagen in all muscles. The regulation of type IV collagen through synthesis and/or degradation seems, however, to be muscle specific. Immobilization in lengthened position seems to delay and partly decrease the net degradation of type IV collagen.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Health inequalities in the workforce: the labour market core-periphery structure.

OBJECTIVES: To explore health inequalities between six labour market groups ranging from permanent employees to the long-term unemployed receiving minimum daily allowance. METHODS: A sample of 15 468 employees or job seekers from a population survey. Their perceived health, diseases, and depression were measured. RESULTS: Compared with permanent employees, the odds for poor health were highest among the unemployed with low incomes irrespective of adjustments, across all health indicators and in both men and women. High odds were also found among the less disadvantaged unemployed and the employed with atypical contracts, but not among fixed-term employees. CONCLUSIONS: Rather than between the employed and the unemployed, it seems that health inequalities prevail across different labour market groups within the employed and the unemployed. Future studies should employ a more detailed classification of employment situation.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Employment security and health.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relation of contractual and perceived employment security to employee health. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTING: Municipal sector employees in eight Finnish towns. PARTICIPANTS: 5981 employees with a permanent contract and 2786 employees with a non-permanent contract (2194 fixed term contract, 682 government subsidised contract). OUTCOME MEASURES: Poor self rated health, chronic disease, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Compared with permanent employees, fixed term men and women had better self rated health (men odds ratio 0.70; 95% confidence intervals 0.50 to 0.98, women 0.70 (0.60 to 0.82) and less chronic disease (men 0.69; 0.52 to 0.91; women 0.89; 0.79 to 1.02), but women had more psychological distress (1.26; 1.09 to 1.45). The only difference between subsidised employees and permanent employees was the high level of psychological distress in women (1.35; 1.09 to 1.68). Low perceived employment security was associated with poor health across all three indicators. The association of low perceived security with psychological distress was significantly stronger in permanent employees than among fixed term and subsidised employees, indicating that perceived security is more important for mental health among employees with a permanent contract. CONCLUSIONS: Contractual security and perceived security of employment are differently associated with health. It is therefore important to distinguish between these aspects of employment security in studies of labour market status and health. Such studies will also need to control for health selection, which is unlikely to operate in the same way among permanent and non-permanent employees.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2001

Regulation of synthesis of fibrillar collagens in rat skeletal muscle during immobilization in shortened and lengthened positions.

Immobilization has been shown to cause muscle atrophy and decreased total collagen synthesis in skeletal muscle. These changes can be counteracted by stretch. The purpose of this study was to find out the early effects of immobilization in shortened and lengthened positions on expression of type I and III collagen at pre- and post-translational level. The mRNA levels of type I and III collagen, prolyl 4-hydroxylase activity, total collagen concentration and the proportions of type I and III collagens were analysed in soleus (SOL), gastrocnemius (GM), extensor digitorum longus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles during immobilization in shortened and lengthened positions for 1, 3 and 7 days. The mRNA levels for type I and III collagens decreased during 3-7 days in all muscles, except TA. In shortened GM and SOL, the mRNA level of type I collagen was lower than in the corresponding lengthened muscles. Prolyl 4-hydroxylase activity decreased in all muscles during 3-7 days. The activity in shortened GM was 30-37% lower than in the lengthened one during 3-7 days. Total collagen concentration and proportions of type I and III collagen showed no change during the 7-day immobilization period. The present study suggests that immobilization results in rapid down-regulation of total muscular collagen synthesis and that the timing and degree is roughly similar in type I and III collagens. Stretch seems to partially counteract these effects. Immobilization effect and the partially preventive effect of stretch on down-regulation of gene expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase and fibrillar collagens during immobilization seems to be greater in weight-bearing SOL and GM than ankle joint dorsiflexors.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Wellbeing of professionals at entry into the labour market: a follow up survey of medicine and architecture students.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about changes in wellbeing during the passage from professional studies to working life is scarce and controversial. This study examined these changes among university graduates with good and poor employment prospects. DESIGN: A longitudinal study with four postal questionnaire surveys of a closed cohort. SETTING: Cohorts of graduating Finnish physicians and architects were followed up from 1994 to 1998. In 1994 Finland's national economy was still struggling to break loose from a period of severe recession, and unemployment rates were high even among educated professionals. As economic growth eventually got under way the unemployment situation began to ease for physicians but not for architects. PARTICIPANTS: Architecture students (n = 189) from Finland's three technical universities and medical students (n = 638) from Finland's five medical faculties. Both had started their studies in 1989. RESULTS: In the first questionnaire survey there were no differences between the professions in strain resistance resources, as indicated by Sense of Coherence (SOC), or in psychological distress, as indicated by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Profession emerged as a significant between subject factor in analysis of variance for repeated measures of both SOC and GHQ. Physicians' scores on the 13 item SOC questionnaire improved during the follow up from 62.6 to 67.5 and on the 12 item GHQ questionnaire from 24.2 to 22.2. Among architects the corresponding scores remained unchanged (62.5-62.2 and 23.1-22.6). The significance of profession remained unchanged when gender and individuals' graduation and total work experience were introduced to the statistical models as between subject factors. CONCLUSIONS: Improved SOC in physicians but not in architects supports the hypothesis that good employment prospects are important to employee wellbeing. Although less consistent, indicating fluctuations in day to day psychological distress, GHQ findings are also in line with the hypothesis. In both professions the indicators studied were independent of individuals' graduation and career. It is concluded that rather than individually, the mechanisms that connect employment prospects with wellbeing operate collectively within the whole profession. Highly educated professionals do not complete their studies until almost 30, and if for reasons of insecure employment they are unable to develop their SOC to the optimum level at that age, their resources for resisting health endangering strain may remain permanently poor.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Locality and habitus: the origins of sickness absence practices.

This article aims to understanding the differences observed in the sickness absence practices of three municipal work organisations. Sickness absence figures were contextualised with a two-level analysis. The working communities were studied with the material collected for the study from documents, interviews, and a postal questionnaire survey on psychosocial working conditions. At the locality level the quality and quantity of economic, social, and cultural capitals were assessed. On the basis of this material, community diagnoses of the three localities are presented. The relationship of the way of life and being ill in the locality to the sickness absences among the employees of the municipality is discussed using the concepts of 'field', 'habitus', 'practice' and 'capital' as presented by Bourdieu. Sickness absence practices seem to be connected to the relative dominance of social classes in the locality. We conclude that the sickness absence practice of the municipal working community is an expression of the sickness absence habitus which is deeply rooted in the social history of the locality and in the health-related behaviour of the residents. In being not too structuralistic and not too relativistic, Bourdieu's theory helps us to understand the reality of the sickness absences; they can only be influenced marginally and temporarily by simple intervention measures in the work-places. More lasting changes in the level of sickness absences would require profound changes in the working community and-ultimately-in the whole locality.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2000

Biochemical composition of muscle extracellular matrix: the effect of loading.

Collagen plays an important role in skeletal muscle both during muscle differentiation and normal muscle growth, and also serves a role as a supportive structure. It is the most abundant protein of the extracellular matrix and of the 19 distinct collagen types, types I, III, IV and V are the dominating ones in skeletal muscle. Both collagen synthesis as well as degradation is influenced by either physical loading or immobilization in skeletal muscle, and recent methods have allowed for greater understanding of the posttranslational processing of collagen.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1999

Workplace as an origin of health inequalities.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the workplace on the socioeconomic gradient of sickness absence. DESIGN: Comparison of the relation between socioeconomic status and employee sickness absence in three different towns. SETTINGS: The towns of Raisio, Valkeakoski, and Nokia in Finland. They are equal in size and regional social deprivation indices, located in the neighbourhood of a larger city, and produce the same services to the inhabitants. SUBJECTS: All permanent local government employees from Raisio (n = 887), Valkeakoski (n = 972), and Nokia (n = 934) on the employer's registers during 1991 to 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of short (1-3 days) and long (> 3 days) spells of sickness absence, irrespective of cause, and separately for infection, musculoskeletal disorder, and trauma. RESULTS: In blue collar male and female workers, compared with the same sex higher grade white collar workers, the age adjusted numbers of long sick leaves were 4.9 (95% CI 4.2, 5.8) and 2.8 (2.6, 3.1) times higher, respectively. The risk varied significantly between the towns, in men in relation to long sick leaves irrespective of cause and resulting from musculoskeletal disorders, and in women in relation to long leaves resulting from infection. The numbers of long sick leaves were 3.9 (95% CI 2.8, 5.4) times higher in blue collar male workers than in higher grade white collar male workers in Raisio, 4.9 (95% CI 3.8, 6.3) times higher in Valkeakoski, and 5.8 (95% CI 4.5, 7.5) times higher in Nokia. Sickness absence of blue collar employees differed most between the towns. The rates of long sick leaves in blue collar men were 1.46 times greater (95% CI 1.25, 1.72) in Valkeakoski and 1.85 times greater (95% CI 1.58, 2.16) in Nokia than in Raisio. In men, no significant differences were found between the towns as regards the numbers of long sick leaves of higher grade white collar male workers. The socioeconomic gradients differed more between the towns in men who had worked for four years or more in the same employment than in men who had worked for shorter periods. No consistent health gradients of socioeconomic status were evident for short sick leaves among either sex. CONCLUSIONS: In men and to a lesser extent in women, the workplace is significantly associated with health inequalities as reflected by medically certified sickness absence and the corresponding socioeconomic gradients of health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

mRNA levels for alpha-subunit of prolyl 4-hydroxylase and fibrillar collagens in immobilized rat skeletal muscle.

There is evidence that immobilization causes a decrease in total collagen synthesis in skeletal muscle within a few days. In this study, early immobilization effects on the expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase (PH) and the main fibrillar collagens at mRNA and protein levels were investigated in rat skeletal muscle. The right hindlimb was immobilized in full plantar flexion for 1, 3, and 7 days. Steady-state mRNAs for alpha- and beta-subunits of PH and type I and III procollagen, PH activity, and collagen content were measured in gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles. Type I and III procollagen mRNAs were also measured in soleus and tibialis anterior muscles. The mRNA level for the PH alpha-subunit decreased by 49 and 55% (P < 0.01) in gastrocnemius muscle and by 41 and 39% (P < 0.05) in plantaris muscle after immobilization for 1 and 3 days, respectively. PH activity was decreased (P < 0.05-0.01) in both muscles at days 3 and 7. The mRNA levels for type I and III procollagen were decreased by 26-56% (P < 0.05-0.001) in soleus, tibialis anterior, and plantaris muscles at day 3. The present results thus suggest that pretranslational downregulation plays a key role in fibrillar collagen synthesis in the early phase of immobilization-induced muscle atrophy.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Pain in scleral pocket incision cataract surgery using topical and peribulbar anesthesia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the pain produced during different phases of phacoemulsification cataract surgery using a scleral pocket incision under topical versus peribulbar anesthesia. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. METHODS: This prospective study comprised 100 cataract patients who were randomly selected to have phacoemulsification with a scleral pocket incision using either topical or peribulbar anesthesia. Topical anesthesia comprised oxybuprocaine 0.4% drops. Peribulbar anesthesia was given with an inferolateral transconjuctival injection of an even mixture of lidocaine 2% and bupivacaine 0.5% with hyaluronidase. Inadvertent eye movement during surgery was recorded. Pain occurring during intravenous line cannulation, introduction of the anesthetic agent, and phacoemulsification was measured using a visual analog scale (from 0 to 10) and a descriptive verbal 5-step scale. Patients were asked about pain immediately after each phase. RESULTS: The pain during cannulation was similar in both groups (P = .498). The peribulbar injection was statistically significantly more painful than induction of topical anesthesia (2.11 and 0.10, respectively; P < .001). Surgery was statistically significantly more painful in the topical group than in the peribulbar group (2.76 and 0.85, respectively; P < .001). The mean pain score during all 3 phases was similar (1.43 topical group and 1.51 peribulbar group; P = .500). On the verbal scale, surgery was more painful under topical than under peribulbar anesthesia (P < .001). There were no statistical differences in pain during the peribulbar injection and during cannulation (P = .461 and P = .462, respectively). Inadvertent eye movement occurred more often in the topical anesthesia group. CONCLUSION: Considering the entire procedure, total pain using topical anesthesia was acceptable and equal to that using peribulbar anesthesia for phacoemulsification with a scleral pocket incision. Pain during phacoemulsification was greater under topical anesthesia but not significantly different from the pain during the peribulbar injection.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1993

Low-vision aids in age-related macular degeneration.

In spite of the many patients with low vision due to age-related macular degeneration, the year's publications on their rehabilitation are few. The most common complaint of these patients is their inability to read. For this purpose, simple optical devices, eg, overcorrection in reading glasses, hand-held or stand magnifiers, are usually best. With closed-circuit television systems, reading speed may be faster and reading time may be longer but these systems are still too expensive for most users. Results on bifocal intraocular lenses used as a Galilean telescopic system are still unconfirmed. New ideas for many technical devices suitable also for elderly patients have been presented.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Effect of concentric exercise on serum muscle and collagen markers.

The effect of an acute bout of high-intensity concentric exercise on serum muscle and collagen marker proteins was studied in nine male students. The muscle-derived serum carbonic anhydrase III, myoglobin, and creatine kinase all increased as a result of the exercise. Serum type I procollagen carboxyterminal propeptide decreased at first but started to increase 2 days after the exercise. Serum galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase was elevated immediately after the exercise. No significant changes were seen in the concentrations of serum amino-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen or 4-hydroxyproline. It seems that a single bout of heavy concentric exercise causes protein leakage from muscles and probably from the collagen-synthesizing cells of the connective tissue, which may be accompanied by an initial decrease and a subsequent increase in type I collagen production. The activation of type I collagen production seems to depend on the strain and damage of the musculoskeletal system.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Protoberberine alkaloids from Enantia chlorantha therapy of allyl-alcohol- and D-galactosamine-traumatized rats.

The short-term effect of the hepatotoxins allyl alcohol (AA) and D-galactosamine (GalN) was investigated in adult female rats. In addition, the curative effect of Hepasor, protoberberine extract from Enantia chlorantha was examined 3 days following traumatization. There was a significant increase in serum alanine transferase (ALT) and serum alkaline phosphatase (APHOS) values induced by AA traumatization, which were lowered following Hepasor treatment. GalN traumatization also significantly increased ALT values, APHOS values to a lesser extent, and produced a decrease in serum hydroxyproline (OH-PRO) values. Hepasor treatment prevented these changes. Liver biopsies of AA-traumatized rats revealed marked necrotic areas and increased numbers of binuclear cells. When AA traumatization was combined with Hepasor treatment, fewer morphological changes in the liver were observed. GalN also provoked a 3-fold increase in binuclear cells, about a 10-fold increase in the number of lymphocytes and an increase in the neutrophils in the liver. Notable changes in Kupffer cells and degenerating hepatocytes were also observed. Both GalN traumatization and Hepasor treatment on pretraumatized rats nearly abolished these changes. Hepasor treatment appears to prevent chemically induced traumatization and also to promote the healing process in the hepatic injury models selected.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed1993

Unemployment, re-employment and the use of primary health care services.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between re-employment and the use of primary health care services. DESIGN: A cohort study of employed teenagers and a 'natural experiment' among adult long-term unemployed with an intervention group of re-employed, a control group of not re-employed, and a matched control group of permanently employed. SETTING: An industrial town (pop. 25,000) in southwestern Finland. PARTICIPANTS: 84 teenage and 143 adult long-term unemployed and 82 permanently employed individuals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Frequency of primary health care visits. RESULTS: Primary health care visits increased during re-employment among both teenage and adult re-employed (n = 82), but not in a control group of 61 long-term unemployed who were not employed under the re-employment scheme. A comparison with persons in regular wage employment indicated that visits increased from a low to a normal level. CONCLUSION: To explain the results, reference is made to the need for sickness absence certificates and to epidemiological factors. The findings also raise serious questions with regard to the ability of the health care system to reach, let alone help, unemployed citizens.

Absenteeism↗