PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Karjalainen

Publications and source records attributed to S Karjalainen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of liquorice extract-containing starch gel on the amount and microbial composition of plaque.

The aim of this study was to find out whether liquorice-containing starch gel could affect plaque accumulation and its microbial composition. Sixteen healthy volunteers (mean age: 30.4+/-6.9 years) used 6 g of either control [8% acid-hydrolyzed corn starch, 25% maltitol syrup, water (w/w)] or liquorice gel (control + 2.5% liquorice extract), three times a day for 2 weeks. The gels were used in a random order with a 2-week washout period in between. At the end of each fortnight, plaque was allowed to accumulate for 2 days and all available plaque from the right side of the mouth was collected, weighed, and transferred to transport medium. The plaque on the left side was dyed and photographed in a standardized manner. Mutans streptococci, total streptococci, and facultative bacteria were assessed from the plaque using plate culturing. Plaque index (0-5) of incisors and canines on the left side was evaluated from the photographs. The clinical study was preceded by an in vivo acid production test. The acid production from gels containing 2.5-10% liquorice extract was monitored with a microelectrode. The in vivo acid production potential of the maltitol-containing starch gel was about 50% compared to the sucrose control. Liquorice inhibited acid production from the gel. In the clinical study, the weight of plaque after consumption of the liquorice gel did not differ from that of the control gel. No differences were found in the microbial counts nor in the plaque index between the two gels. In addition, the liquorice gel had no effect on the stability of the predominant bacterial populations of the plaque samples of 16 individuals as detected by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. In conclusion, an addition of liquorice extract to starch-containing gel with a low acid production potential had no effect on the plaque formed during a 2-week gel consumption period.

Acids↗

1H MRS studies in the Finnish boron neutron capture therapy project: detection of 10B-carrier, L-p-boronophenylalanine-fructose.

This article summarizes the current status of 1H MRS in detecting and quantifying a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) boron carrier, L-p-boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F) in vivo in the Finnish BNCT project. The applicability of 1H MRS to detect BPA-F is evaluated and discussed in a typical situation with a blood containing resection cavity within the gross tumour volume (GTV). 1H MRS is not an ideal method to study BPA concentration in GTV with blood in recent resection cavity. For an optimal identification of BPA signals in the in vivo 1H MR spectrum, both pre- and post-infusion 1H MRS should be performed. The post-infusion spectroscopy studies should be scheduled either prior to or, less optimally, immediately after the BNCT. The pre-BNCT MRS is necessary in order to utilise the MRS results in the actual dose planning.

Adult↗

Vestibular dysfunction in adult patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Progressive hearing loss is a major symptom in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic brittle bone disease. Vertigo is frequently associated with otosclerosis in which the hearing loss clinically resembles that in OI. Vertigo is also common in basilar impression (BI) found in up to 25% of adult OI patients. In order to evaluate the cause, frequency, and characteristics of vertigo in OI, 42 patients were studied by interview, clinical examination, and audiological examination supplemented with electronystagmography (ENG) and lateral skull radiography. Audiometry showed hearing loss in 25 patients (59.5%). Nine patients (21%) displayed abnormal skull base anatomy in the forms of basilar impression, basilar invagination, or both, all designated here as BI. Twenty-two patients (52.4%) reported vertigo, mostly of floating or rotational sensation of short duration. Patients with hearing loss tended to have more vertigo than patients with normal hearing. Vertigo was not correlated with type of hearing loss or auditory brain-stem response (ABR) pathology. ENG was abnormal in 14 patients (33.3%). No dependency was found between vertigo and deviant ENG results. Patients with BI tended to have more vertigo than patients with normal skull base but the difference was not statistically significant. Neither ENG pathology, nor the presence or type of hearing loss showed correlation with BI. In conclusion, vertigo is common in patients with OI. In most cases, it may be secondary to inner ear pathology, and in only some patients does BI explain it. Since some OI patients without BI or hearing loss also suffer from vertigo, further clinical and neurological studies are needed to define the pathogenesis of vertigo in OI.

Adult↗

Frequent exposure to invasive medical care in early childhood and operative dental treatment associated with dental apprehension of children at 9 years of age.

AIM: This was to study prospectively a cohort of children as to whether behaviour at a 3-year examination, exposure to medical care and operative dental treatment are associated with each other, and with the level of dental apprehension at 9 years of age. METHODS: Data were collected at three subsequent dental examinations of 126 children (67 boys, 59 girls). Cooperation, general health condition and operative dental treatment during the preceding 3 years were obtained at dental examinations with 3-year intervals, i.e. at 3, 6 and 9 years of age. Children's dental apprehension was assessed at the age of 9 years. The data were analysed using an ordinal logistic regression model. RESULTS: Dental apprehension at 9 years of age was associated with frequent exposure to invasive medical care (p<0.001) and past experience of operative dental care (p<0.002), but not with cooperation at 3 years of age (p=0.124). CONCLUSION: Frequent invasive medical care in early childhood and operative dental treatment, tooth extractions in particular, are associated with dental apprehension at 9 years of age.

Case-Control Studies↗

A prospective study on sucrose consumption, visible plaque and caries in children from 3 to 6 years of age.

OBJECTIVES: As data on the association of sugar consumption and dental caries in the industrialized countries give mixed results, we prospectively studied this association in 135 healthy Finnish children (71 boys, 64 girls). METHODS: The dental health and oral hygiene of the children was first examined at the mean age (+/-SD) of 37.4 (+/-2.1) months and again at 73.7 (+/-2.6) months. On both occasions the parents were interviewed about the child's sweet intake and toothbrushing habits, and sucrose consumption was analyzed using 4-day food diaries. RESULTS: The proportion of children with caries experience, enamel and dentin lesions combined, increased from 16% to 40%. Daily sucrose intake of children who developed caries by 6 years of age, whether expressed as absolute (g) or as relative (E%) amounts, was already higher at 3 years of age than that of children who stayed caries-free (P<0.05 and P<0.03, respectively). Furthermore, children who used sweets more than once a week at 3 years of age, consumed more sucrose 3 years later (P<0.01) than those who used sweets once a week or less. The proportion of children with a combination of a sweet intake more than once a week and visible plaque, increased (P<0.05) during the follow-up. The risk ratio of children with the combined risk habit at 3 years of age to develop carious lesions by 6 years of age was 1.7 compared to the rest of the children (95% confidence interval 0.9-3.0). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the manifestation of dental caries at 6 years of age seemed to be associated with a higher daily sucrose intake that had started already at 3 years of age. Moreover, a combination of sweet intake more than once a week and visible plaque at 3 years of age may be predictive of dental health 3 years later.

Candy↗

The effect of hormone replacement therapy on salivary calcium concentrations in menopausal women.

Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women is known to affect the general calcium turnover of the body. No information is available about the effects of hormone therapy on salivary electrolytes and on calcium in particular. A group of 16 healthy peri- and postmenopausal women, all recommended to start hormone replacement therapy, were studied longitudinally for 5 months. Paraffin-stimulated whole saliva was collected at baseline, at 3 and at 5 months after the onset of therapy, and analysed for calcium, sodium and potassium concentrations. In response to hormone replacement therapy, calcium concentration decreased (p = 0.037), that of sodium increased (p = 0.019), while no change was observed in the potassium concentrations during the follow-up period.

Analysis of Variance↗

Electronystagmographic findings in patients with acute cerebral vascular disease and vertigo.

A neurootologist examined 233 successive cases of acute disabling vertigo from the Clinic of Neurology of Turku University Central Hospital. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 24 patients had evidence of acute cerebral or cerebellar brain infarction. The examination scheme included a case history analysis, clinical neurootological examination and electronystagmography (ENG). The audiological examination included pure-tone thresholds and speech audiometry. The ENG analyses were done by two neurootologists who had no information about the aetiology of the diseases. A central disturbance in ENG was observed in 59% (10/17) of the patients with cerebral brain infarction and 71% (5/7) of the patients with cerebellar brain infarction. ENG is not valid as a screening method for the central aetiology of vertigo; imaging of the central nervous system is needed.

Acute Disease↗

Transtympanic versus tympanic membrane electrocochleography in examining cochleovestibular disorders.

The use of electrocochleography (EcoG) is considered to be of clinical value in otological diagnosis. Non-invasive ear canal (EC) and tympanic membrane (TM) EcoG recording techniques, and invasive transtympanic (TT) technique are the methods used for objective assessment of cochlear function. In this study, eight adults (16 ears) with suspected Meniere's disease were examined using a newly designed, disposable tympanic electrode and a traditional, thin transtympanic needle. The amplitudes of the TT electrode responses were 4-6-fold larger than those produced by the TM electrode. The morphology of the waveforms for the two recording techniques was nearly identical. The mean amplitudes of the action potential (AP) obtained with the TM electrode were 2.39-3.73 microV, and with the TT electrode 14.08-19.60 microV, depending on the stimulus intensity. For the summating potential (SP), the TM and TT electrodes had mean amplitudes of 0.82-1.60 microV and 3.53-5.81 microV respectively. The SP/AP ratios were larger with the TM electrode than with the TT electrode. They were inconsistent in four ears (25%) when measured with the TM and TT electrodes. All patients were more satisfied with the TT examination, since it was quite painless, unlike the TM examination. The authors recommend the use of the TT recording technique as a painless examination in which the electrode is close to the inner ear, allowing a good signal-to-noise ratio and large amplitudes. Diagnostic interpretations are easier and more reliable with the TT electrode than with the TM electrode.

Adult↗

Association between early weaning, non-nutritive sucking habits and occlusal anomalies in 3-year-old Finnish children.

UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES, DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Earlier results on the effect of breastfeeding on the one hand, and non-nutritive sucking habits (pacifier and/or digit sucking) on the other, on the orofacial development of infants are inconclusive. Thus we studied the prevalence of malocclusions and their relationship to the duration of breastfeeding and to non-nutritive sucking habits in a group of randomly selected 3-year-old children (n = 148). RESULTS: Posterior crossbite was detected in 13%, anterior open bite in 18% and large overjet (> 3 mm) in 26% of the children. The proportion of children with anterior vertical open bite was significantly larger among children with non-nutritive sucking habits than among the other children (P < 0.001). Neither posterior crossbite nor large overjet were associated with non-nutritive sucking habits. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 5.8 +/- 3.6 months while that of total breastfeeding was 7.3 +/- 3.8 months on average. The exclusive and total breastfeeding periods of children with posterior crossbite were both significantly shorter than those of the other children (P < 0.01 and P < 0.002, respectively). Children's height and weight were unrelated to the duration of breastfeeding or occlusal anomalies. CONCLUSION: We suggest that an early introduction of bottlefeeding, indicating a pattern of low-impact muscular activity, may interfere with the normal development of alveolar ridges and hard palate, and hence lead to posterior crossbite.

Analysis of Variance↗

The limited value of three pathogen species in predicting healing of periodontal pockets.

Baseline level of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans has been suggested as being predictive of periodontal treatment outcome. We analyzed the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia in 55 deep periodontal pockets of 29 patients (18 men, 11 women, 37-75 years) before and after periodontal treatment. At baseline and after treatment, 62% and 33%, respectively, of the subjects presented with 1, 2, or a combination of all 3 pathogens. The mean pocket depth of 6.6 mm (0.4 mm) before treatment decreased to 2.2 mm (0.4 mm) in response to treatment (P<0.001). The treatment plan of non-surgical or surgical treatment was based on pocket depths and tooth morphology only. No antimicrobial medications were used during the treatment. Eighty-two percent of the deep pockets healed satisfactorily to < or = 4 mm. The presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, or Prevotella intermedia at baseline was not associated with the outcome of the periodontal therapy. In conclusion, we found that the presence of the 3 periodontopathogen species had little or no value in predicting healing of periodontal pockets.

Adult↗

Prevalence and etiology of unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment in a Finnish childhood population.

A retrospective study was undertaken on the prevalence and etiology of unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (> 25 dB at 0.5-4 kHz, including mixed hearing impairments with bone conduction thresholds > or = 25 dB) among children born between 1972 and 1986 in a province of eastern Finland. Only patients who had been diagnosed before the age of 10 years were included. A total of 84 children with such an unilateral hearing loss were identified, with prevalence of 1.7 per 1000 live births. A significant decline from the prevalence of 2.2 per 1000 in the 1970s to the prevalence of 1.2 per 1000 in the 1980s was observed, which was mainly due to the disappearance of hearing losses caused by mumps and measles in the 1980s and the decrease in cases attributed to otitis media. In agreement with some previous studies, a considerable male predominance was present. Thirty-five percent of the hearing losses were profound (> 95 dB) and 15% were severe (71-95 dB). Etiology of the hearing impairment was estimated as genetic in 2%, congenital non-genetic in 12%, delayed-onset non-genetic in 35% and remained unknown in 51%.

Audiometry↗

Update of cancer incidence among workers at a copper/nickel smelter and nickel refinery.

OBJECTIVES: To assess cancer risk among nickel-exposed workers. METHODS: We updated cancer incidence among 1388 workers employed for at least 3 months at a copper/nickel smelter and nickel refinery in Harjavalta, Finland. There were 1155 workers exposed to nickel during the period 1960-1985 in the smelter (566 workers), repair shop (239 workers), or refinery (418 workers). Cancer incidence was followed through the files of the Finnish Cancer Registry up to 31 December 1995. For overall cancer and for a priori selected specific cancer types the ratio of observed to expected numbers of cases was computed as a standardized incidence ratio (SIR), controlled for age, gender, and calendar period and using the region-specific rates as a reference. RESULTS: The overall cancer incidence among both nickel-exposed and unexposed subcohorts was at the expected level. A small increase in lung cancer incidence, which reached statistical significance among workers with a latency exceeding 20 years, was observed among the smelter workers exposed to insoluble nickel compounds. Among workers in the refinery, who were exposed primarily to nickel sulfate at levels below 0.5 mg/m3 as well as to low concentrations of other nickel compounds, there was an increased risk for nasal cancer (SIR 41.1, 95% CI 4.97-148), positively associated with latency and duration of employment, and an excess risk for stomach (SIR 4.98, 95% CI 1.62-11.6) and lung (SIR 2.61, 95% CI 0.96-5.67) cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Since elevated nasal and lung cancer risks were confined to the refinery, where the primary exposure was to nickel sulfate, it is likely that nickel sulfate is mainly responsible for the elevated respiratory cancer risk. We cannot rule out whether the excess stomach cancer risk is a chance finding, or related to the working environment.

Adult↗

Prevalence and etiology of bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment in a Finnish childhood population.

A retrospective study was performed on the prevalence and etiology of bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (> 25 dB at 0.5-4 kHz in the better ear) among children born 1974-1987 in a province of eastern Finland. A total of 98 children with hearing impairment were identified, which gave a prevalence of 2.1 per 1000 live births. This prevalence was higher than reported form most of other developed countries but slightly lower than reported from Sweden. A slight decline from the prevalence of 2.3 per 1000 in the 1970s to the prevalence of 1.9 per 1000 in the 1980s was observed. Contrary to several earlier studies, no male predominance was noted, there were even slightly more females than males (52 vs. 46). Etiology of the hearing loss was estimated to be genetic in 41%, congenital nongenetic in 13%, delayed-onset nongenetic in 16% and remained unknown in 30%. On average, children with a congenital disorder had more severe hearing impairment than those with delayed-onset hearing loss, e.g. 31% of the former patients had profound (> 95 dB) hearing loss compared to 6% of the latter. A very gratifying finding was that no case of congenital hearing impairment caused by maternal rubella was identified after 1982, obviously due to general vaccinations. Also, a decline in cases of hearing loss attributed to perinatal and neonatal complications was observed.

Child, Preschool↗

Patient managed clinical trial.

We describe a trial design of postmenopausal hormone therapy. Our goal was to design a trial that allows more patient management than usual, would include placebo effect in the therapy, would imitate the normal practices of health care as much as possible, and would be based on ordinary health services. We gave women a randomized recommendation to use or not use hormone therapy, invited them to two discussion groups, and sent them two questionnaires. They were asked to consult their own physician and to pay for the therapy themselves. The design worked well regarding recruitment, but compliance after 6 months was not satisfactory. The main problems were the women's aversion to randomization, the attitudes of the women's own physicians, and the difficulty in stopping the use of hormone therapy. The last-mentioned problem could be avoided by different inclusion criteria. Unless societal perception of research can be changed, most solutions to improve compliance would lead toward traditional trial designs.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

Congenital and early-onset bilateral hearing impairment in children: the delay in detection.

A retrospective review of 168 consecutive children with congenital or early-onset bilateral hearing impairment (> 25 dB, 0.5-4 kHz, in the better hearing ear) was conducted. Only 39 per cent of the hearing-impaired children were diagnosed within the first two years of life. The age at diagnosis was related to the severity of hearing loss with profound (> 95 dB) hearing losses being detected earlier than the other degrees. However, 37 per cent of children with severe to profound (> 70 dB) hearing loss were still not diagnosed until after two years of age. Children with severe to profound hearing loss and with known risk factors were diagnosed earlier than children with the same hearing status but with no known risk factors. It was concluded that the behavioural hearing screening tests used in our well-baby clinics are insufficient and, therefore, more reliable methods, preferably evoked otoacoustic emissions, should be used for universal hearing screening of infants and young children in spite of the great cost.

Age Factors↗

Oral health of 3-year-old children and their parents after 29 months of child-focused antiatherosclerotic dietary intervention in a prospective randomized trial.

A long-term prospective, randomized dietary intervention to prevent exposure of children to the known atherosclerosis risk factors (the STRIP baby project) was started when the age of the children was 7 months. The aim of this substudy was to analyze the oral effects of the dietary intervention in the children and their parents when the children had reached the age of 3 years. Every fifth family of the main study was invited to this substudy (n = 179). Those studied (n = 148) represented well the intervention and the control groups and both genders in terms of intake of saturated fatty acids, the dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid (PUFA/SAFA) ration and serum cholesterol and HDL cholesterol concentrations. Though no difference was found in sucrose consumption between the intervention and the control groups, the intervention children received relatively (in E%) more energy from carbohydrates than the control children (p < 0.005), used absolutely (in g) and relatively (in E%) less fat (p < 0.05) and had a higher PUFA/SAFA ratio in their diet (p < 0.001). Of the 3-year-old children 93% were caries free, and dental decay was a prevalent in the intervention as in the control children. Control children brushed their teeth unassisted more often than the intervention children (p < 0.05). The intervention fathers also received more energy (in E%) from carbohydrates (p < 0.01), the intervention mothers used less fat (p < 0.05) and had a higher PUFA/SAFA ratio in the diet (p < 0.05) than the control fathers and mothers, respectively. Dental and periodontal health of the intervention and control parents (n = 250, 84% attending, mean +/- SD age: 34.2 +/- 54.5 years also showed no differences even though the control parents had more commonly last visited a dentist over 3 years before this examination (p < 0.05). We conclude that a 29-month period of a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol but high-carbohydrate diet as advocated in the STRIP baby trial does not seem to have harmful effects on the oral health of the children or their parents. Minor untoward differences had occurred in the dental health behavior of the control children and their parents.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Salivary cholesterol of healthy adults in relation to serum cholesterol concentration and oral health.

Salivary lipids are mostly glandular in origin, but some are believed to diffuse directly from serum. This diffusion and the role of salivary lipids in oral health have scarcely been studied. Therefore, the serum and saliva cholesterol concentrations and oral health were analyzed in a group of healthy adults (n = 139; 64 men and 75 women; 34.2 +/- 5.2 yrs). Paraffin-stimulated whole saliva was collected, centrifuged (10,000 x g; 30 min, 4 degrees C), and lyophilized, and the cholesterol and other neutral lipids were extracted, separated by thin-layer chromatography, and quantified. The mean +/- SD (range) of saliva cholesterol concentration was 1.20 +/- 0.75 (0.02-5.46) mumol/L, and the saliva cholesterol level of men (1.36 +/- 0.85 mumol/L) was significantly higher than that of women (1.06 +/- 0.64 mumol/L; p < 0.05). Weak positive correlations between saliva and serum cholesterol concentrations and saliva cholesterol and serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were found (r = 0.22, p < 0.05; r = 0.28, p < 0.005, respectively). The saliva cholesterol assay detected subjects with high (> or = 6.5 mmol/L) serum cholesterol values, with sensitivity and specificity values of 100% and 29%, respectively. A positive correlation between the body mass index and the level of saliva cholesterol concentration was also found (r = 0.31 p < 0.01). Oral health, microbial counts, or saliva flow rate revealed no differences in subjects with low and high salivary cholesterol level. We conclude that, in healthy adults, saliva cholesterol concentration reflects serum concentration to some extent and can be used to select individuals with high serum cholesterol levels.

Adult↗