Publications
2026
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Longitudinal association of circulating inflammatory biomarkers with epigenetic ageing in the Young Finns Study
No abstract -
Oxygen concentration measurement in 3D cell culture using multifocal optical projection microscopy
Control over molecular oxygen concentrations in cell cultures is vital for maintaining normal physiological functions and modelling pathological conditions. However, current approaches for measuring oxygen are often invasive or limited in their capability to assess oxygen distribution in large-volume 3D cell cultures beyond a few hundred microns in depth. In this work, we have developed an adaptable method utilizing multifocal optical projection microscopy and commercially available fluorescent... -
Prognostic implications of intraventricular conduction disorders for the risk of sudden cardiac death in cardiac patients
CONCLUSIONS: NIVCD and prolonged QRS, are strong predictors of SCD events despite adjusting for risk factors including LVEF. -
Gene-by-Sleep Duration Interaction for Glycemic Traits in over 480,000 Individuals
Both short and long sleep duration have been associated with poor glycemic control and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although sleep duration may differentially modify the effects of genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, this has not been systematically investigated. In the present study, we conducted genome-wide gene by sleep duration meta-analyses, separately assessing interactions of short and long sleep, for fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and hemoglobin A1c... -
VR-guided deep breathing during needle procedures in children
Virtual reality-based treatment has been found to be effective at reducing stress and fear in children during procedures involving needles, but its effects on the autonomic nervous system and heart rate variability remain uncertain. This feasibility study compared a virtual reality-mediated deep breathing exercise with treatment as usual in managing the stress and fear of children during a venipuncture. We included 45 children who underwent a needle procedure as part of their routine treatment.... -
Factors associated with resection volume and reoperation rates in breast-conserving surgery
CONCLUSIONS: BCS is associated with variable and often excessive resection of healthy tissue. Identifying patients at risk for over-resection may improve surgical planning. Incorporating CRR into quality metrics alongside reoperation and mastectomy rates could enhance benchmarking. -
Prognostic potential of circulatory miR-19a-3p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-329-3p for future hypertension diagnosis
MicroRNAs have been suggested as essential hypertension biomarkers, but evidence remains inconclusive due to limited high-throughput studies in population cohorts. We analyzed data from the Young Finns Study (YFS) from 2011 and 2018-2020 to assess cross-sectional and prospective associations between circulatory microRNAs, blood pressure (BP), and hypertension. Hypertension risk prediction potential was assessed using nested logistic and Weibull survival models; model performance was evaluated... -
Performance of the 12-lead ECG in predicting short- and long-term risk of sudden cardiac death
We evaluated the performance of 12-channel ECG in predicting sudden cardiac death across different time intervals using a retrospective data set of 17,625 high-risk cardiac patients who underwent coronary angiography (2007-2018) with follow-up data until 2022. Extreme gradient boosting using 12SL Marquette software-derived parameters from digital ECG recording was used to train and validate models using a random 80/20 split. Model performance was evaluated in both unbalanced and... -
Effect of liner geometry on jumping distance: as relevant as head size
No abstract -
Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of food allergy and IgE sensitization
CONCLUSION: This study identified 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms suggestively associated with FA and demonstrated genetic differences across phenotypes. It highlights the need for a unified FA definition and sheds light on FA's shared genetic architecture with allergies. -
EpiSmokEr2: a robust epigenetic classifier for smoking status inference using Illumina EPIC methylation data
CONCLUSION: EpiSmokEr2 provides a reliable DNAm-based estimator of smoking status. It is available as an open-source R package on GitHub, facilitating broad use in epidemiological and clinical research. -
Controlled External Thigh Compression: A Feasible Method to Simulate Venous Hemodynamic Alterations Resembling Deep Vein Thrombosis
CONCLUSION: Presented hemodynamic alterations demonstrated to be a feasible option for simulating DVT-like conditions via controlled external pressure on the thigh. -
Neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage from childhood to midlife and carotid atherosclerosis
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage beginning in childhood is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in midlife, independently of achieved socioeconomic position. These findings highlight the importance of cumulative socioeconomic environments across the life course and suggest that behavioural risk factors may partly explain observed neighbourhood-level associations with atherosclerosis. -
Prognostic value of psoas muscle area and pleural effusion in patients undergoing TAVI
CONCLUSIONS: Psoas muscle area (PMA) and pleural effusion were independently associated with cardiovascular mortality after TAVI, whereas no significant associations were observed with non-cardiovascular deaths. Combined inclusion of these parameters led to a modest but not clinically meaningful improvement in the EuroSCORE II-based prediction of mortality. -
A genome-wide association meta-analysis of cholesterol synthesis intermediates identifies three associations for lanosterol
BACKGROUND: Cholesterol is a main contributor to coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the genetic basis of blood cholesterol concentration is well studied, there is currently a lack of studies investigating the genetics of its precursors from de novo biosynthesis. -
Polygenic risk for schizophrenia predicting test-measured and self-reported cognitive performance in individuals without psychosis
CONCLUSION: We observed lower cognitive functioning in domains similar to those reported in studies of patients with schizophrenia. Thus, some difficulties in cognitive performance may not be fully attributable to the disorder itself but may partly reflect normative developmental trajectories in individuals with high polygenic liabilities. -
Large-scale blood pressure GWAS accounting for gene-depression interactions in 564,680 individuals from diverse populations
Gene-environment interactions may enhance our understanding of blood pressure (BP) biology. We conducted a meta-analysis of multi-population genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of BP traits accounting for gene-depressive symptomatology (DEPR) interactions. Our study included 564,680 adults from 67 cohorts and four population backgrounds: African (5%), Asian (7%), European (85%), and Hispanic (3%). We discovered seven previously unreported BP loci showing gene-DEPR interaction. These loci... -
Multi-modal choroid plexus pathology in aging and Alzheimer's disease
Brain barriers, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, and peripheral factors are implicated as significant contributors to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The choroid plexus (ChP) is a blood-brain interface that produces CSF and forms the blood-CSF barrier. However, how ChP pathology develops across the lifespan and contributes to AD has not been systematically characterized. Here, we report a multi-modal ChP atlas integrating single-nucleus transcriptomics from 49 individuals, AI-assisted quantitative... -
Association of acute blood biomarkers with diffusion tensor imaging and outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury presenting with GCS of 13-15
The aim of the study was to assess the association between blood-based biomarkers of different cellular origins and later white matter integrity, measured using post-acute diffusion tensor metrics, and their relation to outcome in patients presenting with Glasgow Coma Scale of 13-15 after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Admission plasma samples for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), interleukin 10 (IL-10), heart fatty-acid binding protein (H-FABP), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B),... -
Cohort Profile Update: Expanding the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study into a multigenerational cohort
No abstract
2025
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Data-Driven Approach to Predict Aneurysm Rupture Risk
No abstract -
Association of acute blood biomarkers with diffusion tensor imaging and outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury presenting with GCS of 13-15
The aim of the study was to assess the association between blood-based biomarkers of different cellular origins and later white matter integrity, measured using post-acute diffusion tensor metrics, and their relation to outcome in patients presenting with Glasgow Coma Scale of 13-15 after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Admission plasma samples for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), interleukin 10 (IL-10), heart fatty-acid binding protein (H-FABP), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B),... -
Large-Scale Gene-Smoking Interactions and Fine Mapping Study Identifies Multiple Novel Blood Pressure Loci in over 1 Million Individuals
Cigarette smoking influences blood pressure (BP) levels. Studying and accounting for potential gene-smoking interactions can help discover novel loci and provide insights into biological pathways for smoking-associated BP regulation. We conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis involving 1,188,241 individuals from 66 studies in five ancestry groups, analyzing systolic BP, diastolic BP, and pulse pressure while considering interactions between genetic variants and three smoking exposures:... -
Life-Course Blood Pressure Levels, 38-Year Tracking, and Prediction of Hypertension
CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that long-term cumulative exposure to elevated BP levels in childhood/adolescence are associated with a substantially increased risk of adult hypertension. -
Micro-CT and machine learning: a high-throughput alternative to histology for follicle reserve assessment in cryopreserved ovarian tissue
CONCLUSION: Micro-CT scanning combined with machine learning analysis represents a novel high-throughput and automated approach for estimating oocyte count in cryopreserved ovarian cortical samples. In addition, three-dimensional analysis offers valuable insights into oocyte localization and spatial distribution within the ovarian cortex, presenting a promising alternative to conventional histology for future clinical and research applications. -
Association of iron metabolism with disease severity in acute Puumala hantavirus infection
CONCLUSION: Increased serum ferritin and hepcidin levels, as well as decreased transferrin levels, were associated with high leukocyte counts and low platelet counts during acute PUUV infection. However, parameters of iron metabolism were not associated with the severity of AKI in this infection. -
Predictive Performance of the Cardiovascular Event Risk Test 2 Risk Score in Hemodialysis Patients with ESKD
CONCLUSIONS: The CERT2 risk score identifies patients with ESKD who are at a higher risk of MACE and all-cause death. These findings highlight the potential of the CERT2 risk score as a novel lipid-based biomarker for CV risk stratification in patients undergoing hemodialysis, offering improved prognostic performance over existing biomarkers and risk scores. -
Defining optimal muscle surface area thresholds for sarcopenia-related mortality after cardiovascular interventions
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term mortality after a cardiovascular intervention increases linearly as the PMA value decreases. Patients with poor muscle status (Z-values below -1.5) seem to have consistently elevated mortality risk independent of other risk factors. -
Towards the integration of in-silico electro-chemo-mechanical smooth muscle cell and cardiovascular system models
Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are largely responsible for maintaining vascular tone. Their ability to adapt to any local hemodynamic change is thus an integral mechanism of both cardiovascular function and systemic cardiovascular control. However, the exact processes driving smooth muscle cell contraction, and subsequent local and systemic level vascular tone adaptation, to hemodynamic changes are complex and not well understood. This leaves a gap in our understanding and ability to predict and... -
New Cardiovascular Model Integrating Coronary Circulation in Obstructive and Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a complex disease that can be associated with ischemia with no sign of coronary disease. Ischemia seems to result from microcirculatory abnormalities that appear to be modulated by left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. This paper proposes a model-based approach for the analysis of physiological mechanisms that affects coronary circulation in HCM. A novel integrated cardiovascular model, including LVOT obstruction and coronary circulation, was... -
Assessment of Tissue Impedance Postmortem Using Needle Measurement and Computation Modelling
There is a global shortage of organ transplants. Transplant preservation and diagnostic methods are being developed to ease the problem. This process requires understanding the degradation processes that take place in the transplant tissue as a function of time post-procurement. Good organ quality is the basis for successful long-term transplantation outcomes. This paper aims to look if electric bioimpedance measurement could provide a tool to assess organ quality. Needle-based bioimpedance... -
Development of an Explainable-AI Enabled Decision Support System for Improved Risk Assessment of Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiac Patients during Hospital Stay
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of hospitalization and mortality worldwide, implying a critical burden on the healthcare system. Enhancing CVD risk assessment requires the integration of heterogeneous data sources to provide accurate, robust, and explainable predictions. This study focuses on developing an explainable artificial intelligence decision support system to predict the risk of in-hospital postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). The use case was selected through... -
Ascorbic acid 2-phosphate-releasing poly-l-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone membranes enhance tissue regeneration: first <em>in vivo</em> insights for pelvic organ prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) significantly impacts women's health and quality of life. There is a critical need for alternative biomaterials for surgical POP repair, driven by complications associated with conventional non-absorbable vaginal meshes. As ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (A2P) has been demonstrated to enhance collagen production and cell proliferation in vitro, this study investigated absorbable A2P-releasing poly-l-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone (PLCL) membranes in the first in vivo... -
Associations of long-term cumulative C-reactive protein and glycoprotein acetyls concentrations in childhood, adolescence and adulthood with adulthood retinal microvascular structure
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term cumulative hsCRP exposure was associated with wider venules in young and mid-adulthood, whereas the associations with venular tortuosity were inconsistent. Wider retinal venules might act as a marker for cumulative inflammatory burden. -
Identifying risk factors of long sickness absences: a registry-based study using explainable AI methods
CONCLUSIONS: Other variables besides service use and sickness absence increase the accuracy in predicting long sickness absence and providing information for planning interventions that could have a beneficial impact on work disability risk. -
Frontal T-wave axis deviation and risk of sudden cardiac death in coronary syndromes
CONCLUSION: Severity of frontal TA deviation is a robust, graded marker of SCD risk in angiography patients, strongest in elective and postacute settings; QRSTA is supportive but weaker. These automated, low-cost metrics could augment SCD risk stratification beyond LVEF, warranting external validation and clinical utility testing. -
A method for analyzing the ERP associated with high frequency ANT DBS offset
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that time-locked EEG analysis related to monopolar bilateral 140 Hz ANT DBS stimulation is feasible. -
A multilayer network analysis of cardiovascular-depression comorbidity reveals symptom-specific molecular biomarkers
CONCLUSIONS: This network-based analysis revealed symptom-specific biological pathways linking CVD and depression. The identified biomarkers may offer insights into shared mechanisms and support future prevention and treatment strategies for cardiometabolic-psychiatric comorbidity. -
Meta-analyses of clozapine, norclozapine levels and their ratio across three genome wide association studies
Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) found associations between clozapine serum levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in intragenic region between cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and CYP1A2 and nuclear factor 1B (NFIB). The aim of this study was to perform another GWAS of polymorphisms associated with the serum levels of clozapine and norclozapine, their ratios, and to perform meta-analyses with two previous GWAS. Finnish clozapine patients (n = 170) with known smoking habits... -
Reply: How would a heterogeneous research population aid in interpreting study results?
No abstract -
The association between ST-segment depressions and sudden cardiac deaths and arrests after acute coronary syndrome
CONCLUSION: Lateral, inferolateral, and inferior ST-segment depressions in ECG after angiography in ACS patients are associated with a significantly higher long-term risk for SCD and SCA. -
A hypoxia-on-a-chip platform for modeling ischemic arrhythmogenesis and evaluating the effects of levosimendan and OR-1896 on ischemic human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes
Acute hypoxia is a major contributor to cardiomyocyte damage and dysfunction in ischemic heart disease, and the effective therapeutic strategies remain limited. Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer with both inotropic and vasodilatory effects, along with its active metabolite OR-1896, is utilized in the treatment of acute heart failure. In this study, we investigated the cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic effects of levosimendan and its metabolite OR-1896 under hypoxic conditions using... -
Exploring the association between ceramide, phosphatidylcholine, and COPD prevalence and incidence: a FINRISK population-based cohort study
CONCLUSION: These findings support the role of lipid biomarkers, particularly Cers and CERT scores, in improving COPD risk prediction and management, with potential implications for targeted interventions in smokers. -
Interatrial Block Detected by a Series of ECGs Before and During Acute Coronary Syndrome Predicts Atrial Fibrillation, Atrial Flutter, and Ischemic Stroke
CONCLUSIONS: Automatic detection of an IAB from serial ECGs reveals a strong association between atrial pathology and the risk of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and ischemic stroke in patients with ACS. -
Icosapent ethyl-induced lipoprotein remodeling and its impact on cardiovascular disease risk markers in normolipidemic individuals
BACKGROUNDIcosapent ethyl (IPE), an ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the mechanism remains elusive. We examined the effect of IPE supplementation on lipoprotein subclasses, lipidomes, and pro-atherogenic properties.METHODSUsing 3 independent metabolomic platforms, we examined the effect of high-dose IPE supplementation for 28 days on fatty acid profiles, lipoprotein subclasses, lipidomes, and pro-atherogenic properties in normolipidemic... -
Higher systemic vascular resistance in individuals with a family history of hypertension
CONCLUSION: Participants with a family history of hypertension were characterized by elevated central and peripheral BP probably due to higher SVR, whereas the stiffness of large arteries was not higher. These findings highlight the role of SVR in the pathogenesis of primary hypertension. -
Effects of physiotherapy on breathing cycle after thoracic surgery measured with impedance pneumography in a prospective clinical comparison
CONCLUSIONS: IMT seemed to enhance expiration specifically among thoracotomy patients and thus may provide means for enhancing the recovery after thoracic operations. -
Artificial intelligence applications in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: turns and loopholes
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heterogeneous disease where, despite recent advances, accurate diagnosis, risk stratification, and personalized treatment remain challenging. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a transformative approach to HCM by enabling rapid, precise analysis of complex data. This article reviews the current and potential applications of AI in HCM. AI enhances diagnostic accuracy by analysing electrocardiograms, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance images,... -
Hyperdynamic circulation distinguishes predominantly diastolic hypertension from predominantly systolic hypertension
Elevated blood pressure is traditionally classified into systolic-diastolic hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension, and isolated diastolic hypertension. In this cross-sectional study, participants not using antihypertensive medications (n = 654) were divided into normotensive subjects (n = 421), and predominantly systolic (n = 130) versus predominantly diastolic hypertension (n = 103) based on the percentage elevation of aortic blood pressure above 125 mmHg systolic or 85 mmHg diastolic.... -
Severity of Ascending Aortic Degeneration in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Background Ascending aortic dilatation is associated with increased susceptibility to aortic events. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may add to tissue degeneration and inflammation associated with the risk of increased aortic dilatation. We studied the characteristics and aortic wall degeneration of patients with COPD during ascending aortic dilatation. Methodology We enrolled 35 consecutive patients who underwent elective surgery for ascending aortic dilatation between February... -
The effect of polychlorinated biphenyls on type 2 diabetes risk is mediated via DNA methylation
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been identified as diabetogens and potential epigenetic regulators. Epigenetic variation is implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and is therefore a potential mechanism linking PCB exposure and T2D. We here investigate the effect of PCB exposure on T2D risk and the extent to which this is mediated via DNA methylation (DNAm) using two epigenome-wide association studies and mediation analysis. Exposure to PCBs, especially congeners 74, 99,... -
Electrocardiogram markers predicting ischemic stroke after acute coronary syndrome
CONCLUSIONS: ECG markers demonstrating LV dysfunction, LVH and atriopathy associate with IS risk after ACS, although external validation is still required. -
QT and RR interval analysis in genetic cardiac diseases using the AccuQT and advanced heart rate variability methods
The QT interval is a key indicator in assessing arrhythmia risk, evaluating drug safety, and supporting clinical diagnosis in cardiology. The QT interval is significantly influenced by heart rate so it must be accurately corrected to ensure reliable clinical interpretation. Conventional correction formulas, such as Bazett's formula, are widely utilized but often criticized for inaccuracies, either under- or overcorrecting QT intervals in different physiological conditions. The recently developed... -
The Goal of Aneurysm Repair is to Add Years to the Patient's Life, Not to Take the Life Out of Those Years
No abstract -
Ticagrelor and Aspirin or Aspirin Alone after Coronary Surgery for Acute Coronary Syndrome
CONCLUSIONS: Among patients who underwent CABG for an acute coronary syndrome, ticagrelor plus aspirin did not result in a lower incidence of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or repeat coronary revascularization than aspirin alone at 1 year. (Funded by the Swedish Research Council and others; TACSI ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03560310; EudraCT number, 2017-001499-43; EU Clinical Trials number, 2023-508551-40-00.). -
A systematic approach to study the effects of acquisition parameters and biological factors on computerized mammography analysis using ex vivo human tissue: A protocol description
BACKGROUND: Mammography is the most common imaging modality for the detection of breast cancer. Artificial intelligence algorithms for mammography analysis have shown promising performance for breast cancer risk assessment and lesion detection and classification; however, these models often fail the test of external validation. The evidence points to variations in image acquisition-known as the batch effect-as a main contributing factor to the lack of the models generalization and robustness.... -
The Utility of Infrared Thermography and Hyperspectral Imaging in Peripheral Artery Disease: A Systematic Review
CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that both IRT and HSI hold promise for assessing circulation, oxygenation, and perfusion in participants with vascular deficiency. Further research with larger sample sizes and standardised measurement protocols is needed to validate the clinical utility of IRT and HSI. -
A new method for automated olfactory threshold testing
We present a new method for fully self-administered olfactory testing. Technical development and testing and 2 user studies were conducted to test the functionality of a prototype device called Automated Olfactory Threshold Test (AutomOT). Technical testing showed repeatable functioning of the developed olfactory display technology in accurately producing 11 predefined odor intensity levels over 10 different days. In User Study 1, we tested the reliability, usability, and subjective workload of... -
Viridans Streptococcal Biofilm Evades Immune Detection and Contributes to Inflammation and Rupture of Atherosclerotic Plaques
CONCLUSIONS: Latent chronic bacterial inflammation evades immune detection and may contribute to the pathogenesis of complicated atherosclerotic plaques and fatal myocardial infarction. -
Associations of Physical Activity and Dietary Fat Quality With Arterial Health in Adolescents
CONCLUSION: MVPA and PAEE were related to better arterial health. Moreover, our results suggest that higher PAEE benefits adolescents with higher SFA intake. -
Impact of Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease on All-Cause Mortality in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography: Results From the Finnish Kardio Multicentre Registry
CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing coronary angiography, HF and CKD were each independently associated with a twofold increased risk of all-cause mortality. Interaction effects suggest that the co-occurrence of HF and CKD synergistically amplifies this risk. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and managing cardiorenal comorbidity to improve outcomes in this high-risk population. -
Innovative approaches to collecting, aggregating, and analyzing adverse drug events in smart hospitals
BackgroundThe increasing integration of electronic health records (EHRs) and their secondary use provide new pathways to advance drug safety. Smart hospitals use advanced data collection to enhance pharmacovigilance and better detect adverse drug events (ADEs). Finland's secondary-use legislation embodies this data-sharing shift.ObjectiveThis work synthesizes current evidence and proposes strategies to strengthen ADE detection and analysis in smart hospitals by integrating multimodal data... -
Cluster Analysis Reveals Subgroups with Different Risk Profiles and Sickness Absence Patterns in an Occupational Health Cohort
CONCLUSION: Unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods identified six clinically coherent employee clusters, providing information on typical combinations of characteristics and risk profiles of sickness absence. -
Impact of aging on cardiovascular dynamics and heart rate variability during passive head-up tilt
During aging, arterial stiffness and blood pressure (BP) increase, while heart rate variability (HRV) decreases. We examined age-related hemodynamics in 522 individuals without cardiovascular disease during passive head-up tilt (HUT) using pulse wave analysis, whole-body impedance cardiography, and HRV analysis. Mean age was 44 years, body mass index 26 kg/m², and office BP 138/88 mmHg. Cardiac output was 7% higher in the youngest quartile than the oldest. With increasing age, aortic BP, pulse... -
Polygenic prediction of body mass index and obesity through the life course and across ancestries
Polygenic scores (PGSs) for body mass index (BMI) may guide early prevention and targeted treatment of obesity. Using genetic data from up to 5.1 million people (4.6% African ancestry, 14.4% American ancestry, 8.4% East Asian ancestry, 71.1% European ancestry and 1.5% South Asian ancestry) from the GIANT consortium and 23andMe, Inc., we developed ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry PGSs. The multi-ancestry score explained 17.6% of BMI variation among UK Biobank participants of European... -
Prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis in 3-92-year-old Finns. The 3-generational cardiovascular risk in young Finns study
CONCLUSIONS: Carotid artery plaques are very prevalent finding among Finnish adults but not observed in children of the general population. High LDL-cholesterol concentration and hypertension are strongly associated with plaques, especially among young adults. On the other hand, these data demonstrate that a substantially large proportion of young and middle-aged adults with plaques cannot be identified by the assessment of conventional risk factors. -
Life-course neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and atherosclerotic carotid artery plaques. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage beginning in childhood is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in midlife independently of achieved socioeconomic position. Behavioural risk factors partially mediate this link, highlighting the importance of early and sustained interventions targeting both social environments and health behaviours to mitigate cardiovascular risk. -
Diabetes Mellitus Is Associated with Distinctive Aortic Wall Degeneration During Acute Type A Aortic Dissection
Background: Non-adjustable patient characteristics such as diabetes mellitus may influence surgical decision-making and outcome after acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). The aim of this study was to compare the degree of aortic wall atherosclerosis and surgical solutions in patients with diabetes mellitus versus those without during ATAAD. Methods: Altogether, 123 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for ATAAD at Tampere University Heart Hospital were evaluated. The ascending aortic wall... -
Factors related to blood-based biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and their intergenerational associations in the Young Finns Study: a cohort study
BACKGROUND: Blood-based biomarkers (BBM) of neurodegenerative diseases are emerging as cost-effective tools in the differential diagnostics of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Scarce data exist about factors explaining BBM variation in population-based cohorts, and their intergenerational associations are unknown. This study aimed to characterise BBM distributions among a population-based cohort, investigate the association of a wide array of factors with BBM both in midlife and old age,... -
A phenome-wide association study of genetically determined nicotine metabolism reveals novel links with health-related outcomes
Faster nicotine metabolism, defined as the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), is known to associate with heavier smoking and challenges in smoking cessation. However, the broader health implications of genetically determined nicotine metabolism are not well characterized. We performed a hypothesis-free phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) of over 21,000 outcome variables from UK Biobank (UKB) to explore how the NMR (measured as the 3-hydroxycotinine-to-cotinine ratio) associates with the...
2024
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Prognostic analysis of acute type A aortic dissection after different surgical interventions: a cohort study
CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in postoperative mortality between the Sun procedure group and the non-Sun procedure group. The incidence of spinal MPS in the Sun procedure group was higher than that in the non-Sun procedure group, while the incidence of DAEs in the Sun procedure group was lower than that in non-Sun procedure group. -
Delivering the news of an intraoperative death; literature-based guidance from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Wellness Committee
CONCLUSIONS: In this stressful situation, precontemplation of the surgeon's duties and being armed with a bullet point guide may benefit the surgeon, family, and heath care team. The lessons learned may be applicable to other situations requiring the delivery of distressing information. -
A benchmark for computational analysis of animal behavior, using animal-borne tags
CONCLUSIONS: In light of these results, we are able to make concrete suggestions for designing studies that rely on machine learning to infer behavior from bio-logger data. Therefore, we expect that BEBE will be useful for making similar suggestions in the future, as additional hypotheses about machine learning techniques are tested. Datasets, models, and evaluation code are made publicly available at https://github.com/earthspecies/BEBE , to enable community use of BEBE. -
Personalized Profiling of Lipoprotein and Lipid Metabolism Based on 1018 Measures from Combined Quantitative NMR and LC-MS/MS Platforms
Applications of advanced omics methodologies are increasingly popular in biomedicine. However, large-scale studies aiming at clinical translation are typically siloed to single technologies. Here, we present the first comprehensive large-scale population data combining 209 lipoprotein measures from a quantitative NMR spectroscopy platform and 809 lipid classes and species from a quantitative LC-MS/MS platform. These data with 1018 molecular measures were analyzed in two population cohorts... -
Thermal simulation of the lower limb in vascular medicine: A proof-of-concept by using computed tomography images
Simulations of physiology based on patient-specific anatomical structures have several potential applications in medicine. A few fields, such as radiotherapy and neurophysiology already utilize such methods in clinical practice, yet a number of disciplines could benefit from similar technologies, especially when imaging data is already available. The major problem in patient-specific simulation is the data conversion to simulation-compatible form i.e., data preparation and the coupling of the... -
Smoking and sudden cardiac death in patients with previous coronary artery disease
CONCLUSION: Active smokers had a 79% higher risk of SCD when compared with nonsmokers. Smoking cessation should be heavily encouraged after ACS. Also, a person's smoking status should be considered in further studies developing SCD and implantable cardioverter defibrillator-benefit risk scores. -
Circulatory miRNAs in essential hypertension
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs, that regulate gene-expression at post-transcriptional level. Unlike other RNA species, blood miRNAs circulate in a highly stable form, either within extracellular vesicles or bound to proteins. In recent years, circulatory miRNA profiles have been proposed as potential biomarkers for multitude of pathologies, including essential hypertension. However, the evidence of miRNA biomarker potential is limited, mainly due to the scarcity of profiling... -
Efficient Search Algorithms for Identifying Synergistic Associations in High-Dimensional Datasets
In recent years, there has been a notably increased interest in the study of multivariate interactions and emergent higher-order dependencies. This is particularly evident in the context of identifying synergistic sets, which are defined as combinations of elements whose joint interactions result in the emergence of information that is not present in any individual subset of those elements. The scalability of frameworks such as partial information decomposition (PID) and those based on... -
Ceramide and phosphatidylcholine lipids-based risk score predicts major cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure
CONCLUSIONS: The CERT2 risk score is strongly associated with an increased risk of CV death, all-cause death and MACE in patients with HF. -
Patient-derived glioma organoids real time identification of IDH mutation, 1p/19q-codeletion and CDKN2A/B homozygous deletion with differential ion mobility spectrometry
CONCLUSION: DMS suitability to differentiate IDH-mutated PGOs was thus validated in ex vivo cultured samples, PGOs. Preliminary results regarding 1p/19q codeleted PGOs and CDKN2A/B loss PGOs identification endorse testing in a prospective intraoperative glioma patient cohort. Our results reveal a sample classification set-up that is compatible with real-time intraoperative surgery guidance. -
Effect of diet and genotype on the lipidome of mice with altered lipoprotein metabolism
The present study describes and compares the impact of PCSK9 and LDLR, two pivotal players in cholesterol metabolism, on the whole lipidome of plasma, liver and aorta in different dietary conditions. This issue is relevant, since several lipid species, circulating at very low concentrations, have the ability to impair lipid metabolism and promote atherosclerosis development. To this aim, wild-type, hypercholesterolemic Ldlr-KO, and hypocholesterolemic Pcsk9-KO mice were fed a standard chow or a... -
Sensitivity-analysis-guided Bayesian parameter estimation for neural mass models: Applications in epilepsy
It is well established that neural mass models (NMMs) can effectively simulate the mesoscopic and macroscopic dynamics of electroencephalography (EEG), including epileptic EEG. However, the use of NMMs to gain insight on the neuronal system by parameter estimation is hampered by their high dimensionality and the lack of knowledge on what NMM parameters can be reliably estimated. In this article, we analyze the parameter sensitivity of the Jansen and Rit NMM (JR NMM) in order to identify the most... -
Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level Distributions Across Different Ages: Implications for Screening Children for Severe and Familial Hypercholesterolemia
No abstract -
Micro-computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Eosin-stained Axillary Lymph Node Biopsies of Females Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Histopathological investigation of metastasis in core needle axillary lymph node (ALN) biopsies is crucial for the prognosis and treatment planning of breast cancer patients. Biopsies are typically sliced and evaluated as two-dimensional (2D) images. Biopsy sampling errors and the limited view provided by 2D histology are leading factors contributing to false-negative results in the preoperative detection of metastatic lymph nodes and underestimation of metastatic foci.In this proof-of-concept... -
Leptin and leptin receptor gene polymorphisms and depression treatment response
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that LEPR polymorphisms are associated with depression treatment response. We also found associations between leptin levels and depression independently of BMI. Further studies and meta-analyses are needed to confirm the significance of found SNPs and the role of leptin in depression. -
Associations of Cardiovascular Health Metrics in Childhood and Adolescence With Arterial Health Indicators in Adolescence: The PANIC Study
CONCLUSIONS: While our results suggest that higher cardiometabolic risk factors in childhood may exert unfavorable effects on arterial health during adolescence, we demonstrated the complexity of relationships between cardiovascular health metrics and arterial health indicators in childhood and adolescence. We found different associations of cardiovascular health metrics with cIMT and PWV in childhood and adolescence, calling for caution when interpreting the results of various cardiovascular... -
Predicting long-term risk of sudden cardiac death with automatic computer-interpretations of electrocardiogram
CONCLUSION: This proof-of-concept study shows that automatic interpretation of ECG identifies previously validated risk features for SCD. -
Use of ST/HR hysteresis decreases false positive rate in exercise electrocardiography test of middle-aged asymptomatic women
CONCLUSION: In asymptomatic middle-aged women, practitioners should prefer the use of ST/HR hysteresis and ST-segment after one-minute recovery over the conventional ST-segment depression at peak exercise or ST/HR index, and evaluate the ECG data from a two‑lead configuration instead of single‑lead. -
Genetic risk score for coronary artery calcification and its predictive ability for coronary artery disease
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that CAC GRS is a new risk marker for CAD in three European cohorts, with added predictive value over the traditional CVD risk factors. -
Astrocytes induce desynchronization and reduce predictability in neuron-astrocyte networks cultured on microelectrode arrays
In this article, we aim to study how astrocytes control electrophysiological activity during neuronal network formation. We used a combination of spike/burst analysis, classification of spike waveforms based on various signal properties and tools from information theory to demonstrate how astrocytes modulate the electrical activity of neurons using microelectrode array (MEA) signals. We cultured rat primary cortical neurons and astrocytes on 60-electrode MEAs with different neuron/astrocyte... -
Identification of Phospholipids Relevant to Cancer Tissue Using Differential Ion Mobility Spectrometry
Phospholipids are the main building components of cell membranes and are also used for cell signaling and as energy storages. Cancer cells alter their lipid metabolism, which ultimately leads to an increase in phospholipids in cancer tissue. Surgical energy instruments use electrical or vibrational energy to heat tissues, which causes intra- and extracellular water to expand rapidly and degrade cell structures, bursting the cells, which causes the formation of a tissue aerosol or smoke depending... -
Hantavirus Research in Finland
The articles in this Special Issue, "Hantavirus Research in Finland", were published between 2021 and 2022 [...]. -
Early resilience and epigenetic ageing: Results from the prospective Young Finns Study with a 31-year follow-up
Evidence is accumulating on the connection of early adversities and harsh family environment with epigenetic ageing. We investigated whether early psychosocial resilience is associated with epigenetic ageing in adulthood. We used the population-based Young Finns data (n = 1593). Early psychosocial resilience was assessed in 1980-1989 across five broad domains: (1) index of psychological strength (self-esteem at home/in general/at school, perceived possibilities to influence at home, internal... -
Bias in O-Information Estimation
Higher-order relationships are a central concept in the science of complex systems. A popular method of attempting to estimate the higher-order relationships of synergy and redundancy from data is through the O-information. It is an information-theoretic measure composed of Shannon entropy terms that quantifies the balance between redundancy and synergy in a system. However, bias is not yet taken into account in the estimation of the O-information of discrete variables. In this paper, we explain... -
Associations of depressive symptoms and psychosocial working conditions with sickness absences in a Finnish cohort of 11,495 employees
CONCLUSIONS: Questionnaires on depressive symptoms and psychosocial work environment can help identify patients with an increased risk of sickness absence. Data accumulating in occupational health care should be used more systematically to reduce the risk of work disability through targeted occupational health interventions. -
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Derived Psoas Muscle Area and Survival in Patients Treated Invasively for Peripheral Arterial Disease
CONCLUSIONS: MRI-derived psoas muscle area may be a prognostic factor for clinical use. -
Basal and post-stress ceramide-based risk score CERT1 predicts all-cause mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or established coronary artery disease undergoing stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
CONCLUSIONS: Pre-stress and post-stress CERT1 high-risk categories at baseline were strongly associated with an increased long-term risk of all-cause mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or established CAD. -
Predictors in Youth of Adult Cardiovascular Events
CONCLUSIONS: Nonlaboratory-based risk factors and lipids measured in adolescence independently predicted adult cardiovascular events. The addition of lipid measurements to nonlaboratory risk factors did not improve the prediction of cardiovascular events. -
Are some neutral liners more neutral than others? An ex vivo morphological analysis of acetabular liners classified as "neutral"
CONCLUSION: We showed that all neutral liners are not equal - instead, they clearly varied in terms of their actual coverage design. We suggest our set of descriptive parameters called "hemispheric coverage index values" be used in discriminating the differences in liner coverage. -
Interplay of atherosclerosis and medial degeneration in human ascending aorta
The previous understanding has been that atherosclerosis tends to increase distally from the ascending aorta, but recent studies and practical experience have indicated that atherosclerosis occurs in the ascending aorta more than previously thought. Medial degeneration is linked to aortic aneurysms, dissection and dilatation and has been related to increased mortality. There is a lack of data on the coexistence of atherosclerosis and medial degeneration in the ascending aorta and its outcome to... -
Haemodynamics of hyperthyroidism: increased cardiac work and findings related to vasodilatation
CONCLUSIONS: Hyperthyroid patients exhibited hyperdynamic circulation, reduced vascular resistance, reduced peripheral but not central blood pressure, and higher pulse pressure amplification. Furthermore, left cardiac workload was increased in parallel with unfavourable changes in coronary perfusion conditions. -
Predicting early-stage coronary artery disease using machine learning and routine clinical biomarkers improved by augmented virtual data
CONCLUSION: Accurate predictions of angiographic CAD can be obtained using a set of routine laboratory markers, age, sex, and smoking status, holding the potential to limit the need for invasive diagnostic techniques. The extension analysis in the YFS demonstrated the potential of these findings in a younger population, and it confirmed applicability to atherosclerotic vascular disease. -
Association of inflammatory cytokines with lung function, chronic lung diseases, and COVID-19
We investigated the effects of 35 inflammatory cytokines on respiratory outcomes, including COVID-19, asthma (atopic and non-atopic), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary function indices, using Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses. The emerging associations were further explored using observational analyses in the UK Biobank. We found an inverse association between genetically predicted macrophage colony stimulating factor (MCSF), soluble intercellular... -
Cognitive performance from childhood to old age and intergenerational correlations in the multigenerational Young Finns Study
CONCLUSION: This study describes the natural course of cognitive performance across the lifespan and proves that cognitive performance changes differently across cognitive domains with weak intergenerational transmission. -
Life-period associations of body mass index with adult carotid intima-media thickness: The Bogalusa Heart Study and the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
CONCLUSION: Although our data suggest sensitive periods in the life-course where prevention and intervention aimed at reducing BMI might provide most benefit in limiting the effects of BMI on cIMT, maintaining lower BMI across the life-course appears to be optimal. -
Early intermittent hyperlipidaemia alters tissue macrophages to fuel atherosclerosis
Hyperlipidaemia is a major risk factor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Risk of cardiovascular events depends on cumulative lifetime exposure to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and, independently, on the time course of exposure to LDL-C, with early exposure being associated with a higher risk¹. Furthermore, LDL-C fluctuations are associated with ASCVD outcomes^(2-4). However, the precise mechanisms behind this increased ASCVD risk are not understood. Here we find... -
Relevance of accurate QT correction in the assessment of long QT syndrome
CONCLUSION: The selected QT correction method is important in the identification of LQTS. In particular, the use of Bazett correction should be questioned. Fridericia correction yields good results with respect to its simplicity. AccuQT has the best accuracy out of all the methods for LQTS discrimination. For practical applicability, however, AccuQT needs further validation in realistic clinical conditions. -
Diabetes and mortality risk in patients undergoing coronary angiography: The KARDIO study
CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing coronary angiography, diabetes is associated with an increased mortality risk, independent of several risk factors including the degree of CAD. The association may be modified by family history of CAD and smoking status. -
Identification and functional characterisation of DNA methylation differences between East- and West-originating Finns
Eastern and Western Finns show a striking difference in coronary heart disease-related mortality; genetics is a known contributor for this discrepancy. Here, we discuss the potential role of DNA methylation in mediating the discrepancy in cardiometabolic disease-risk phenotypes between the sub-populations. We used data from the Young Finns Study (n = 969) to compare the genome-wide DNA methylation levels of East- and West-originating Finns. We identified 21 differentially methylated loci (FDR <... -
Childhood family environment and systemic haemodynamics in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
CONCLUSIONS: High childhood socioeconomic family risk predicted adulthood haemodynamic outcomes independently of childhood cardiovascular risk factors and adulthood health behaviours, while other childhood psychosocial adversities were not associated with cardiovascular function in adulthood. -
Cardiac surgery and long-term risk for incident cancer: A nationwide population-based study
CONCLUSIONS: Patients who underwent cardiac surgery have lower risk for cancer and cancer-specific mortality than matched control subjects. -
The proximal extension of acute type A aortic dissection is associated with ascending aortic wall degeneration
CONCLUSIONS: Histopathology of the ascending aorta during ATAAD reveals distinctive aortic wall degeneration in patients with aortic root involvement vs. not. The degree of mucoid extracellular matrix accumulation assessed postoperatively is associated with the choice of surgical procedure in many patients. -
Early Graft Reperfusion and Arrhythmias After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Background Arrhythmia after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may occur immediately after the abrupt onset of reperfusion via all coronary bypass grafts simultaneously. We investigated whether early reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery before weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass would decrease the frequency of early arrhythmias after CABG. We compared patients undergoing release of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) graft flow before versus after aortic... -
Bioimpedance sensor array for monitoring chronic wounds: Validation of method feasibility
In an ageing society, the incidence of hard-to-heal wounds is rising. Chronic wound healing is a complex process, which requires specialised treatment. Clinical assessment of the wound is essential to establish care approaches but is usually based on visual evaluation and it remains challenging. Therefore, innovative quantitative methods for the assessment of chronic wounds are needed. We conducted a single-centre observational study designed to assess the feasibility of a bioimpedance... -
Bleeding is associated with severely impaired outcomes in surgery for acute type a aortic dissection
Background. Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection confers a risk for significant bleeding. We analyzed the impact of massive bleeding on complications after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection. Methods. Patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection from the retrospective multicenter Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (NORCAAD) database 2005-2014 were eligible. Massive bleeding was defined according to the Universal Definition of Perioperative... -
A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Study of Gene-Sleep Duration Interactions for Blood Pressure in 811,405 Individuals from Diverse Populations
Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration... -
Biological aging of different blood cell types
Biological age (BA) captures detrimental age-related changes. The best-known and most-used BA indicators include DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks and telomere length (TL). The most common biological sample material for epidemiological aging studies, whole blood, is composed of different cell types. We aimed to compare differences in BAs between blood cell types and assessed the BA indicators' cell type-specific associations with chronological age (CA). An analysis of DNA methylation-based... -
Comparative assessment of heel rise detection for consistent gait phase separation
BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of gait events is crucial to reliable gait analysis. Heel rise, a key event marking the transition from mid-stance to terminal stance, poses challenges in precise detection due to its gradual nature. This leads to variability in accuracy across studies utilizing diverse measuring techniques. -
Astrocytes facilitate gabazine-evoked electrophysiological hyperactivity and distinct biochemical responses in mature neuronal cultures
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain that binds to GABA receptors and hyperpolarizes the postsynaptic neuron. Gabazine acts as a competitive antagonist to type A GABA receptors (GABA(A)R), thereby causing diminished neuronal hyperpolarization and GABA(A)R-mediated inhibition. However, the biochemical effects and the potential regulatory role of astrocytes in this process remain poorly understood. To address this, we investigated the... -
Electric field temporal interference stimulation of neurons <em>in vitro</em>
Electrical stimulation (ES) techniques, such as deep brain and transcranial electrical stimulation, have shown promise in alleviating the symptoms of depression and other neurological disorders in vivo. A new noninvasive ES method called temporal interference stimulation (TIS), possesses great potential as it can be used to steer the stimulation and possibly selectively modulate different brain regions. To study TIS in a controlled environment, we successfully established an in vitro 'TIS on a...