A splice site variant in MADD affects hormone expression in pancreatic β cells and pituitary gonadotropes.

MAPK activating death domain (MADD) is a multifunctional protein regulating small GTPases RAB3 and RAB27, MAPK signaling, and cell survival. Polymorphisms in the MADD locus are associated with glycemic traits, but patients with biallelic variants in MADD manifest a complex syndrome affecting nervous, endocrine, exocrine, and hematological systems. We identified a homozygous splice site variant in MADD in 2 siblings with developmental delay, diabetes, congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and growth hormone deficiency.

Motivational Interviewing and Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

A multicenter randomized controlled pilot trial investigated whether motivational interviewing (MI) by diabetes physicians improves glycemic control and variability in the context of follow-up for adolescent patients with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Patients ( = 47) aged 12 to 15.9 years who showed poor glycemic control (HbA1c >75 mmol/mol/9.

Real-Time Bioimpedance-Based Biopsy Needle Can Identify Tissue Type with High Spatial Accuracy.

Histological analysis is meaningful in diagnosis only if the targeted tissue is obtained in the biopsy. Often, physicians have to take a tissue sample without accurate information about the location of the instrument tip. A novel biopsy needle with bioimpedance-based tissue identification has been developed to provide data for the automatic classification of the tissue type at the tip of the needle.

A Comparison of Medical Birth Register Outcomes between Maternity Health Clinics and Integrated Maternity and Child Health Clinics in Southwest Finland.

Introduction: Primary maternity care services are globally provided according to various organisational models. Two models are common in Finland: a maternity health clinic and an integrated maternity and child health clinic. The aim of this study was to clarify whether there is a relation between the organisational model of the maternity health clinics and the utilisation of maternity care services, and certain maternal and perinatal health outcomes.

The effect of relational continuity of care in maternity and child health clinics on parenting self-efficacy of mothers and fathers with loneliness and depressive symptoms.

This study explored the parenting self-efficacy of the parents of 18-month-old children in the context of Finnish maternity and child health clinics. This parenting self-efficacy was observed in relation with the relational continuity of care and parents' experienced loneliness and depressive symptoms. The relational continuity of care was provided by a public health nurse in maternity and child health clinics.

Relational continuity of care in integrated maternity and child health clinics improve parents' service experiences.

Introduction: In the Finnish primary health care, relational continuity of care is implemented in integrated maternity and child health clinics where the same nurse takes care of the family from the pregnancy until the child reaches school age. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between this relational continuity of care and the availability, utilisation and selected features of the maternity and child health clinic services, as evaluated by the parents.

Methods: A comparative, cross-sectional service evaluation survey was used.

Does the organizational model of the maternity health clinic have an influence on women's and their partners' experiences? A service evaluation survey in Southwest Finland.

Background: In high-income countries, great disparities exist in the organizational characteristics of maternity health services. In Finland, primary maternity care is provided at communal maternity health clinics (MHC). At these MHCs there are public health nurses and general practitioners providing care.

Photoswitching electron transport properties of an azobenzene containing thiol-SAM.

The influence of conformational and electrical properties of azobenzene molecules on the electron transfer barrier properties of their SAMs was studied by SECM and ellipsometry.

Cellulose nanocrystal submonolayers by spin coating.

Dilute concentrations of cellulose nanocrystal solutions were spin coated onto different substrates to investigate the effect of the substrate on the nanocrystal submonolayers. Three substrates were probed: silica, titania, and amorphous cellulose. According to atomic force microscopy (AFM) images, anionic cellulose nanocrystals formed small aggregates on the anionic silica substrate, whereas a uniform two-dimensional distribution of nanocrystals was achieved on the cationic titania substrate.

Optical switching of coupled plasmons of Ag-nanoparticles by photoisomerisation of an azobenzene ligand.

The optical switching of coupled plasmons of silver nanoparticles derivatised with a photoisomerisable azobenzene ligand is presented. It is shown that nanoparticle clusters, linked with an azobenzene dithiol molecule, display switchable optical properties. The photoisomerisation of the linker molecule was used to vary the separation between nanoparticles, which was monitored by changes in the UV-Vis-spectra of the plasmon band of adjacent nanoparticles.

Stability and electrostatics of mercaptoundecanoic acid-capped gold nanoparticles with varying counterion size.

The solubility of charged nanoparticles is critically dependent on pH. However, the concentration range available with bases such as NaOH is quite narrow, since the particles precipitate due to compression of the electric double layer when the ionic strength is increased. The stability of mercaptoundecanoic acid-capped Au nanoparticles is studied at a set pH using the hydroxide as base and different cations of various sizes.

Formation of stable Ag-nanoparticle aggregates induced by dithiol cross-linking.

Aggregation of thiol-stabilized silver nanoparticles induced by 1,6-hexane dithiol was studied in situ by dynamic light scattering. The aggregates were observed to reach a finite size in the 100-200 nm range depending on the applied conditions. Growth kinetics were shown to be linked to the dynamics of the thiol-exchange reaction.

Need for change in patient education: a Finnish survey from the patient's perspective.

This study aims to find out how hospital patients in Finland perceive and evaluate the education they receive. It represents the first part of a patient education project at one university hospital in which the ultimate goal is to support patients' decision-making and self-care and in this way to facilitate the independent empowerment with health problems. The survey comprised of 754 patients from 63 of the hospital's 100 wards during a randomly selected week in spring 2001.

Aerosol flow reactor method for synthesis of drug nanoparticles.

An aerosol flow reactor method, a one-step continuous process to produce nanometer-sized drug particles with unimodal size distribution, was developed. This method involves first dissolving the drug material in question into a suitable solvent, which is then followed by atomising the solution as fine droplets into carrier gas. A heated laminar flow reactor tube is used to evaporate the solvent, and solid drug nanoparticles are formed.

Rat cytomegalovirus infection in kidney allograft recipients is associated with increased expression of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 vascular adhesion molecule-1, and their ligands leukocyte function antigen-1 and very late antigen-4 in the graft.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is suggested to be a risk factor for chronic rejection. We have recently shown that rat CMV (RCMV) increases the inflammatory response and accelerates chronic rejection in a model of rat kidney allograft. In this study, the early inflammatory response and time-related expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and their ligands, leukocyte function antigen-1 (LFA-1) and very late antigen-4 (VLA-4), in the grafts were investigated in RCMV-infected rats and compared to noninfected rats developing chronic rejection.

Sequential changes in vitamin D and calcium metabolism after successful renal transplantation.

A prospective study was made of sequential changes in the metabolism of vitamin D and calcium in 19 allograft recipient during the first year after successful renal transplantation. All but one of the patients received cyclosporine A combined with corticosteroids and azathioprine as immunosuppressive therapy. Shortly after transplantation most patients showed transient hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia.

Acute vascular rejection in renal transplantation--diagnosis and outcome.

Thirty episodes of histologically verified acute vascular rejection in kidney transplant recipients were studied. In 11 grafts the rejection was mainly vascular, whereas in 19 grafts a concomitant cellular rejection was seen. Histological features prognostic for bad outcome were glomerular necrosis and thrombi in the arteries and arterioles.

Insulin resistance and insulin deficiency in the pathogenesis of posttransplantation diabetes in man.

Although steroids can induce insulin resistance, it is not known whether additional defects in insulin secretion are necessary for the development of diabetes. To address this question, we measured insulin sensitivity (euglycemic insulin clamp in combination with indirect calorimetry and infusion of tritiated glucose) and insulin secretion (hyperglycemic clamp) in three groups of subjects: (1) 10 kidney transplant patients with normal oral glucose tolerance, (2) 14 patients who developed diabetes after kidney transplantation, and (3) 10 healthy controls. Glucose utilization, primarily storage of glucose as glycogen, was reduced by 34% in kidney transplant patients with normal glucose tolerance when compared with healthy control subjects (18.

Contiguous enlarged dental follicles with histologic features resembling the WHO type of odontogenic fibroma.

Defective odontogenesis and/or retarded eruption of teeth can be associated with histologic features akin to odontogenic fibroma in the dental follicles. Unerupted mandibular premolar and molar teeth of a 24-year-old man were surgically exposed, yet the teeth failed to erupt. About a year and a half later, radiographs indicated further enlargement of the follicle of the premolar, and both teeth were subsequently surgically removed.

Clinical variation of autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) in a series of 68 patients.

To define the clinical picture and course of the autosomal recessive disease called autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), we report data from our 10-month to 31-year follow-up of 68 patients from 54 families, now 10 months to 53 years of age. The clinical manifestations varied greatly and included from one to eight disease components, 63 percent of the patients having three to five of them. The initial manifestation was oral candidiasis in 41 patients (60 percent), intestinal malabsorption in 6 (9 percent), and keratopathy in 2 (3 percent).