Superspreading of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.23 among vaccinated Finnish adults: symptomatic COVID-19 only contracted by those without recent infection.

An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed after an academic party in Helsinki, Finland, in 2022. All 70 guests were requested to fill in follow-up questionnaires; serologic analyses and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) were conducted when possible.Of those participating - all but one with ≥3 vaccine doses - 21/53 (40%) had test-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19: 7% of those with earlier episodes and 76% of those without.

Travel demographics, patterns, and plans among adult Nordic travelers.

Background: Despite the high frequency of international travel from Nordic countries annually, data describing demographics, patterns, and plans of travel among Nordic inhabitants are scarce.

Methods: In 2018, an online questionnaire covering travel patterns, plans, and knowledge about travel-related diseases was sent to Nordic inhabitants 18-74 years of age. At-risk travelers were defined as those who had traveled outside Europe and North America during the previous 2 years.

Association between first language and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, hospitalization, intensive care admissions and death in Finland: a population-based observational cohort study.

Objectives: Motivated by reports of increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in ethnic minorities of high-income countries, we explored whether patients with a foreign first language are at an increased risk of COVID-19 infections, more serious presentations, or worse outcomes.

Methods: In a retrospective observational population-based quality registry study covering a population of 1.7 million, we studied the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), admissions to specialist healthcare and the intensive care unit (ICU), and all-cause case fatality in different language groups between 27th February and 3rd August 2020 in Southern Finland.

Phase-Controlled Synthesis and Quasi-Static Dielectric Resonances in Silver Iron Sulfide (AgFeS ) Nanocrystals.

Ternary metal-chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals are an attractive class of materials due to their tunable optoelectronic properties that result from a wide range of compositional flexibility and structural diversity. Here, the phase-controlled synthesis of colloidal silver iron sulfide (AgFeS ) nanocrystals is reported and their resonant light-matter interactions are investigated. The product composition can be shifted selectively from tetragonal to orthorhombic by simply adjusting the coordinating ligand concentration, while keeping the other reaction parameters unchanged.

Fungemia and Other Fungal Infections Associated with Use of Saccharomyces boulardii Probiotic Supplements.

Because of widespread use of probiotics, their safety must be guaranteed. We assessed use of probiotic yeast from medical records for patients who had fungemia or other clinical culture findings. We evaluated all sp.

Male predominance in disease severity and mortality in a low Covid-19 epidemic and low case-fatality area - a population-based registry study.

Background: Men reportedly suffer from a more severe disease and higher mortality during the global SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) pandemic. We analysed sex differences in a low epidemic area with low overall mortality in Covid-19 in a population based setting with patients treated in specialized healthcare.

Methods: We entered all hospitalized laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases of all specialized healthcare hospitals of the Capital Province of Finland, into a population-based quality registry and described demographics, severity and case-fatality by sex of the first Covid-19 wave February-June 2020.

Laser-Driven Growth of Semiconductor Nanowires from Colloidal Nanocrystals.

Semiconductor nanowire production through vapor- and solution-based processes has propelled nanowire systems toward a wide range of technological applications. Although vapor-based nanowire syntheses enable precise control over nanowire composition and phase, they typically employ batch processes with specialized pressure management systems, limiting throughput. Solution-based nanowire growth processes have improved scalability but can require even more extensive pressure and temperature management systems.

Maternal health care utilization and the obstetric outcomes of undocumented women in Finland - a retrospective register-based study.

Background: Undocumented pregnant women constitute a vulnerable group of people who lack equal access to pregnancy care. Previous research has shown that undocumented migrants encounter difficulties in accessing health services, the onset of prenatal care is delayed, and women have an increased risk for infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to describe the use of maternal health care services and the obstetric outcomes of undocumented women in Helsinki, capital city of Finland, in addition to comparing the results with all pregnant women in Finland.

Client Experience with the Ontario Birth Center Demonstration Project.

Introduction: In 2014, 2 new freestanding midwifery-led birth centers opened in Ontario, Canada. As one part of a larger mixed-methods evaluation of the first year of operations of the centers, our primary objective was to compare the experiences of women receiving midwifery care who intended to give birth at the new birth centers with those intending to give birth at home or in hospital.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of women cared for by midwives with admitting privileges at one of the 2 birth centers.

Quantum Dot Cellular Uptake and Toxicity in the Developing Brain: Implications for Use as Imaging Probes.

Nanometer-sized luminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been utilized as imaging and therapeutic agents in a variety of disease settings, including diseases of the central nervous system. QDs have several advantages over traditional fluorescent probes including their small size (5-10 nm), tunable excitation and emission spectra, tailorable surface functionality, efficient photoluminescence, and robust photostability, which are ideal characteristics for imaging. Although QDs are promising imaging agents in brain-related applications, no systematic evaluation of QD behavior in brain-relevant conditions has yet been done.

On-Demand Sonochemical Synthesis of Ultrasmall and Magic-Size CdSe Quantum Dots in Single-Phase and Emulsion Systems.

The sonochemical synthesis of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) in a single-liquid bulk phase and in an emulsion-based system is presented. Reactions utilized cadmium oleate and trioctylphosphine selenide precursors and were monitored as a function of sonication time under controlled temperature conditions to isolate the effects of cavitation from those of bulk temperature changes. QD synthesis was found to be slow in the single-phase liquid system (i.

Optically oriented attachment of nanoscale metal-semiconductor heterostructures in organic solvents via photonic nanosoldering.

As devices approach the single-nanoparticle scale, the rational assembly of nanomaterial heterojunctions remains a persistent challenge. While optical traps can manipulate objects in three dimensions, to date, nanoscale materials have been trapped primarily in aqueous solvents or vacuum. Here, we demonstrate the use of optical traps to manipulate, align, and assemble metal-seeded nanowire building blocks in a range of organic solvents.

Epidemiology and outcome of HIV patients in Finland co-infected with tuberculosis 1998-2015.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death in HIV patients worldwide. Here we describe the epidemiology and outcome of HIV-TB co-infections in a high-income country with low TB incidence and integrated HIV and TB therapy according to European guidelines.

Methods: This study was based on the HIV cohort of the Helsinki University Hospital which includes all HIV patients in the Helsinki region with a population of 1.

Outcomes for the First Year of Ontario's Birth Center Demonstration Project.

Introduction: In 2014, Ontario opened 2 stand-alone midwifery-led birth centers. Using mixed methods, we evaluated the first year of operations for quality and safety, client experience, and integration into the maternity care community. This article reports on our study of safety and quality of care.

Analysis of Complement Gene Reveals Susceptibility to Severe Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a common vascular disease of pregnancy with genetic predisposition. Dysregulation of the complement system has been implicated, but molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, we determined the potential linkage of severe PE to the most central complement gene, .

Broadband up-conversion at subsolar irradiance: triplet-triplet annihilation boosted by fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals.

Conventional solar cells exhibit limited efficiencies in part due to their inability to absorb the entire solar spectrum. Sub-band-gap photons are typically lost but could be captured if a material that performs up-conversion, which shifts photon energies higher, is coupled to the device. Recently, molecular chromophores that undergo triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) have shown promise for efficient up-conversion at low irradiance, suitable for some types of solar cells.

Occupational therapists as contributors to health promotion. Previously published in Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 2014; 21: 82-89.

Objective: This study was undertaken to explore the views of occupational therapists concerning their competences in health promotion, and their perceptions of how they apply these competences in their daily work. The study also elicited their views on the contributions that occupational therapists could make to health promotion if given the opportunity.

Methods: Data were collected in five focus-group discussions with 24 occupational therapists.

Occupational therapists as contributors to health promotion.

Objective: This study was undertaken to explore the views of occupational therapists concerning their competences in health promotion, and their perceptions of how they apply these competences in their daily work. The study also elicited their views on the contributions that occupational therapists could make to health promotion if given the opportunity.

Methods: Data were collected in five focus-group discussions with 24 occupational therapists.

Nanostructured Si(₁-x)Gex for tunable thin film lithium-ion battery anodes.

Both silicon and germanium are leading candidates to replace the carbon anode of lithium ions batteries. Silicon is attractive because of its high lithium storage capacity while germanium, a superior electronic and ionic conductor, can support much higher charge/discharge rates. Here we investigate the electronic, electrochemical and optical properties of Si(1-x)Gex thin films with x = 0, 0.

Mutations of complement lectin pathway genes MBL2 and MASP2 associated with placental malaria.

Background: Innate immunity plays a crucial role in the host defense against malaria including Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnancy, but the roles of the various underlying genes and mechanisms predisposing to the disease are poorly understood.

Methods: 98 single-nucletoide polymorphisms were genotyped in a set of 17 functionally related genes of the complement system in 145 primiparous Ghanaian women with placental malaria, defined by placental parasitaemia or malaria pigment, and as a control, in 124 non-affected primiparae.

Results: Placental malaria was significantly associated with SNPs in the lectin pathway genes MBL2, MASP2, FCN2 and in properdin.

Silicon nanowire fabric as a lithium ion battery electrode material.

A nonwoven fabric with paperlike qualities composed of silicon nanowires is reported. The nanowires, made by the supercritical-fluid-liquid-solid process, are crystalline, range in diameter from 10 to 50 nm with an average length of >100 μm, and are coated with a thin chemisorbed polyphenylsilane shell. About 90% of the nanowire fabric volume is void space.

Real-time observation of impurity diffusion in silicon nanowires.

Solid-state diffusion of the transition metal impurities, gold (Au), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu), in silicon (Si) nanowires was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy. Compared to diffusion in a bulk crystal, Au diffusion is extremely slow when the amount of metal is limited but significantly enhanced when an unlimited supply is available. Cu and Ni diffusion leads to rapid silicide formation but slows considerably with physical encapsulation by a volume-restricting carbon shell.

Solution-liquid-solid synthesis of CuInSe₂ nanowires and their implementation in photovoltaic devices.

CuInSe₂ (CIS) nanowires were synthesized by solution-liquid-solid (SLS) growth in a high boiling solvent using bismuth nanocrystals as seeds. The nanowires tended to be slightly deficient in In and exhibited either cubic or hexagonal crystal structure, depending on the synthesis conditions. The hexagonal structure, which is not observed in bulk crystals, appears to evolve from large concentrations of twin defects.