Divergent trends in the incidence and mortality of acute myocardial ischaemic syndrome, especially in women. Evidence from Finland in 1996-2021.

Objective: Although the incidence and case fatality (CF) of acute myocardial ischaemic syndrome (AMIS) have declined in recent decades, some studies have suggested a potential stagnation in this decline. We examined if a similar development in AMIS trends can be observed in Finland from 1996 to 2021 among persons aged 35-74 years.

Methods: We linked Finnish country-wide Hospital Discharge- and Causes of Death- Registers covering the first non-fatal and fatal myocardial ischaemic events (total 69 906 442 person-years at risk).

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnoses in Finland During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Several reports suggest an increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This nationwide study assessed new ADHD diagnoses and ADHD prevalence before and during the pandemic.

Objective: To investigate trends in new ADHD diagnoses, prevalence, and ADHD medication use from 2015 to 2022 in Finland.

Status epilepticus alters neurogenesis and decreases the number of GABAergic neurons in the septal dentate gyrus of 9-day-old rats at the early phase of epileptogenesis.

The effects of a prolonged seizure, i.e. status epilepticus (SE), on neurogenesis of dentate granule cells (DGCs) in the immature dentate gyrus (DG) and possible changes in the phenotypes of the newborn neurons have remained incompletely characterized.

Histamine 1 receptor knock out mice show age-dependent susceptibility to status epilepticus and consequent neuronal damage.

The central histaminergic neuron system is an important regulator of activity stages such as arousal and sleep. In several epilepsy models, histamine has been shown to modulate epileptic activity and histamine 1 (H1) receptors seem to play a key role in this process. However, little is known about the H1 receptor-mediated seizure regulation during the early postnatal development, and therefore we examined differences in severity of kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) and consequent neuronal damage in H1 receptor knock out (KO) and wild type (WT) mice at postnatal days 14, 21, and 60 (P14, P21, and P60).

Temporal profiles of age-dependent changes in cytokine mRNA expression and glial cell activation after status epilepticus in postnatal rat hippocampus.

Background: Status epilepticus (SE) is proposed to lead to an age-dependent acute activation of a repertoire of inflammatory processes, which may contribute to neuronal damage in the hippocampus. The extent and temporal profiles of activation of these processes are well known in the adult brain, but less so in the developing brain. We have now further elucidated to what extent inflammation is activated by SE by investigating the acute expression of several cytokines and subacute glial reactivity in the postnatal rat hippocampus.

Glutamate signaling in the pathophysiology and therapy of prenatal insults.

Birth asphyxia and hypoxia-ischemia (HI) are important factors affecting the normal development and maturation of the central nervous system (CNS). Depending on the maturity of the brain, HI-induced damage at different ages is region-selective, the white matter (WM) peripheral to the lateral ventricles being selectively vulnerable to damage in premature infants. As a squeal of primary or secondary HI in the preterm infant, the brain injury comprises periventricular leukomalasia (PVL), accompanied by neuronal and axonal damage, which affects several brain regions.

Kainic acid-induced neurodegeneration and activation of inflammatory processes in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures: treatment with cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor does not prevent neuronal death.

In the postnatal rodent hippocampus status epilepticus (SE) leads to age- and region-specific excitotoxic neuronal damage, the precise mechanisms of which are still incompletely known. Recent studies suggest that the activation of inflammatory responses together with glial cell reactivity highly contribute to excitotoxic neuronal damage. However, pharmacological tools to attenuate their activation in the postnatal brain are still poorly elucidated.

Auditory event related potentials as tools to reveal cognitive late effects in childhood cancer patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze event related potentials mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a in childhood cancer patients at the time of diagnosis (Study 1) and after treatment (Study 2) to evaluate their clinical usefulness in screening potential treatment-related neurotoxicity.

Methods: The MMN and P3a to phonetic stimuli were examined in 27 childhood cancer patients with age- and sex-matched controls. Neuropsychological tests were also studied.

Transcriptome analysis of the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell region after kainic acid-induced status epilepticus in juvenile rats.

Molecular mechanisms involved in epileptogenesis in the developing brain remain poorly understood. The gene array approach could reveal some of the factors involved by allowing the identification of a broad scale of genes altered by seizures. In this study we used microarray analysis to reveal the gene expression profile of the laser microdissected hippocampal CA1 subregion one week after kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) in 21-day-old rats, which are developmentally roughly comparable to juvenile children.

Sex, age, and tissue specific accumulation of eight metals, arsenic, and selenium in the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).

Many insectivores have been shown to be sensitive to heavy metals and therefore suitable for biomonitoring purposes. In Finland, the hibernation period of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is long, and during hibernation the stress caused by environmental toxins may be crucial. Concentrations of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and selenium (Se) were measured in a population of hedgehogs in the town of Joensuu in eastern Finland during the summers of 2004 and 2005.

Involvement of histamine 1 receptor in seizure susceptibility and neuroprotection in immature mice.

The central histaminergic neuronal system is a powerful modulator of brain activity, and its functional disturbance is related to e.g. epilepsy.

[Mechanisms of action and clinical use of antiepileptic drugs].

Treatment choices for epilepsy are made empirically, but drug responses and adverse effects can in part be predicted on the basis of the known mechanisms of action of the drugs. Antiepileptic drugs act by inhibiting voltage-gated sodium or calcium channels, opening potassium channels, enhancing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibition in the brain, inhibiting glutamate-mediated excitatory function or by altering intracellular signaling pathways. Knowledge of the mechanisms of action is essential when assessing the applicability of antiepileptic drugs in other indications such as in the management of pain and psychiatric symptoms.

Aquatic environment and differentiation of vibrissae: comparison of sinus hair systems of ringed seal, otter and pole cat.

This study investigated the structure and innervation of the vibrissal systems of the pole cat (Mustela putorius), European otter (Lutra lutra) and ringed seal (Phoca hispida) in order to find adaptations to aquatic environment. The number of myelinated nerve fibers of deep vibrissal nerve (DVN) of the entire vibrissal system was considerably greater in the ringed seal (10x, aquatic mammal) and in the otter (4x, semi-aquatic mustelid) compared to the pole cat which is a terrestrial mustelid. Similarly, the number of neural end organs in the vibrissae of ringed seals was about ten times more numerous than in pole cats.

Seizures in the developing brain: cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal damage, neurogenesis and cellular reorganization.

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that occurs more frequently in children than in adults. The extent that prolonged seizure activity, i.e.

Age-dependent cyclooxygenase-2 induction and neuronal damage after status epilepticus in the postnatal rat hippocampus.

Purpose: Epileptic seizures lead to age-dependent neuronal damage in the developing brain, particularly in the hippocampus, but the mechanisms involved have remained poorly elucidated. In this study, we investigated the contribution of apoptosis and inflammatory processes to neuronal damage after status epilepticus (SE) in postnatal rats.

Methods: SE was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA) in 21- and 9-day-old (P21 and P9) rats.

Placenta defects and embryonic lethality resulting from disruption of mouse hydroxysteroid (17-beta) dehydrogenase 2 gene.

Hydroxysteroid (17-beta) dehydrogenase 2 (HSD17B2) is a member of aldo-keto reductase superfamily, known to catalyze the inactivation of 17beta-hydroxysteroids to less active 17-keto forms and catalyze the conversion of 20alpha-hydroxyprogesterone to progesterone in vitro. To examine the role of HSD17B2 in vivo, we generated mice deficient in Hsd17b2 [HSD17B2 knockout (KO)] by a targeted gene disruption in embryonic stem cells. From the homozygous mice carrying the disrupted Hsd17b2, 70% showed embryonic lethality appearing at the age of embryonic d 11.

Physiological and biochemical effects of lithium in rainbow trout.

The physiological responses of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to lithium (as LiCl) in moderately hard freshwater (CaCO(3) = 120-140 ppm, Na(+) = approximately 0.6 mM) were studied. The study employed a 15-day step-up exposure regime; 66 microg/L Li for the first 9 days and 528 microg/L for the next 6 days.

Brain oscillatory EEG event-related desynchronization (ERD) and -sychronization (ERS) responses during an auditory memory task are altered in children with epilepsy.

Purpose: Children with epilepsy are in risk for cognitive impairment, but reliable methods, other than neuropsychological testing, to verify such a decline are few. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of infrequent seizures on cognitive skills in children with non-symptomatic focal epilepsy taking antiepileptic medication but still having infrequent seizures.

Methods: EEG (electroencephalogram) brain electric oscillatory responses of the 4-6Hz, 6-8Hz, 8-10Hz and 10-12Hz EEG frequency bands were studied.

The responses of rainbow trout gills to high lithium and potassium concentrations in water.

The objective of this study is to discern the effects of increased waterborne lithium and potassium on rainbow trout gill histology, lipid composition, and enzyme activity. The study aims to elucidate the effects of these ions in the laboratory in concentrations similar to those prevailing in a forest lake Poppalijärvi in a contaminated mining area in NW Russia. Under the lithium and potassium exposure, the fish were further stressed by high pH (8.

Status epilepticus alters zolpidem sensitivity of [3H]flunitrazepam binding in the developing rat brain.

GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain, exerts its effects through multiple GABA(A) receptor subtypes with different pharmacological profiles, the alpha subunit variant mainly determining the binding properties of benzodiazepine site on the receptor protein. In adult experimental epileptic animals and in humans with epilepsy, increased excitation, i.e.

Changes in microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2) expression during development and after status epilepticus in the immature rat hippocampus.

In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal expression patterns of the high-molecular weight (MAP2a and b) and low-molecular weight (MAP2c and d) cytoskeletal microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2) isoforms with Western blotting, and the cellular localization of the high-molecular weight MAP2 isoforms with immunocytochemistry in the hippocampi of 1- to 21-day-old rats. Moreover, the temporal profile (from 30 min to 1 week) of MAP2 isoform reactivity to kainic acid-induced status epilepticus was studied in P9 rats. During development, the expression of the high-molecular weight MAP2 isoforms significantly increased, while the low-molecular weight isoforms decreased, the most prominent changes occurring during the second postnatal week.

The calpain inhibitor MDL-28170 and the AMPA/KA receptor antagonist CNQX inhibit neurofilament degradation and enhance neuronal survival in kainic acid-treated hippocampal slice cultures.

The cytoskeleton controls the architecture and survival of the central nervous system neurons by maintaining the stability of axons, dendrites and cellular architecture, and any disturbance in this genuine structure could compromise cell survival. The developmentally regulated intracellular intermediate filament protein neurofilament (NF), composed of the light (NF-L), medium (NF-M) and high (NF-H) molecular weight isoforms, is expressed abundantly in nerve cells but its significance in nerve cell survival in stress situations in the brain is unknown. We have used Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and Fluoro-Jade B and thionine stainings to clarify the effect of kainic acid (KA) treatment on NF protein stability, and its importance for neuronal survival in hippocampal slice cultures.

Inhaled nitric oxide treatment inhibits neuronal injury after meconium aspiration in piglets.

Background: Meconium aspiration-induced hypertensive lung injury is frequently associated with neuronal damage. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is widely used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, but its effects on the brain are poorly known.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of iNO treatment on the neuronal tissue after meconium aspiration.

AMPA/kainate receptor-mediated up-regulation of GABAA receptor delta subunit mRNA expression in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells is dependent on NMDA receptor activation.

We have studied the effects of AMPA/kainate receptor agonists on GABA(A) receptor subunit mRNA expression in vitro in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs). Kainate (KA) (100 microM) and high K(+) (25 mM) dramatically up-regulated delta subunit mRNA expression to 500-700% of that in control cells grown in low K(+) (5 mM). KA or high K(+) had no effect on the expression of the other major GABA(A) receptor subunits alpha1, alpha6, beta2, beta3 or gamma2.

Histaminergic neurons protect the developing hippocampus from kainic acid-induced neuronal damage in an organotypic coculture system.

The central histaminergic neuron system inhibits epileptic seizures, which is suggested to occur mainly through histamine 1 (H1) and histamine 3 (H3) receptors. However, the importance of histaminergic neurons in seizure-induced cell damage is poorly known. In this study, we used an organotypic coculture system and confocal microscopy to examine whether histaminergic neurons, which were verified by immunohistochemistry, have any protective effect on kainic acid (KA)-induced neuronal damage in the developing hippocampus.