Recommended and prescribed symptomatic treatment for acute maxillary sinusitis in Finnish primary care.

We studied the use of symptomatic medication in the treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis (AMS) in primary care and whether this use is in accordance with national guidelines. The data was collected annually in the Antimicrobial Treatment Strategies (MIKSTRA) Program in 30 primary health care centres throughout Finland during one week in November in the years from 1998 to 2002. Physicians and nurses collected the data about the diagnoses, prescription-only medicines and over the counter medicines prescribed or recommended for all patients with an infection during the study weeks.

Cost-effectiveness of implementing national guidelines in the treatment of acute otitis media in children.

Objectives: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common diseases of childhood, representing a major disease burden on the society. New evidence-based guidelines for AOM, focusing on children under 7 years of age, were introduced in Finland in 1999. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing those guidelines in Finland.

Macrolide and azithromycin use are linked to increased macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The connection between regional rates of antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and regional antimicrobial use in Finland was investigated. During the 6-year study period of 1997 to 2002, a total of 31,609 S. pneumoniae isolates were tested for penicillin resistance and a total of 23,769 isolates were tested for macrolide resistance in 18 central hospital districts in Finland.

Management of pain in acute otitis media in Finnish primary care.

Most treatment recommendations for acute otitis media favour active use of pain relief medication. These data comprised 3059 Finnish primary care acute otitis media patients. We found that 10.

The Antimicrobial Treatment Strategies (MIKSTRA) program: a 5-year follow-up of infection-specific antibiotic use in primary health care and the effect of implementation of treatment guidelines.

Background: A national 5-year follow-up study of infection-specific antibiotic use in primary care was conducted to see if prescribing practices change after implementing new treatment guidelines.

Methods: The data were collected during 1 week of November each year from 1998 to 2002 from 30 health care centers that covered a total population of 819,777 persons and in 2002 from 20 control health care centers that covered a population of 545,098 persons. National guidelines for 6 major infections (otitis media, sinusitis, throat infection, acute bronchitis, urinary tract infection, and bacterial skin infection) were published in 1999-2000.

Reduction in fluoroquinolone susceptibility among non-typhoidal strains of Salmonella enterica isolated from Finnish patients.

Objectives: The proportion of Salmonella isolates with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones has increased during recent years in many countries, especially in South-east Asia. The present study was performed to evaluate the incidence of and changes in quinolone resistance in Salmonella isolates of either foreign or domestic origin in Finland.

Methods: A total of 1004 Salmonella isolates collected from Finnish patients between 2000 and 2004 were analysed for ciprofloxacin susceptibility.

Prevalence and molecular genetics of macrolide resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected in Finland in 2002.

The prevalence and mechanisms of macrolide resistance among 1,007 clinical pneumococcal isolates collected in Finland were investigated. Of these, 217 (21.5%) were resistant to erythromycin and 11% to clindamycin.

Prescription rates and diagnostic patterns are stable: a comparison of high-, medium- and low-prescribing primary care physicians treating community-acquired respiratory tract infections.

The objective was to study prescription practices of primary care physicians in prescribing antibiotics for community-acquired respiratory tract infections. Design was time series analysis and cross-sectional survey. The setting was 30 community primary health care centres.

Exposure to cobalt in the production of cobalt and cobalt compounds and its effect on the heart.

Aims: To investigate whether exposure to cobalt in cobalt plants has any measurable effect on the cardiovascular system.

Methods: Occupational, cross sectional study, using a self administered questionnaire, blood pressure measurement, electrocardiography, and laboratory tests in which 203 male workers with at least one year of exposure to cobalt and 94 unexposed controls participated. Echocardiography was performed on a subset of 122 most highly exposed cobalt workers, of which 109 were analysed, and on 60 controls, of which 57 were analysed.

Management of acute maxillary sinusitis in Finnish primary care. Results from the nationwide MIKSTRA study.

Objectives: To study the management of acute maxillary sinusitis (AMS) in Finnish primary care and to compare it both to recommendations in national guidelines and to the management of other upper respiratory tract infections (URTI).

Design: A cross-sectional multi-centre epidemiological survey.

Setting: Thirty primary care health centres in Finland.

Effect of macrolide consumption on erythromycin resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes in Finland in 1997-2001.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between regional macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes and macrolide use in Finland. During 1997-2001, a total of 50,875 S. pyogenes isolates were tested for erythromycin susceptibility in clinical microbiology laboratories throughout Finland.

Increased risk of asthma among Finnish construction workers.

Aim: To determine the risk of asthma among 7891 Finnish construction workers in the Pirkanmaa Region of southern Finland.

Method: Retrospective cohort study of hospital records of the Tampere University Hospital. A population of Pirkanmaa paper mill workers (n=2686) and the Pirkanmaa working age population (n=252,500) served as reference populations.

Effect of work with visual display units on musculo-skeletal disorders in the office environment.

Background: The increase in computer and mouse use has been associated with an increased prevalence of disorders in the neck and upper extremities. Furthermore, poor workstation design has been associated with an increased risk of developing these symptoms. Aim The aims of this study were (i) to estimate the prevalence of musculo-skeletal disorders among full-time visual display unit (VDU) users; (ii) to examine how the prevalence varies by work environment; and (iii) to explore the association with work factors.

Evaluation of a new cellulose sponge-tipped swab for microbiological sampling: a laboratory and clinical investigation.

A new type of swab (Cellswab; Cellomeda, Turku, Finland), utilizing a highly absorbent cellulose viscose sponge material, was compared to some traditional swabs. The survival of 14 aerobic and 10 anaerobic and microaerophilic bacterial species in the Cellswab, two commercial swab transport systems (Copan, Brescia, Italy, and Orion Diagnostica, Espoo, Finland), and one Dacron swab (Technical Service Consultants Ltd. [TSC], Heywood, United Kingdom) was evaluated.