Efficacy of conventional-dose cytarabine, idarubicin and thioguanine versus intermediate-dose cytarabine and idarubicin in the induction treatment of acute myeloid leukemia: Long-term results of the prospective randomized nationwide AML-2003 study by the Finnish Leukemia Group.

Objectives: AML-2003 study sought to compare the long-term efficacy and safety of IAT and IdAraC-Ida in induction chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and introduce the results of an integrated genetic and clinical risk classification guided treatment strategy.

Methods: Patients were randomized to receive either IAT or IdAraC-Ida as the first induction treatment. Intensified postremission strategies were employed based on measurable residual disease (MRD) and risk classification.

How to stop disproportionation of a hydrochloride salt of a very weakly basic compound in a non-clinical suspension formulation.

Our objectives were to stabilize a non-clinical suspension for use in toxicological studies and to develop methods to investigate the stability of the formulation in terms of salt disproportionation. The compound under research was a hydrochloride salt of a practically insoluble discovery compound ODM-203. The first of the three formulation approaches was a suspension prepared and stored at room temperature.

Mental Well-Being of Older People in Finland during the First Year in Senior Housing and Its Association with Physical Performance.

Growing numbers of older people relocate to senior housing, when their physical or mental performance declines. The relocation is known to be one of the most stressful events in the life of older people and affect their mental and physical well-being. More information about the relationships between mental and physical parameters is required.

Expression of a specific extracellular matrix signature is a favorable prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia.

Relapse of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still dramatically frequent, imposing the need for early markers to quantify such risk. Recent evidence point to a prominent role for extracellular matrix (ECM) in AML, but its prognostic value has not yet been investigated. Here we have investigated whether the expression of a 15-ECM gene signature could be applied to clinical AML research evaluating a retrospective cohort of 61 AML patients and 12 healthy donors.

Social Environment of Older People during the First Year in Senior Housing and Its Association with Physical Performance.

Increasing numbers of older people relocate into senior housing when their physical performance declines. The change in social environment is known to affect their wellbeing, providing both challenges and opportunities, but more information on the relations between social and physical parameters is required. Thus, we elicited perceptions of the social environment of 81 older people (aged 59-93 years, living in northern Finland) and changes in it 3 and 12 months after relocation to senior housing.

Bloodstream infections in acute myeloid leukemia patients treated according to the Finnish Leukemia Group AML-2003 protocol - a prospective nationwide study.

Background: Infections greatly influence the outcome of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients receiving intensive treatment. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence, microbial etiology, risk factors and prognosis of bloodstream infections (BSIs) in patients with AML and compare the results with the previous treatment protocol (AML-92).

Methods: Registery data were gathered prospectively from 357 patients aged 16-65 years recruited on the AML-2003 treatment protocol between November 2003 and November 2011 during different treatment cycles.

Economic evaluation of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome.

Health care decision-making requires evidence of the cost-effectiveness of medical therapies. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ECR) implemented according to guidelines. All the patients (n = 204) had experienced a recent acute coronary syndrome and were randomized to a 1-year ECR (n = 109) or usual care (UC) group (n = 95).

Costs after hip fracture in independently living patients: a randomised comparison of three rehabilitation modalities.

Objective: To evaluate costs and cost-effectiveness of physical and geriatric rehabilitation after hip fracture.

Design: Prospective randomised study (mean age 78 years, 105 male, 433 female) in different rehabilitation settings: physically oriented (187 patients), geriatrically oriented (171 patients), and healthcare centre hospital (control, 180 patients).

Main Measures: At 12 months post-fracture, we collected data regarding days in rehabilitation, post-rehabilitation hospital treatment, other healthcare service use, number of re-operations, taxi use by patient or relative, and help from relatives.

Reparametrization-based estimation of genetic parameters in multi-trait animal model using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation.

Key Message: A novel reparametrization-based INLA approach as a fast alternative to MCMC for the Bayesian estimation of genetic parameters in multivariate animal model is presented.

Abstract: Multi-trait genetic parameter estimation is a relevant topic in animal and plant breeding programs because multi-trait analysis can take into account the genetic correlation between different traits and that significantly improves the accuracy of the genetic parameter estimates. Generally, multi-trait analysis is computationally demanding and requires initial estimates of genetic and residual correlations among the traits, while those are difficult to obtain.

Toll-Like Receptor 4 Wild Type Homozygozity of Polymorphisms +896 and +1196 Is Associated with High Gastrin Serum Levels and Peptic Ulcer Risk.

Toll-like receptor 4 is a part of the innate immune system and recognizes Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide. The goal of this study was to analyze the role of Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphisms +896 (rs4986790) and +1196 (rs4986791) in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori related gastroduodenal diseases in relation to gastric secretion and inflammation. Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphisms, serum gastrin-17 and pepsinogen I and II concentrations were determined, and gastroscopies with histopathological analyses were performed to 216 dyspeptic patients.

Interleukin 6 gene polymorphism -174 is associated with the diffuse type gastric carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to assess the significance of the interleukin 6 gene polymorphism -174 in gastric cancer risk. The interleukin 6 -174 G/C (rs1800795) gene polymorphisms was analyzed in gastric cancer, peptic ulcer, and nonulcer dyspepsia patients and in healthy control subjects and the data were correlated with the histopathological features of the patients' biopsies. The interleukin 6 -174 GG and GC genotypes have been previously associated with high interleukin 6 serum levels.

Leisure-time physical activity in midlife is related to old age frailty.

Background: There are scarce studies of the long-term associations between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in midlife and phenotypic frailty in old age.

Methods: We studied healthy Caucasian men of high socioeconomic status (N = 514), who had participated in health checkups during the 1960s (the Helsinki Businessmen Study, Finland). In 1974, they were examined with questionnaires and clinical examinations, and LTPA was collapsed into three categories: low (n = 87), moderate (n = 256), and high (n = 171).

Proteome changes in tomato lines transformed with phytoene synthase-1 in the sense and antisense orientations.

The commercial cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Europe has met with considerable consumer resistance, which has led to vigorous safety assessments including the measurement of substantial equivalence between the GE and parent lines. This necessitates the identification and quantification of significant changes to the metabolome and proteome in the GE crop. In this study, the quantitative proteomic analysis of tomato fruit from lines that have been transformed with the carotenogenic gene phytoene synthase-1 (Psy-1), in the sense and antisense orientations, in comparison with a non-transformed, parental line is described.

Bayesian adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation of genetic parameters.

Accurate and fast estimation of genetic parameters that underlie quantitative traits using mixed linear models with additive and dominance effects is of great importance in both natural and breeding populations. Here, we propose a new fast adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling algorithm for the estimation of genetic parameters in the linear mixed model with several random effects. In the learning phase of our algorithm, we use the hybrid Gibbs sampler to learn the covariance structure of the variance components.

Somatic STAT3 mutations in large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

Background: T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by the expansion of clonal CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and often associated with autoimmune disorders and immune-mediated cytopenias.

Methods: We used next-generation exome sequencing to identify somatic mutations in CTLs from an index patient with large granular lymphocytic leukemia. Targeted resequencing was performed in a well-characterized cohort of 76 patients with this disorder, characterized by clonal T-cell-receptor rearrangements and increased numbers of large granular lymphocytes.

The effect of bone marrow microenvironment on the functional properties of the therapeutic bone marrow-derived cells in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Treatment of acute myocardial infarction with stem cell transplantation has achieved beneficial effects in many clinical trials. The bone marrow microenvironment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients has never been studied even though myocardial infarction is known to cause an imbalance in the acid-base status of these patients. The aim of this study was to assess if the blood gas levels in the bone marrow of STEMI patients affect the characteristics of the bone marrow cells (BMCs) and, furthermore, do they influence the change in cardiac function after autologous BMC transplantation.

Physical activity in midlife and telomere length measured in old age.

Physical activity has been associated with alterations in telomere length, a potential indicator of biological aging, but several inconsistencies exist. Our aim was to investigate the associations between physical activity in midlife and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) measured in old age in the Helsinki Businessmen Study, Finland. At entry, in 1974, 782 men (mean age 47) completed a questionnaire about their physical activity and this was collapsed into 3 categories: low (n=148), moderate (n=398) and high physical activity (n=236, 7 of whom had a competitive activity level).

Cardiac Function, Perfusion, Metabolism, and Innervation following Autologous Stem Cell Therapy for Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. A FINCELL-INSIGHT Sub-Study with PET and MRI.

Purpose: Beneficial mechanisms of bone marrow cell (BMC) therapy for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarct (STEMI) are largely unknown in humans. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility of serial positron emission tomography (PET) and MRI studies to provide insight into the effects of BMCs on the healing process of ischemic myocardial damage.

Methods: Nineteen patients with successful primary reteplase thrombolysis (mean 2.

Effects of intracoronary injection of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells on natriuretic peptides and inflammatory markers in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Intracoronary administration of autologous bone marrow stem cells (BMC) has been shown to result in a subtle improvement of global left ventricular ejection fraction after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but the overall benefits of BMC therapy are still unclear. We studied the influence of intracoronary injections of BMC on levels of natriuretic peptides and inflammatory mediators, which are well established prognostic biomarkers, in patients with STEMI.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind study, consecutive patients with an acute STEMI treated with thrombolysis followed by PCI 2-6 days after STEMI, were randomly assigned to receive either intracoronary BMC or placebo medium into the infarct-related artery.

Leisure-time physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors and mortality during a 34-year follow-up in men.

Unlabelled: The inverse relationship between physical activity and mortality may be confounded by socioeconomic factors, cardiovascular risk factors and inverse causality. We investigated long-term association between self-reported regular physical activity and mortality in a socioeconomically homogeneous, initially healthy middle-aged (mean age 47) male cohort (the Helsinki Businessmen Study). In 1974, the men were assessed with questionnaires, clinical and laboratory examinations.