Publications by authors named "Laakso S"

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is commonly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Whether TN should be considered a clinical relapse or evidence of active disease lacks consensus. TN was diagnosed in 0.

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Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterised by muscle weakness resulting from autoantibody-mediated disruption of the neuromuscular junction. Notably, it is also frequently associated with thymic pathology. This study explores the relationship between MG and DNA viruses in the thymus, employing targeted NGS and qPCR to analyse thymic tissue samples from both MG patients and healthy controls.

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Background And Purpose: Exacerbation of myasthenia gravis (MG) with respiratory failure requires intensive care. We aimed to study the risk factors for intensive care unit admission for MG exacerbation and myasthenic crisis (MC) and the prognosis of people with MG (pwMG) thereafter.

Methods: This retrospective study investigated patients in the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district during the years 2008-2021.

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  • APECED is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder linked to variants in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, with 16% of evaluated patients lacking known harmful variants, most of whom are of Puerto Rican descent.
  • Researchers discovered a deep intronic variant (c.1504-818 G>A) in these patients that causes a cryptic splice site leading to a dysfunctional protein through pseudoexon inclusion.
  • They developed an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that corrected this genetic issue, demonstrating the potential for targeted treatments in APECED patients.
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  • Mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT) are important immune cells found in mucosal organs that help defend against infections, and their presence is reduced in patients with APECED, a genetic immune disorder linked to chronic fungal infections.
  • In a study involving 24 APECED patients, it was found that their circulating MAIT cells made up a smaller percentage of their T cells compared to healthy individuals, but these patient MAIT cells still showed comparable levels of IFN-γ production when stimulated.
  • The study also revealed that lower proportions of MAIT cells in APECED patients correlated with higher levels of certain inflammatory markers (IFN-γ and IL-18), suggesting that even though MAITs were fewer
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This case report presents a 38-year-old male patient who, after a febrile infection, developed super-refractory status epilepticus and multiorgan failure, and died in 2 weeks despite the best possible intensive care. Autopsy revealed findings suggestive of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This case shows that a rare immunological cause such as HLH may cause febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES), and complications of intensive care can mask the physiological and laboratory changes in HLH.

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Background: Helsinki University Hospital has developed a digital care pathway (DCP) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve the care quality. DCP was designed for especially newly diagnosed patients to support adaptation to a chronic disease.

Objective: This study investigated the MS DCP user behavior and its impact on patient education-mediated changes in health care use, patient-perceived impact of MS on psychological and physical functional health, and patient satisfaction.

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  • Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare genetic disease linked to mutations in the autoimmune regulator gene, affecting mainly endocrine organs but also showing autoantibody reactivity to brain structures.
  • In a study of 44 Finnish patients with APS-1, 23% were diagnosed with neurological disorders, with migraines, CNS infections, and epilepsy being the most common conditions.
  • Serum antineuronal antibodies were found in 42% of 24 tested patients, with GAD65 antibodies being prevalent, indicating a possible connection between APS-1 and neurological issues that require more research.
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  • Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a severe genetic disorder resulting from AIRE deficiency, leading to self-reactive T cells causing autoimmune damage in various organs.
  • The study investigated the role of interferon-γ in APS-1 by analyzing patient samples and conducting experiments with mice, finding that high levels of interferon-γ correlate with disease activity.
  • Treatment with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib significantly reduced interferon-γ levels and improved symptoms in APS-1 patients, suggesting that targeting this pathway may be a viable therapeutic approach.
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Background And Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a major risk factor of multiple sclerosis (MS). We examined the presence of EBV DNA in the CSF and blood of patients with MS and controls. We analyzed whether EBV DNA is more common in the CSF of patients with MS than in controls and estimated the proportions of EBV-positive B cells in the CSF and blood.

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Objective: To evaluate cardiovascular effects of oral tasipimidine on propofol-isoflurane anaesthesia with or without methadone and dexmedetomidine at equianaesthetic levels.

Study Design: Prospective, placebo-controlled, blinded, experimental trial.

Animals: A group of seven adult Beagle dogs weighing (mean ± standard deviation) 12.

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Context: Subjects with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) have subnormal adult height. There are several potential APECED-related risk factors for suboptimal height attainment during childhood.

Objective: To determine the growth patterns in children with APECED.

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Objective: To evaluate the effect of oral tasipimidine on dog handling, ease of catheter placement and propofol and isoflurane requirements for anaesthesia.

Study Design: Placebo-controlled, randomized, blinded, experimental trial.

Animals: A group of seven adult Beagle dogs weighing (mean ± standard deviation) 13.

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Background: Inborn errors of immunity offer important insights into mucosal immunity. In autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1 (APS-1), chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis has been ascribed to neutralizing IL-17 autoantibodies. Recent evidence implicates excessive T-cell IFN-γ secretion and ensuing epithelial barrier disruption in predisposition to candidiasis, but these results remain to be replicated.

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  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare neurological disorder caused by the reactivation of the JC polyomavirus (JCPyV).
  • The study focused on analyzing gene expression and viral changes in PML-affected brain tissue, highlighting how the virus infects specific brain cells like astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.
  • Findings indicated significant changes in human genes linked to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a strong immune response in the brains of PML patients.
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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease against the central nervous system (CNS), where B cells activate in the deep cervical lymph nodes (CLNs) before migrating to the CNS. CLN diameter in head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an unexplored possible biomarker for disease activity.

Methods: We measured CLN axial diameter from head MRIs of patients with active stable relapsing-remitting MS (a-RRMS-stable, n = 26), highly active stable RRMS (ha-RRMS-stable, n = 23), RRMS patients directly after a relapse (RRMS-relapse, n = 64) and follow-up MRIs from the same patients (r-RRMS-follow-up, n = 26).

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Objective: Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often suffer from poor bone growth and impaired bone health. Humanin is a cytoprotective factor expressed in bone and other tissues and we hypothesized that humanin levels are suppressed in conditions of chronic inflammation. To address this, humanin levels were analyzed in serum samples from IBD patients and in cultured human growth plate tissue specimens exposed to IBD serum or TNF alone.

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  • * A working group of MG experts from five Nordic countries created treatment guidance based on thorough literature reviews and discussions, identifying first-line and second-line therapies, including medications and surgical options.
  • * Treatment for MG often requires a combination of therapies, ongoing specialized care, and consideration of lifestyle adaptations, with recent developments in novel treatments and the importance of pregnancy planning for affected women.
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The clinical spectrum of thyrotropin receptor-mediated (TSHR-mediated) diseases varies from loss-of-function mutations causing congenital hypothyroidism to constitutively active mutations (CAMs) leading to nonautoimmune hyperthyroidism (NAH). Variation at the TSHR locus has also been associated with altered lipid and bone metabolism and autoimmune thyroid diseases. However, the extrathyroidal roles of TSHR and the mechanisms underlying phenotypic variability among TSHR-mediated diseases remain unclear.

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Background: Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED, also called APS-1) is an inborn error of immunity with clear signs of B-cell autoimmunity such as neutralizing anti-IFN antibodies. In APECED, mutations in the AIRE gene impair thymic negative selection of T cells. The resulting T-cell alterations may then cause dysregulation of B-cell responses.

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Background: Fingolimod (FTY) rebound, a phenomenon of unexpectedly severe disease activity following FTY discontinuation, has been reported to occur in 5-43 % of patients. Only a few larger cohorts have been analyzed. We aimed to determine the frequency and risk factors of FTY rebound in our hospital district in Southern Finland with a population of 1.

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Introduction: After COVID-19, many continue to experience persistent debilitating symptoms, that is, long COVID. Its most prevalent symptoms are chest pain, difficulties with breathing, painful muscles, ageusia or anosmia, tingling extremities and general tiredness. This paper describes the protocol of the Long COVID Cohort Study to assess the prognosis and prognostic determinants of patients with long COVID by implementing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) and clinical examinations during a 1-year follow-up.

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High carrier prevalence of STAT3 SH2 domain somatic mutations was recently discovered in CD8+ T cells. We found these low-allele-fraction clones in 26% of donors, without difference between multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and controls. Here we tested whether anti-viral antibodies associate with the carriership of these mutant clones.

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IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an emerging immune-mediated chronic fibrotic disease characterized by tumour-like mass formation. Reports of brain parenchymal involvement in IgG4-RD are rare and complete treatment-related remission of lesions has never been reported. Here, we present a woman in her mid-50s who developed headache and seizures.

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Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoantibody-mediated neuromuscular disease with an unpredictable clinical course. Serum free light chains (FLCs) have risen as a promising biomarker for MG, but their role in different subtypes of MG and in predicting disease progression is still uncharted. We investigated plasma from 58 generalized MG patients during post-thymectomy follow-up to determine κ and λ FLC and κ/λ ratio.

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