Publications by authors named "Lahti J"

Existing studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce ADHD symptoms when delivered as targeted clinical programs to young people diagnosed with ADHD. However, there is currently a lack of research on whether MBIs are effective in reducing elevated ADHD symptoms when delivered as universal programs to whole classes in schools. This study investigated the effects of a universal nine-week MBI (.

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  • Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy have been linked to various health issues in offspring and may affect DNA methylation, a process that influences gene expression.
  • The study examined the relationship between maternal vitamin D insufficiency (defined as less than 75 nmol/L) and DNA methylation patterns in the cord blood of newborns using data from 3738 mother-child pairs across seven cohorts.
  • Despite a significant prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among the mothers (ranging from 44.3% to 78.5%), the research found no significant association between maternal vitamin D levels and DNA methylation at the analyzed sites after adjusting for various factors.
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Background: Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with infant temperament. Whether associations persist into late childhood, whether maternal distress is associated with temperament change from infancy to late childhood, whether associations are independent of maternal concurrent distress, and whether maternal distress has sensitive exposure periods on child temperament remain unclear.

Methods: Our study includes mother-child dyads from Finnish, prospective Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study.

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  • Genetic studies have highlighted the need for more diverse research on plasma fibrinogen levels, as previous studies largely focused on Europeans, leading to gaps in understanding and missing heritability.
  • By analyzing data from whole-genome sequencing and genotype data from large cohorts, researchers identified 18 genetic loci related to fibrinogen levels, some of which are more common in African populations and include variants that may impact protein function.
  • The study's findings indicate a connection between fibrinogen levels and various health conditions, emphasizing the importance of whole-genome sequencing in discovering genetic factors in diverse populations and enhancing knowledge about fibrinogen regulation.
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  • The study investigates the connections between genetic predispositions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia (SCZ) and their related DNA methylation patterns present at birth.
  • It analyzes cord blood DNA from over 5,800 individuals, revealing that SCZ shows significant associations with specific DNA loci, while ASD and ADHD have fewer identifiable connections.
  • The research suggests that integrating these DNA methylation patterns into models could help improve predictions for various neurodevelopmental outcomes in children from birth to 14 years.
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Background: To prospectively examine the association between physical fitness and risk of disability retirement in a large population-based cohort.

Methods: This study utilized data from Health 2011 survey Physical Activity subsample (n = 4898), combined with information on disability retirement derived from 2 national registers. In total, 2455 individuals aged 18-74 years underwent the physical fitness test protocol concerning measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and balance.

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Objectives: To examine joint associations of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and screen sitting time with subsequent sickness absence among the adult population.

Study Design: Registry linked follow-up study.

Methods: A representative sample of Finnish adults (n = 10,300) were asked to fill out a questionnaire for the FinHealth 2017 survey.

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Background: Globally, one in ten babies is born preterm (<37 weeks), and 1-2% preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g). As adults, they are at increased risk for a plethora of health conditions, e.g.

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It has been described that many puppy owners experience a state called puppy blues involving stress, worry, anxiety, strain, frustration, or regret. While puppy blues is a commonly used term among dog owners, the term is nearly nonexistent in scientific literature. In turn, analogous phenomenon, postpartum affective disturbance of infant caregivers, is well described in the literature.

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  • This study examined how variations in a specific polygenic risk score related to brain insulin receptors are linked to frailty over time.
  • During the research involving 1,605 participants, it was found that women generally exhibited higher frailty levels than men, particularly those with a high risk score in the hippocampus.
  • The results suggest that understanding this genetic variation could lead to new strategies for treating frailty and age-related issues.
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Introduction: Lifestyle interventions are effective in preventing type 2 diabetes, but genetic background may influence the individual response. In the Finnish gestational diabetes prevention study, RADIEL, lifestyle intervention during pregnancy and first postpartum year was effective in preventing gestational diabetes (GDM) and postpartum glycemic abnormalities only among women at highest genetic risk of type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to assess whether still 5 years postpartum the genetic risk modifies the association between lifestyle and glycemic health.

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  • Biological sex significantly impacts physiological systems, disease prevalence, and treatment success from early life, affecting pregnancy and birth outcomes.
  • The study identifies over 10,320 sex-differentially methylated probes in the placenta, primarily showing lower DNA methylation levels in females, and links these differences to neurodevelopmental genes and pathways.
  • Findings demonstrate variability in DNA methylation consistency between different tissues and suggest a connection between placental and brain development influenced by sex differences.
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Backgruound: To investigate associations between variations in the co-expression-based brain insulin receptor polygenic score and cardiometabolic risk factors and diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,573 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Biologically informed expression-based polygenic risk scores for the insulin receptor gene network were calculated for the hippocampal (hePRS-IR) and the mesocorticolimbic (mePRS-IR) regions.

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Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to examine association between different components of physical fitness and perceived work ability among working age population.

Methods: The population-based study sample included 2050 participants aged 18-74 from the Finnish national Health 2011 study. Physical fitness was assessed by the single leg stand test, the modified push-up test, the vertical jump test and the six-minute walk test, and perceived work ability was assessed via interview.

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To examine age-group and birth-cohort trends in perceived work ability in Finland in 2000-2020 and make projections of perceived work ability up to 2040 based on the observed birth-cohort development. Ten population-representative cross-sectional surveys conducted in Finland between 2000 and 2020 were used (overall = 61,087, range 817-18,956). Self-reported estimates of current work ability in relation to the person's lifetime best on a scale from zero to ten (0-10) were classified into three groups: limited (0-5), intermediate (6-7), and good (8-10).

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  • - The study aimed to evaluate if a personalized risk reduction program for hamstring muscle injuries (HMIs) could lower injury rates among professional football players in the Finnish premier league.
  • - Researchers compared players from the 2019 season (control) and the 2021 season (intervention), using statistical analysis to assess HMI occurrences, with 90 players in the control group and 87 in the intervention.
  • - While the primary analysis didn't show a significant overall reduction in HMI risk, secondary results indicated that players in the intervention group experienced fewer injuries, suggesting the program might be effective under certain conditions.
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  • A genome-wide association study was conducted on thyroid function, analyzing data from up to 271,040 European individuals, focusing on hormones like TSH, FT4, and T3.
  • The study identified 259 significant genetic associations for TSH (61% were novel), and notable findings for FT4 and T3, indicating that specific genes influence thyroid hormone levels and metabolism.
  • The research findings enhance the understanding of thyroid hormone roles and suggest that variations in thyroid function may impact various health conditions including cardiovascular issues, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
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  • Research on verbal declarative memory (VDM) aims to understand the genetic factors that influence memory decline and dementia in older adults to develop potential interventions.
  • The study analyzed data from over 29,000 older, non-demented Europeans to explore relationships between genetic variants, gene expression, and brain tissues, finding significant associations across various pathways.
  • Results indicated that genetic variations linked to VDM are regulated by genes, transcription factors, and immune-related pathways, highlighting their importance in cognitive performance among older individuals.
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  • Differentiating between major depressive episodes (MDEs) in major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (MDE/BD), and borderline personality disorder (MDE/BPD) is essential for effective treatment, but research on their affective experiences is limited.
  • In a study with 114 participants, researchers found that patients reported significantly higher negative affects and lower positive affects compared to healthy controls, with the MDE/BPD group showing the highest negative affect levels.
  • The study revealed differences in affective instability among the groups, indicating that even though MDEs may appear similar, patients with BPD, BD, and MDD experience their emotions in distinct ways during depressive episodes.
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Higher birth order is associated with altered risk of many disease states. Changes in placentation and exposures to in utero growth factors with successive pregnancies may impact later life disease risk via persistent DNA methylation alterations. We investigated birth order with Illumina DNA methylation array data in each of 16 birth cohorts (8164 newborns) with European, African, and Latino ancestries from the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics Consortium.

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  • * A study using data from two cohorts found that higher maternal perceived social support during pregnancy is linked to better cognitive performance in children at age 8, regardless of other factors like maternal mental health.
  • * Results indicate that pregnancy is a crucial period for social support effects on child cognition, suggesting that enhancing maternal social support during this time could benefit both mother and child.
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Human-pet attachment can impact the life of both parties, and the identification of underlying characteristics related to attachment style can improve human-pet relationships. We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore associations between human, dog, and cat personalities, owner mental well-being, unwanted pet behavior, and attachment styles in a sample of 2,724 Finnish pet owners (92% women) and their 2,545 dogs and 788 cats. Our findings reveal that owner neuroticism and poor mental well-being are linked to anxious pet attachment in both dog and cat owners.

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  • * A meta-analysis of 37 studies revealed that higher MEA is linked to different DNA methylation patterns in offspring at birth, childhood, and adolescence, with significant findings at 473 specific sites associated with maternal factors like smoking and nutrition.
  • * The research underscores the connection between socio-economic status and biological processes, enhancing our understanding of how maternal education impacts health through genetic mechanisms and emphasizing the role of social determinants in health disparities.
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Objective: Prenatal maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety are associated with an increased risk for child socioemotional and behavioral difficulties, supporting the fetal origins of mental health hypothesis. However, to date, studies have not considered specific genomic risk as a possible confound.

Method: The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort (n = 5,546) was used to test if child polygenic risk score for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, or depression confounds or modifies the impact of prenatal maternal depression and anxiety on child internalizing, externalizing, and total emotional/behavioral symptoms from age 4 to 16 years.

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