Cognitive performance in young adult women with a history of premature adrenarche.

Background: Girls with premature adrenarche (PA) mature earlier than peers and have been found to have greater symptom accounts reflecting anxiety compared to peers. It is not known, however, whether PA effects cognitive development. This longitudinal case-control cohort study aimed: (1) To investigate whether a history of PA leads to measurable changes in adulthood cognitive performance, and (2) to assess whether findings characteristic of PA girls predict adulthood cognitive performance.

Comparison of the use of comprehensive point-of-care test panel to conventional laboratory process in emergency department.

Background: In this study, we hypothesized that point of care testing (POCT) would reduce length of stay (LOS) in emergency department (ED) when compared to central laboratory testing and be a factor in patient discharge destination.

Methods: A single centre observational study was performed in ED non-ambulatory patients. Blood testing was performed either with POC instruments for blood gases and chemistry panel, full blood count, and CRP, or at central laboratory, or as a combination of both.

The effect of hypoglycaemia on neurocognitive outcome in children and adolescents with transient or persistent congenital hyperinsulinism.

Aim: To examine the hypoglycaemic effect on neurodevelopmental outcome in patients with transient and persistent congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) born in the 21 century.

Method: A cohort of 117 patients (66 males, 51 females) with CHI aged 5 to 16 years (mean age 8y 11mo, SD 2y 7mo) were selected from a Finnish nationwide registry to examine all the patients with similar methods. Neurodevelopment was first evaluated retrospectively.

Use of point-of-care testing and early assessment model reduces length of stay for ambulatory patients in an emergency department.

Background: To assess whether the use of point-of-care testing (POCT) and early assessment team (EAT) model shortens emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS).

Methods: This prospective, observational study with comparison between three study periods was performed in three phases in a metropolitan ED with 57,000 annual visits. Data were collected from adult ambulatory patients who were discharged home.

Beta-2-glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with thrombosis.

The laboratory diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome currently requires two consecutive positive results in either lupus anticoagulant or anticardiolipin antibody assays. Antibodies against beta-2-glycoprotein I (abeta2-GPI) are suggested as a new marker for the syndrome. The inclusion of abeta2-GPI in the official diagnostic criteria has so far been precluded owing to lack of an international standard and also technical difficulties.

A novel two-component regulatory system in Bacillus subtilis for the survival of severe secretion stress.

The Gram-positive eubacterium Bacillus subtilis is well known for its high capacity to secrete proteins into the environment. Even though high-level secretion of proteins is an efficient process, it imposes stress on the cell. The present studies were aimed at the identification of systems required to combat this so-called secretion stress.