Publications by authors named "Pekka Jousilahti"

Purpose: The complex pathogenesis of hypertension, potentially involving inflammatory pathways, remains elusive. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between 24-hour urinary sodium excretion and inflammatory cytokines alongside C-reactive protein (CRP) in a nationwide Finnish sample.

Materials And Methods: 265 participants from the FINRISK 2002 study were included in the analyses.

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Background/objective: The roles of overall diet quality in linking genetic background with anthropometric measures are unclear, particularly regarding the recently developed Planetary Health Diet (PHD). This study aims to determine if the PHD mediates or moderates the relationship between genetic susceptibility to obesity and anthropometric measures.

Subjects/methods: The study involved 2942 individuals from a Finnish population-based cohort (54% women, mean age 53 (SD ± 13) years).

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  • This study investigated the relationship between transportation noise and atrial fibrillation (AF) using data from 11 Nordic cohorts, totaling over 161,000 participants.
  • Researchers found that higher road traffic noise exposure is linked to an increased risk of developing AF, particularly in women and overweight individuals.
  • Aircraft noise also showed a potential association with AF risk, while railway noise did not appear to be related; overall, road and aircraft noise combined raised the risk significantly.
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  • Genome-wide association studies have found numerous genetic loci linked to glycemic traits, but connecting these loci to specific genes and biological pathways remains a challenge.
  • Researchers conducted meta-analyses of exome-array studies across four glycemic traits, analyzing data from over 144,000 participants, which led to the identification of coding variant associations in more than 60 genes.
  • The study revealed significant pathways related to insulin secretion, zinc transport, and fatty acid metabolism, enhancing understanding of glycemic regulation and making data available for further research.
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Objectives: Air pollution and traffic noise are detrimental to cardiovascular health. However, the effects of different sources of these exposures on cardiovascular biomarkers remain unclear. We explored the associations of long-term exposure to source-specific air pollution (vehicular exhausts and residential woodsmoke) at low concentrations and road-traffic noise with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease biomarkers.

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  • Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) from immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy affect many cancer patients, with their underlying causes not fully understood.
  • Research identified a bio-active lipid called linoleoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC 18:2) that may play a key role in modulating these adverse events, with low levels of LPC 18:2 linked to the onset of severe irAEs.
  • Supplementing LPC 18:2 in preclinical and human studies showed a reduction in harmful inflammation and neutrophil levels without detracting from the anti-tumor effectiveness of ICB therapy, suggesting it could enhance patient outcomes.
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The gut microbiota (GM) can regulate bone mass, but its association with incident fractures is unknown. We used Cox regression models to determine whether the GM composition is associated with incident fractures in the large FINRISK 2002 cohort (n = 7043, 1092 incident fracture cases, median follow-up time 18 years) with information on GM composition and functionality from shotgun metagenome sequencing. Higher alpha diversity was associated with decreased fracture risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.

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Obesity, in addition to many other negative health consequences, affects pulmonary function and is a potential risk factor for asthma. We analyzed the association of body mass index (BMI) with incident asthma among 60,639 Finnish men and women aged 25 to 74 years who participated in a population-based chronic disease risk factor survey in 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, or 2012. Data on lifestyle factors such as smoking and physical activity, as well as medical history, were obtained, and various physical measurements, including height and weight, were taken at baseline.

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  • - The study investigated how changes in gut microbiota might influence the risk of future hospitalization due to infections in two large groups from the Netherlands and Finland, focusing on individuals aged 18-74.
  • - Researchers used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze gut microbiota from participants' fecal samples and looked for links between microbiota characteristics (like diversity and butyrate-producing bacteria) and infection-related health outcomes over a follow-up period of 5-7 years.
  • - The results included data from 10,699 participants, revealing potential relationships between certain microbiota profiles and increased susceptibility to severe infections, although further clarification on these interactions in humans is needed.
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Context: Use of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) has become common irrespective of age and parity. To date, only a few studies have examined its possible metabolic changes and large-scale biomarker profiles in detail and in a longitudinal design.

Objective: To apply the metabolomics technique to examine the metabolic profile associated with the use of LNG-IUD both in a cross-sectional and in a longitudinal design.

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  • This study explores the effectiveness of combining genomic and gut metagenomic assessments to better predict the risk of diseases like coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and prostate cancer, using data from a long-term health record follow-up.
  • The researchers found that using polygenic risk scores (PRSs) significantly enhances disease prediction compared to traditional risk factors alone.
  • By integrating PRSs with gut microbiome scores and conventional risk factors, they achieved the best predictive outcomes for the diseases studied, highlighting the potential of multiomics in early disease detection and risk profiling.
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  • - This study conducted a genome-wide association analysis on metabolic traits in over 136,000 participants, revealing over 400 genetic loci that influence human metabolism and complex diseases.
  • - Researchers used advanced techniques like nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to link specific genetic variants with how they affect lipoprotein metabolism and other metabolic processes.
  • - The findings highlight the genetic connections between metabolism and conditions such as hypertension, providing valuable data for further research on metabolic-related diseases.
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and fatal vascular disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. To date, molecular determinants underlying the development of PAH and related outcomes remain poorly understood. Herein, we identify pulmonary primary oxysterol and bile acid synthesis (PPOBAS) as a previously unrecognized pathway central to PAH pathophysiology.

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Smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, and physical inactivity are key lifestyle risk factors for cancer. Previously these have been mostly examined singly or combined as an index, assuming independent and equivalent effects to cancer risk. The aim of our study was to systematically examine the joint pairwise and interactive effects of these lifestyle factors on the risk of a first solid primary cancer in a multi-cohort prospective setting.

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Objectives: Shifting from animal-based to plant-based diets could reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. Currently, the impacts of these dietary shifts on CRC risk are ill-defined. Therefore, we examined partial substitutions of red or processed meat with whole grains, vegetables, fruits or a combination of these in relation to CRC risk in Finnish adults.

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Background And Aims: Recent investigations have suggested an interdependence of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]-related risk for cardiovascular disease with background inflammatory burden. The aim the present analysis was to investigate whether high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) modulates the association between Lp(a) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population.

Methods: Data from 71 678 participants from 8 European prospective population-based cohort studies were used (65 661 without/6017 with established CHD at baseline; median follow-up 9.

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Background: Recent studies have shown that some four in ten cancers are attributable to a few key risk factors. The aim of this study was to estimate cohort-based population attributable fractions (PAFs) in Finland for potentially modifiable cancer risk factors.

Methods: Data from eight health studies including 253,953 subjects with 29,802 incident malignant solid tumors were analysed using Bayesian multivariate regression model with multiplicative risk factor effects.

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Aim: To examine the associations of dietary inflammatory index (DII) with salivary cytokine concentrations and periodontitis after controlling for body mass index (BMI), socio-demographic factors and lifestyle.

Materials And Methods: Subgroups from two Finnish surveys, DILGOM 2007 and Health 2000, were included (total n = 727). The DII scores were calculated based on a food frequency questionnaire.

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Background: Knowledge on the association between the EAT- Planetary Health Diet (PHD) or the Finnish Nutrition recommendations (FNR) and anthropometric changes is scarce. Especially, the role of the overall diet quality, distinct from energy intake, on weight changes needs further examination.

Objectives: To examine the association between diet quality and weight change indicators and to develop a dietary index based on the PHD adapted for the Finnish food culture.

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Background: Prior studies suggest that physical activity lowers circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. However, little is known about the association between regular active commuting, i.e.

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Aims: The regional and temporal differences in the associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its classic risk factors are unknown. The current study examined these associations in different European regions over a 30-year period.

Methods And Results: The study sample comprised 553 818 individuals from 49 cohorts in 11 European countries (baseline: 1982-2012) who were followed up for a maximum of 10 years.

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Background: Dyslipidemia is treated effectively with statins, but treatment has the potential to induce new-onset type-2 diabetes. Gut microbiota may contribute to this outcome variability. We assessed the associations of gut microbiota diversity and composition with statins.

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