Publications by authors named "Puumalainen T"

Small molecule inhibitors targeting the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins have emerged as a promising class of anti-cancer drugs. Nevertheless, the clinical advancement of these agents has been significantly hampered by challenges related to their potency, oral bioavailability, or toxicity. In this study, virtual screening approaches were employed to discover novel inhibitors of the bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) by analyzing their comparable chemical structural features to established BRD4 inhibitors.

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Objective: To compare the vaccine prices per vaccinated child under 18 and vaccine funding and procurement systems in the national vaccination programmes (NVPs) in Europe.

Methods: The on-line survey targeted to NVP managers collected data referred to the information available on 31 December 2016. The prices of vaccines were categorised into three groups.

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Article Synopsis
  • In Finland, children are entitled to regular health check-ups at child health clinics where public health nurses and physicians monitor growth, provide health counselling, and administer vaccinations.
  • The study measured the time and costs associated with these tasks, particularly focusing on vaccinations, at four different clinics.
  • On average, visits lasted 49 minutes with a labour cost of 17 Euros, while vaccinations took about 10.2 minutes and cost approximately 3.58 Euros per visit, highlighting the efficiency and affordability of the vaccination process in Finland.
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Understanding risk perceptions of the public is critical for risk communication. In February 2020, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare started collecting weekly qualitative data on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) risk perception that informs risk communication efforts. The process is based on thematic analysis of emails and social media messages from the public and identifies factors linked to appraisal of risk magnitude, which are developed into risk communication recommendations together with health and communication experts.

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The first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Finland was confirmed on 29 January 2020. No secondary cases were detected. We describe the clinical picture and laboratory findings 3-23 days since the first symptoms.

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We report an outbreak of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia among shipyard workers, in Turku, Southwest Finland. In total, 31 confirmed and six probable cases were identified between 3 May and 28 November 2019. serotypes 12F, 4 and 8 were isolated from blood cultures of 25 cases.

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Background: Several studies have shown differences in susceptibility to infections and immune response to vaccines by sex. Prematurely born infants are at higher risk for pneumococcal diseases, with lower effectiveness for some vaccines compared to term infants. We have reported the effectiveness of the 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) on several endpoints in the Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease (FinIP) vaccine trial.

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Background: Infectious disease screening of migrants at increased risk is a feature of national infection prevention and control measures. Asylum seekers in Finland are offered screening of tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and syphilis based on individual risk assessment. We aimed to evaluate the public health response to a large influx of asylum seekers to Finland in 2015-2016 with respect to national guidelines on initial health services and infectious disease screening.

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Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have potential to prevent significant proportion of childhood pneumonia. Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease vaccine trial was designed to assess the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the 10-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) against several outcomes. We now report results for pneumonia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Estimating the disease burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae is difficult due to challenges in identifying the cause of respiratory infections.
  • The FinIP trial, which involved over 47,000 children, assessed the impact of the PHiD-CV10 vaccine and collected data through Finnish health-care registers over a multi-year follow-up period.
  • Results showed significant reductions in various diseases, particularly mild upper respiratory infections, with specific incidence rates indicating high levels of vaccine-preventable diseases, while underreporting of severe cases remains an issue.
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One imported and five secondary cases of measles were detected in Finland between June and August 2017. The measles sequences available for five laboratory-confirmed cases were identical and belonged to serotype D8. The large number of potentially exposed Finnish and foreign individuals called for close cooperation of national and international public health authorities and other stakeholders.

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Computerised, population-based vaccination registers are valuable tools for assessing the vaccine uptake and impact in populations. However, reliable impact assessment is only possible if the data quality can be reviewed and monitored continuously. This report describes the establishment and maintenance of the National Vaccination Register (NVR) in Finland.

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Unlabelled: After administering the 10-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D-conjugated vaccine (PHiD-CV) to children aged 2-18 months, we observed a reduction in vaccine-type nasopharyngeal carriage, resulting in a reduction of overall pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage, which may be important for indirect vaccine effects. We noted a trend toward reduction of acute otitis media.

Background: This trial (ClinicalTrials.

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In December 2015, an asylum seeker originating from Afghanistan was diagnosed with respiratory diphtheria in Finland. He arrived in Finland from Sweden where he had already been clinically suspected and tested for diphtheria. Corynebacterium diphtheriae was confirmed in Sweden and shown to be genotypically and phenotypically toxigenic.

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Background: We evaluated the impact of the new pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10, GSK Vaccines) on tympanostomy tube placements (TTPs).

Methods: Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease vaccine trial was a nationwide phase III/IV cluster-randomized, double-blind trial. Children younger than 19 months received PHiD-CV10 in two thirds of clusters (N = 52) or hepatitis B or A vaccine as control in 26 clusters according to 3 + 1 or 2 + 1 schedules (infants younger than 7 months) or catch-up schedules.

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Article Synopsis
  • The FinIP vaccine trial aimed to assess the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine's effectiveness in children and its indirect benefits for unvaccinated populations, enrolling over 47,000 children.
  • A questionnaire survey revealed that 75% of parents consented due to the perceived benefits of vaccination, while 36% of non-consenting parents cited safety concerns as the main reason for their decision.
  • The study underscores the need for better public communication regarding the importance of clinical trials in children to enhance future participation.
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In Finland and France atopic children commonly react to seeds of oilseed rape and turnip rape in skin prick tests (SPT) and open food challenges. These seeds are not as such in dietary use and therefore the routes of sensitization are unknown. Possible allergens were extracted from commercial cold-pressed and refined rapeseed oils and identified by gel-based tandem nanoflow liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

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Background: There is evidence to support the use of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNSs) to promote child growth and development in low-income countries, but there is also a concern regarding the safety of using iron-fortified products in malaria-endemic areas.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that 6- to 18-mo-old rural Malawian children receiving iron-containing (6 mg/d) LNSs would not have excess morbidity compared with infants receiving no supplementation.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial allocated 840 children to receive daily supplementation with 54 g/d LNS with milk protein base (milk-LNS), 54 g/d LNS with soy protein base (soy-LNS), 71 g/d corn-soy blend (CSB), or no supplementation from 6 to 18 mo of age.

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Background: Vaccine effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines against culture-confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease has been well documented. In the Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease (FinIP) trial, we reported vaccine effectiveness and absolute rate reduction against laboratory-confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease (confirmation by culture or antigen or DNA detection irrespective of serotype). Here, we assessed vaccine effectiveness of PHiD-CV10 against clinically suspected invasive pneumococcal disease in children by use of diagnoses coded in hospital discharge registers.

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Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have demonstrated efficacy against childhood pneumococcal disease in several regions globally. We demonstrate how spatial epidemiological analysis of a PCV trial can assist in developing vaccination strategies that target specific geographic subpopulations at greater risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind vaccine trial that examined the efficacy of an 11-valent PCV among children less than 2 y of age in Bohol, Philippines.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the impact of the ten-valent pneumococcal Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) on antimicrobial drug prescriptions in children with respiratory infections.
  • Over 47,000 children under 19 months were involved, with 30,527 infants analyzed, revealing that those vaccinated showed an 8% reduction in outpatient antimicrobial purchases compared to the control group.
  • The findings indicated that approximately five children needed to be vaccinated to prevent one outpatient antimicrobial purchase over two years, reflecting the vaccine's effectiveness in reducing infection-related medication use.
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Aim: To assess whether using lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) to complement the diets of infants and young children affected when they achieved selected developmental milestones.

Methods: In rural Malawi, 840 6-month-old healthy infants were enrolled to a randomised trial. Control participants received no supplements, others were provided with milk-containing LNS, soy-containing LNS or corn-soy blend (CSB) for 12 months.

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Low nutritional value of complementary foods is associated with high incidence of childhood growth stunting in low-income countries. This study was done to test a hypothesis that dietary complementation with lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) promotes linear growth and reduces the incidence of severe stunting among at-risk infants. A total of 840 6-month-old healthy infants in rural Malawi were enrolled to a randomised assessor-blinded trial.

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Background: The Finnish Invasive Pneumococcal disease (FinIP) vaccine trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of a pneumococcal vaccine containing ten serotype-specific polysaccharides conjugated to Haemophilus influenzae protein D, tetanus toxoid, and diphtheria toxoid as the carrier proteins (PHiD-CV10) against invasive pneumococcal disease.

Methods: In this cluster-randomised, double-blind trial, children aged younger than 19 months received PHiD-CV10 in 52 clusters or hepatitis vaccines as control in 26 clusters. Infants aged younger than 7 months at the first vaccination received either a 3+1 or a 2+1 vaccination schedule, children aged 7-11 months received a 2+1 schedule, and those 12-18 months of age received a two-dose schedule.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the effects of corn-soy blend (CSB) versus lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) on weight gain in moderately underweight African children.
  • LNS supplementation resulted in a modest weight gain that was statistically significant compared to the control group, while CSB did not show a similar benefit.
  • The findings suggest that LNS is particularly effective for children with a lower initial weight-for-age Z-score, indicating it may be a better option for addressing moderate undernutrition.
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