Publications by authors named "Satu Simell"

Enterovirus and adenovirus infections have been linked to the development of celiac disease. We evaluated this association in children who developed biopsy-proven celiac disease (N = 41) during prospective observation starting from birth, and in control children (N = 53) matched for the calendar time of birth, sex, and HLA-DQ genotype. Enterovirus and adenovirus infections were diagnosed by seroconversions in virus antibodies in longitudinally collected sera using EIA.

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Objectives: Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic enteropathy characterized by an autoimmune reaction in the small intestine of genetically susceptible individuals. The underlying causes of autoimmune reaction and its effect on host metabolism remain largely unknown. Herein, we apply lipidomics to elucidate the early events preceding clinical CD in a cohort of Finnish children, followed up in the Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention study.

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Objectives: Determination of antibodies to synthetic deamidated gliadin peptides (anti-DGPs) may work as an alternative or complement the commonly used test for tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TGA) in the diagnosis of celiac disease (CD). We analyzed the performance of a time-resolved immunofluorometric anti-DGP assay (TR-IFMA) in the diagnosis of CD in children and also retrospectively analyzed the appearance of anti-DGP antibodies before TGA seroconversion.

Methods: The study included 92 children with biopsy-confirmed CD.

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Previous studies show that children who later progress to type 1 diabetes (T1D) have decreased preautoimmune concentrations of multiple phospholipids as compared with nonprogressors. It is still unclear whether these changes associate with development of β-cell autoimmunity or specifically with clinical T1D. Here, we studied umbilical cord serum lipidome in infants who later developed T1D (N = 33); infants who developed three or four (N = 31) islet autoantibodies, two (N = 31) islet autoantibodies, or one (N = 48) islet autoantibody during the follow-up; and controls (N = 143) matched for sex, HLA-DQB1 genotype, city of birth, and period of birth.

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Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) DNA is frequently detected in the upper airways of young children with respiratory symptoms. Because of its persistence and frequent co-detection with other viruses, however, its etiologic role has remained controversial. During 2009-2011, using HBoV1 IgM, IgG, and IgG-avidity enzyme immunoassays and quantitative PCR, we examined 1,952 serum samples collected consecutively at 3- to 6-month intervals from 109 constitutionally healthy children from infancy to early adolescence.

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Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans. Although defects in various T cell subsets have been linked to the disease pathogenesis, mechanisms initiating or enhancing the autoimmunity in prediabetes remain poorly understood. To unravel genes and molecular pathways affected by the diabetes-associated autoimmunity, we investigated transcriptomic profiles of prospective whole-blood samples from children who have developed T1D-associated autoantibodies and eventually clinical T1D.

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Objective: To compare the ages and sequence in which antibodies associated with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease appear and overt diseases develop in children with an HLA-conferred susceptibility to both diseases.

Research Design And Methods: We observed 2,052 children carrying genetic risks for both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease from birth until the median age of 5.7 years and analyzed diabetes- and celiac disease-associated antibodies in serum samples collected at 3- to 12-month intervals.

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Objective: As data on the predictive characteristics of diabetes-associated autoantibodies for type 1 diabetes in the general population are scarce, we assessed the predictive performance of islet cell autoantibodies (ICAs) in combination with autoantibodies against insulin (IAAs), autoantibodies against GAD, and/or islet antigen 2 for type 1 diabetes in children with HLA-defined disease predisposition recruited from the general population.

Research Design And Methods: We observed 7,410 children from birth (median 9.2 years) for beta-cell autoimmunity and diabetes.

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Background: Insulin autoantibodies (IAA) are early markers of prediabetic autoimmunity. As transient and fluctuating IAA positivity are common among young children, distinguishing non-progressive IAA from destruction-related IAA is essential when preventive measures are considered. We tested whether children progressing rapidly to type 1 diabetes (progressors) are characterized by a higher prediabetic IAA affinity than IAA-positive children remaining unaffected or progressing more slowly to diabetes (non-progressors), and whether IAA affinity increases towards diagnosis.

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The risk determinants of type 1 diabetes, initiators of autoimmune response, mechanisms regulating progress toward beta cell failure, and factors determining time of presentation of clinical diabetes are poorly understood. We investigated changes in the serum metabolome prospectively in children who later progressed to type 1 diabetes. Serum metabolite profiles were compared between sample series drawn from 56 children who progressed to type 1 diabetes and 73 controls who remained nondiabetic and permanently autoantibody negative.

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Background: In mouse models of diabetes, prophylactic administration of insulin reduced incidence of the disease. We investigated whether administration of nasal insulin decreased the incidence of type 1 diabetes, in children with HLA genotypes and autoantibodies increasing the risk of the disease.

Methods: At three university hospitals in Turku, Oulu, and Tampere (Finland), we analysed cord blood samples of 116 720 consecutively born infants, and 3430 of their siblings, for the HLA-DQB1 susceptibility alleles for type 1 diabetes.

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Objectives: To explore the natural history of antibodies against tissue transglutaminase (TGA), endomysium (EMA), reticulin (ARA), and gliadin (AGA-IgG and AGA-IgA) in children carrying HLA-conferred risk for celiac disease (CD) and observed frequently from birth.

Methods: TGA was measured in serum samples obtained between years 2000 and 2003 from 1,320 children carrying genetic CD risk. If a sample was TGA positive, all five antibodies were analyzed in all banked and forthcoming samples from that child, and a duodenal biopsy was recommended.

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Time-resolved fluorescence of lanthanide chelates has been widely used in bioanalytical assays. Long fluorescence time, large Stokes shift, and minute fading out of the fluorescence over years are major advantages of the lanthanides over the conventional fluorescent dyes. We have now applied time-resolved fluorescence imaging (TRFI) also for measurement of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)-related islet cell autoantibodies (ICA).

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Objective: The pattern of the humoral immunity to disease-associated autoantigens may reflect the severity of the autoimmune disease process. The purpose of this study was to delineate the maturation of the humoral immunity to one of the main autoantigens in type 1 diabetes (T1D), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65).

Design And Methods: Serum samples were obtained for the detection of epitope- and isotype-specific antibodies sequentially with short intervals from 36 young children with HLA-conferred genetic susceptibility to T1D starting from the first appearance of GAD65Ab.

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Objective: The natural history of the appearance and fate of transglutaminase autoantibodies (TGAs) and mucosal changes in children carrying HLA-conferred celiac disease (CD) risk remains obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate the sequence of events leading to overt CD by retrospective analysis of TGA values in serum samples collected frequently from genetically susceptible children since birth or early childhood.

Material And Methods: A total of 1101 at-risk children were recruited in the study.

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Objective: To assess possible differences in the frequency of HLA-DQB1 risk genotypes and the emergence of signs of beta-cell autoimmunity among three geographical regions in Finland.

Research Design And Methods: The series comprised 4,642 children with increased HLA-DQB1-defined genetic risk of type 1 diabetes from the Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) study: 1,793 (38.6%) born in Turku, 1,646 (35.

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This work aimed to assess the maturation of the humoral immune response to insulin in preclinical type 1 diabetes by observing the emergence of various isotypes of insulin autoantibodies (IAA) in children with HLA-DQB1-conferred disease susceptibility. The series was derived from the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Study and comprised 15 IAA-positive children who presented with type 1 diabetes during prospective observation (progressors) and 30 children who remained nondiabetic (nonprogressors). An isotype-specific radiobinding assay was used to determine isotype-specific IAA (IgG1-4 and IgA) from samples obtained with an interval of 3-12 mo.

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