Publications by authors named "Seppanen M"

Adenosine, a critical molecule regulating cellular function both inside and outside cells, is controlled by two human adenosine deaminases: ADA1 and ADA2. While ADA1 primarily resides in the cytoplasm, ADA2 can be transported to lysosomes within cells or secreted outside the cell. Patients with ADA2 deficiency (DADA2) often suffer from systemic vasculitis due to elevated levels of TNF-α in their blood.

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Background: CD4 T cells play essential roles in adaptive immunity. Distinct CD4 T-cell subsets-T1, T2, T17, T22, T follicular helper, and regulatory T cells-have been identified, and their contributions to host defense and immune regulation are increasingly well defined. IL-9-producing T9 cells were first described in 2008 and appear to play both protective and pathogenic roles in human immunity.

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  • The study analyzed external dose-rate signals from remote dose-rate meters (DRMs) in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients to understand the excretion of radioactive iodine (RAI) post-treatment.
  • It involved 110 patients monitored during hospitalization, revealing that the median effective half-life (T) of iodine was 12.60 hours and that higher BMI, lower GFR, and diabetes were linked to longer T values.
  • The research concluded that remote DRMs are effective for monitoring radiation levels and can help optimize hospital isolation periods, enhancing both patient comfort and staff efficiency.
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  • APECED is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder linked to variants in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, with 16% of evaluated patients lacking known harmful variants, most of whom are of Puerto Rican descent.
  • Researchers discovered a deep intronic variant (c.1504-818 G>A) in these patients that causes a cryptic splice site leading to a dysfunctional protein through pseudoexon inclusion.
  • They developed an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that corrected this genetic issue, demonstrating the potential for targeted treatments in APECED patients.
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Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a common complication lacking medical treatment. Lymfactin® is an adenovirus type 5-based gene therapy and prolymphangiogenic growth factor vector that induces vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) expression. Our aim was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Lymfactin® with vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT).

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Immunocompromised individuals are at significantly elevated risk for severe courses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to vaccination, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) have been applied throughout the pandemic, with time of treatment onset and potency against the currently prevailing virus variant identified as relevant factors for medical benefit. Using data from the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry, the present study evaluated COVID-19 cases in three groups of patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI; 981 agammaglobulinemia patients on immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IGRT); 8960 non-agammaglobulinemia patients on IGRT; 14 428 patients without IGRT), and the neutralizing capacity of 1100 immunoglobulin lots against SARS-CoV-2 ("Wuhan" and Omicron strains), throughout 3 years.

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  • Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a severe genetic disorder resulting from AIRE deficiency, leading to self-reactive T cells causing autoimmune damage in various organs.
  • The study investigated the role of interferon-γ in APS-1 by analyzing patient samples and conducting experiments with mice, finding that high levels of interferon-γ correlate with disease activity.
  • Treatment with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib significantly reduced interferon-γ levels and improved symptoms in APS-1 patients, suggesting that targeting this pathway may be a viable therapeutic approach.
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Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of dietary caffeine intake on striatal dopamine function and clinical symptoms in Parkinson disease in a cross-sectional and longitudinal setting.

Methods: One hundred sixty-three early Parkinson disease patients and 40 healthy controls were investigated with [I]FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography, and striatal dopamine transporter binding was evaluated in association with the level of daily coffee consumption and clinical measures. After a median interval of 6.

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  • Mutations in genes involved in innate immune responses can lead to severe autoinflammatory diseases, causing a dangerous overactivation of inflammasome pathways and type I interferon responses.* -
  • Research identifies six families with members suffering from necrotizing fasciitis linked to a specific genetic variant (NFKB1) that disrupts immune regulation in macrophages.* -
  • Patients showed improvement with anti-inflammatory treatments, suggesting that focusing on blocking IL-1β or IFN-I signaling could offer new therapeutic options.*
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  • * Inherited mutations affecting T cell immunity, particularly biallelic variants in IL27RA, can result in severe primary EBV infections, with one allele more common in the Finnish population linked to increased risk of severe IM.
  • * IL-27 and its receptor IL-27RA play a significant role in T cell response to EBV; deficiencies in IL-27RA lead to impaired T cell growth against the virus, yet these same deficiencies could explain why some patients recover well despite severe initial infections.
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  • - Mutations in the RAC2 protein are linked to various immune disorders in patients, including neonatal SCID and infantile diseases resembling leukocyte adhesion deficiency, with 15 new mutations identified among 54 patients studied.
  • - The study highlighted that different types of mutations in RAC2 influenced disease outcomes; for instance, certain mutations led to neonatal SCID while others caused later-onset combined immune deficiency or LAD-like diseases.
  • - Clinical analysis revealed significant immune system issues among affected patients, including low levels of T and B cells, recurrent infections, and abnormalities in neutrophil function, indicating severe impacts on their immune response.
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Background: Due to rapid urbanization, there is a need to better understand the relative roles of residential environment and physical activity in depression. We aimed to investigate whether neighbourhood characteristics are related to the presence of depressive symptoms and whether the association is modified by physical activity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the 46-year-old follow-up data (n = 5489) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

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Background: Rare disease diagnoses are often delayed by years, including multiple doctor visits, and potential imprecise or incorrect diagnoses before receiving the correct one. Machine learning could solve this problem by flagging potential patients that doctors should examine more closely.

Methods: Making the prediction situation as close as possible to real situation, we tested different masking sizes.

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  • Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) with dysregulated JAK/STAT signaling can lead to immune dysfunction and infections, and while hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potential cure, initial outcomes were not promising.
  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of off-label JAK inhibitors (JAKi) as a treatment option for patients with hyperactive JAK/STAT signaling disorders at various European medical centers.
  • Results showed that 87% of patients with STAT1 gain of function and 90% with STAT3 gain of function saw symptom improvement, with mild adverse events reported; a significant portion of patients continued JAKi treatment successfully, and some proceeded to HSCT, achieving a 91%
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Background: The detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) with next-generation sequencing (NGS) in venous blood is a promising tool for the genomic profiling of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The association between ctDNA findings and metabolic tumor burden detected with FDG-PET/CT imaging is of particular interest for developing prognostic and predictive algorithms in HNSCC.

Methods: Twenty-six prospectively enrolled HNSCC patients were eligible for further analysis.

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Background: We investigated health consequences and genetic properties associated with serum IgG concentration in a young and working age general population.

Methods: Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966, n = 12,231) health data have been collected from birth to 52 years of age. Relationships between life-long health events, medications, chronic conditions, lifestyle, and serum IgG concentration measured at age 46 years (n = 5430) were analysed.

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  • This study reports on survival outcomes following radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer in Finland, using data collected from 2005 to 2017.
  • It included 2047 patients, finding a 30-day and 90-day mortality of 1.3% and 3.8%, with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates significantly varying according to the pathological staging (pT-category).
  • The results showed that while surgical volume did not impact mortality or long-term survival, contemporary survival rates from Finland are comparable to those from high-volume single-center studies.
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As populations across the world age, there is a recognised need for promoting social participation in older adults. Previous studies related to social participation have addressed that interactions perceived as meaningful may improve quality of life in old age. However, what is less clear is the nature of such participation from the perspective of older adults, as the vast majority of studies have been quantitative.

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Patient registries are a very important and essential tool for investigating rare diseases, as most physicians only see a limited number of cases during their career. Diseases of multi-organ autoimmunity and autoinflammation are especially challenging, as they are characterized by diverse clinical phenotypes and highly variable expressivity. The GAIN consortium (German multi-organ Auto Immunity Network) developed a dataset addressing these challenges.

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Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in NFKB1, coding for p105, may cause common variable immunodeficiency due to dysregulation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κΒ) pathway. Monoallelic LOF variants of NFKB1 can predispose to uncontrolled inflammation including sterile necrotizing fasciitis or pyoderma gangrenosum. In this study, we explored the impact of a heterozygous NFKB1 c.

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In line with current policies and service developments related to palliative care, more people are dying at home. This situation has provoked discussions about the importance of non-medical issues related to death. The process of dying is often long, with many phases, and the social aspect is a major part of it.

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