Hepatitis E Virus in Finland: Epidemiology and Risk in Blood Donors and in the General Population.

Autochthonous hepatitis E (HEV) cases have been increasingly recognized and reported in Europe, caused predominantly by the zoonotic HEV genotype 3. The clinical picture is highly variable, from asymptomatic to acute severe or prolonged hepatitis in immunocompromised patients. The main route of transmission to humans in Europe is the ingestion of undercooked pork meat.

Smoking, disease activity, permanent damage and dsDNA autoantibody production in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The aim was to study the association of smoking with the activity and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the production of antibodies to dsDNA. The study included 223 SLE patients attending the outpatient clinics at Helsinki University Central Hospital. The history of smoking was obtained by personal interview, and clinical data related to SLE by interview, clinical examination and chart review.

Smoking and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus.

This study aims to study the association of smoking with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study included 223 SLE patients (92 % women, mean age 47 years) and 1,538 population controls of similar age and socioeconomic status living in the metropolitan area of Finland. The history of smoking in patients and controls was obtained by personal interview.

Nonrenal and renal activity of systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparison of two anti-C1q and five anti-dsDNA assays and complement C3 and C4.

Associations of different assays for antibodies to C1q (anti-C1q) and to dsDNA (anti-dsDNA) and of complements C3 and C4 with disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were studied. The clinical manifestations of 223 SLE patients were recorded, and the disease activity was assessed by the SLEDAI score. Anti-C1q were determined by two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and anti-dsDNA by a radioimmunoassay (RIA), a Crithidia immunofluorescence (IF) assay and three ELISA assays using human telomere DNA, plasmid DNA circles, or calf thymus DNA as antigens, respectively.