Striatal Dopaminergic Function and Motor Slowing in Essential Tremor Plus.

Background: While previous imaging studies have generally shown normal striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding in essential tremor (ET), emerging evidence suggests a partial dopaminergic mechanism in this condition and an epidemiological link between ET and Parkinson's disease (PD). This link seems particularly meaningful in ET patients with additional neurological signs, such as slowness of movements, rigidity, or rest tremor (ET+).

Objectives: To investigate the potential dopaminergic pathophysiology of ET+ and to compare it to PD.

Maximal mouth opening is a simple method to evaluate the treatment outcome of temporomandibular joint arthritis in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis is a common finding in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients. TMJ arthritis can cause significant disturbances in TMJ function and growth without treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments used to manage TMJ arthritis and how to evaluate the outcome of the treatment.

Late Enhancement Computed Tomography for Left Atrial Fibrosis Imaging: A Pilot "Proof-of-Concept" Study.

: Left atrial (LA) fibrosis imaging improves the guidance of LA catheter ablation. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) may be a reasonable alternative to CMR. The aim was to evaluate late enhancement (LE) fibrosis mapping by CT, and to correlate the results with low-voltage areas on electroanatomical mapping (EAM).

Can a Universal Mindfulness Intervention in Schools Reduce ADHD Symptoms among Adolescents? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Existing studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce ADHD symptoms when delivered as targeted clinical programs to young people diagnosed with ADHD. However, there is currently a lack of research on whether MBIs are effective in reducing elevated ADHD symptoms when delivered as universal programs to whole classes in schools. This study investigated the effects of a universal nine-week MBI (.

Altered ACE2 and interferon landscape in the COVID-19 microenvironment correlate with the anti-PD-1 response in solid tumors.

Angiotensensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) is a receptor for SARS-CoV-2, allowing the virus to enter cells. Although tumor patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 often have a worse outcome, the expression, function and clinical relevance of ACE2 in tumors has not yet been thoroughly analyzed. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from tumors, adjacent tissues and whole blood samples of COVID-19 patients from genome databases and from tumor cell lines and endothelial cells infected with different SARS-CoV-2 variants or transfected with an ACE2 expression vector (ACE2) or mock (ACE2) were analyzed for the expression of ACE2 and immune response relevant molecules in silico or by qPCR, flow cytometry, Western blot and/or RNA-seq.

Nutritional risk screening by the emergency medical services: Agreement with in-hospital assessment.

Introduction: Early recognition of nutritional risk is important to prevent the adverse consequences of malnutrition. However, nutritional risk screening is often disregarded in hospitals.

Purpose: To evaluate the agreement of nutritional risk screening results between screening performed by emergency medical services (EMS) and at the hospital ward.

CT-optimal touch modulates alcohol-cue-elicited heart rate variability in Alcohol Use Disorder patients during early abstinence: a randomized controlled study.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder associated with a high risk of relapse and a limited treatment efficacy. Relapses may occur even after long periods of abstinence and are often triggered by stress or cue induced alcohol craving. C-tactile afferents (CT) are cutaneous nerve fibers postulated to encode pleasant affective touch and known to modulate physiological stress responses.

The collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CIOA) model: Where mechanical damage meets inflammation.

Objective: To characterize inflammatory and mechanical changes in the collagenase-induced OA (CIOA) model in rats.

Design: Skeletally mature, 6-month-old Wistar rats received unilateral intraarticular injections of saline, 500 U or 1000 U of collagenase on days 0 and 2 of the study. Joint tissues were harvested on either day 4 or 70 to evaluate the acute and long-term changes.

Trajectories of work ability and associated work unit characteristics from pre-COVID to post-COVID pandemic period.

Objectives: To identify trajectories of work ability from pre-COVID to post-COVID-19 pandemic period and to examine work unit characteristics associated with these trajectories.

Methods: The study population was a cohort of Finnish public sector employees (n=54 651) followed from 2016 until 2022. We used trajectory analysis to identify trajectories of work ability and multinomial regression to examine their associations with prepandemic work unit characteristics and pandemic-related changes at workplaces.

Morning versus Nocturnal Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability Responses to Intensified Training in Recreational Runners.

Background: Resting heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) are widely used parameters to assess cardiac autonomic nervous system function noninvasively. While resting assessments can be performed during sleep or after awakening, it would be relevant to know how interchangeable the results of these measurements are. This study aimed at examining the alignment between nocturnal and morning assessments during regular endurance training and in response to intensive training.

Creating a safe space: medical students' perspectives on using actor simulations for learning communication skills.

Background: Communication skills are an essential part of clinical competence that need to be acquired during health professions education. Simulations are extensively used for learning communication skills and have long been integral to medical degree programmes. In this research we use qualitative methodology to explore fourth-year medical students' experiences in simulations aimed at improving versatile doctor-patient communication, focusing on their learning with trained actors.

Heart Rate Variability and Interoception in Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep: Interference with Psychiatric Disorders?

Periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) are a prevalent disorder characterized by rhythmic, involuntary movements of the lower limbs, such as dorsiflexion of the ankle and extension of the big toe, occurring in periodic intervals during sleep. These movements are often linked to disrupted autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and altered interoception. Interoception involves perceiving internal bodily states, like heartbeat, breathing, hunger, and temperature, and plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and the mind-body connection.

Exposure to useable green space and physical activity during active travel: A longitudinal GPS and accelerometer study before and after retirement.

Green spaces may serve as population level interventions encouraging active travel. We examined the associations between exposure to useable green space (CORINE Land Cover categories) and physical activity during active travel (GPS and accelerometer) among late middle-aged participants from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study (n = 102). Greater proportion of useable green space was associated with higher physical activity during active travel on days off (+11 min/day per 1 SD increase in exposure) and on retirement days (+12 min/day), but not on workdays.

Machine Learning for Treatment Management Prediction in Laryngeal Fractures.

Objectives: Laryngeal fractures are rare but potentially life-threatening traumas. Complications, such as airway obstruction and disrupted laryngeal anatomy, associate with significant morbidity. Early identification of at-risk patients and optimal management remain crucial for improved outcomes.

The prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is experiencing a rising incidence and mortality worldwide, emphasizing the need for reliable prognostic markers. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have emerged as a promising biomarker for predicting HNSCC prognosis, yet no systematic reviews have exclusively focused on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, which are routinely used in clinical practice. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines to examine the prognostic value of TILs in HNSCC using H&E-stained FFPE samples.

Mechano-osmotic signals control chromatin state and fate transitions in pluripotent stem cells.

Acquisition of specific cell shapes and morphologies is a central component of cell fate transitions. Although signaling circuits and gene regulatory networks that regulate pluripotent stem cell differentiation have been intensely studied, how these networks are integrated in space and time with morphological transitions and mechanical deformations to control state transitions remains a fundamental open question. Here, we focus on two distinct models of pluripotency, primed pluripotent stem cells and pre-implantation inner cell mass cells of human embryos to discover that cell fate transitions associate with rapid changes in nuclear shape and volume which collectively alter the nuclear mechanophenotype.

Polygenic scores for complex traits are associated with changes in concentration of circulating lipid species.

Understanding perturbations in circulating lipid levels that often occur years or decades before clinical symptoms may enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms and provide novel intervention opportunities. Here, we assessed if polygenic scores (PGSs) for complex traits could detect lipid dysfunctions related to the traits and provide new biological insights. We constructed genome-wide PGSs (approximately 1 million genetic variants) for 50 complex traits in 7,169 Finnish individuals with routine clinical lipid profiles and lipidomics measurements (179 lipid species).

Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum: a distinct adipose tissue type in COPD?

Objective: Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum (LHIS) is a distinct section of epicardial adipose tissue. However, its association with COPD is poorly documented.

Methods: Patients undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) for clinical indications were recruited retrospectively and screened for LHIS and COPD.

Association between plausible genetic factors and weight loss from GLP1-RA and bariatric surgery: a multi-ancestry study in 10 960 individuals from 9 biobanks.

Obesity is a significant public health concern. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA), predominantly in use as a type 2 diabetes treatment, are a promising pharmacological approach for weight loss, while bariatric surgery (BS) remains a durable, but invasive, intervention. Despite observed heterogeneity in weight loss effects, the genetic effects on weight loss from GLP1-RA and BS have not been extensively explored in large sample sizes, and most studies have focused on differences in race and ethnicity, rather than genetic ancestry.

COVID-19-induced changes in the workplace, psychosocial work environment and employee well-being: a longitudinal study.

Background: In many workplaces, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed work arrangements, but there is scarce longitudinal evidence on whether psychosocial work environment and employee well-being were affected.

Aims: To examine the psychosocial work environment and employee well-being before, during and after the pandemic in relation to pandemic-induced changes (working from home, change to other tasks and team reorganization).

Methods: Survey data from a cohort of 20 944 public sector employees in Finland were collected before (2016-2018), during (2020) and after the pandemic (2022).