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Indentation measurements have been proposed to serve as sensitive in vivo diagnostics of cartilage degeneration. However, practical difficulties have hindered the use of quantitative indentation techniques during routine arthroscopies. In this study we modified the previously commercial indentation technique by designing software for quality control of manual indentations. With the modifications, our aim was to introduce more rapid and less erroneous measurements, as well as more automatic and objective analyses. The performance of the technique was tested in situ using six bovine medial tibial plateaus. All measurements were conducted by three operators. The intraoperator reproducibility was reasonable (CV% = 7.1%) and the interoperator reproducibility was good (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.976). Further, the novel technique was tested by a single operator using 10 bovine medial tibial plateaus. The indentation stiffness values determined with the arthroscopic instrument correlated significantly with the dynamic ( r = 0.823) and equilibrium ( r = 0.752) moduli as well as tissue water ( r = -0.830) and hydroxyproline ( r = 0.776) contents. To conclude, the novel measurement technique showed good reproducibility and was found to give valuable information on cartilage properties. Most importantly, the measurements and analyses were more straightforward and automatic than those introduced in the original indentation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between insulin resistance (IR) and depression is a subject of growing research interest, especially as previous population-based studies have presented conflicting findings. The present study extends our understanding about the putative impact of the severity of depressive symptoms on this association and it provides further epidemiological evidence in support of earlier findings, suggesting that the association between IR and depression is present already in young adult males. To determine the impact of the severity of depressive symptoms on the putative association between IR and depression in young adult males, we were given access to the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort database. During the 31-year follow-up survey of this genetically homogeneous birth cohort, IR was assessed by ‘Qualitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index’ (QUICKI), and severity of depressive symptoms by ‘Hopkins’ Symptom Checklist-25’ (HSCL-25). This study involved 2609 male cohort members with complete variable information. In men, the means of the QUICKI-values decreased (i.e., IR increased) in line with the increased severity of depressive symptoms as assessed by HSCL-25 subgroups (analysis of covariance P-value for trend, P=0.003). In multivariate generalized logistic regression analyses, after adjusting for confounders, IR was positively associated with current severe depressive symptoms, the odds ratio (OR) being over threefold (adjusted OR 3.15, 95% confidence interval 1.48–6.68) and the value of OR increased in parallel with a tighter definition of IR (P-value for trend=0.007). The results indicate that in young males, a positive association exists specifically with severe depressive symptoms.Molecular Psychiatry (2006) 11, 929–933. doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001838; published online 9 May 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article summarizes the current status of 1H MRS in detecting and quantifying a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) boron carrier, l-p-boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F) in vivo in the Finnish BNCT project. The applicability of 1H MRS to detect BPA-F is evaluated and discussed in a typical situation with a blood containing resection cavity within the gross tumour volume (GTV). 1H MRS is not an ideal method to study BPA concentration in GTV with blood in recent resection cavity. For an optimal identification of BPA signals in the in vivo 1H MR spectrum, both pre- and post-infusion 1H MRS should be performed. The post-infusion spectroscopy studies should be scheduled either prior to or, less optimally, immediately after the BNCT. The pre-BNCT MRS is necessary in order to utilise the MRS results in the actual dose planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The quantification of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) 10B‐carrier, L‐p‐boronophenylalanine‐fructose complex (BPA–F) was studied with phantoms using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy sequences PRESS and STEAM at 1.5 and 3.0 T. The results show that typical attainable short echo times of clinical MRS sequences combined with long repetition time result in clinically acceptable quantification accuracy. However, the concentration ratios, which are essential for the treatment planning, can still be reliably measured by using small repetition times. Detection limits of BPA in aqueous phantoms at 1.5 and 3.0 T were evaluated using clinically acceptable measurement time of ∼10 min, two typical voxel sizes (153 and 203 mm3) and PRESS and STEAM sequences. The detection limits of BPA in phantom conditions were 0.7 (3.0 T) and 1.4 mM (1.5 T) for PRESS sequence with 203 mm3 voxel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have suggested an association between IgE-mediated atopic allergies and depression. The present study extends our understanding about putative gender differences of this association and provides further epidemiological evidence for our previous finding that the association between atopy and depression may be characteristic for females only. In order to clearly determine the presence of atopic disorders and depression, we used more valid tools than had been employed earlier and we had access to a database (the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort), in which individuals were followed up prospectively until the age of 31 years. The information on allergic symptoms, verified by skin-prick tests and comprising data of 5518 individuals, was used to ascertain the presence of atopy. Depression was assessed with the help of Hopkins' Symptom Checklist-25 and self-reported doctor-diagnosed depression. After adjusting for a father's social class, mother's parity, and place of residence, logistic regression analyses showed that the risk of developing depression increased in parallel with the increasing severity of depression and, when compared with nonatopic subjects, was 3.0 to 4.7-fold up in atopic females and statistically significant. In atopic males, the association between atopy and depression was statistically significant only in the highest depression scores, the odds ratio being 6.3-fold. The results indicate that females suffering from atopic diseases might possess an elevated risk of developing depression already during early adulthood. In males, the association between these two disorders is evident only among the most severe manifestations of depression. Possible background theories, that is, genetic abnormalities in serotonin metabolism, HPA-axis dysfunction, and histamine theory are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has earlier been suggested that one-third of violent offenders are recorded in psychiatric case registers. Our aim was to study whether violent and non-violent offenders differ with respect to admissions to any health care inpatient service due to psychiatric disorders.Methods: We used a genetically homogeneous, general population database from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, together with the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register and national crime registers.Results: We found that one-third of violent and one-fourth of non-violent male offenders had at least one hospital admission due to a psychiatric disorder before the age of 32. Sixty-five violent criminals - 1.2% of all cohort males (n = 5636) - accounted for 14.4% of all psychiatric treatment days. The admission rates among both violent and non-violent male offenders were significantly higher when compared with males with no criminal history. Among violent males, only half (55.5%) of the inpatient hospital days due to psychiatric disorders occurred in psychiatric hospitals. The corresponding percentages for non-violent criminals and non-criminals were 64.9% and 74.1%, respectively. Among the violent offenders, one-third of hospital inpatient days occurred in university hospitals or central hospitals, and only 1.9% of them occurred in a comprehensive community care system.Conclusions: Violent offenders' admission rates due to a psychiatric diagnosis are high, and they are frequently treated at an inappropriate health care level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bullous pemphigoid ( BP) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease of elderly people. Some studies have suggested that the incidence of BP has increased, but the diagnostic accuracy and methodology of studies have varied considerably. Objectives To examine the incidence of BP in Northern Finland, and whether the incidence has changed over time. Methods This was a retrospective database study of all BP cases diagnosed in the Oulu University Hospital, Finland between 1985 and 2009. The diagnostic criteria were clinical features characteristic of BP (all patients) and positive direct or indirect immunofluorescence in the skin biopsy. The age-standardized incidences were calculated by the direct standardization method. Incidence rate ratios ( IRR) were estimated by the Poisson regression model. To derive adjusted IRRs, age and sex were used as potential confounding factors. Results The crude incidence of BP was 17 per 1 million person-years [95% confidence interval ( CI) 15-20] between 1985 and 2009. Using the general European population as a reference, the age-standardized incidence was 14 per 1 million person-years (95% CI 12-17). The incidence of BP increased 1·8-fold ( IRR 1·8, 95% CI 1·3-2·6; P < 0·001) in 2005-09 compared with the mean incidence of BP between 1985 and 2004, but after the adjustment for age and sex the increase was 1·4-fold ( IRR 1·4, 95% CI 1·0-2·0; P = 0·043). Conclusions This is the first study with immunohistologically verified BP diagnoses that reports the increase in the incidence of BP in age- and sex-adjusted populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time we identify the peculiarities of the effect of the most powerful (VEI > 5) volcanic eruptions on the regional climate of the Murmansk region on the basis of Kola Peninsula dendrochronological data for a period of more than 560 years. The analysis was based on the tree-ring chronology covering the period from 1445 to 2005. This chronology was derived from Pinus sylvestris samples collected near the northern tree line at Loparskaya station (68°37′ N; 33°14′ E). The data were processed using modern techniques adopted in dendrochronology (cross dating and standardization). We reveal a significant decrease in the radial tree-ring growth over 8 years (on average) after the eruptions; then its value is restored to the normal level. This finding will help evaluate the response of the regional climate system to external climate forcings in this economically important region for Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree-ring standardization methods were compared. Traditional methods along with the recently introduced approaches of regional curve standardization (RCS) and power-transformation (PT) were included. The difficulty in removing non-climatic variation (noise) while simultaneously preserving the low-frequency variability in the tree-ring series was emphasized. The potential risk of obtaining inflated index values was analysed by comparing methods to extract tree-ring indices from the standardization curve. The material for the tree-ring series, previously used in several palaeoclimate predictions, came from living and dead wood of high-latitude Scots pine in northernmost Europe. This material provided a useful example of a long composite tree-ring chronology with the typical strengths and weaknesses of such data, particularly in the context of standardization. PT stabilized the heteroscedastic variation in the original tree-ring series more efficiently than any other standardization practice expected to preserve the low-frequency variability. RCS showed great potential in preserving variability in tree-ring series at centennial time scales; however, this method requires a homogeneous sample for reliable signal estimation. It is not recommended to derive indices by subtraction without first stabilizing the variance in the case of series of forest-limit tree-ring data. Index calculation by division did not seem to produce inflated chronology values for the past one and a half centuries of the chronology (where mean sample cambial age is high). On the other hand, potential bias of high RCS chronology values was observed during the period of anomalously low mean sample cambial age. An alternative technique for chronology construction was proposed based on series age decomposition, where indices in the young vigorously behaving part of each series are extracted from the curve by division and in the mature part by subtraction. Because of their specific nature, the dendrochronological data here should not be generalized to all tree-ring records. The examples presented should be used as guidelines for detecting potential sources of bias and as illustrations of the usefulness of tree-ring records as palaeoclimate indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is associated with severe comorbidities. It mentions the Finnish Care Register for Health Care database was queried to identify cases of HS and controls with psoriasis or melanocytic naevi diagnosed in Finland; and also mentions diseases of the circulatory system were the most common causes of death in the HS group.

Dating of wood is a major task in historical research, archaeology and paleoclimatology. Currently, the most important dating techniques are dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Our approach is based on molecular decay over time under specific preservation conditions. In the models presented here, construction wood, cold soft waterlogged wood and wood from living trees are combined. Under these conditions, molecular decay as a usable clock for dating purposes takes place with comparable speed. Preservation conditions apart from those presented here are not covered by the model and cannot currently be dated with this method. For example, samples preserved in a clay matrix seem not to fit into the model. Other restrictions are discussed in the paper. One model presented covers 7,500 years with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 682 years for a single measurement. Another model reduced to the time period of the last 800 years results in a RMSE of 92 years. As multiple measurements can be performed on a single object, the total error for the whole object will be even lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthroscopy enables direct inspection of the articular surface, but provides no information on deeper cartilage layers. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), based on measurement of reflection and backscatter-ing of light, is a diagnostic technique used in cardiovascular surgery and ophthalmology. It provides cross-sectional images at resolutions comparable to that of low-power microscopy. The aim of this study was to determine if OCT is feasible for advanced clinical assessment of lesions in equine articular cartilage during diagnostic arthroscopy. Diagnostic arthroscopy of 36 metacarpophalangeal joints was carried out ex vivo. Of these, 18 joints with varying degrees of cartilage damage were selected, wherein OCT arthroscopy was conducted using an OCT catheter (diameter 0.9 mm) inserted through standard instrument portals. Five sites of interest, occasionally supplemented with other locations where defects were encountered, were arthroscopically graded according to the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification system. The same sites were evaluated qualitatively (ICRS classification and morphological description of the lesions) and quantitatively (measurement of cartilage thickness) on OCT images. OCT provided high resolution images of cartilage enabling determination of cartilage thickness. Comparing ICRS grades determined by both arthroscopy and OCT revealed poor agreement. Furthermore, OCT visualised a spectrum of lesions, including cavitation, fibrillation, superficial and deep clefts, erosion, ulceration and fragmentation. In addition, with OCT the arthroscopically inaccessible area between the dorsal MC3 and P1 was reachable in some cases. Arthroscopically-guided OCT provided more detailed and quantitative information on the morphology of articular cartilage lesions than conventional arthroscopy. OCT could therefore improve the diagnostic value of arthroscopy in equine orthopaedic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Anxiety frequently accompanies low-grade inflammation-associated conditions like depression, insulin resistance, coronary heart disease and metabolic syndrome. The association between anxiety and low-grade inflammation is, unlike between depression and low-grade inflammation, a very sparsely studied area in general populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether anxiety symptoms as well as comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms are associated with low-grade inflammation at population level. Methods: The general population-based Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort was followed until age 31 (n =2688 males and 2837 females), when the highly sensitive CRP concentrations were measured. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were defined by Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Results: After adjusting for confounders, logistic regression analyses showed that anxiety symptoms alone increased the probability for elevated hs-CRP levels (>3.0mg/L) in males over two-fold (2.19 CI 95% 1.08–4.46), while comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms caused a 1.7-fold (1.76 CI 95% 1.13–2.74) increase in the probability for elevated hs-CRP levels (1.0–3.0mg/L). Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that anxiety as well as comorbid anxiety and depression can be associated with an increased risk for low-grade inflammation in males at population level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To study the association between impaired glucose regulation (IGR), screen-detected type 2 diabetes, and previously known diabetes and depressive symptoms.Research Design and Methods: Altogether, 2,712 participants from three hospital districts in Finland attended a health examination. Cutoff scores ≥10 and ≥16 in the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21) were used for depressive symptoms. The participants were defined as having known diabetes if they reported diabetes. An oral glucose tolerance test was used to detect normal glucose regulation (NGR), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and screen-detected diabetes. The participants were defined as having IGR if they had IFG or IGT.Results: Prevalence of depressive symptoms, defined as a BDI-21 cutoff score ≥10, was 14.4% for those with NGR, 13.7% for those with IGR, 14.8% for those with screen-detected diabetes, and 26.4% for those with previously known diabetes. The corresponding prevalences for a cutoff score ≥16 were 3.4, 3.4, 4.2, and 7.5%, respectively. Compared with NGR and adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and biological factors, the odds ratios for IGR, screen-detected diabetes, and previously known diabetes were 0.91 (95% CI 0.69-1.20), 0.70 (0.45-1.08), and 1.35 (0.84-2.15), respectively, for a cutoff score ≥10. For a cutoff score ≥16, the corresponding odds ratios were 1.05 (0.62-1.76), 0.87 (0.40-1.90), and 1.56 (0.69-3.50), respectively.Conclusions: Participants with diagnosed diabetes had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than participants with NGR, IGR, and previously unknown diabetes. When potential confounding factors were included in the analysis, previously known diabetes was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A1C has been proposed as a new indicator for high risk of type 2 diabetes. The long-term predictive power and comparability of elevated A1C with the currently used high-risk indicators remain unclear. We assessed A1C, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) as predictors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) at 10 years.Research Design and Methods: This prospective population-based study of 593 inhabitants from northern Finland, born in 1935, was conducted between 1996 and 2008. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted at baseline and follow-up, and A1C was determined at baseline. Those with a history of diabetes were excluded from the study. Elevated A1C was defined as 5.7-6.4%. Incident type 2 diabetes was confirmed by two OGTTs. Cardiovascular outcome was measured as incident CVD or CVD mortality. Multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to predict diabetes, CVD, and CVD mortality at 10 years. Receiver operating characteristic curves compared predictive values of A1C, IGT, and IFG.Results: Incidence of diabetes during the follow-up was 17.1%. Two of three of the cases of newly diagnosed diabetes were predicted by a raise in >or=1 of the markers. Elevated A1C, IGT, or IFG preceded diabetes in 32.8, 40.6, and 21.9%, respectively. CVD was predicted by an intermediate and diabetic range of 2-h glucose but only by diabetic A1C levels in women.Conclusions: A1C predicted 10-year risk of type 2 diabetes at a range of A1C 5.7-6.4% but CVD only in women at A1C >or=6.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reconstructed decadal to centennial variability of maximum sea ice extent in the Western Nordic Seas for A.D. 1200–1997 using a combination of a regional tree-ring chronology from the timberline area in Fennoscandia and δ18O from the Lomonosovfonna ice core in Svalbard. The reconstruction successfully explained 59% of the variance in sea ice extent based on the calibration period 1864–1997. The significance of the reconstruction statistics (reduction of error, coefficient of efficiency) is computed for the first time against a realistic noise background. The twentieth century sustained the lowest sea ice extent values since A.D. 1200: low sea ice extent also occurred before (mid-seventeenth and mid-eighteenth centuries, early fifteenth and late thirteenth centuries), but these periods were in no case as persistent as in the twentieth century. Largest sea ice extent values occurred from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, during the Little Ice Age (LIA), with relatively smaller sea ice-covered area during the sixteenth century. Moderate sea ice extent occurred during thirteenth–fifteenth centuries. Reconstructed sea ice extent variability is dominated by decadal oscillations, frequently associated with decadal components of the North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation (NAO/AO), and multi-decadal lower frequency oscillations operating at ~50–120 year. Sea ice extent and NAO showed a non-stationary relationship during the observational period. The present low sea ice extent is unique over the last 800 years, and results from a decline started in late-nineteenth century after the LIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Elderly people commit suicide more often than people under the age of 65. An elevated risk is also attached to depression and other axis I psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the preferred suicide method, effect of primary psychiatric diagnosis, and length of time between discharge from psychiatric hospitalization and suicide. The lack of information is most apparent in the oldest old (individuals over 75 years). METHODS: On the basis of forensic examinations, data on suicide rates were separately examined for the 50-64, 65-74 and over 75 year-olds (Total n = 564) with regard to suicide method, history of psychiatric hospitalization and primary diagnoses gathered from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. Study population consisted of all suicides committed between 1988 and 2003 in the province of Oulu in Northern Finland. RESULTS: Of the oldest old, females had more frequent hospitalizations than males in connection with psychiatric disorders (61% vs 23%), of which depression was the most common (39% vs 14%). In this age group, 42% committed suicide within 3 months after being discharged from hospital and 83% used a violent method. Both elderly males and females were less often under the influence of alcohol, but used more often violent methods than middle-aged persons. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide rates within the first 3 months following discharge from hospital in the 65-74 and the over 75 year olds were substantial and should influence post-hospitalization treatment strategies. To reduce the risk of suicides in elderly patients discharged from hospital, close post-hospitalization supervision combined with proper psychoactive medication and psychotherapy, are possible interventions. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-analyses of cross-sectional studies confirm an increase in circulating inflammatory markers during acute psychosis. Longitudinal studies are scarce but are needed to understand whether elevated inflammatory markers are a cause or consequence of illness. We report a longitudinal study of serum CRP level in adolescence and subsequent risk of schizophrenia and related psychoses in adulthood in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Serum high-sensitivity CRP was measured at age 15/16 years in 6,362 participants. ICD-10 diagnoses of schizophrenia and related psychoses were obtained from centralised hospital inpatient and outpatient registers up to age 27 years. Adolescent CRP was associated with subsequent schizophrenia. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for schizophrenia by age 27 years for each standard deviation (SD) increase in CRP levels at age 15/16 years was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.07–1.46), which was consistent with a linear, dose–response relationship ( p -value for quadratic term 0.23). Using CRP as a categorical variable, those with high (>3 mg/L) compared with low (<1 mg/L) CRP levels at baseline were more likely to develop schizophrenia; adjusted OR 4.25 (95% CI, 1.30–13.93). There was some indication that higher CRP was associated with earlier onset of schizophrenia ( p = 0.07). A longitudinal association between adolescent CRP levels and adult schizophrenia diagnosis indicates a potentially important role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of the illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Personality traits have been associated with risk for depressive disorders. Studies with premorbid measures on personality are uncommon. Objective Estimate effect of premorbid personality as a predictor for remission in depressive disorders. Aim To study premorbid personality as a predictor for remission in depression in a population based sample. Methods The sample is based on the large Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Temperament traits were measured at age 31 years using the Temperament and Character Inventory. At the age of 46 years depressive symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory – II (BDI). The sample included those with self-reported life-time depression history at age 46 years but not yet at age 31 years ( n = 298). Temperament at age 31 years was used to predict remission (BDI≤13) at age 46 years using logistic regression analysis, with gender and educational level as confounders. Cohen's d was used as effect size measure. Results Two hundred and one (67.4%) of individuals with self-reported depression were on remission at the follow-up. Low harm avoidance (total scale, and subscales anticipatory worry, shyness, and fatigability), low impulsiveness and high exploratory excitability (subscales of novelty seeking), and low sentimentality (subscale of reward dependence) predicted significantly remission with effect sizes between 0.28 and 0.45, highest effect being in harm avoidance. Conclusions Different temperament traits were able to predict remission status in depression. Effect sizes were between small and moderate. Temperament may associate with treatment response in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Longitudinal studies on how temperament is related to alcohol use in general population are scarce. Objectives Finding relations with temperament and problematic alcohol use using prospective birth cohort data. Aims To investigate trends in self-reported alcohol consumption in adulthood. Methods In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 ( n = 5247), alcohol use was studied with questionnaires at ages 31 and 46. Participants were classified into abstainers, bingers, heavy drinkers, steady drinkers, increasers or reducers based on the change in consumption (g/day). Cloninger's TCI-scores were calculated for each group. Multinomial regression analysis was conducted with TCI-scores as factors influencing the change in alcohol consumption. Results High novelty seeking was associated with increased consumption, binging and heavy drinking among both sexes at both time points ( P < 0.01). Lower persistence was associated with increased consumption at both time points among men and among women at age 46. Baseline novelty seeking predicted both increasing (OR 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0–1.1) and reducing (1.1; 1.0–1.1) for men and for women also increasing (1.1; 1.0–1.1) and reducing (1.1; 1.0–1.1), but when adjusted with baseline alcohol use novelty seeking only predicted increasing for men (1.0; 1.0–1.1). Conclusions High novelty seeking and low persistence are associated with problematic alcohol use among middle-aged Northern Finns. Gender differences in predictors existed: novelty seeking predicted increase only for men in the adjusted model. Temperament scores do not seem to affect strongly changes in alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Longitudinal alcohol consumption in early adulthood has been studied, but reports from later adulthood are scarce. Objectives Finding longitudinal trends in alcohol consumption using prospective birth cohort data. Aims To investigate trends in self-reported alcohol consumption in adulthood. Methods In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (N=5,621) alcohol use was studied with questionnaires at ages 31 and 46. Participants were classified into steady drinkers, increasers and decreasers based on the change in consumption (g/day). Multinomial regression analysis was conducted with educational, marital and employment baseline statuses and their changes, and baseline alcohol use as factors influencing the change in alcohol consumption. Results 70% of alcohol users were classified as steady drinkers, 10% as decreasers and 20% as increasers. In all, daily alcohol consumption rose over 30%, particularly among women. The unemployed, singles and low-educated consumed the most (P<0.01). Being a divorced male (OR 1.5; 95%CI: 1.0-2.1) or a long-term unemployed female (1.6; 1.0-2.6) predicted increase in alcohol use. The probability of decrease was higher among single men (OR 1.6; 1.0-2.4) and women (2.8; 1.7-4.4) at 31y, among men entering a relationship (1.9; 1.2-3.1), and among divorced women (2.4; 1.4-3.8) and entering a relationship (2.1; 1.3-3.5). Conclusions Alcohol usage among middle-aged Northern Finns is rather stable and increase is more exhibited than decrease. Gender differences in predictors existed: changes in relationship status predicted decrease in usage in women, whereas in men divorce predicted increase in usage and a new relationship predicted decrease. Long-term unemployment predicted increase only in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: OPN4 (Melanopsin) is extravisual opsinreceptor sensing light outside of visual system. Earlier literature has described OPN4 in entraining circadian rhythms via retinohypothalamic track in human brain. Objectives: To investigate whether OPN4 protein is present also outside the retinohypothalamic track. Aims: To study the distribution on OPN4 protein in functionally central areas of human brain. Methods: The localization of OPN4 protein in human brain and peripheral tissues was assessed by immunohistochemical staining using polyclonal antibody against OPN4. OPN4 protein content was measured using Western blotting and SDS-PAGE. The samples from altogether nine cadavers were assessed during forensic examination and their tissues prepared. Samples were cut into sections and stained with fluorescent dye labeled antibody before confocal laser scanning microscopy. The specificity of labeling and immununoreaction was verified by primary antibody omitting and immunizing peptide blocking. Results: We found OPN4 protein abundant in Human brain, but not in periphery or in negative controls. Neuronal OPN4 was present in granular pattern intracellularly altogether in all eighteen examined sites, including numerous cerebral cortical areas, cerebellar cortex and several nuclei in phylogenetically old regions. Immunoreaction expressed mostly in neuronal soma, but not in nuclei. Conclusions: Previously OPN4 has been known to be present only in non-image forming visual system mediating circadian timing properties of light to the pacemaker (Zeitgeber). However, our findings of abundant presense of OPN4 protein in neurons of human brain call further studies of effects on direct photic stimuli to brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]