Abstract High peak bone mass and strong bone phenotype are known to be partly explained by physical activity during growth but there are few prospective studies on this topic. In this 28-year ...follow-up of Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study cohort, we assessed whether habitual childhood and adolescence physical activity or inactivity at the age of 3–18 years were associated with adult phenotype of weight-bearing tibia and the risk of low-energy fractures. Baseline physical activity and data on clinical, nutritional and lifestyle factors were assessed separately for females and males aged 3–6-years (N = 395–421) and 9–18-years (N = 923–965). At the age of 31–46-years, the prevalence of low-energy fractures was assessed with a questionnaire and several tibial traits were measured with pQCT (bone mineral content (BMC; mg), total and cortical cross-sectional areas (mm2 ), trabecular (for the distal site only) and cortical (for the shaft only) bone densities (mg/cm3 ), stress–strain index (SSI; mm3 , for the shaft only), bone strength index (BSI; mg2 /cm4 , for the distal site only) and the cortical strength index (CSI, for the shaft only)). For the statistical analysis, each bone trait was categorized as below the cohort median or the median and above and the adjusted odds ratios (OR) were determined. In females, frequent physical activity at the age of 9–18-years was associated with higher adulthood values of BSI, total and cortical areas, BMC, CSI and SSI at the tibia independently of many health and lifestyle factors (ORs 0.33–0.53, P ≤ 0.05; P-values for trend 0.002–0.05). Cortical density at the tibial shaft showed the opposite trend (P-value for trend 0.03). Similarly in males, frequent physical activity was associated with higher values of adult total and cortical areas and CSI at the tibia (ORs 0.48–0.53, P ≤ 0.05; P-values for trend 0.01–0.02). However, there was no evidence that childhood or adolescence physical activity was associated with lower risk of low energy fractures during the follow-up. In conclusion, frequent habitual physical activity in adolescence seems to confer benefits on tibial bone size and geometry in adulthood.
Despite the interest in the relationship of fetal exposures to adult cardiovascular disease, few studies have examined indicators of adult fatty liver disease as an outcome. Previous results are ...inconsistent, and indicate possible variation by sex. Adult liver enzymes γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartase transaminase (AST) were measured in two cohort studies: the Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS; n=1803) and the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns (YF; n=3571) study, which also had ultrasound measures of liver fat (n=2546). Predictors of dichotomized (clinical cut-offs) and continuous (within the reference range) liver enzymes included low birthweight (4000 g), small-for-gestational-age (birthweight 90th percentile), and preterm birth. Multiple logistic and linear regression were conducted, adjusted for medical, behavioral and socioeconomic indicators. Interactions with sex were also examined. In BHS, birth measures were not strongly associated with clinically high levels of liver enzymes, and within the reference range measures of reduced growth were associated with increased AST in women. In the YF study, at least one marker of reduced growth was associated with higher GGT, higher ALT and higher AST (in women). Probable fatty liver on ultrasound was associated with low birthweight (2.41, 1.42-4.09) and preterm birth (2.84, 1.70-4.76). These results suggest a link between birth parameters and adult fatty liver, but encourage consideration of population variation in these relationships.
Background
Job strain has been associated with depressive symptoms, and depression has been associated with low bone mineral density (BMD).
Purpose
The associations between BMD and job strain have ...not been studied. We examined the relations between BMD, job strain, and depressive symptoms in a population-based group of young adults in Finland.
Method
Ultrasonic measurement of BMD at the calcaneus was performed on 777 participants (men 45 %, aged 30–45) drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Job strain was assessed by self-administered questionnaires by the combination of job demands and job control. Depressive symptoms were assessed with a modified Beck Depression Inventory. The effects of job strain on BMD were studied with multivariable analyses with age, sex, BMI, vitamin D, and calcium intake, physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and depressive symptoms as covariates.
Results
Depressive symptoms were independently associated with lower BMD T score in participants with high job strain (
β
= −0.241,
p
= 0.02), but depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with BMD in the low (
β
= −0.160,
p
= 0.26) and intermediate (
β
= −0.042,
p
= 0.66) job strain categories.
Conclusion
The results suggest that job strain modifies the association between depressive symptoms and BMD. Depressed individuals with high work-related stress might be in increased risk of lower bone mineral density.
Infectious viruses and bacteria can trigger multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations. Seasonally changing concentrations of ambient air pollutants are known to predispose to transmissible infections, to ...induce systemic immune responses and to enhance existing peripheral inflammation. Ambient air quality and monthly MS relapse occurrence in south-western Finland were compared by multivariate logistic regression. The odds ratio of the risk of a relapse onset was over fourfold (4.143, p < 0.001) when the concentration of inhalable particulate matter (PM(10)) was at the highest quartile. Inhalable airborne particulate matter concentrations were connected to relapse occurrence. Poor air quality may enhance the seasonal changes in MS relapse occurrence by an increased susceptibility to transmissible infections.
The monthly multiple sclerosis relapse rate was studied from January 1995 to March 2001 from hospital records in Southwestern Finland as a retrospective open-label study.
The relapse rates of ...beta-interferon users and nonusers were compared to ambient air inhalable particle levels and viral infections in the population with logistic regression.
In the non-user group, relapses were more frequent 1 month following the episodes when PM(10) was in the highest quartile logistic regression odds ratio = 1.196 (95% CI = 1.019-1.404), p = 0.028 and following adenovirus epidemics in the general population logistic regression odds ratio = 2.234 (95% CI = 1.013-4.926), p = 0.046. PM(10) and virus infections had no significant effects in interferon users.
In addition to being antiviral, interferon also protected multiple sclerosis patients against an enhanced susceptibility to infections caused by PM(10).
Determining the start of the birch pollen season requires the reliable separation of non-local from locally produced birch pollen. The research was undertaken close to the latitudinal birch tree line ...at the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute (69°45′N 27°01′E) in northern Finland. By comparing phenological and aerobiological observations, the proportion of birch pollen present in the air before local anthesis commences can be delimited. We coupled this with data of pollen deposition monitored by means of a modified Tauber trap. The dominant birch species at Kevo is the mountain birch Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii, whereas B. pubescens ssp. pubescens is very rare, hence we consider the proportion of the southerly B. pubescens-type pollen deposited in the pollen trap to be non-local in origin.
We did not observe any trend towards an earlier start of the phenologically observed mountain birch anthesis at Kevo as predicted from work elsewhere. Moreover, the fixed 2.5% threshold method for determining the birch pollen season proved not to be applicable since in many years this threshold was reached before the end of continuous snow cover. The results indicate that in some years non-local birch pollen contributes considerably to the allergen load in Lapland with up to 57% of the total birch pollen sum being recorded before the day on which local anthesis commenced, and up to 70% of the annual birch pollen deposited being of the southerly birch type.
We investigated the metabolism of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) in healthy subjects by determining its cold-induced and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and blood flow (perfusion) using positron ...emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT). Second, we assessed gene expression in human BAT and white adipose tissue (WAT). Glucose uptake was induced 12-fold in BAT by cold, accompanied by doubling of perfusion. We found a positive association between whole-body energy expenditure and BAT perfusion. Insulin enhanced glucose uptake 5-fold in BAT independently of its perfusion, while the effect on WAT was weaker. The gene expression level of insulin-sensitive glucose transporter
GLUT4 was also higher in BAT as compared to WAT. In conclusion, BAT appears to be differently activated by insulin and cold; in response to insulin, BAT displays high glucose uptake without increased perfusion, but when activated by cold, it dissipates energy in a perfusion-dependent manner.
► Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a highly insulin-sensitive tissue ► The
GLUT4 gene is more abundantly expressed in BAT as compared to WAT ► Perfusion in human BAT is stimulated by cold ► Perfusion of BAT is positively associated with whole-body energy expenditure
PET studies with N-methyl-(11)C2-(4':-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ((11)CPIB) have revealed an increased tracer uptake in several brain regions in Alzheimer disease (AD).
To employ ...voxel-based analysis method to identify brain regions with significant increases in (11)CPIB uptake in AD vs healthy control subjects, indicative of increased amyloid accumulation in these regions.
We studied 17 patients with AD and 11 control subjects with PET using (11)CPIB as tracer. Parametric images were computed by calculating a region-to-cerebellum ratio over 60 to 90 minutes in each voxel. Group differences in (11)CPIB uptake were analyzed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and automated region-of-interest (ROI) analysis.
SPM showed increased uptake (p < 0.001) in the frontal, parietal, and lateral temporal cortices as well as in the posterior cingulate and the striatum. No significant differences in uptake were found in the primary sensory and motor cortices, primary visual cortex, thalamus, and medial temporal lobe. These results were supported by automated ROI analysis, with most prominent increases in AD subjects in the frontal cortex ((11)CPIB uptake 163% of the control mean) and posterior cingulate (146%) followed by the parietal (146%) and temporal (145%) cortices and striatum (133%), as well as small increases in the occipital cortex (117%) and thalamus (115%).
Voxel-based analysis revealed widespread distribution of increased (11)CPIB uptake in Alzheimer disease (AD). These findings are in accordance with the distribution and phases of amyloid pathology in AD, previously documented in postmortem studies.
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