E. Loyttyniemi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by E. Loyttyniemi
Healthcare
New nurses are needed in healthcare. To meet the role expectations of a registered nurse, nursing... more New nurses are needed in healthcare. To meet the role expectations of a registered nurse, nursing students must feel empowered at graduation. However, there are only a few studies focusing on nursing students’ empowerment. This study aims to describe and analyze graduating nursing students’ level of empowerment in six European countries and potential related factors. A comparative and cross-sectional study was performed in the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain with graduating nursing students (n = 1746) using the Essential Elements of Nurse Empowerment scale. Potentially related factors included age, gender, a previous degree in health care, work experience in health care, graduation to first-choice profession, intention to leave the nursing profession, level of study achievements, satisfaction with the current nursing programme, clinical practicums, theoretical education, and generic competence measured with the Nurse Competence Scale. The data were anal...
Nutrients
The aim was to investigate, among pregnant women, (1) the use of food supplements and (2) the awa... more The aim was to investigate, among pregnant women, (1) the use of food supplements and (2) the awareness of food supplement recommendations and beliefs about food supplement use in four European countries: Finland, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The participants (n = 1804) completed an online questionnaire with predefined statements. Daily intakes of vitamins and minerals were calculated using uploaded pictures or weblinks of the supplement packages. Country differences were assessed. Most participants (91%) used at least one food supplement during pregnancy. A prenatal multivitamin was the most commonly used supplement type (84% of the users), and 75% of the participants thought consumption of multivitamin is recommended. Of the participants, 81% knew that folic acid is recommended during pregnancy while 58% knew the recommendation for vitamin D. In 19% of the supplement users, the daily safe upper intake limit of at least one nutrient was exceeded. Nevertheless, most partic...
BACKGROUND Web-based interventions are promising tools for increasing the understanding of illnes... more BACKGROUND Web-based interventions are promising tools for increasing the understanding of illness and treatment among patients with serious mental disorders. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of a Web-based patient education intervention using a quasi-experimental cluster design to report feedback on patient education sessions and the website used and to report preliminary evidence of the intervention’s impact on patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. METHODS A single-blind, parallel, quasi-experimental cluster study over a 6-month period comparing Web-based education (n=33) with a nonequivalent control group (treatment as usual, n=24) for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorder was conducted. Participants (N=57) were recruited from one psychiatric hospital (6 wards). Feasibility was assessed by participants’ commitment (refusal rate, dropout rate) to the study. Acceptability was assessed as participants’ commitment to the intervention...
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2014
given IVIG 500mg/kg/dose. Case 3: 20 month-old boy presented with complaints of having frequent l... more given IVIG 500mg/kg/dose. Case 3: 20 month-old boy presented with complaints of having frequent lower respiratory tract infections. He was experiencing recurrent wheezing attacks almost every other week for the last 6 months. Low IgG level for his age (300 mg/dl) was detected twice. He was given IVIG 400 mg/ kg/dose. Conclusion In patients with persistent wheezing symptoms during infancy, especially resistant to therapy, hypogammaglobulinemi should be excluded.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2014
Journal of Internal Medicine, 2001
To study the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [serum 25(OH)D < or = 37 nmol L-1)] in Finnis... more To study the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [serum 25(OH)D < or = 37 nmol L-1)] in Finnish medical in- and outpatients in a cross-sectional study. The subjects were 106 consecutive medical inpatients (57 females, 49 males with mean ages of 65 and 58 years) from the Peijas Hospital, Vantaa, Finland, and 99 ambulatory patients (48 females, 51 males with mean ages of 42 and 46 years) contacting a private outpatient centre in Helsinki, Finland. Serum 25(OH)D, vitamin D binding protein (DBP), free vitamin D index (FDI), intact PTH (iPTH), and albumin-corrected calcium were measured. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was 37 nmol L(-1) or less in 70% of female and in 61% of male inpatients and in 44% of female and in 37% of male outpatients. In the whole population, a statistically significant inverse association (P < 0.0001) was detected between iPTH and 25(OH)D levels; the iPTH concentration appeared to start increasing when 25(OH)D concentration was 50 nmol L(-1) or less. The association remained the same (P < 0.0001) when FDI was used instead of 25(OH)D in the calculations. When the sexes were analysed separately, the statistically significant association was found only in females (P < 0.0001 for iPTH versus 25(OH)D; P < 0.0001 for iPTH versus FDI) but not in males. Hypovitaminosis D is very common amongst Finnish in- and outpatients in both sexes, causing secondary hyperparathyroidism in females. More extensive studies are warranted to elucidate the vitamin D status of the Finnish population.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2012
eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and normotensive controls. Patients with preeclampsia had significantl... more eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and normotensive controls. Patients with preeclampsia had significantly higher proteinuria (2.9 / 2.1 grams/24 hours) than either those with HELLP syndrome (0.29 / 0.93 grams/24 hours), or normotensive controls (0.10 / 0.06 grams/24 hours). The degree of podocyturia was higher in patients with preeclampsia (160 / 87 cells/mg creatinine) than in those with either normotensive pregnancies (22 / 20, p 0.02) or HELLP syndrome (21.5 / 8.6, p 0.02); no difference was observed between normotensive vs. HELLP pregnancies (p 0.5). There was a positive correlation between the degree of proteinuria and podocyturia, for the group as a whole (r 0.85, p 0.001). CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry may facilitate the use of podocyturia for both clinical and research purposes. The absence of podocyturia in patients with HELLP syndrome, with either absent or minimal proteinuria, further supports its distinct pathophysiology with respect to preeclampsia.
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2016
What is known on the subject? • Stigma related to mental illnesses is a great burden on societies... more What is known on the subject? • Stigma related to mental illnesses is a great burden on societies globally. Factors associated with nurses' attitudes towards people with mental illness in healthcare settings are discrepant. • Stigmatized attitudes among staff members towards patients with mental illness have widely been studied in various specialized health care contexts, but less often in primary health-care settings. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge? • Nurses' attitudes towards people with mental illness in general were positive in primary care health settings. Younger nurses expressed feeling afraid of mentally ill patients. • They not only lacked a feeling of safety around these patients but were also often of the opinion that people with mental illness should be segregated from the general population. What are the implications for practice? • Systematic and continuous mental health on-the-job training for primary care nurses is recommended to strengthen the positive attitudes of young nurses towards patients. • Young nurses especially should be prevented from developing stigmatized attitudes towards patients with mental problems and to ensure a skilled workforce for the future in this demanding area of health care.
International Journal of Molecular Imaging, 2015
Objectives. Studies comparing outcome of single-T99mc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (T99mc-sestamibi)... more Objectives. Studies comparing outcome of single-T99mc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (T99mc-sestamibi) and dual-tracer T99mc-sestamibi scintigraphy in combination with 123I before primary surgery of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) are scarce. Methods. We compared T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi in a single-centre retrospective series of 269 PHPT patients. The results were related to laboratory, surgical and histological findings. Results. T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were positive in 206 (76.6%) and 111 (41.3%) of 269 patients, respectively (P < 0.001). Accuracies for T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were 63.4% and 34.9%, respectively (96% CI, P < 0.001). Prevalence of multiglandular disease was 15.2%. In multiglandular disease, T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi revealed 43.8 and 22.1% of pathological glands, respectively (P < 0.001). Cure rate was similar for patients with (191/206; 92.7%) and without (59 of 63; 93.7%) a positive T99mc-ses...
European Journal of Endocrinology, 2010
ObjectiveTo study whether post-surgical and/or post-ablative thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations ma... more ObjectiveTo study whether post-surgical and/or post-ablative thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations may serve as independent predictors of disease recurrence in patients treated for TNM stage I or II well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC).DesignAn observational retrospective study with a median follow-up of 16 years (range 10–24).Patients and measurementsPost-operative and post-ablative Tg concentrations, age, tumour size, local infiltration and nodal metastasis at primary surgery as well as disease recurrences and cancer-specific deaths were evaluated in 495 low-risk (TNM stages I and II) patients, the majority of whom had total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine remnant ablation as initial treatment.ResultsFifty-one patients (10.3%) experienced disease recurrence during follow-up. In multiple logistic regression analysis, post-ablative Tg concentrations (odds ratio (OR) 3.72, confidence interval (CI) 1.71–8.05, P=0.0009) and local infiltration on primary surgery (OR 2.66, CI 1....
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2006
Context: It is not known to what extent quality of life of patients treated for acromegaly is dep... more Context: It is not known to what extent quality of life of patients treated for acromegaly is dependent on levels of GH and IGF-I attained. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) and its dependence on treatment outcome and modality in a nationwide survey of acromegalic patients. Design, Setting, and Patients: All eligible patients with acromegaly, diagnosed from January 1980 through December 1999 in Finland, were invited to a follow-up study, carried out 11.4 Ϯ 5.7 (mean Ϯ SD) yr after initial treatment. HRQoL of the patients, measured by the generic 15D instrument, was compared with that of the general population. Factors related to HRQoL were analyzed by logistic regression. Main Outcome Measure: HRQoL was the main outcome measure. Results: Of 277 eligible patients, 231 (83.4%) participated in the follow-up study. Of them, 51.1% were in remission according to consensus criteria. The patients reported reduced HRQoL in comparison to the age-and gender-standardized general population (P Ͻ 0.001). HRQoL was related to nadir GH in oral glucose tolerance test (GHOGTT) in an inverted U-shaped fashion (overall P ϭ 0.021). Patients with GHOGTT nadir values between 0.3-1.0 g/liter had a better HRQoL than those with lower or higher values. A normal IGF-I (P ϭ 0.038) and not having had radiotherapy (P ϭ 0.004) were also associated with a better HRQoL. Conclusions: HRQoL is reduced in treated patients with acromegaly. The best HRQoL may be achieved by normalization of IGF-I and by targeting the GHOGTT nadir to levels between 0.3 and 1.0 g/liter. Radiotherapy is associated with adverse HRQoL.
European Journal of Endocrinology, 2010
ObjectiveConcentrations of 50 and 75 nmol/l are proposed as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) t... more ObjectiveConcentrations of 50 and 75 nmol/l are proposed as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) target for older people from the view of bone health. We evaluated vitamin D status of elderly Finnish women in light of these definitions, its relationship to bone mineral density (BMD) and turnover, and improvement by summer sunshine.DesignPopulation-based study.MethodsA total of 1604 ambulatory women aged 62–79 years were studied; 66% used vitamin D supplements. Serum 25(OH)D3was measured with HPLC before and after summer, and heel BMD in spring. In subgroups, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and type I procollagen aminoterminal propeptide (PINP) were analyzed.ResultsIn spring, 60.3% of the women had 25(OH)D3≤50 nmol/l, and the target of 75 nmol/l was reached by 9.1%. For supplement users, the respective numbers were 52.1 and 11.9%. Serum 25(OH)D3did not determine BMD or bone turnover measured by serum PINP. Summer sunshine increased serum 25(OH)D3by 17.4% (P<0.0001), but in autumn 8...
Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2014
We report the development of a PET tracer for α2C adrenoceptor imaging and its preliminary precli... more We report the development of a PET tracer for α2C adrenoceptor imaging and its preliminary preclinical evaluation. α2C adrenoceptors in the human brain may be involved in various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative diseases. PET tracers are needed for imaging of this receptor system in vivo. High-specific-activity (11)C-ORM-13070 (1-[(S)-1-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[1,4]dioxin-2-yl)methyl]-4-(3-(11)C-methoxymethylpyridin-2-yl)-piperazine) was synthesized by (11)C-methylation of O-desmethyl-ORM-13070 with (11)C-methyl triflate, which was prepared from cyclotron-produced (11)C-methane via (11)C-methyl iodide. Rats and mice were investigated in vivo with PET and ex vivo with autoradiography. The specificity of (11)C-ORM-13070 binding to α2 adrenoceptors was demonstrated in rats pretreated with atipamezole, an α2 adrenoceptor antagonist. The α2C adrenoceptor selectivity of the tracer was determined by comparing tracer binding in wild-type and α2A- and α2AC adrenoceptor knockout (KO) mice. (11)C-ORM-13070 and its radioactive metabolites in rat plasma and brain tissue were analyzed with radio-high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Human radiation dose estimates were extrapolated from rat biodistribution data. The radiochemical yield, calculated from initial cyclotron-produced (11)C-methane, was 9.6% ± 2.7% (decay-corrected to end of bombardment). The specific activity of the product was 640 ± 390 GBq/μmol (decay-corrected to end of synthesis). The radiochemical purity exceeded 99% in all syntheses. The highest levels of tracer binding were observed in the striatum and olfactory tubercle of rats and control and α2A KO mice-that is, in the brain regions known to contain the highest densities of α2C adrenoceptors. In rats pretreated with atipamezole and in α2AC KO mice, (11)C tracer binding in the striatum and olfactory tubercle was low, similar to that of the frontal cortex and thalamus, regions with low densities of α2C adrenoceptors. Two radioactive metabolites were found in rat plasma, but only one of them was found in the brain; their identity was not revealed. The estimated effective radiation dose was comparable with the average exposure level in PET studies with (11)C tracers. An efficient method for the radiosynthesis of (11)C-ORM-13070 was developed. (11)C-ORM-13070 emerged as a potential novel radiotracer for in vivo imaging of brain α2C adrenoceptors.
Healthcare
New nurses are needed in healthcare. To meet the role expectations of a registered nurse, nursing... more New nurses are needed in healthcare. To meet the role expectations of a registered nurse, nursing students must feel empowered at graduation. However, there are only a few studies focusing on nursing students’ empowerment. This study aims to describe and analyze graduating nursing students’ level of empowerment in six European countries and potential related factors. A comparative and cross-sectional study was performed in the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain with graduating nursing students (n = 1746) using the Essential Elements of Nurse Empowerment scale. Potentially related factors included age, gender, a previous degree in health care, work experience in health care, graduation to first-choice profession, intention to leave the nursing profession, level of study achievements, satisfaction with the current nursing programme, clinical practicums, theoretical education, and generic competence measured with the Nurse Competence Scale. The data were anal...
Nutrients
The aim was to investigate, among pregnant women, (1) the use of food supplements and (2) the awa... more The aim was to investigate, among pregnant women, (1) the use of food supplements and (2) the awareness of food supplement recommendations and beliefs about food supplement use in four European countries: Finland, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The participants (n = 1804) completed an online questionnaire with predefined statements. Daily intakes of vitamins and minerals were calculated using uploaded pictures or weblinks of the supplement packages. Country differences were assessed. Most participants (91%) used at least one food supplement during pregnancy. A prenatal multivitamin was the most commonly used supplement type (84% of the users), and 75% of the participants thought consumption of multivitamin is recommended. Of the participants, 81% knew that folic acid is recommended during pregnancy while 58% knew the recommendation for vitamin D. In 19% of the supplement users, the daily safe upper intake limit of at least one nutrient was exceeded. Nevertheless, most partic...
BACKGROUND Web-based interventions are promising tools for increasing the understanding of illnes... more BACKGROUND Web-based interventions are promising tools for increasing the understanding of illness and treatment among patients with serious mental disorders. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of a Web-based patient education intervention using a quasi-experimental cluster design to report feedback on patient education sessions and the website used and to report preliminary evidence of the intervention’s impact on patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. METHODS A single-blind, parallel, quasi-experimental cluster study over a 6-month period comparing Web-based education (n=33) with a nonequivalent control group (treatment as usual, n=24) for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorder was conducted. Participants (N=57) were recruited from one psychiatric hospital (6 wards). Feasibility was assessed by participants’ commitment (refusal rate, dropout rate) to the study. Acceptability was assessed as participants’ commitment to the intervention...
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2014
given IVIG 500mg/kg/dose. Case 3: 20 month-old boy presented with complaints of having frequent l... more given IVIG 500mg/kg/dose. Case 3: 20 month-old boy presented with complaints of having frequent lower respiratory tract infections. He was experiencing recurrent wheezing attacks almost every other week for the last 6 months. Low IgG level for his age (300 mg/dl) was detected twice. He was given IVIG 400 mg/ kg/dose. Conclusion In patients with persistent wheezing symptoms during infancy, especially resistant to therapy, hypogammaglobulinemi should be excluded.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2014
Journal of Internal Medicine, 2001
To study the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [serum 25(OH)D < or = 37 nmol L-1)] in Finnis... more To study the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D [serum 25(OH)D < or = 37 nmol L-1)] in Finnish medical in- and outpatients in a cross-sectional study. The subjects were 106 consecutive medical inpatients (57 females, 49 males with mean ages of 65 and 58 years) from the Peijas Hospital, Vantaa, Finland, and 99 ambulatory patients (48 females, 51 males with mean ages of 42 and 46 years) contacting a private outpatient centre in Helsinki, Finland. Serum 25(OH)D, vitamin D binding protein (DBP), free vitamin D index (FDI), intact PTH (iPTH), and albumin-corrected calcium were measured. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was 37 nmol L(-1) or less in 70% of female and in 61% of male inpatients and in 44% of female and in 37% of male outpatients. In the whole population, a statistically significant inverse association (P < 0.0001) was detected between iPTH and 25(OH)D levels; the iPTH concentration appeared to start increasing when 25(OH)D concentration was 50 nmol L(-1) or less. The association remained the same (P < 0.0001) when FDI was used instead of 25(OH)D in the calculations. When the sexes were analysed separately, the statistically significant association was found only in females (P < 0.0001 for iPTH versus 25(OH)D; P < 0.0001 for iPTH versus FDI) but not in males. Hypovitaminosis D is very common amongst Finnish in- and outpatients in both sexes, causing secondary hyperparathyroidism in females. More extensive studies are warranted to elucidate the vitamin D status of the Finnish population.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2012
eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and normotensive controls. Patients with preeclampsia had significantl... more eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and normotensive controls. Patients with preeclampsia had significantly higher proteinuria (2.9 / 2.1 grams/24 hours) than either those with HELLP syndrome (0.29 / 0.93 grams/24 hours), or normotensive controls (0.10 / 0.06 grams/24 hours). The degree of podocyturia was higher in patients with preeclampsia (160 / 87 cells/mg creatinine) than in those with either normotensive pregnancies (22 / 20, p 0.02) or HELLP syndrome (21.5 / 8.6, p 0.02); no difference was observed between normotensive vs. HELLP pregnancies (p 0.5). There was a positive correlation between the degree of proteinuria and podocyturia, for the group as a whole (r 0.85, p 0.001). CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry may facilitate the use of podocyturia for both clinical and research purposes. The absence of podocyturia in patients with HELLP syndrome, with either absent or minimal proteinuria, further supports its distinct pathophysiology with respect to preeclampsia.
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2016
What is known on the subject? • Stigma related to mental illnesses is a great burden on societies... more What is known on the subject? • Stigma related to mental illnesses is a great burden on societies globally. Factors associated with nurses' attitudes towards people with mental illness in healthcare settings are discrepant. • Stigmatized attitudes among staff members towards patients with mental illness have widely been studied in various specialized health care contexts, but less often in primary health-care settings. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge? • Nurses' attitudes towards people with mental illness in general were positive in primary care health settings. Younger nurses expressed feeling afraid of mentally ill patients. • They not only lacked a feeling of safety around these patients but were also often of the opinion that people with mental illness should be segregated from the general population. What are the implications for practice? • Systematic and continuous mental health on-the-job training for primary care nurses is recommended to strengthen the positive attitudes of young nurses towards patients. • Young nurses especially should be prevented from developing stigmatized attitudes towards patients with mental problems and to ensure a skilled workforce for the future in this demanding area of health care.
International Journal of Molecular Imaging, 2015
Objectives. Studies comparing outcome of single-T99mc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (T99mc-sestamibi)... more Objectives. Studies comparing outcome of single-T99mc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (T99mc-sestamibi) and dual-tracer T99mc-sestamibi scintigraphy in combination with 123I before primary surgery of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) are scarce. Methods. We compared T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi in a single-centre retrospective series of 269 PHPT patients. The results were related to laboratory, surgical and histological findings. Results. T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were positive in 206 (76.6%) and 111 (41.3%) of 269 patients, respectively (P < 0.001). Accuracies for T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were 63.4% and 34.9%, respectively (96% CI, P < 0.001). Prevalence of multiglandular disease was 15.2%. In multiglandular disease, T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi revealed 43.8 and 22.1% of pathological glands, respectively (P < 0.001). Cure rate was similar for patients with (191/206; 92.7%) and without (59 of 63; 93.7%) a positive T99mc-ses...
European Journal of Endocrinology, 2010
ObjectiveTo study whether post-surgical and/or post-ablative thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations ma... more ObjectiveTo study whether post-surgical and/or post-ablative thyroglobulin (Tg) concentrations may serve as independent predictors of disease recurrence in patients treated for TNM stage I or II well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC).DesignAn observational retrospective study with a median follow-up of 16 years (range 10–24).Patients and measurementsPost-operative and post-ablative Tg concentrations, age, tumour size, local infiltration and nodal metastasis at primary surgery as well as disease recurrences and cancer-specific deaths were evaluated in 495 low-risk (TNM stages I and II) patients, the majority of whom had total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine remnant ablation as initial treatment.ResultsFifty-one patients (10.3%) experienced disease recurrence during follow-up. In multiple logistic regression analysis, post-ablative Tg concentrations (odds ratio (OR) 3.72, confidence interval (CI) 1.71–8.05, P=0.0009) and local infiltration on primary surgery (OR 2.66, CI 1....
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2006
Context: It is not known to what extent quality of life of patients treated for acromegaly is dep... more Context: It is not known to what extent quality of life of patients treated for acromegaly is dependent on levels of GH and IGF-I attained. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) and its dependence on treatment outcome and modality in a nationwide survey of acromegalic patients. Design, Setting, and Patients: All eligible patients with acromegaly, diagnosed from January 1980 through December 1999 in Finland, were invited to a follow-up study, carried out 11.4 Ϯ 5.7 (mean Ϯ SD) yr after initial treatment. HRQoL of the patients, measured by the generic 15D instrument, was compared with that of the general population. Factors related to HRQoL were analyzed by logistic regression. Main Outcome Measure: HRQoL was the main outcome measure. Results: Of 277 eligible patients, 231 (83.4%) participated in the follow-up study. Of them, 51.1% were in remission according to consensus criteria. The patients reported reduced HRQoL in comparison to the age-and gender-standardized general population (P Ͻ 0.001). HRQoL was related to nadir GH in oral glucose tolerance test (GHOGTT) in an inverted U-shaped fashion (overall P ϭ 0.021). Patients with GHOGTT nadir values between 0.3-1.0 g/liter had a better HRQoL than those with lower or higher values. A normal IGF-I (P ϭ 0.038) and not having had radiotherapy (P ϭ 0.004) were also associated with a better HRQoL. Conclusions: HRQoL is reduced in treated patients with acromegaly. The best HRQoL may be achieved by normalization of IGF-I and by targeting the GHOGTT nadir to levels between 0.3 and 1.0 g/liter. Radiotherapy is associated with adverse HRQoL.
European Journal of Endocrinology, 2010
ObjectiveConcentrations of 50 and 75 nmol/l are proposed as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) t... more ObjectiveConcentrations of 50 and 75 nmol/l are proposed as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) target for older people from the view of bone health. We evaluated vitamin D status of elderly Finnish women in light of these definitions, its relationship to bone mineral density (BMD) and turnover, and improvement by summer sunshine.DesignPopulation-based study.MethodsA total of 1604 ambulatory women aged 62–79 years were studied; 66% used vitamin D supplements. Serum 25(OH)D3was measured with HPLC before and after summer, and heel BMD in spring. In subgroups, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and type I procollagen aminoterminal propeptide (PINP) were analyzed.ResultsIn spring, 60.3% of the women had 25(OH)D3≤50 nmol/l, and the target of 75 nmol/l was reached by 9.1%. For supplement users, the respective numbers were 52.1 and 11.9%. Serum 25(OH)D3did not determine BMD or bone turnover measured by serum PINP. Summer sunshine increased serum 25(OH)D3by 17.4% (P<0.0001), but in autumn 8...
Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2014
We report the development of a PET tracer for α2C adrenoceptor imaging and its preliminary precli... more We report the development of a PET tracer for α2C adrenoceptor imaging and its preliminary preclinical evaluation. α2C adrenoceptors in the human brain may be involved in various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative diseases. PET tracers are needed for imaging of this receptor system in vivo. High-specific-activity (11)C-ORM-13070 (1-[(S)-1-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[1,4]dioxin-2-yl)methyl]-4-(3-(11)C-methoxymethylpyridin-2-yl)-piperazine) was synthesized by (11)C-methylation of O-desmethyl-ORM-13070 with (11)C-methyl triflate, which was prepared from cyclotron-produced (11)C-methane via (11)C-methyl iodide. Rats and mice were investigated in vivo with PET and ex vivo with autoradiography. The specificity of (11)C-ORM-13070 binding to α2 adrenoceptors was demonstrated in rats pretreated with atipamezole, an α2 adrenoceptor antagonist. The α2C adrenoceptor selectivity of the tracer was determined by comparing tracer binding in wild-type and α2A- and α2AC adrenoceptor knockout (KO) mice. (11)C-ORM-13070 and its radioactive metabolites in rat plasma and brain tissue were analyzed with radio-high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Human radiation dose estimates were extrapolated from rat biodistribution data. The radiochemical yield, calculated from initial cyclotron-produced (11)C-methane, was 9.6% ± 2.7% (decay-corrected to end of bombardment). The specific activity of the product was 640 ± 390 GBq/μmol (decay-corrected to end of synthesis). The radiochemical purity exceeded 99% in all syntheses. The highest levels of tracer binding were observed in the striatum and olfactory tubercle of rats and control and α2A KO mice-that is, in the brain regions known to contain the highest densities of α2C adrenoceptors. In rats pretreated with atipamezole and in α2AC KO mice, (11)C tracer binding in the striatum and olfactory tubercle was low, similar to that of the frontal cortex and thalamus, regions with low densities of α2C adrenoceptors. Two radioactive metabolites were found in rat plasma, but only one of them was found in the brain; their identity was not revealed. The estimated effective radiation dose was comparable with the average exposure level in PET studies with (11)C tracers. An efficient method for the radiosynthesis of (11)C-ORM-13070 was developed. (11)C-ORM-13070 emerged as a potential novel radiotracer for in vivo imaging of brain α2C adrenoceptors.