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Showing papers by "University of Jyväskylä published in 1994"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the long-term effects of physically active and sedentary life-styles were studied by comparing groups of young adults who had remained active or inactive in every three examinations.
Abstract: The tracking of physical activity and its influence on selected coronary heart disease risk factors were studied in a 6-year (original survey in 1980, with follow-ups in 1983 and 1986) study of Finnish adolescents and young adults as part of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. The subjects in this analysis were aged 12, 15, and 18 years at baseline. Physical activity was assessed with a standardized questionnaire, and a sum index was derived from the product of intensity, frequency, and duration of leisure time physical activity. Complete data on physical activity index from each study year were available on 961 participants. Significant tracking of physical activity was observed with 3-year correlations of the index ranging from 0.35 to 0.54 in boys and from 0.33 to 0.39 in girls. Tracking was better in older age groups. Two groups of adolescents (active and sedentary groups) were formed at baseline according to high and low values of the index, respectively. Approximately 57% of those classified as inactive remained inactive after a 6-year follow-up. The corresponding value for active subjects was 44% (p < 0.01, active vs. inactive). The long-term effects of physically active and sedentary life-styles were studied by comparing groups of young adults who had remained active or inactive in every three examinations. Serum insulin and serum triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower in active young men. They had a more beneficial high density lipoprotein to total cholesterol ratio and thinner subscapular skinfolds. Among young women, significant differences were seen in adiposity (subscapular skinfold) and in serum triglyceride concentration. Physical activity was also related to less smoking in both sexes and, among young men, to lower consumption of saturated fatty acids and to higher polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio of the diet. In regression analyses adjusted for the 6-year change in obesity, smoking status, and diet, the change in physical activity was inversely associated with changes in serum insulin and triglycerides in boys. Independent association with triglycerides disappeared when insulin change was added to the model, suggesting that the effect may partly be mediated through insulin metabolism. The authors conclude that the level of physical activity tracks significantly from adolescence to young adulthood. Physical inactivity shows better tracking than does physical activity, and subjects who are constantly inactive express a less beneficial coronary risk profile compared with those who are constantly active.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

508 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the follow-up at age 15 of a group of children who were diagnosed at age 5 as having delayed motor development was reported, and the control group still differed in motor performance 10 years later: 46% of the members of the early motor delay group were classified as different on motor and perceptual tasks.
Abstract: This paper reports the follow-up at age 15 of a group of children who were diagnosed at age 5 as having delayed motor development. The group of children who were clumsy and the control group still differed in motor performance 10 years later: 46% of the members of the early motor delay group were classified as different from the control group on motor and perceptual tasks. The remainder made up an intermediate group that could not be clearly distinguished from the other groups. Adolescents with stable motor problems had fewer social hobbies and pastimes and had lower academic ambitions for their future than the controls, although the lower academic ambitions also reflect their lower academic achievements. The adolescents who were clumsy believed they were less physically and scholastically competent than the controls. However, they did not have poor opinions of their social acceptance or self-worth. The intermediate group, although they showed motor delay at age 5, had good school performance and high amb...

430 citations



Journal ArticleDOI

380 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors found that the developmental pathways of physically aggressive behavior for boys in low socioeconomic environments were related to familial adversity and poor parenting, and that they predicted delinquency across ages 10 to 14.
Abstract: Boys from low socioeconomic environments were rated on physical aggression at ages 6, 10, 11, and 12 by teachers and classified according to stability of fighting over time: stable high fighters, high fighters with late onset, desisting high fighters, variable high fighters, and nonfighters. The fighter groups differed from each other both in family background and parenting behavior. They were also significantly associated with delinquency across ages 10 to 14. A stepwise logistic regression with fighter groups, family adversity index, and parenting behavior variables as predictors showed that the Punishment x Fighter Group interaction, together with supervision, predicted self-reported delinquency. The study thus showed that the developmental pathways of physically aggressive behavior for boys in low socioeconomic environments were related to familial adversity and poor parenting, and that they predicted delinquency.

313 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present results indicate that maximal isometric strength tests provide useful information about physical functional capacity among elderly people and suggest that the maintenance of adequate strength could be favourable to the mobility of older persons.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between maximal isometric strength and mobility among 75-year-old men and women. All those born in 1914 and resident in the city of Jyvaskyla in August 1989 comprised the study group (n = 388); 355 persons were interviewed at their homes (92%): 101 men (81% of all male residents) and 186 women (75%) participated in the laboratory strength tests. As part of the home interview the person's mobility at home, on stairs and outdoors was assessed using a four-point scale:--1 able, 2--able with difficulty, 3--needs help, 4--unable. Poor mobility was more common among the drop-outs than among the strength-tested subjects in both sexes. Maximal isometric strength of hand grip, arm flexion, knee extension and trunk flexion and extension were measured using specially constructed dynamometers. The strength results were adjusted for body weight. The study also included a stair-mounting test and measurement of maximal walking speed. The body-weight adjusted maximal forces were consistently significantly associated with mobility. Those who claimed no problems in the mobility interview and performed better in the walking and stair-mounting tests exhibited greater maximal isometric strength. The present results indicate that maximal isometric strength tests provide useful information about physical functional capacity among elderly people. These findings also suggest that the maintenance of adequate strength could be favourable to the mobility of older persons.

277 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that arrays of tunnel junctions between normal metal electrodes exhibit features suitable for primary thermometry in an experimentally adjustable temperature range where thermal and charging effects compete.
Abstract: We show that arrays of tunnel junctions between normal metal electrodes exhibit features suitable for primary thermometry in an experimentally adjustable temperature range where thermal and charging effects compete. $I\ensuremath{-}V$ and $\frac{\mathrm{dI}}{\mathrm{dV}}$ vs $V$ have been calculated for two junctions including a universal analytic high temperature result. Experimentally the width of the conductance minimum in this regime scales with $T$ and $N$, the number of junctions, and its value (per junction) agrees with the calculated one to within 3% for large $N$. The height of this feature is inversely proportional to $T$.

236 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Parental drinking had a significant threshold effect on male off-springs' drinking: if parental drinking was low, there was less problem drinking among the male offspring than if a mild dependence on alcohol was observed in the parents.
Abstract: This study was part of the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study on Social Development. The subjects (196 males, 173 females) were studied at age 8, 14 and 26. Three components in drinking habits were obtained at age 26: social, problem and controlled drinking. Moderate to severe problem drinking was obtained for 26% of the men and 1% of the women, and mild problem drinking for 23% of the men and 15% of the women. Problem drinking (defined by the CAGE Questionnaire, arrest for alcohol abuse and other indicators of heavy drinking) was directly accounted for by poor school success at age 14 and, for men, by conduct problems and low anxiety. Variables at age 8 that contributed indirectly to adult problem drinking were aggression, low anxiety, low prosociality and poor school success for men, and high anxiety and poor school success for women. Women and men differed in the effect of social anxiety; in men, anxiety was a protective factor against problem drinking; in women, it was a risk factor. Although conduct problems often precede severe problem drinking, other risk factors may exist among sons of alcoholic parents. Parental drinking had a significant threshold effect on male off-springs' drinking: if parental drinking was low, there was less problem drinking among the male offspring than if a mild dependence on alcohol was observed in the parents.

148 citations


01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the theory of weighted Sobolev spaces H with weight function in Muckenhoupt's Ap-class and provided a coherent exposition of the behavior of functions.
Abstract: Let Ω be an open set in R and 1 < p < ∞ . In this paper we consider the theory of weighted Sobolev spaces H with weight function in Muckenhoupt’s Ap -class. Our main purpose is to provide a coherent exposition of the behavior of functions in weighted Sobolev spaces and this leads us to use a concept of capacity. The motivation arises from the theory of partial differential equations, see e.g. [F], [HKM]. Most of the results we present are probably not new but according to our knowledge they have not yet appeared in printed form. We define the weighted Sobolev space H(Ω;w) to be the completion of C(R) with respect to the norm

132 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results from long-term studies in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca suggest that factors associated with species recognition may also be important for male coloration, and interspecific effects related to species recognition can probably explain the dull plumage colour of piedFlycatcher males in sympatry.
Abstract: Currently favoured views for explaining ornaments in males emphasize female preference such that females benefit from increased offspring production, good genes of the offspring, or the attractiveness of sons. Results from long-term studies in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca suggest that factors associated with species recognition may also be important for male coloration. In sympatry the collared flycatcher F. albicollis is dominant in competition for nesting sites over the pied flycatcher. Bright pied flycatcher males resemble collared flycatcher males and suffer from interspecific interference, whereas dull and female-like males can acquire nesting sites close to those of the collared flycatcher. (A similar aggression release mechanism had previously been suggested to influence the evolution of colour differences in coral reef fishes.) Additionally, the risk of hybridization was low for the dullest pied flycatcher males, resurrecting the idea that avoiding mating with wrong species might currently be under selection. Thus interspecific effects related to species recognition can probably explain the dull plumage colour of pied flycatcher males in sympatry. In allopatry, intraspecific sexual selection for bright coloration in males seems to be weak, and even a low level of gene flow between sympatric and allopatric populations may maintain the high variation in this highly heritable trait.

126 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of job insecurity in a representative sample of Finnish wage and salary earners (N = 3503) gathered in 1990.
Abstract: Trends towards more unpredictable and flexible labour markets are often presumed to fuel feelings of job insecurity among employees, especially the threat of losing one's job. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of job insecurity in a representative sample of Finnish wage and salary earners (N = 3503) gathered in 1990. One out of ten respondents felt the threat of lay-off, dismissal, or unemployment. According to hierarchical regression analysis, perceived job insecurity was best explained by positional factors, especially earlier unemployment experiences and the temporary nature of the employment relationship. The role of demographic factors predicting job insecurity was strikingly minor. Variance and regression analysis confirmed the negative effects of perceived insecurity on work and health behaviour found in previous studies. Social support was found to have a light moderating effect in alleviating the negative effects of job insecurity. Thus, jo...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that a trade-off between moult and current reproduction could be one possible mechanism causing costs of reproduction in birds.
Abstract: 1. Mechanisms causing costs of reproduction in birds are poorly understood. Here we focus on the renewing of feathers (= moult) which may be a possible physiological link between successive breeding attempts. 2. We performed clutch size manipulations to study whether the reproductive effort of the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) has any effect on the initiation and progress of the moult in the late nesting period. 3. The absolute timing of breeding did not affect the onset of parents' moult, i.e. latebreeding individuals did not start moulting before nestlings were fledged more frequently than early ones. This indicates that moult was closely related to the breeding schedule of each individual bird. 4. The timing of moult was both sex and age related. Males and young birds were more likely to start moulting during the nestling period than females and older birds. 5. Both females with large original clutches and females with enlarged clutches delayed the onset of moult. This suggests a brood size-dependent regulation of moult. 6. We suggest that a trade-off between moult and current reproduction could be one possible mechanism causing costs of reproduction in birds.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results showed that an MMN-like deflection indeed appeared during stage 2 but only when the deviant tone also elicited a K-complex, and this supports the hypothesis that a true MMN to the devian tone was seen during stage 1 sleep preceding aK-complex.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: No systematic changes were observed during the training in the mean concentrations of serum total testosterone, free testosterone, cortisol, and sex-hormone-binding globulin, nor in testosterone/cortisol and testosterone/SHBG ratios.
Abstract: Effects of a 12-week progressive strength training period on serum concentrations of testosterone, cortisol and sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) as well as on strength development of the leg extensor muscles were investigated in nine middle-aged males (M50; range 44-57 years) and in nine middle-aged females (F50; range 43-54 years) as well as in 10 elderly males (M70; range 64-73 years) and in 11 elderly females (F70; range 66-73 years). Substantial increases took place in maximal isometric strength during the 12-week training period both in M50 (from 2834 +/- 452 to 3941 +/- 772 N; P < 0.001) and in F50 (from 2627 +/- 725 to 3488 +/- 1017 N; P < 0.001) as well as in M70 (from 2591 +/- 736 to 3075 +/- 845 N; P < 0.01) and in F70 (from 1816 +/- 427 to 2483 +/- 408 N; P < 0.001). The relative increases in strength during the 12-week training period did not differ significantly between the groups. However, during the last 4 weeks of the training none of the groups demonstrated further increases in strength but it actually decreased in F50 (P < 0.05), M70 (P < 0.01) and in F70 (P < 0.05). No systematic changes were observed during the training in the mean concentrations of serum total testosterone, free testosterone, cortisol, and SHBG, nor in testosterone/cortisol and testosterone/SHBG ratios. However, the individual levels of serum testosterone and testosterone/cortisol ratio and the individual changes in strength during the last four most intensive training weeks of the 12-week period were in significant positive linear correlation in F70 (r = 0.57; P < 0.05) and in M70 (r = 0.61; P < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It seems that females actively avoided copulations under high predation risk and that breeding suppression is mediated by a change in female mating behaviour, which could explain the adaptive function of this antipredatory strategy.
Abstract: In northern Fennoscandia, microtine rodent populations fluctuate cyclically. The environment of an individual vole can be considered to be predictable when the risks of predation and intra- and interspecific competition change with the cycle, such that both are high during the population highs of voles. The risk of predation is also high during the vole crash. After the crash, the vole population is characterized by low intra- and interspecific competition and low predation pressure. The main predators affecting voles during the crash are the small mustelids, least weasel and stoat. The density of these specialist predators declines drastically during the winter after the vole crash. We studied experimentally the impact of the perceived presence of stoats on the breeding and mating behaviour of voles. In a series of breeding experiments with bank voles,Clethrionomys glareolus, both old and young females suppressed breeding when exposed to the odour of stoats,Mustela erminea. The weights of females decreased in both experimental and control groups, but more among the voles under odour exposition. It seems that females actively avoided copulations under high predation risk and that breeding suppression is mediated by a change in female mating behaviour. There was no change in male behaviour or physical condition between the experimental and control treatments. An alternative mechanism for the observed breeding suppression could be the one caused by decreased feeding in females mediated with low energy intake which does not allow breeding. Regardless of its mechanism, delay of breeding should increase the probability of non-breeding females to survive to the next breeding season. The females surviving the crash should gain a strong selective advantage in a predator-free environment of the subsequent breeding season, which could explain the adaptive function of this antipredatory strategy.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An analysis of the relationship between user information satisfaction, information systems implementability, and IS effectiveness, considering UIS at the level of individual IS applications suggests that UIS may be a usable indicator of IS implementability and effectiveness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that dynamic strength training in early arthritis increases the neuromuscular performance without detrimental effects on disease activity or joint damage.
Abstract: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with recent-onset rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis were randomly allotted for six months period either to the experimental progressive dynamic strength training gr...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a fully Bayesian approach is suggested, its implementation and practical properties are discussed and the procedure is applied to data from an atlas survey of Finnish herpetofauna.
Abstract: SUMMARY A common method of studying biogeographical ranges is an atlas survey, in which the research area is divided into a square grid and the data consist of the squares where observations occur. Often the observations form only an incomplete map of the true range, and a method is required to decide whether the blank squares indicate true absence or merely a lack of study there. This is essentially an image restoration problem, but it has properties that make the common empirical Bayesian procedures inadequate. Most notably, the observed image is heavily degraded, causing difficulties in the estimation of spatial interaction, and the assessment of reliability of the restoration is emphasized. A fully Bayesian approach is suggested, its implementation and practical properties are discussed and the procedure is applied to data from an atlas survey of Finnish herpetofauna.

Journal Article
TL;DR: The present findings suggest that strenuous heavy resistance loading may result in remarkable acute fatigue in the neuromuscular system observable not only in the contractile characteristics of the exercised muscles as the decrease in force production but also by the decreases in the voluntary neural activation of the exercise muscles.
Abstract: To examine effects of fatiguing heavy resistance loading on voluntary neural activation and force production ten male and nine female athletes loaded their leg extensor muscles by performing 10 sets in the squat-life exercise by performing 10 repetitions in each set with the maximal load possible (about 70% of 1 RM in each set; 10*10*70%). A recovery time of 3 minutes was allowed between each set. Maximal voluntary neural activation (integrated EMG), maximal isometric force, force-time and relaxation time curves of the leg extensor muscles were measured before, during and immediately after the loading session. The maximal force was recorded also after rest for 1 hour, 2 hours, 1 day and 2 days. The relative decrease of 47.1 +/- 10.5% (p < 0.001) recorded in maximal force in males was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than the decrease of 29.4 +/- 13.8% (p < 0.001) recorded for females. Significant decreases were also observed in the maximal IEMGs of the exercised muscles both in males (p < 0.01) and females (p < 0.05). The exercise loading led also to great shifts in the shape of the force-time curve, on average, in males by 49.3 +/- 11.5% (p < 0.001) but less (p < 0.05) in females by 32.4 +/- 16.2% (p < 0.001). In males significant (p < 0.01) decreases took place also in the voluntary rapid neural activation of the exercised muscles in the IEMG-time curve. The time of force relaxation lengthened (p < 0.05) in both groups. The mean blood lactate concentration increased in males up to 15.0 +/- 4.0 mmol x 1(-1) (p < 0.001) and less (p < 0.001) in females up to 6.0 +/- 1.8 mmol x 1(-1) (p < 0.001). Maximal force recovered during the first two hours and the first day of rest less in males than in females. The present findings suggest that strenuous heavy resistance loading may result in remarkable acute fatigue in the neuromuscular system observable not only in the contractile characteristics of the exercised muscles as the decrease in force production but also by the decrease in the voluntary neural activation of the exercised muscles. In males neuromuscular fatigue may be greater and recovery from fatigue slower than in females.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that elderly female athletes have superior muscle performance compared to their age-peers and performance in a maximal isometric strength test in elderly women is not clearly related to muscle mass.
Abstract: Summary. Knee extension strength, walking speed, quadriceps muscle mass and composition of the muscle compartment were studied in 66 to 85-year-old female athletes and controls. Maximal voluntary knee extension force, force/body mass, extension torque, torque/body mass and walking speed were higher for the athletes than the controls. A muscle index indicating intramuscular fat and connective tissue measured using ultrasonography was lower for the athletes than the controls. There were no differences between the study groups in knee extension force related either to cross-sectional area (CSA) or lean tissue area (CSAL) of the quadriceps. Within the subgroups, there was no significant correlation between knee extension torque and CSA or CSAL of the same muscle. In the athletes high knee extension torque/body mass was related to a low muscle index and high walking speed to a low relative proportion of fat in the muscle. The muscle index was lower the more kilometers trained during the preceding year. In the controls high knee extension torque/body mass and high walking speed were related to a low relative proportion of fat. Knee extension torque and walking speed were higher the more kilometers walked during the preceding year. The results indicate that elderly female athletes have superior muscle performance compared to their age-peers. Performance in a maximal isometric strength test in elderly women is not clearly related to muscle mass. However, to some extent it is related to the composition of the same muscle, especially the degree to which fat is infiltrated into the muscle.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review links the new population ecological studies and modelling of cyclic microtines and their predators with recent findings on antipredatory adaptations of voles.
Abstract: During recent years the role of predation as a simple mechanism to produce cyclical population fluctuations in microtine rodent populations has gained stronger empirical and theoretical support. Predation by several generalist species produces non-cyclicity, and predation by resident specialists, such as small mustelids, produces a synchronous cyclic pattern of population fluctuations in several vole species. At the same time, behavioural ecological studies have shown that the same group of specialist predators crucial for cyclicity causes the strongest antipredatory responses in vole behaviour. Recently, breeding suppression in cyclic microtines under risk of mustelid predation has been documented both in the laboratory and in the field. This review links the new population ecological studies and modelling of cyclic microtines and their predators with recent findings on antipredatory adaptations of voles.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 1994-Fuel
TL;DR: In this paper, the conversion of fuel-nitrogen to HCN and NH3 and to nitrogen oxides was studied with nitrogen-containing model compounds, chosen to represent the main nitrogen and oxygen functionalities in fossil fuels.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this prospective study confirm the role of physical factors in neck trouble and machine operating and dynamic physical work were associated with persistently severe neck trouble.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an interpretation is made of Akamatsu Kaname's theory of the flying geese pattern of development, launched in Japan during the 1930s, which explains how an undeveloped country can become developed relatively quickly.
Abstract: An interpretation is made of Akamatsu Kaname's theory of the flying geese pattern of development, launched in Japan during the 1930s. This theory explains how an undeveloped country can become developed relatively quickly. The undeveloped country adopts suitable labour-intensive industries from more developed countries. It produces first for the home market, but starts to export as soon as the industries have grown strong enough. Initially, products are simple, crude and cheap, but gradually the level of quality is elevated. The procedure is repeated over and over again, leading to a rapid process of national economic development. In Japanese postwar industrial policy, certain industries were designated as 'sunrise' industries: these were imported from more advanced countries, and received state support. Older industries which were losing their comparative advantage were designated as 'sunset' industries; state support was withdrawn, and they moved to less developed Asian countries. During the 1950s and 1960s there emerged the idea that Japan should use the phenomenon to support the other Asian countries in their development. In 1965 came the proposal for a Pacific Free Trade Area (PAFTA), as a nucleus for enhancing Asian Pacific trade, development, and economic integration. PAFTA never materialized, but various discussion fora, such as the Pacific Economic Cooperation Conferences (PECC) and the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conferences, were later formed on the basis of the proposal.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that females are more vulnerable to mustelid predators than males and therefore actively avoid copulations in the (indirect) presence of mustelids.
Abstract: Mustelid odours have been shown to suppress breeding in captive bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) from cyclic populations (Ylonen 1989; Ylonen and Ronkainen 1994). The mechanism behind the suppression is unknown. Based on a series of behavioural trials and breeding experiments with pairs of bank voles in breeding condition, we suggest that the primary cause for breeding suppression is a change in female mating behaviour. Experimental female-male pairs (n=34) exposed to mustelid odour decreased their general activity compared to control pairs (n=34). When encountering males in behavioural trials, females exposed to stoat odour were more aggressive and actively avoided precopulatory behaviours of males. No copulations were observed in experimental pairs compared to five in control pairs during the behavioural trials. Males actively approached females in general but male behaviour did not change under exposure to mustelid odours. We suggest that females are more vulnerable to mustelid predators than males and therefore actively avoid copulations in the (indirect) presence of mustelids. As well as this behavioural response, internal abortive mechanisms (cf. Bruce 1959) could play a role in the observed breeding suppression.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The hypothesis that increased AP‐1 binding activity following focal cerbral ischemia is dependent on Fos expression and can be inhibited in vivo by antisense c‐fos oligodeoxy‐nucleotides is supported.
Abstract: The molecular events of brain adaptation to injury that may underlie functional recovery after stroke remain largely undefined. Recent observations of altered gene expression in ischemic brain using animal stroke models have opened new avenues for exploration of the biochemical cascades after stroke [1–11]. These postischemic events include an increase in extracellular excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters such as glutamate. Glutamate receptor–mediated activation of phospholipases and protein kinases results in the alteration of nuclear regulatory processes, including the expression of immediate early genes such as c-fos, junB, and c-jun [5, 12]. The Fos, Jun, and JunB proteins have been shown to form activator protein 1 (AP-1) through a conserved dimerization domain, i.e., the leucine zipper [13]. Transcription regulator AP-1 protein binds a specific DNA motif and is believed to transactivate the expression of a number of late effector genes [14–19]. In the ischemic brain, we have previously demonstrated an increase in AP-1 binding activity [9]. A number of genes that bear neurotrophic properties may be regulated by transcription regulator AP-1. These genes, such as heat shock protein [1, 4, 19–22], amyloid [23], neurotrophins [7], and protein tyrosine kinase receptor trkB [24], have been shown to be induced following cerebral ischemia. The causal relationship between the Fos/Jun–AP-1 cascade and the subsequent expression of the late effector genes, however, has not been studied. In an attempt to characterize the pathophysiological significance of c-fos expression following focal cerebral ischemia, we developed an antisense strategy that may suppress post-ischemic c-fos expression and consequently AP-1 binding activity. Naturally occurring antisenseRNAs are known to regulate the plasmid copy number in bacteria. The discovery of the antisense-RNA regulatory mechanism has raised the possibility of the synthesis of antisense oligonucleotides to regulate selected genes in single cells or whole animals [25–27]. The oligonucleotides employed in the antisense strategies are usually singlestranded DNA, 15 to 30 nucleotides in length. Anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides have been used to suppress the expression of c-fos gene in cell culture systems [28–34] and in an animal model [35]. The antisense oligodeoxynucleotides are designed to block selected events such as transcription, splicing, or translation of the target mRNA. In special circumstances, similar to the delivery of cloned genes in plasmid, anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides longer than 30 nucleotides can be internalized with the aid of lipofectin [36–38]. Although the cellular uptake of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides can be mediated via carrier-mediated endocytosis [39, 40], phosphorothioated oligodeoxynucleotide-lipofectin uptake by cells does not appear to involve endosomes or lysosomes [41, 42]. The present study of an in vivo antisense strategy utilizes a focal cerebral ischemia model in rats, in which the expression of c-fos and Fos protein and the enhanced AP-1 binding activity have been established and characterized [6, 8, 9].

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Physical activity and the predictors of physical activity and exercise among nursing home residents are examined and the results show that exercise among residents with a history of exercise problems is higher than the general population.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity and the predictors of physical activity and exercise among nursing home residents DESIGN: Population study PARTICIPANTS: The sample (n = 190) was obtained by selecting every man and every second women from the entire nursing home population (n = 346) in the city of Jyvaskyla, central Finland, in autumn 1989 Information was eventually collected by interview from 158 persons (49 men and 109 women) SETTING: An in-home interview carried out among nursing home populations MEASUREMENTS: Independent variables were the questions describing physical activity among nursing home populations Dependent variables were the predictors of physical activity: depression, contentment with nursing home living, activities outside the nursing home, and self-rated functioning MAIN RESULTS: Walking and home gymnastics were the most common forms of physical exercise The intensity of overall exercise was rather low, and the men carried out physical exercise more intensively than the women More than 30% of the respondents reported decreased physical activity during their stay in the nursing home However, attitudes toward physical exercise among the residents were largely positive The primary factor limiting physical exercise was poor health status Among the men, physical exercise was significantly associated with self-rated functioning, depressive symptoms, and contentment with life in the nursing home Among the women, higher contentment with the nursing home and less depression were associated with a physically active life CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that living conditions and factors related to health and functional capacity affect the level of physical activity among nursing home residents In order to encourage this population to be physically active, attention should be paid not only to physical exercise but also to associated factors, such as satisfaction with everyday life and health

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relationships and time course of exercise-induced muscle damage, estimated by beta-glucuronidase activity and microscopy, to muscle swelling, and to the serum activity of creatine kinase and the concentration of carbonic anhydrase III were studied.
Abstract: The relationships and time course of exercise-induced muscle damage, estimated by beta-glucuronidase activity and microscopy, to muscle swelling, estimated by muscle water content and microscopy, and to the serum activity of creatine kinase (CK) and the concentration of carbonic anhydrase III were studied in rats 2, 12, 48, and 96 h after 90 min of intermittent running uphill (+13.5 degrees) or downhill (-13.5 degrees) at a speed of 17 m/min. The injury was more pronounced in soleus after uphill running and in the red parts of quadriceps femoris and in the white part of vastus lateralis after downhill running, whereas triceps brachii was not damaged. Increase in muscle water content preceded the increase of beta-glucuronidase activity. Both running protocols similarly increased serum CK 2 h postexercise. After downhill running a second peak in serum CK was observed 48 h later. The CK changes were not in concert with the changes in muscle water content or beta-glucuronidase activity, suggesting that these responses may not be mechanistically (or causally) related.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a new MIVOC method (Metal Ions from Volatile Compounds) at an ECR ion source gives a means to produce highly charged metal ion beams at room temperature conditions.
Abstract: A new MIVOC method (Metal Ions from Volatile Compounds) at an ECR ion source gives a means to produce highly charged metal ion beams at room temperature conditions. Chemical compounds containing metallic atoms are utilized. The compound has to fulfill the two basic requirements: Vapour pressure of the compound is relatively high at room temperature. Evaporation and diffusion of the compound into the source take place without dissociation of the molecule. Up to present metal ion beams from iron and nickel compounds have been produced. The maximum currents of 56Fe9+ and 58Ni10+ from natural elements were 23.9 μA and 18.7 μA, respectively. First measurements have demonstrated the ability of the method to produce stable and high intensity, highly charged metal ion beams. The MIVOC is also believed to be competitive by virtue of its simplicity and low cost of construction.