University of Turku

About: University of Turku is a education organization based out in Turku, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 16296 authors who have published 45124 publications receiving 1505428 citations. The organization is also known as: Turun yliopisto & Åbo universitet.

Necrosectomy and postoperative local lavage in necrotizing pancreatitis.

Abstract: Necrosectomy with postoperative continuous local lavage was performed in a prospective study involving 95 patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. In the same period 567 patients with oedematous-interstitial pancreatitis were treated non-operatively with a hospital mortality rate of 0.7 per cent. In patients with necrotizing pancreatitis the median Ranson criteria score was 4.5 points; operation was required at a median of 7 days after the onset of symptoms because of non-response to conservative treatment. In all, 59 per cent of the patients (56 out of 95) developed extended intrapancreatic parenchymal necrosis, 70 per cent had ascites, and 66 per cent had intra- and extrapancreatic necrosis; 42 per cent of the patients had bacterial infection of the necrotic tissue. For lavage a median of 8 l/24 h of fluid were instilled postoperatively for 25 days (median). The lavage fluid showed high levels of immunoreactive trypsin, phospholipase A2, and endotoxin in the early postoperative period. Hospital mortality rate was 8.4 per cent. Necrosectomy and continuous postoperative lavage can achieve high survival rates in patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. Postoperative local lavage allows the continuous non-operative evacuation of biologically active compounds and devitalized tissue, and avoids damage to remaining vital exocrine and endocrine pancreatic tissue.

Xylitol Chewing Gums and Caries Rates: A 40-month Cohort Study

Abstract: Dental caries is a pandemic infectious disease which can affect the quality of life and consumes considerable health care resources. The chewing of xylitol, sorbitol, and even sugar gum has been suggested to reduce caries rates. No clinical study has simultaneously investigated the effectiveness of these gums when compared with a group receiving no chewing gum. A 40-month double-blind cohort study on the relationship between the use of chewing gum and dental caries was performed in 1989-1993 in Belize, Central America. One thousand two hundred and seventy-seven subjects (mean age, 10.2 years) were assigned to nine treatment groups: one control group (no supervised gum use), four xylitol groups (range of supervised xylitol consumption: 4.3 to 9.0 g/day), two xylitol-sorbitol groups (range of supervised consumption of total polyols: 8.0 to 9.7 g/day), one sorbitol group (supervised consumption: 9.0 g/day). The gum use during school hours was supervised. Four calibrated dentists performed the caries registrations by means of a modified WHO procedure. The primary endpoint was the development of an unequivocal caries lesion on a non-cavitated tooth surface. Compared with the no-gum group, sucrose gum usage resulted in a marginal increase in the caries rate (relative risk, 1.20; 95% confidence interval,0.96 to 1.49; p = 0.1128). Sorbitol gum significantly reduced caries rates (relative risk 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 0.92 ; p = 0.0074). The four xylitol gums were most effective in reducing caries rates, the most effective agent being a 100% xylitol pellet gum (relative risk, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.36; p = 0.0001). This gum was superior to any other gum (p < 0.01). The xylitol-sorbitol mixtures were less effective than xylitol, but they reduced caries rates significantly compared with the no-gum group. DMFS analyses were consistent with these conclusions. The results suggest that systematic usage of polyol-based chewing gums reduces caries rates in young subjects, with xylitol gums being more effective than sorbitol gums.

The impact of perinatal probiotic intervention on the development of overweight and obesity: follow-up study from birth to 10 years.

Abstract: The achievements in combating the increasing trend of overweight and obesity have thus far been inadequate. The recently discovered instrumental role of the gut microbiota in host metabolism may offer a novel target in the prevention and management of obesity. To evaluate the impact of perinatal probiotic intervention on childhood growth patterns and the development of overweight during a 10-year follow-up. Altogether 159 women were randomized and double-blinded to receive probiotics (1 × 1010 colony-forming units of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, ATCC 53103) or placebo 4 weeks before expected delivery; the intervention extending for 6 months postnatally. Anthropometric measurements of the children were taken at the ages of 3, 6, 12 and 24 months and at 4, 7 and 10 years in 113 (72%) children. The excessive weight gain was detected to be two-parted; the initial phase of excessive weight gain initiating during fetal period and continuing until 24–48 months of age and a second phase of excessive weight gain starting after the age of 24–48 months. The perinatal probiotic intervention appeared to moderate the initial phase of excessive weight gain, especially among children who later became overweight, but not the second phase of excessive weight gain, the impact being most pronounced at the age of 4 years (P=0.063, analysis of variance for repeated measures). The effect of intervention was also shown as a tendency to reduce the birth-weight-adjusted mean body mass index at the age of 4 years (P=0.080, analysis of covariance). Early gut microbiota modulation with probiotics may modify the growth pattern of the child by restraining excessive weight gain during the first years of life. This novel observation calls for further epidemiological and clinical trials, with precise data on early growth patterns and on confounding factors influencing weight development.

Europium Nanoparticles and Time-resolved Fluorescence for Ultrasensitive Detection of Prostate-specific Antigen

Abstract: Background: Nanoparticle-based detection technologies have the potential to improve detection sensitivity in miniature as well as in conventional biochemical assays. We introduce a detection technology that relies on the use of europium(III) nanoparticles and time-resolved fluorometry to improve the detection limit of biochemical assays and to visualize individual molecules in a microtiter plate format. Methods: Streptavidin was covalently coated on 107-nm nanoparticles containing >30 000 europium molecules entrapped with β-diketones. In a model assay system, these nanoparticles were used to trace biotinylated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a microtiter plate format. Results: The detection limit (mean + 3 SD of the zero calibrator) of biotinylated PSA was 0.38 ng/L, corresponding to 10 fmol/L or 60 zeptomoles (60 × 10−21 moles) of PSA. Moreover, single nanoparticles, representing individual PSA molecules, were visualized in the same microtiter wells with a time-resolved fluorescence microscope using a ×10 objective. Single nanoparticles, possessing high specific activity, were also detected in solution by a standard time-resolved plate fluorometer. Conclusions: The universal streptavidin-coated europium(III) nanoparticle label is suitable for detection of any biotinylated molecule either in solution or on a solid phase. The europium(III) nanoparticle labeling technology is applicable to many areas of modern biochemical analysis, such as immunochemical and multianalyte DNA-chip assays as well as histo- and cytochemistry to improve detection sensitivities.