| 1. |
- von Hertzen, Leena, et al.
(författare)
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Helsinki alert of biodiversity and health
- 2015
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Ingår i: Annals of Medicine. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1365-2060 .- 0785-3890. ; 47:3, s. 218-225
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban living in built environments, combined with the use of processed water and food, may not provide the microbial stimulation necessary for a balanced development of immune function. Many chronic inflammatory disorders, including allergic, autoimmune, metabolic, and even some behavioural disorders, are linked to alteration in the human commensal microbiota. Sedentary lifestyle is associated with reduced exposure to a broad spectrum of environmental micro-organisms and surplus energy balance, both risk factors of chronic inflammatory disorders. According to the Biodiversity Hypothesis, an environment with diverse macrobiota and microbiota modifies and enriches the human microbiota, which in turn is crucial in the development and maintenance of appropriate immune function. These issues were discussed in the symposium 'Chronic Inflammation, Lifestyle and Environment ', held in Helsinki, 20 - 22 August 2014, under the sponsorship of the Yrjo Jahnsson Foundation. This paper briefly outlines the recent findings in the context of the environment, lifestyle, and health; discusses the forces that undermine immune tolerance in urban environments; and highlights the possibilities to restore broken immune tolerance among urban dwellers, summarizing the main messages in four statements and calling for actions to combat major public health threats.
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| 2. |
- Graf, Daniela, et al.
(författare)
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Contribution of diet to the composition of the human gut microbiota.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. - : Co-Action Publishing. - 0891-060X .- 1651-2235. ; 26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the human gut, millions of bacteria contribute to the microbiota, whose composition is specific for every individual. Although we are just at the very beginning of understanding the microbiota concept, we already know that the composition of the microbiota has a profound impact on human health. A key factor in determining gut microbiota composition is diet. Preliminary evidence suggests that dietary patterns are associated with distinct combinations of bacteria in the intestine, also called enterotypes. Western diets result in significantly different microbiota compositions than traditional diets. It is currently unknown which food constituents specifically promote growth and functionality of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. The aim of this review is to summarize the recently published evidence from human in vivo studies on the gut microbiota-modulating effects of diet. It includes sections on dietary patterns (e.g. Western diet), whole foods, food constituents, as wells as food-associated microbes and their influence on the composition of human gut microbiota. The conclusions highlight the problems faced by scientists in this fast-developing field of research, and the need for high-quality, large-scale human dietary intervention studies.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Saarela, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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‘In Sickness and in Health’: Partners’ Mutual Receipt of Sickness Allowance and Disability Pension in Present-Day Finland
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We study married and cohabiting partners’ mutual receipt of sickness allowance and disability pension among people aged 40-65 years in Finland in 1987-2011. Discrete-time hazard models are estimated on population-register based data that include several sociodemographic control variables. We find strong interrelations, irrespective of gender. The risk of receiving sickness allowance is approximately 50 per cent higher in the first five years after the partner’s receipt of the same benefit, while the risk of receiving disability pension is approximately 100 per cent higher in the first five years after the partner had become a disability pensioner. There are also strong dependencies across the two benefit types. Women’s risk of receiving either benefit tends to be stronger related to the male partner’s receipt than vice versa. This pattern signals that there is a caregiving effect also in the Nordic context, governed by women’s higher responsibilities for the household and the family.
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| 5. |
- Saarela, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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In sickness or in health? Register-based evidence on partners' mutual receipt of sickness allowance and disability pension
- 2019
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Ingår i: Social Science and Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-9536 .- 1873-5347. ; 240
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies on partners' mutual receipt of benefits constitute a growing research field in the way individual health and health-related decisions depend on social relations. This paper provides the first study on the mutual receipt of sickness allowance. We analysed married and cohabiting couples' receipt of sickness allowance and disability pension by estimating discrete-time hazard models for individuals aged 40-65 years, using longitudinal register data from Finland. The data cover the period 1987-2011, and allowed us to explore socioeconomic and demographic variables at both the individual and couple level. We found strong and long-term interrelations in receipt behaviour and dependencies across benefit types. The risk of receiving sickness allowance increases by 50 per cent during the first years after the partner's first receipt of the same benefit, while the risk of receiving disability pension is twice as high even five years after the partner's receipt of the same. Women appear to be more instrumental than men in the production of health within the couple, even in a context of high level of state support, gender equality and female labour force participation. Their receipt of disability pension is more related to the male partner's receipt than vice versa. For sickness allowance receipt, the gender asymmetry is small. Mutual benefit receipt of benefits may relate not only to collateral health effects but also to shared preferences and partner selection. We cannot distinguish between the mechanisms. However, couples with more economic and social resources seem to be more efficient in joint decision making. Correlations are particularly strong in the immediate term, and for couples who are highly educated, for those with high income, and for those with children in the household. More effective policies may be needed to equalise information regarding benefits, and monitor the use, and potential misuse, of these health benefits.
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| 6. |
- Schwarz, Emanuel, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of microbiota in first episode psychosis identifies preliminary associations with symptom severity and treatment response
- 2018
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Ingår i: Schizophrenia Research. - Amsterdam, Netherlands : Elsevier. - 0920-9964 .- 1573-2509. ; 192, s. 398-403
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of gut microbiota on the central nervous system, along its possible role in mental disorders, have received increasing attention. Here we investigated differences in fecal microbiota between 28 patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and 16 healthy matched controls and explored whether such differences were associated with response after up to 12months of treatment. Numbers of Lactobacillus group bacteria were elevated in FEP-patients and significantly correlated with severity along different symptom domains. A subgroup of FEP patients with the strongest microbiota differences also showed poorer response after up to 12months of treatment. The present findings support the involvement of microbiota alterations in psychotic illness and may provide the basis for exploring the benefit of their modulation on treatment response and remission.
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