A Shared European History? Perceptions of Imperialism and Islam in Matriculation Examination Essays and History Textbooks

The European Union (EU) is faced with a continuous decrease in public support. There is a tension between the growing Euroscepticism and the concurrent academic discourse of a shared European identity. Informed and inspired by the current debates, this Master’s Thesis investigates the potential of a shared past to create shared identity. It also addresses the logic of cultural exclusion that is often connected to collective cultural identities. The source material is a combination of exam essays, written as answers to the history tests in the Finnish matriculation examinations of 2005-2008, and upper secondary school history textbooks. From the sources, current perceptions of Islam (as Europe’s Other) and the age of imperialism (as a debated period from Europe’s past) among the youth are studied. Through the analysis the thesis aims to indicate the level of consensus within the pupils’ identification with the past and with Europe. This objective is pursued through examining the pupils’ perceptions of Europe’s past and its relationship to non-European cultures and countries as they are manifested in the essays, and reflecting upon the level of influence that history textbooks as representatives of national hegemonic historical narratives might have on the contents, framings and emphases with and through which the pupils approach, imagine, and reproduce Europe’s past. The approach is based on previous research on the presence of history and the field of textbook research. The theoretical categories with which the sources are analyzed are derived primarily from literature on identity, European integration, history and memory, postcolonial criticism, and theorizations of European identity. Results of the research project suggest that the rhetoric of European superiority, despite its apparent demise, still resonates in contemporary understandings of Europeanness. Dominant perceptions of imperialism comprise of European agency and colonial submission, dominant perceptions of the Islamic world of fundamental difference. Identification with European history among the Finnish youth is rather shallow when examined through perceptions of imperialism; the Islamic world is perceived as Other and its representations are dominated by recent and contemporary international relations.

Periodontal and dental health and oral self-care among adults with diabetes mellitus.

ABSTRACT Bakhshandeh, Soheila. Periodontal and dental health and oral self-care among adults with diabetes mellitus. Department of Oral Public Health, Institute of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. 2011. 49 pp. ISBN 978-952-10-7193-5(paperback). The aim of the present study was to assess oral health and treatment needs among Iranian adults with diabetes according to socio-demographic status, oral hygiene, diabetes related factors, and to investigate the relation between these determinants and oral health. Moreover, the effect of an educational oral health promotion intervention on their oral health and periodontal treatment needs was studied. The target population comprised adults with diabetes in Tehran, Iran. 299 dentate patients with diabetes, who were regular attendants to a diabetic clinic, were selected as the study subjects. Data collection was performed through a clinical dental examination and self-administered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire covered information of the subject s social background, medical history, oral health behaviour and smoking. The clinical dental examinations covered the registration of caries experience (DMFT), community periodontal index (CPI) and plaque index (PI). The intervention provided the adults with diabetes dental health education through a booklet. Reduction in periodontal treatment needs one year after the baseline examination was used as the main outcome. A high prevalence of periodontal pockets among the study population was found; 52% of the participants had periodontal pockets with a pocket depth of 4 to 5 mm and 35% had periodontal pockets with pocket depth of 6 mm or more. The mean of the DMFT index was 12.9 (SD=6.1), being dominated by filled teeth (mean 6.5) and missing teeth (mean 5.0). Oral self-care among adults with diabetes was inadequate and poor oral hygiene was observed in more than 80% of the subjects. The educational oral health promotion decreased periodontal treatment needs more in the study groups than in the control group. The poor periodontal health, poor oral hygiene and insufficient oral self-care observed in this study call for oral health promotion among adult with diabetes. An educational intervention showed that it is possible to promote oral health behaviour and to reduce periodontal treatment needs among adults with diabetes. The simplicity of the model used in this study allows it to be integrated to diabetes programmes in particular in countries with a developing health care system.

Dental identification and aspects of medico-legal investigations of the Finnish victims of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004

Tsunami waves of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004 claimed approximately 230 000 lives and started the biggest identification operation in Interpol's history. The aim of this study was to resolve methods of the identification and results received. The viewpoint is mainly that of forensic odontology, but also includes other means of identification and results of the medico-legal examination performed in Finland. Of the 5395 victims in Thailand, approximately 2 400 were foreigners from 36 nations including 177 Finnish nationals. Additionally, a Finnish woman perished in Sri Lanka and a severely injured man after the evacuation in a hospital. The final numbers of missing persons and dead bodies registered in the Information Management Centre in Phuket,Thailand, were 3 574 ante-mortem (AM) and 3 681 post-mortem (PM) files. The number of identifications by December 2006 was 3 271 or 89% of the victims registered. Of Finnish victims, 172 have been identified in Thailand and 163 repatriated to Finland. One adult and four children are still missing. For AM data, a list of Finnish missing persons including 178 names was published on 30 December 2004. By February 2005 all useful dental AM data were available. Five persons on the list living in Finland lacked records. Based on the AM database, for the children under age 18 years (n=60) dental identification could be established for 12 (20%). The estimated number for adults (n=112) was 96 (86%). The final identification rate, based on PM examinations in Finland, was 14 (25%) for children (n= 56) and 98 (90%) for adults (n= 109). The number of Finnish victims identified by dental methods, 112 (68%), was high compared to all examined in Thailand (43%). DNA was applied for 26 Finnish children and for 6 adults, fingerprints for 24 and 7, respectively. In 12 cases two methods were applied. Every victim (n=165) underwent in Finland a medico-legal investigation including an autopsy with sampling specimens for DNA, the toxicological and histological investigation. Digital radiographs and computed tomography were taken of the whole body to verify autopsy findings and bring out changes caused by trauma, autolysis, and sampling for DNA in Thailand. Data for identification purposes were also noted. Submersion was the cause of death for 101 of 109 adults (92.7%), and trauma for 8 (7.3%). Injuries were 33 times contributing factors for submersion and 3 times for trauma-based death. Submersion was the cause of death for 51 (92.7%) children and trauma for 4 (7.3%). Injuries were in 3 cases contributing factors in submersion and once in trauma-based death. The success of the dental identification of Finnish victims is mainly based on careful registration of dental records, and on an education program from 1999 in forensic odontology.

Rihmamatolääkkeiden vaikutuskohteita. Betuliinin johdannaisia mahdollisiksi uusiksi yhdisteiksi

Jokisokeus eli onkosersiaasi on ihmisen loismatotauti, jota aiheuttaa Onchocerca volvulus -rihmamato. Tautia esiintyy trooppisilla alueilla Afrikassa ja Latinalaisessa Amerikassa. Tartunnan saaneita on noin 37 miljoonaa. Jokisokeus ilmenee iho- ja silmäoireina. Oireet johtuvat loisen nuorimmista muodoista eli mikrofilarioista. Jokisokeutta vastaan on käyty jakamalla lähinnä mikrofilarioihin tehoavaa ivermektiiniä. Tarvetta olisi lääkkeelle, joka tappaisi aikuiset madot tai steriloisi naaraat. Rokote olisi vielä parempi vaihtoehto. Antibiootit on uusi hoitokeino, sillä O. volvuluksella on elintärkeänä symbionttina Wolbachia-bakteeri. Doksisykliini tappaa vähintään 60 prosenttia aikuisista madoista ja steriloi naaraita, mutta kuuri kestää viikkoja. Yksi lupaava yhdiste on emodepsidi, jolla on loismatolääkkeille uusi vaikutusmekanismi. Rihmamatolääkkeiksi on testattu lukuisia yhdisteitä. Jotkut niistä inhiboivat entsyymejä, joilla madot kiertävät ihmisen immuunipuolustusta. Toiset häiritsevät neljä kertaa tapahtuvaa nahanvaihtoa. Hyvä lääkkeiden vaikutuskohde on loiselle välttämätön mutta puuttuu nisäkkäiltä. Betuliini on triterpeeni, jota on runsaasti koivun tuohessa. Betuliini ja monet sen johdannaiset ovat farmakologisesti aktiivisia yhdisteitä, joita tutkitaan etenkin syöpä- ja HIV-lääkkeiksi. Helsingin yliopiston lääkekemian ryhmä on syntetisoinut ja tutkinut lukuisia johdoksia. Jotkin niistä ovat lupaavia esimerkiksi Leishmania-alkueläimiin, Chlamydia pneumoniae -bakteeriin ja alfaviruksiin. Siksi yhdisteitä kannattaisi tutkia muihinkin taudinaiheuttajiin, kuten rihmamatoihin. Sekä Wolbachialla että C. pneumoniaella on sama lipidisynteesireitti, joka on kummallekin elintärkeä. Betuliinista syntetisoitiin johdoksia, joissa betuliinin alkoholeja on hapetettu karbonyyleiksi ja joihin on liitetty typpiheterorengas. Sekä Leishmania donovani että L. braziliensis -tutkimuksissa tehokkain oli formyylibetuliinin heterosykli. Vaikka valmistettuja yhdisteitä ei ole tutkittu rihmamatotesteissä, jatkossa voisi syntetisoida johdannaisia, joissa karbonyylien tilalla on typpirakenteita, koska C. pneumoniaehen hyvin tehonneessa yhdisteessä betuliinin OH-ryhmien tilalla on oksiimi.