Toll-like receptor 4 and CD14 polymorphisms in ankylosing spondylitis: Evidence of a weak association in finns

Objective To investigate the association of CD14 and Toll-like receptor (TLR4) with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods A promoter variant in CD14 and 2 coding polymorphisms in TLR4 were investigated in UK and Finnish families with AS and in a UK case-control study. A metaanalysis of published TLR4 and CD14 studies was performed. Results In the Finnish study the CD74-260bp T variant showed an association (p = 0.006), and the common 2-marker TLR4 haplotype showed a weak association (global p = 0.03), with AS. No associations were seen in the UK based studies or in the metaanalyses. Conclusion CD14 and TLR4 showed an association with AS in the Finns only.

Community Pharmacies and the Needs of Mobile EU Citizens - A study on Finns living in Spain

Migration within the European Union (EU) has increased since the Union was established. Community pharmacies provide open access to health care services and can be the first, most frequently used or even the only contact with a nation s health care system among mobile community residents. In some of the mass-migration areas in Southern Europe, most of the customers may represent mobile citizens of foreign background. This has not always been taken into consideration in the development of community pharmacy services. Mobile patients have been on the EU's health policy agenda, but they have seldom been mentioned in the context of community pharmacies. In most of the EU member states, governments control the specific legislation concerning community pharmacies and there is no harmonised pharmaceutical policy or consistent minimal standards for community pharmacy services in the EU. The aim of this study was to understand medication use, the role of community pharmacies and the symptom mitigation process of mobile community residents. Finns living in Spain were used as an example to examine how community pharmacies in a EU member state meet the needs of mobile community residents. The data were collected by a survey in 2002 (response rate 53%, n= 533) and by five focus group discussions in 2006 (n=30). A large number (70%) of the respondents had moved to Spain for health reasons and suffered from chronic morbidity. Community pharmacies had an important role in the healthcare of mobile community residents and the respondents were mostly satisfied with these services. However, several medication safety risks related to community pharmacy practices were identified: 1) Availability of prescription medicines without prescription (e.g., antibiotics, sleeping pills, Viagra®, asthma medications, cardiovascular medicines, psoriasis medicines and analgesics); 2) Irrational use of medicines (e.g., 41% of antibiotic users had bought their antibiotics without a prescription, and the most common reasons for antibiotic self-medication were symptomatic common colds and sore throats); 3) Language barriers between patients and pharmacy professionals; 4) Lack of medication counselling; 5) Unqualified pharmacy personnel providing pharmacotherapy. A fifth of the respondents reported experiencing problems during pharmacy visits in Spain, and the lack of a common language was the source of most of these problems. The findings of this study indicate that regulations and their enforcement can play a crucial role in actually assuring the rational and safe use of medicines. These results can be used in the development of pharmaceutical and healthcare policies in the EU. It is important to define consistent minimum standards for community pharmacy services in the EU. Then, the increasing number of mobile community residents could access safe and high quality health care services, including community pharmacy services, in every member state within the EU.

α-Synuclein pathology in very elderly Finns : A population-based clinico-neuropathologic and molecular genetic study of Dementia with Lewy bodies

Populations in developed countries are ageing fast. The elderly have the greatest incidence of de-mentia, and thus the increase in the number of demented individuals, increases the immediate costs for the governments concerning healthcare and hospital treatment. Attention is being paid to disorders behind cognitive impairment with behavioural and psychological symptoms, which are enormous contributors to the hospital care required for the elderly. The highest dreams are in prevention; however, before discovering the tools for preventing dementia, the pathogenesis behind dementia disorders needs to be understood. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), a relatively recently discovered dementia disorder compared to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is estimated to account for up to one third of primary degenerative dementia, thus being the second most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Nevertheless, the impact of neuropathological and genetic findings on the clinical syndrome of DLB is not fully established. In this present series of studies, the frequency of neuropathological findings of DLB and its relation to the clinical findings was evaluated in a cohort of subjects with primary degenerative dementia and in a population-based prospective cohort study of individuals aged 85 years or older. α-synuclein (αS) immunoreactive pathology classifiable according to the DLB consensus criteria was found in one fourth of the primary degenerative dementia subjects. In the population-based study, the corresponding figure was one third of the population, 38% of the demented and one fifth of the non-demented very elderly Finns. However, in spite of the frequent discovery of αS pathology, its association with the clinical symptoms was quite poor. Indeed, the common clinical features of DLB, hypokinesia and visual hallucinations, associated better with the severe neurofibrillary AD-type pathology than with the extensive (diffuse neocortical) αS pathology when both types of pathology were taken into account. The severity of the neurofibrillary AD-type pathology (Braak stage) associated with the extent of αS pathology in the brain. In addition, the genetic study showed an interaction between tau and αS; common variation in the αS gene (SNCA) associated significantly with the severity of the neurofibrillary AD-type pathology and nominally significantly with the extensive αS pathology. Further, the relevance and temporal course of the substantia nigra (SN) degeneration and of the spinal cord αS pathology were studied in relation to αS pathology in the brain. The linear association between the extent of αS pathology in the brain and the neuron loss in SN suggests that in DLB the degeneration of SN proceeds as the αS pathology extends from SN to the neocortex instead of early destruction of SN seen in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Furthermore, the extent of αS pathology in the brain associated with the severity of αS pathology in the thoracic and sacral autonomic nuclei of the spinal cord. The thoracic αS pathology was more common and more severe compared to sacral cord, suggesting that the progress of αS pathology proceeds downwards from the brainstem towards the sacral spinal cord.

Local Politicizations : A Comparison of Finns and French Practicing Democracy

This study examines how do the processes of politicization differ in the Finnish and the French local contexts, and what kinds of consequences do these processes have on the local civic practices, the definitions and redefinitions of democracy and citizenship, the dynamics of power and resistance, and the ways of solving controversies in the public sphere. By means of comparative anthropology of the state , focusing on how democracy actually is practiced in different contexts, politicizations the processes of opening political arenas and recognizing controversy are analyzed. The focus of the study is on local activists engaged in different struggles on various levels of the local public spheres, and local politicians and civil servants participating in these struggles from their respective positions, in two middle-size European cities, Helsinki and Lyon. The empirical analyses of the book compare different political actors and levels of practicing democracy simultaneously. The study is empirically based on four different bodies of material: Ethnographic notes taken during a fieldwork among the activities of several local activist groups; 47 interviews of local activists and politicians; images representing different levels of public portrayals from activist websites (Helsinki N=274, Lyon N=232) and from city information magazines (Helsinki-info N=208, Lyon Citoyen N= 357); and finally, newspaper articles concerning local conflict issues, and reporting on the encounters between local citizens and representatives of the cities (January-June in 2005; Helsingin Sanomat N=96 and Le Progrès N= 102). The study makes three distinctive contributions to the study of current democratic societies: (1) a conceptual one by bringing politicization at the center of a comparison of political cultures, and by considering in parallel the ethnographic group styles theory by Nina Eliasoph and Paul Lichterman, the theory on counter-democracy by Pierre Rosanvallon and the pragmatist justification theory by Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot; (2) an empirical one through the triangulation of ethnographic, thematic interview, visual, and newspaper data through which the different aspects of democratic practices are examined; and (3) a methodological one by developing new ways of analyzing comparative cases an application of Frame Analysis to visual material and the creation of Public Justification Analysis for analyzing morally loaded claims in newspaper reports thus building bridges between cultural, political, and pragmatic sociology. The results of the study indicate that the cultural tools the Finnish civic actors had at their disposal were prone to hinder more than support politicization, whereas the tools the French actors mainly relied on were frequently apt for making politicization possible. This crystallization is defined and detailed in many ways in the analyses of the book. Its consequences to the understanding and future research on the current developments of democracy are multiple, as politicization, while not assuring good results as such, is central to a functioning and vibrant democracy in which injustices can be fixed and new directions and solutions sought collectively.

Ironi som forskningsobjekt. Är det möjligt att forska i det som finns mellan raderna?

Abstract (Irony as object of research: Is it possible to explore what is between the lines?): The main concern of this article is the interpretation of irony: how is it brought about and how can it be investigated? The method applied is based on authentic texts and their elicited interpretations − a method referred to in this article response analysis. Interpretation of irony in the approach taken is seen as being crucially dependent on the notion of coherence. A text is perceived as being coherent if it (a) makes sense and if it(b) hangs together. Incoherent texts can result in an ironic interpretation; however, the incoherence must also be perceived as being intentional, and intentionality in turn is a sign of the edge of the ironist. Ironic interpretation is defined as a combination of five factors: (1) an ironic edge that (2) reflects the intention of the ironist, and (3) has a target and (4) a victim too. Essential to irony is its fifth factor, the fact that one or more of these four factors must be inferred from co(n)text. This definition of irony is crucial in distinguishing irony from non-irony, and it also helps to discern the differences as well as the similarities between irony and related phenomena.

Genusperspektiv i historieläromedel - finns det? : En jämförande analys av fem läroböcker i historia för gymnasiet utgivna under åren 1995-2004

Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att studera om det finns något genusperspektiv i valda nedslag i gymnasieläroböcker i ämnet historia. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna och definitionerna har hämtats i Micael Nilssons rapport Historia ur ett genusperspektiv – En granskning av genusaspekterna i ämnet historia vid Linköpings universitet. Materialet har kategoriserats i tre olika perspektiv; kvinnohi-storiskt perspektiv, jämställdhetsperspektiv och genusperspektiv. Litteraturen har därefter place-rats i den så kallade genustrappan som i Nilsson version består av fem olika steg; genusmedveten, jämställdhetsmedveten, könsmedveten, könsomedveten eller könsmakts-förstärkande. Det un-dersökta materialet har bestått av fem läroböcker som behandlar A-kursen i historia. Läroböcker-na är utgivna på fem olika förlag, ingen av dem har en ensam författare och tre av böckerna har en kvinnlig medförfattare. Undersökningen är baserad på både den kvalitativa och den kvantitati-va metoden. Den kvantitativa delen av undersökning har gått ut på att räkna antal kvinnonamn i böckernas register och antal illustrationer som innehåller kvinnor. I den kvalitativa delen av un-dersökningen har material om kvinnor samt kvinnors situation i kapitlen om antikens Grekland, nordisk medeltid och industrialismen analyserats. Undersökningen visar att läroböckerna repre-senterar en historieskrivning som i stora drag lämnar kvinnorna utanför. Ingen av böckerna når upp till kategorien genusmedveten, de två böcker som placerar sig högst når kategorien jäm-ställdhetsmedveten. Resultatet visar att läroböckerna inte lever upp till styrdokumentens krav på en jämställd undervisning.

Miljöperspektiv i historieläroböcker - finns det? : En jämförande undersökning av två gymnasieläroböcker i historia.

Jag hade inte kommit i kontakt med någon undersökning som fokuserat på läroböckers behandling av miljön, vilket lämnade en lucka i forskningen. Syftet med undersökningen blev därmed att försöka fylla denna lucka, vilket skulle uppnås genom att studera två gymnasieläroböcker i historia och deras uttryck för miljöperspektiv. Undersökningens resultat visar att författarna till båda böckerna ger uttryck för miljöperspektiv, men att det är Epos författare som gör detta mest konsekvent. I båda böckerna behandlas människans samspel med naturen främst i äldre kulturer, men även i stor utsträckning i samband med industrialiseringen samt under miljödebatten som växte fram på 1960-talet. Vad det gäller karaktären på de miljöperspektiv som uttrycks så utgår majoriteten av dessa från hur naturen och de omgivande förutsättningarna påverkat människan och dess samhällen. Den andra sidan av myntet, hur människan påverkat naturen, kommer därmed till viss del i skymundan. Den tidsdimension som anläggs i miljöperspektiven är i båda böckerna främst i dåtid och förklarar därmed hur människan påverkat naturen och vice versa i det samhälle som behandlas. Vad det gäller kopplingen mellan då-nu-sedan så är det författarna till Alla tiders historia Maxi som ger uttryck för flest sådana miljöperspektiv, vilket görs i behandlingen av tiden efter 1965.

När Viljan inte finns att Leva : Suicidbenägenhet ur ett sjuksköterske- och patient perspektivEn systematisk litteraturstudie

Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturstudie var att undersöka vilka attityder sjuksköterskor hade gentemot suicidala patienter, vilka upplevelser patienter hade efter ett suicidförsök och hur de upplevde omvårdnaden de fick. I syftet ingick även att undersöka vilka kunskaper som en sjuksköterska behöver ha i mötet med suicidala personer. Sökning av artiklar har gjorts på databaserna Elin@Dalarna och Blackwell Synergy där sökorden attitudes, care, caring, nursing, nurse, suicide användes i olika kombinationer. Artiklarna skulle vara vetenskapliga, inte publicerade före 1997 och svara på syfte och frågeställning. För att säkerställa att kvalitén på artiklarna var god granskades de med hjälp av en granskningsmall. Sammanlagt ligger tretton artiklar till grund för resultatet i denna litteraturstudie. Resultatet visade att sjuksköterskor ofta hade en negativ attityd i arbetet med suicidpatienter, och sjuksköterskor på akuta avdelningar tenderade att vara mera negativa än de på psykiatriska avdelningar. Suicidpatientens personlighet hade betydelse för vilken attityd sjuksköterskan hade. Utbildning visade sig medföra en mera positiv inställning. Resultatet visade också att suicidpatienter ofta kände skam och känslor av misslyckande efter suicidförsök. Attityden sjuksköterskan visade påverkade patientens väg tillbaka. Det var viktigt för dem att bli sedd, lyssnad på och inte bli fördömd. Litteraturstudien visade att sjuksköterskor behöver kunskap och utbildning för att kunna möta denna patientgrupp för att ge bästa tänkbara omvårdnad i behandlingsarbetet.

”När man själv rasar,var finns nåden?” : Analys av Stella Björk i Johanna Nilssons Rebell med frusna fötter i förhållande till den typiska chick lit-karaktären.

Denna uppsats syfte är en tematisk jämförelse mellan Johanna Nilssons Rebell med frusna fötter och Helen Fieldings Bridget Jones’s Diary beträffande huvudkaraktärerna för att komma fram till hur felplacerad Stella Björk skulle vara i en chick lit-berättelse. Jag använder Bridget som representativ för en typisk huvudkaraktär i chick lit då det är vid publiceringen av Bridget Jones’s Diary forskarna anser att chick lit föddes. Vid en tematisk jämförelse mellan Stella och Bridget där miljö- och karaktärsbeskrivning och även karaktärsutveckling avhandlas blir resultatet att dessa två fiktiva kvinnor är lika på många sätt men det finns skillnader. Karaktärernas komplexitet är en stor skillnad, då Stella är en mer komplex karaktär än Bridget. De funderar mycket båda två men över olika ämnen. En sista stor skillnad är att Bridget tänker på hur hennes egen kropp ser ut medan Stella funderar mer över hur hemska andra människors kroppsliga ideal är.

"Det finns ingen sol i Sverige" : Nätverk kring solenergin

Detta är en bok om dagens värld, men framförallt är det en bok om hur antropologer studerar dagens värld - med andra ord, i rätt vid mening en bok om metod, om antaganden, tillvägagångssätt och erfarenheter i fältarbeten.