A health survey of the very aged in Tampere, Finland

The population aged 85 years or over (n = 674) living in Tampere, Finland, was surveyed in 1977-78. Altogether, 561 persons (83%)--99 men and 462 women--were examined. The study comprised questionnaire, medical examination, laboratory tests, ECG and chest X-ray examination. Of the subjects, 24% were hospitalized, 22% were in old people's homes and 54% lived at home. The most common symptoms were aches and pains (24%), vertigo (22%), defective vision (15%) and defective hearing (12%). Congestive heart failure (49%), dementia or confusional state (28%) and urinary tract infection (22%) were the most common diseases.     

Treatment of Cancer Patients With a Serotype 5/3 Chimeric Oncolytic Adenovirus Expressing GMCSF

Augmenting antitumor immunity is a promising way to enhance the potency of oncolytic adenoviral therapy. Granulocyte–macrophage colony–stimulating factor (GMCSF) can mediate antitumor effects by recruiting natural killer cells and by induction of tumor-specific CD8⁺ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. Serotype 5 adenoviruses (Ad5) are commonly used in cancer gene therapy. However, expression of the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor is variable in many advanced tumors and preclinical data have demonstrated an advantage for replacing the Ad5 knob with the Ad3 knob. Here, a 5/3 capsid chimeric and p16-Rb pathway selective oncolytic adenovirus coding for GMCSF was engineered and tested preclinically. A total of 21 patients with advanced solid tumors refractory to standard therapies were then treated intratumorally and intravenously with Ad5/3-D24-GMCSF, which was combined with low-dose metronomic cyclophosphamide to reduce regulatory T cells. No severe adverse events occurred. Analysis of pretreatment samples of malignant pleural effusion and ascites confirmed the efficacy of Ad5/3-D24-GMCSF in transduction and cell killing. Evidence of biological activity of the virus was seen in 13/21 patients and 8/12 showed objective clinical benefit as evaluated by radiology with Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. Antiadenoviral and antitumoral immune responses were elicited after treatment. Thus, Ad5/3-D24-GMCSF seems safe in treating cancer patients and promising signs of efficacy were seen.     

Resource use and economic burden of eye injuries in Southern Finland

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To estimate resource use and the costs of eye injuries in 2011–2012 in the Helsinki University Eye Hospital (HUEH), which...     

Urinary characteristics and infection in the very aged

In the course of a health survey covering 561 inhabitants of Tampere, Finland, aged 85 or over, morning urine specimens were studied. 82% of the participants were women. Significant bacteriuria was recorded in 27% of the subjects, 13% of the men and 30% of the women. Pyuria was recorded in 47% of the total material. Replying to the questionnaire, 5% of the subjects reported urinary symptoms and 7% reported to be suffering from urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosed by a physician. The prevalence of drug-treated UTI was 9% of the subjects replying to the questionnaire. Although positive urinary 'abnormalities' are common in very old people, they do not cause significant distress and do not constitute a disease requiring drug treatment in asymptomatic old people.     

Fertilization and early embryology: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection for Rhesus monkey fertilization results in unusual chromatin, cytoskeletal, and membrane events, but eventually leads to pronuclear development and sperm aster assembly

The disassembly and reorganization of sperm-derived structuresare landmarks for the onset of embryonic development. Sincecomplete information on these events is not yet available, weexamined the disassembly of the sperm axoneme, the formationof the sperm aster, and the decondensation and development ofthe male and female pronuclel in inseminated Rhesus monkey oocytesconceived by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or by intracytoplassnicsperm injection. During IVF, the spermatozoa lose their acrosomesafter contacting the zona pellucida, and the plasma membraneand nuclear envelope disappear after fusion with the oolemma.Subsequently, a sperm aster of microtubules forms around theproximal centriole, which is bound to the sperm connecting piece.This process is then followed by the formation of both pronuclei.The single sperm centriole later duplicates and the bipolarmitotic apparatus is observed. Following sperm injection, thespermatozoa have both an intact plasma membrane and acrosome.Although the microtubules form the sperm aster in a fashionidentical to that seen during IVF, the presence of an intactacrosome appears to be associated with a heterogeneity in thedecondensation of sperm chromatin. While this may indicate anabnormal pattern of chromatin decondensation during the formationof the male pro-nucleus following sperm injection, the malepronucleus eventually fully decondenses, as during 1W. Spermmito chondria are displaced as the sperm centriole is exposed.Annulate lamellae and a previously undescribed organelle whichseems to contain annulate lamellae precursors, as well as maternalmitochondria, are found in association with the developing pronuclearenvelopes. This information increases understanding of fertilizationin primates, and may also be of significance for use in assistedhuman reproduction as well as in the preservation of endangeredmammalian species. In addition, these results demonstrate thesimilarities between fertilization in Rhesus monkeys and humans,providing additional evidence for the use of this non-humanprimate as a model system in which to investigate the cellularand molecular biological basis of human reproduction.     

Mortality and high haematrocrit in the very aged

A series of 543 people, aged 85 years or more was studied and divided into groups according to haematocrit value. The mortality of the subjects was followed over the next 5 years. The mortality in the lowest haematocrit groups was highest during the whole observation period. Further, in the haematocrit bracket greater than or equal to 0.48, the mortality in the first year was higher than in those with haematocrit 0.40-0.47. In the second year this increased mortality had disappeared and in the third-fifth years decreased mortality was found with high haematocrit. Initially high haematocrit also decreased during the observation period. Since the increased mortality associated with high haematocrit disappeared it cannot be based on any chronic disease but on some disappearing factor, e.g. simply the high haematocrit itself.