Do work ability and job involvement channel later personal goals in retirement? An 11-year follow-up study

Objective

The present study investigates the role of work ability and job involvement in personal life goals later in retirement.

Methods

The study is based on longitudinal research on Finnish employees working in managerial positions. At the study baseline (in 1996), 120 employed managers responded to a questionnaire regarding their work ability and job involvement, and 11?years later (in 2007) when they were retired, they responded to an open-ended question regarding their personal goals. The retired participants were 58–76?years old (M?=?66?years), and they had been retired for 1–10?years (M?=?4.3?years, SD?=?2.9).

Results

On the basis of the participants’ responses to the open-ended question, six main content categories of personal goals were formed. According to these categories, the personal goals in retirement focused on (1) hobbies and leisure time, (2) social relationships, (3) health and well-being, (4) housing and finance, (5) self-development and ideology, and (6) other activities. The managers with better work ability and job involvement at the baseline of the study had fewer personal goals related to health and well-being later in retirement. In addition, better work ability predicted more personal goals related to self-development and ideology views.

Conclusions

The preceding work ability and job involvement seem to channel personal goal pursuit in retirement. Thus, sustaining employees’ work ability and job involvement are not only essential for developing employees’ ability to cope with work demands but also for their functional capacity in their later stages of life, such as in retirement.     

First year experience of rotavirus immunisation programme in Finland

Introduction

This study aimed to estimate the impact of rotavirus (RV) immunisation programme on the total hospital treated acute gastroenteritis (AGE) burden, as well as, on severe RV disease burden in Finland during the first year after immunisation programme introduction. Such studies can also be considered as a vaccine-probe-study, where unspecific disease burden prevented by immunisation is assumed to be caused by the agent the vaccine is targeted against.

Methods

The RV related outcome definitions were based on data registered in the National Hospital Discharge Register coded using ICD 10 codes. Incidences of hospitalised and hospital outpatient cases of AGE and RVGE were compared prior (1999–2005) and after (2010) the start of the programme among children under 5 years of age. ICD 10 codes utilised were A00-A09, R11 and K52.

Results

The reductions in disease burden, when the post-introduction year was compared to pre-vaccine era, were 80.3% (95% CI 74.5–84.7) in hospital inpatient RVGE among toddlers less than 1 year of age and 53.9% (95% CI 49.8–57.7) when the total inpatient AGE burden was considered in the same age group. For the corresponding hospital outpatient cases the reductions were 78.8% (95% CI 48.4–91.3) and 12.5% (7.1–17.7). The overall vaccine impact against confirmed RVGE in age cohorts eligible for vaccination before the RV season 2010 was 97% (95% CI 90.7–99.0). If the total reductions, both in diagnosed RVGE, as well as in cases without definite microbial diagnosis, were expected to be RVGE, population based estimates for the total disease burden can be obtained: for inpatient RVGE in children less than 1 year of age the estimate is 10.5/1000 pyrs, while the diagnosed specific incidence was less than half of that, 4.9/1000 pyrs.

Discussion

During the first post-vaccination year 2010, RV immunisation programme clearly managed to control the severe, hospital treated, forms of RVGE. The total disease burden is a more valuable end point than mere diagnosed cases as laboratory confirmation practises change after vaccine introduction. Our study is limited by the very short post-introduction follow up.     

Development of antibodies to PspA families 1 and 2 in children after exposure to Streptococcus pneumoniae

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is an important virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumoniae. PspA exists as two major families, which include variable but serologically cross-reactive proteins. Previous studies with a family 1 PspA antigen suggested that children develop low concentrations of anti-PspA after pneumococcal carriage or infection. In this study, antibody to PspA families 1 and 2 was measured by an enzyme immunoassay of the serum and saliva of children with a history of culture-proven pneumococcal colonization and/or acute otitis media and in the serum and saliva of adults. The PspA families of the pneumococcal strains isolated from children were determined. The majority of the children had high serum and salivary anti-PspA concentrations to the PspA family they had encountered and low concentrations to the other, whereas adults had high antibody concentrations to both PspA families, both in serum and in saliva. The results suggest that children have a relatively family-specific antibody response to the PspA family they have been exposed to and that any PspA vaccine for children should contain members of both major PspA families.     

Testosterone is associated with insulin resistance index independently of adiposity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: To study the associations between androgens, glucose homeostasis, inflammation and statin treatment in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design and methods: Oral glucose tolerance tests, androgens, hs-CRP and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) were analyzed at baseline and after 6?months of atorvastatin (20?mg/d) or placebo treatment in 27 women with PCOS.

Results: Testosterone associated with insulin resistance measured with ISI_Matsuda independently of BMI, age and SHBG concentrations and the full model, including IL-1Ra, hs-CRP and HDL-C, also showed independency of BMI and waist circumference (p?≤?.042). Free androgen index (FAI) associated with ISI_Matsuda independently of adiposity (p?≤?.025) but in the full model with waist circumference the association was insignificant. ISI_Matsuda decreased with testosterone >1.2?nmol/l compared with lower levels at baseline (p?=?.043) and at six months (p?=?.003). Accordingly, 30-minute insulin levels were increased with moderately elevated testosterone independently of adiposity (p?≤?.046). Increased fasting glucose and AUC insulin associated with statin treatment independently of adiposity and the associations attenuated after adjusting for testosterone.

Conclusions: Moderately elevated testosterone concentrations together with obesity-related inflammatory factors modify glucose homeostasis by increasing insulin resistance and early insulin secretion.     

Outcome of depressive and anxiety disorders among young adults: Results from the Longitudinal Finnish Health 2011 Study

Purpose of the study: We investigated the outcomes and outcome predictors of depressive and anxiety disorders in a general population sample of young adults with a lifetime history of these disorders.

Materials and methods: The study sample was derived from a nationally representative two-stage cluster sample of Finns aged 19–34 years. The original study was carried out in 2003–2005, and the follow-up in 2011. We investigated participants diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder based on a SCID interview (excluding those with only a single specific phobia) (DAX-group, N?=?181). The control group included those with no DSM-IV- diagnosis (N?=?290). They were followed up with the M-CIDI interview assessing 12-month depressive and anxiety disorders in 2011.

Results: In 2011, 22.8% of the DAX-group was diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder compared to 9.8% of the control group. Education was lower and quality of life worse in the DAX-group than in the control group. Those participants of the DAX-group who received a diagnosis in 2011 had poorer quality of life than those in remission, which emphasizes the influence of a current disorder on the quality of life. Higher score in the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) at baseline predicted poorer quality of life in 2011.

Conclusions: Thus, depressive and anxiety disorders were persistent/recurrent in one quarter of participants, significantly affecting education and quality of life. Young adults with these disorders need support to achieve their academic goals.     

3′RNA and whole-genome sequencing of archival uterine leiomyomas reveal a tumor subtype with chromosomal rearrangements affecting either HMGA2, HMGA1, or PLAG1

Uterine leiomyomas, or fibroids, are very common smooth muscle tumors that arise from the myometrium. They can be divided into distinct molecular subtypes. We have previously shown that 3′RNA-sequencing is highly effective in classifying archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) leiomyomas according to the underlying mutation. In this study, we performed 3′RNA-sequencing with 111 FFPE leiomyomas previously classified as negative for driver alterations in mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12), high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2), and fumarate hydratase (FH) by Sanger sequencing and immunohistochemistry. This revealed 43 tumors that displayed expression features typically seen in HMGA2-positive tumors, including overexpression of PLAG1. We explored 12 such leiomyomas by whole-genome sequencing to identify their underlying genomic drivers and to evaluate the feasibility of detecting chromosomal driver alterations from FFPE material. Four tumors with significant HMGA2 overexpression at the protein-level served as controls. We identified chromosomal rearrangements targeting either HMGA2, HMGA1, or PLAG1 in all 16 tumors, demonstrating that it is possible to detect chromosomal driver alterations in archival leiomyoma specimens as old as 18 years. Furthermore, two tumors displayed biallelic loss of DEPDC5 and one tumor harbored a COL4A5–COL4A6 deletion. These observations suggest that instead of only HMGA2-positive leiomyomas, a distinct leiomyoma subtype is characterized by rearrangements targeting either HMGA2, HMGA1, or PLAG1. The results indicate that the frequency of HMGA2-positive leiomyomas may be higher than estimated in previous studies where immunohistochemistry has been used. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of detecting chromosomal driver alterations from archival FFPE material.     

Combined use of the ELF test and CLivD score improves prediction of liver-related outcomes in the general population

Background and Aims

Effective and feasible population screening strategies are needed for the early detection of individuals at high risk of future severe liver-related outcomes. We evaluated the predictive performance of the combination of liver fibrosis assessment, phenotype profile, and genetic risk.

Methods

Data from 5795 adults attending the Finnish Health 2000 Survey were linked with healthcare registers for liver-related outcomes (hospitalization, hepatocellular cancer, and death). Fibrosis was assessed using the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test, phenotype profile by the chronic liver disease (CLivD) risk score, and genetic risk by a validated Polygenic Risk Score (PRS-5). Predictive performance was assessed by competing-risk analyses.

Results

During a median 13-year follow-up, 64 liver-related outcome events were recorded. ELF, CLivD score, and PRS-5 were independently associated with liver-related outcomes. The absolute 10-year risk of liver-related outcomes at an ELF value of 11.3 ranged from 0.3% to 33% depending on the CLivD score. The CLivD score added 51% of new predictive information to the ELF test and improved areas under the curve (AUCs) from 0.91, 0.81, and 0.71 for ELF alone to 0.95, 0.85, and 0.80, respectively, for ELF combined with the CLivD score at 1, 5, and 10 years. The greatest improvement was for 10-year predictions (delta-AUC 0.097, p < .0001). Adding PRS-5 did not significantly increase predictive performance. Findings were consistent in individuals with obesity, diabetes, or alcohol risk use, and regardless of whether gamma-glutamyltransferase was used in the CLivD score.

Conclusion

A combination of ELF and CLivD score predicts liver-related outcomes significantly better than the ELF test alone.