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A dye-binding procedure was developed for the analysis of protein attached to the membrane, with bound and adsorbed forms of attachment being distinguished. The relationship between modification procedure and protein attachment was explored and related to flux, streaming potential, and rejection with variation of pH. The effects of attaching four different types of gelatin to the membrane were studied. Assessment was made of modifications for improvement of flux and selectivity in the presence of protein foulants., (Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) is the dominant protease inhibitor in the mucus secretions of the repiratory and genital tracts, and local production seems likely, as immunoreactive SLPI has been found in the corresponding mucosa. To our knowledge, SLPI has not been previously demonstrated in intestinal epithelia or secretions. In an earlier study, however, we found surprisingly high levels of SLPI in peritonitis exudate from patients with gastrointestinal perforations. This study extends these observations by demonstrating the presence of immunoreactive SLPI in intestinal mucosa. In the small intestine, SLPI was present in Paneth cells and in scattered mucosa cells of goblet-type. In normal mucosa of the large bowel, SLPI was also found in scattered cells of goblet-type in the epithelium. In addition, immunoreactive SLPI was frequently found in colonic adenomas. The findings in this study raise several interesting questions on the possible role of SLPI in the gut epithelial defense against inflammatory assaults.

Radiographic findings in mandibular condyles were studied from the pre- and post-treatment panoramic radiographs of 625 orthodontic patients. The subjects' mean age was 11 years at the start and 14 years at the end of active orthodontic treatment. Radiographic condylar findings were seen in 14 (2%) subjects before treatment and in 54 subjects (9%) after treatment (p < 0.001). In age-related controls (n = 783) condylar findings were seen in 3% (p < 0.001). The condylar finding was 'flattening only' in half of the patients and in one-third of the controls with condylar findings. Activator treatment was associated with condylar findings (p < 0.05). Condylar findings increased with age in the orthodontically treated subjects (p < 0.05) but not in the unselected population controls. This may mean that condyles become more sensitive with age in children. Increase with age may be partly due to the radiographic interpretation, since minor condylar findings are difficult to observe in young children, and partly due to differences in treatment modalities and the duration of treatment.

Fractionation of the model proteins, bovine serum albumin and myoglobin, was studied with modified and unmodified polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes. A commercial polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane with a nominal cut-off value of 50,000 g mol-1 was used as the reference membrane, and it was modified with ultraviolet irradiation in different protein solutions. The permeate fluxes and the streaming potentials of the membranes were measured simultaneously. Ultrafiltration experiments were carried out at the isoelectric points of the proteins. The results show that the fractionation can best be carried out at the isoelectric point of myoglobin. Modification of the membranes with bovine serum albumin resulted in smaller adsorption and flux reduction, while membranes modified with myoglobin were more selective for myoglobin.

Objective: To obtain descriptive data on the mixed use of psychiatric drugs and alcohol. The difference and associations of health and mental risk factors between mixed users and others were also studied., Design: A self-administered questionnaire as part of a general health screening., Setting: First-year university students enrolled in the Finnish Student Health Service in Helsinki. Foreign students and those aged 30 years or over were excluded., Subjects: 3,836 students were invited. The participation rate was 73.2% for the female and 53.2% for the male students., Results: The mixed use of psychiatric drugs and alcohol with the aim of getting high, at least once, was reported by 3.6% of the female and 3.1% of the male students. However, only 1.0% had tried this mixed use more than once. Mixed users were more often smokers, heavy drinkers, or users of cannabis or heavy drugs. Male students tended to be mixed users because of anxiety, low self-esteem, and fears. Depression, stress, and sensation seeking were associated with mixed use in female students., Conclusions: Mixed use of psychiatric drugs and alcohol by young Finnish university students is still rare. There is a strong accumulation of other addictive behaviours among mixed users. Extra-personal reasons for mixed use were more prevalent among female students, and intra-personal reasons among male students.

Development of the dental arches from 3 to 6 years of age was followed in 120 children with isolated cleft palate (ICP) and in 50 non-cleft (NONC) children. In 60 of the ICP children the palate had been repaired at the age of 1.8 years (SD = 0.2) and in the other 60 at the age of 1.1 years (SD = 0.1). In both groups the one-stage soft and hard cleft palate closure had been performed using the mucoperiosteal palatal V to Y push-back technique (Veau-Wardill-Kilner) or the Cronin modification. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of the two different ages and the two different methods of palatal repair on the development of dental arches. The growth increment in maxillary canine and molar width, and posterior palatal height during the 3-year period was greater in the group with late palatal repair. In children with no secondary palatal repair, when the primary repair had been done with the V to Y method, the increase in maxillary canine width was greater than with the Cronin modification. On the other hand, when the V to Y technique was used, velopharyngoplasties were more frequent. The means of maxillary canine and molar width decreased in children with velopharyngoplasties, and increased in the others. Dental arches of ICP children were significantly smaller than those of NONC children, and the discrepancy increased during the period from 3 to 6 years of age, and increased more in the maxilla than in the mandible.

Patients with severely worn dentition were interviewed and clinically examined, and only those were included who had no or minimal subjective symptoms or clinical signs of craniomandibular disorder. During a 14-month screening period, only 7 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria; all were men. Maximal bite force was measured in the molar regions and in the incisal region. Facial morphology was evaluated from lateral cephalometric radiographs, and the form of dental arches from dental casts. Average maximal bite force in the molar region was 911 N and in the incisal region 569 N. The most characteristic findings concerning bite force were the high force levels in the incisal region and an incisal/molar bite-force ratio of 63%. The facial morphology of the patients was rectangular, with an anteriorly rotated mandible, small anterior face height, and great interincisal angle. Moreover, the form of the maxillary dental arch was more rectangular than normal. The high bite forces of these patients, especially in the incisal area, can probably be explained by strong masticatory muscles and mechanically favorable skull morphology, which in its turn has been influenced by the surrounding muscles.

To study the effect of controlled heavy drinking of 60 g ethanol/day for 3 weeks on carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a commercial double antibody kit (CDTect) was used. By the end of the third drinking week, a statistically significant increase in the mean CDT level was observed. When compared to AST and gamma-glutamyltransferase, CDT was a more informative marker. However, only in 2 of the 10 volunteers did CDT exceed the upper normal level (20 units/liter) recommended by the manufacturer. This indicates that the sensitivity of CDT to detect heavy drinking is lower than that previously reported. The higher accuracy has in general been obtained in studies comparing healthy controls with a low alcohol consumption to alcoholics with an alcohol consumption higher than that used in the present experiment. Our results suggest that it remains to be established whether CDT, although better than AST and gamma-glutamyltransferase, will provide a clinically useful tool in identifying heavy drinkers in populations covering a wide range of alcohol consumption.

Subjective orthodontic treatment need and perceived oral condition were studied in a sample of 226 young adult Finns with and without previous orthodontic treatment. The subjects, applicants to enter the University of Helsinki, were interviewed immediately after their entrance examination. Altogether 38.5 per cent of the subjects had received some form of orthodontic treatment. A higher percentage of subjects who had been orthodontically treated reported a current subjective need for treatment than did the untreated ones but this only reached statistical significance in men (P < 0.05). Appearance was the reason for the treatment need among 64.7 per cent of treated and among 80.0 per cent of untreated subjects. The differences in proportions were non-significant. Men were more often satisfied with their dentition than women. Most, 56.3 per cent of treated and 66.2 per cent of untreated subjects, considered their anterior teeth regularly positioned. The most prevalent type of malocclusion noted in the anterior segments was crowding (27.0 per cent), followed by malpositioned (18.6 per cent) and protruding (9.3 per cent) teeth. It is likely that those who had received orthodontic treatment, had initially had more, and more severe malocclusions than those who were untreated. Thus, it may be that orthodontic treatment had raised the perceptions of the dentition of the treated individuals to the same level as the untreated individuals.

Longitudinal variations of subjective symptoms and clinical signs of craniomandibular disorders, orofacial parafunctions, and occlusal conditions were examined in 131 Finnish adolescents. Patients were interviewed and clinically examined at the ages of 14, 15, and 18 years. Signs and symptoms of craniomandibular disorders were common, although usually mild. Reported and recorded temporomandibular clicking sounds were the most frequent findings and increased with age. They showed, however, no predictable pattern, and only a few patients consistently reported clicking sounds or had them recorded. Although the frequency of craniomandibular disorders according to Helkimo's clinical dysfunction index was high at each examination, there also was great intraindividual fluctuation longitudinally; impairment and improvement occurred almost equally often, showing no predictable pattern. Only 3% of those tested consistently had an index value of more than I. Thus, even longer follow-up studies are needed to understand natural longitudinal variations and evaluate the need and demand for treatment of craniomandibular disorder.

Objective: To obtain descriptive data on the alcohol-use patterns and the factors affecting them among Finnish first-year university students., Design: Cross sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire., Setting: Finnish first-year university students., Participants: 3,836 students during the academic year 1989/90. The participation rate was 73.7% for female and 53.6% for male students., Main Outcome Measure: Frequency of drinking alcohol, heavy drinking, and drinking for intoxication, average alcohol consumption., Results: The mean alcohol consumption for female students was 2.6 kg and for male students 6.5 kg of pure alcohol per year. 6.5% of the female students and 5.1 of the male students were abstainers. The heaviest drinking 10% consumed 42% of all consumed alcohol. 4.9% of the female students reported a consumption of at least 10 kg of pure alcohol per year and 11.7% of male students reported a consumption of at least 15 kg. The median for the frequency of drinking was every second week for the females and once a week for the males. Furthermore, drinking for intoxication was more frequent among the male than the female students., Conclusion: Male students have a higher alcohol consumption, drink more frequently, and are more often intoxicated than female students.

Conventional laboratory tests: gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) were studied as possible markers of heavy drinking in a sample of 1,619 first-year university students in Helsinki. Alcohol consumption was measured on a frequency-volume scale. No significant (p < 0.001) correlation between the laboratory tests and reported drinking was found. However, significant differences between different drinking groups were found in GGT, MCV, and HDL-cholesterol in both female and male students and in cholesterol in male students. We conclude that, even if alcohol drinking has some impact on GGT, MCV, HDL-cholesterol, and cholesterol (males), these tests are neither specific nor sensitive enough to be used as screening tests for heavy drinking in young students.

The purpose of this survey was to determine whether children in northern Finland had different dental arch dimensions from children in southern Finland. Dental casts of 9-year-old healthy children from Helsinki (southern Finland) and from Oulu and Sodankylä (northern Finland) were measured. Each group contained 41 subjects who had received no orthodontic treatment. The children from Sodankylä and Oulu had narrower dental arches and greater palatal heights than those from Helsinki. The lengths and perimeters of dental arches were significantly shorter in the children from Sodankylä than in those from Helsinki. We suggest these differences could have resulted from adaptation to different climatic conditions, affecting modes of breathing.

In a sample of 1663 female and 707 male Finnish university students in their first study year, the female students reported less negative and less positive consequences of alcohol drinking than their male counterparts. The female students also drank less, less frequently and less often for intoxication. However, the profile of negative and positive consequences of drinking was similar for both genders; 74.6% of the female students and 80.0% of the males had more positive than negative experiences from alcohol. Both the positive and negative consequences of drinking correlated positively to alcohol consumption and drinking for intoxication. About half of the students who had many positive consequences of drinking were not heavy drinkers and did not report many negative consequences. Depression, anxiety, stress or psychosomatic symptoms did not correlate with either with positive or negative consequences of drinking, nor with alcohol consumption. Drinking for anxiety, depression, stress or the reduction of tension appeared to be infrequent. Young Finnish university students mostly drink for the positive consequences of drinking.

Development of the dental arches and height and weight at the ages of 3 yr and 6 yr were studied longitudinally in 60 children with isolated cleft palate (CP) and in 50 noncleft (NONC) children. Retrospective comparisons were also made in the CP group with arch size at the age of 0.2 yr and 1.8 yr. Anterior width at 0.2 yr of age was associated with canine width at the age of 3 yr (r = 0.70) and 6 yr (r = 0.60). Change in maxillary posterior width from 3 yr to 6 yr of age was related to the extension of the cleft, so that in the group with total cleft this dimension diminished. Measured in standard deviation scores (SDS), the means of maxillary width at canines and primary second molars in CP children varied from -1.0 to -2.0 and mandibular dimensions from -0.6 to -1.4. Discrepancy in arch depth diminished with age. Body size differed less from normal than the size of the dental arches. At 3 yr of age the height was -0.4 SDS in CP boys and -0.5 SDS in CP girls, but at 6 yr of age only -0.1 SDS in both boys and girls. Correlations between body size and the size of the dental arches were generally low (r less than 0.20) both in CP and NONC children. The small size of the dental arches in CP children does not seem to be merely a reflection of the overall smaller size of CP children.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in serum was studied as a possible marker of heavy drinking in a sample of 187 female and 102 male 1st year university students from Finland. CDT was measured by a new radioimmunoassay (Pharmacia CDT RIA). Alcohol consumption was measured on a quantity-frequency scale. For female students CDT was 18.2 +/- 0.45 units/liter (mean +/- SEM) and for male students 13.3 +/- 0.48 units/liter. 9.6% of female students and 7.8% of male students had elevated CDT with a cut-off level of 26 units/liter for females and 20 units/liter for males. The correlation between CDT and reported alcohol consumption was 0.30 (p less than 0.001) for females and 0.25 (p = 0.014) for males. Those reporting a consumption of at least 10 kg of pure ethanol per year were considered as heavy drinkers (3.7% of females and 22.5% of males). In female students the average CDT of heavy drinkers did not differ significantly from that of social drinkers but in teetotalers CDT was significantly (p less than 0.03) lower than in female alcohol users. In male students the average CDT of heavy drinkers was higher than the average of social drinkers (p less than 0.1) and significantly higher than the average of teetotalers (p less than 0.001). In the detection of heavy drinking among male students elevated CDT had a specificity of 96.2% and a sensitivity of 21.7%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In a sample of 203 first-year university students, serum beta-hexosaminidase (beta-HEX) was studied as a possible marker of heavy drinking. There are no previous studies on beta-HEX in a young nonalcoholic population. All students were healthy and without regular medication except the use of p-pills in 49 of the 123 female students. Alcohol consumption was measured on a frequency-volume scale. Serum beta-HEX did not correlate with reported drinking, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) nor alcohol problems. The mean beta-HEX of 26 teetotalers did not differ from that of the heaviest drinking group (n = 25). A new finding was a significant (p = 0.009) increase of serum beta-HEX in female students using oral contraceptives. We conclude that serum beta-HEX is a poor indicator of alcohol consumption in young university students and if elevated the use of p-pills must be considered.

The purpose of this study was to compare the influence of two different ages at the time of palatal closure and two surgical methods on the size of the dental arches at the age of 3 years in children, with CP, UCLP, and BCLP. In 88 children the one-stage palatal closure had been performed at the age of 1.8 years and in 92 children at the age of 1.1 years. In both groups palatal surgery had been performed with a V to Y push back procedure (Veau-Wardill-Killner) or with the Cronin modification. Dimensions of the maxillary arch in both groups at age 3 were smaller than in noncleft children, but the timing of palatal closure did not affect arch dimensions in children with CP, UCLP, or BCLP. Arch dimensions at 3 years of age were not related to the method used in palatal closure.

Karyotype analysis of an established nontumorigenic cell line (MMC-E) indicated that the cells are of rat origin instead of mouse, as interpreted earlier. This cell line, now termed RE (rat epithelial) had a karyotype of 39,X,-5,-15,-?16,+t(3q11q) in the stem line. There was also one subline that had a karyotype of 40,X,-5,-15,-?16,+t(3q11q), +?t(5;?). Chromosome changes and frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were studied from seven malignantly transformed RE cell lines. These included cells transformed by Moloney murine sarcoma virus, the acute transforming retrovirus 3611-MSV, murine leukemia virus, or ethylnitrosourea. Changes in chromosomes #3 and #5 seemed to be associated with malignant transformation of RE cells. In addition to the t(3q11q) and monosomy for chromosome #5 seen in the parent cell line, monosomy for chromosome #3 and the t(5;?) were observed in all malignant cell lines. The latter changes either were absent (monosomy for chromosome #3) or present only occasionally [t(5;?)] in the parental cells. The results of SCEs showed that the malignantly transformed cell lines do not have increased frequency of SCEs as compared with that of the parental cell line.

The aims of this investigation were: 1) to study the effects of zygosity and the type of cleft on dental age in pairs of twins concordant or discordant for oral clefts, 2) to compare dental age in the twins with that in a population of normal Finnish children, and 3) to study asymmetry in the formation of mandibular teeth with regard to zygosity and the type of cleft. Twenty-two pairs of twins (8 mono- and 14 dizygotic) and one set of monozygotic triplets concordant or discordant for cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), or both (CLP) were investigated. Four of eight mono- and 12 of 14 dizygotic pairs were discordant for clefts. An orthopantomogram of both twins was taken on the same day. In 7 of the 8 monozygotic (88%) and in 4 of the 14 dizygotic (29%) pairs, the dental age was the same in both twins. Of the 12 pairs discordant for clefts, the dental age of the twin with cleft was delayed in 5, advanced in 3, and the same in 4 compared with that of the twin without a cleft. The means of chronologic age and dental age were counted separately for the cleft subgroups and the non-cleft (NONC) group. The dental age was advanced in the CL twins and in the NONC twins, and was the same as chronologic age in the CP twins, but it was delayed in the CLP twins. Asymmetric formation of the 14 mandibular teeth (mostly the second premolars) was encountered in 3 of 8 CLP, in 3 of 18 CP, in 1 of 16 NONC, and in none of 5 CL children. The great similarity in tooth formation among the monozygotic twins indicates strong genetic control of dental maturation in twins concordant and also discordant for cleft.

The dates of natural exfoliation of primary teeth and of clinical eruption of their successors were recorded in 141 children, a total of 660 teeth. The aim of this investigation was to study the length of the period between these two developmental events. In the mandible, the mean length of the toothless period for the central incisor was 2 weeks and that for the lateral incisors and canines 6 weeks. In the maxilla, the corresponding period was 6 weeks for the central incisor and over 4 months for the lateral incisor and the canine. The mean length of the toothless period was shortest, 0-6 days, between the primary molars and the succeeding premolars. Individual variation was great. No difference was detected between the sexes. In some cases the length of the toothless period for the maxillary lateral incisors and for the canines in both jaws exceeded one year. This was associated with crowding, which caused the premature loss of primary teeth.

The development of the dental arches in children with oral clefts differs from that in a normal population, due to the type and extension of the cleft, surgical procedure and timing, and decreased growth potential. The size of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches and the amount of interdental space in 3-year-old, cleft-affected and non-cleft children was investigated. Fifty non-cleft (NONC) and 104 cleft-affected subjects including different cleft groups were compared. On average, cleft lip was corrected at the age of 0.6 years and cleft palate at 1.8 years of age. The mean of all width and depth dimensions in the cleft lip group were close to the NONC controls, whereas the dimensions of the cleft palate group were 8-9 per cent smaller in the maxilla and 5-7 per cent smaller in the mandible than were those in the NONC group. In the unilateral complete cleft group, the maxillary dimensions were 11-19 per cent smaller, but in the mandible only 0-4 per cent smaller than in the NONC group. In the bilateral complete cleft group, the maxillary arch was only 6 per cent shorter but 30 per cent narrower at the canines than in the NONC group. In the mandible the corresponding differences were 2 per cent and 6 per cent. Forty per cent of the cleft palate subjects had a crowded maxillary arch compared with 6 per cent of the NONC controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Overall dental maturity was studied semilongitudinally in a group of 248 healthy children born in Helsinki in 1968-73. In all, 738 orthopantomograms were taken of these children at ages of 2.5-16.5 years. Overall dental maturity was estimated by the method of Demirjian and Goldstein, which is based on the development of seven left mandibular permanent teeth. The aim of the study was to construct dental maturity curves for Finnish children and to compare their dental maturity with that of French-Canadian children studied by the same method. The Finnish children were more advanced in dental maturation than French-Canadian children (p less than 0.01). In boys the advancement was seen at the age of 5-10 years and in girls at the age of 4-12 years. These findings suggest differences in overall dental maturity among white population groups.

The prevalences of subjective symptoms and clinical signs of craniomandibular (CM) disorders, orofacial parafunctions, and occlusal conditions were determined in a series of Finnish children (n = 166). All were first interviewed, and then 156 of them were examined clinically. Fifty-two per cent of the children reported at least one subjective symptom, and 75% at least one parafunctional habit. Clinical signs were common but rarely severe in accordance with Helkimo's clinical dysfunction index (Di). Both the number of subjective symptoms (p less than 0.001) and the number of orofacial parafunctions (p less than 0.05) correlated with the clinical dysfunction index.

Dental maturity was assessed in 131 children with cleft lip with or without cleft palate in two age groups from panoramic X-rays using the method of Demirjian. The subjects showed a mean delay of 6 months in the age group of 3-9 years (x = 6.4 years), which decreased to 2 months in the age group of 8-14 years (x = 11.0 years). Involvement of the palate made the delay longer than in children with cleft lip only. Geographical differences between parts of Finland were also found. To study tooth development longitudinally, the timing of the beginning of calcification of one maxillary central incisor was assessed from occlusal X-rays taken between the ages of 2 and 18 months in 107 of the above mentioned 131 subjects. Using rank-order correlations, the beginning of the calcification of the maxillary central incisor weakly predicted the subjects' tooth developmental status. The correlation of dental maturity between the ages of 6 and 11 years was, however, high.

Dental maturity was studied in 248 healthy children born in Helsinki from 1968-73 and in 105 healthy children living in Turku from 1971-85. In all, 1062 panoramic radiographs of these children aged from 2.5 to 17.2 years, were examined. Dental maturity was estimated by the three methods described by Demirjian et al. (1973) and Demirjian and Goldstein (1976). The aim of the study was to produce reliable dental maturity curves for use in relation to Finnish children. In addition to data for the seven-tooth model, curves and tables for two models utilizing four teeth are also given. It is shown that all of the models work well and predict dental age reliably.

The aim of the study was to check whether dental maturity charts made in southern Finland can be used without modifications in other parts of the country. For this reason the dental maturity of 90 children living in the sparsely populated areas of Kuhmo in northeastern Finland was compared with that of a larger sample of Helsinki children. Most of the Kuhmo children were 7.0-8.5 and 10.5-12.5 yr of age. The method of Demirjian and associates was used to estimate dental maturity. The means of dental maturity scores were greater in Kuhmo in most half-year groups in both sexes. The median dental maturity scores of Kuhmo children were between the 50th and 84th percentile curves of Helsinki children. A referent of the same age and sex was chosen for each Kuhmo child from the Helsinki children. The paired t-test was based on the difference in dental age. The dental age of the Kuhmo children was higher (P less than 0.05). These findings suggest differences in dental maturity within a fairly homogeneous population, which should be considered when national charts are used.

At the Finnish Student Health Service, we have measured rubella antibodies in 3 consecutive academic years--1979-80, 1980-81 and 1981-82--in 2 483 first year female students. In 1979-80, 16.4% were seronegative, the following year the figures were 10.4% and in the third year 7.4%. Among students less than or equal to 19 yr of age the seronegatives decreased from 19 to 2% in 3 yr. This decrease shows that the national rubella vaccination programme which began in 1975 has been more successful than expected. A hemolysis-in-gel (HIG) test has proved a suitable screening method and the health examination of first year students a suitable occasion to test the immunity against rubella. Seroconversion occurred in 81.4% of those vaccinated.