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Invasive predators are one of the leading causes of global biodiversity loss, threatening local ecosystems through predation and spreading diseases. In Europe, the most common and widespread invasive mesopredator is the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Raccoon dog is an opportunistic omnivore listed as a species of European Union concern, as they are suspected of harming ground-nesting waterbird populations. However, the actual extent of risks caused by raccoon dog predation has been disputed, partly due to methodological constraints in detecting all prey in the diet. Here, we studied the animal components of raccoon dog diet using DNA metabarcoding, a powerful tool to detect even the smallest traces of ingested food items. We sequenced genes 12S rRNA and COI from raccoon dog scat samples collected during the breeding season of birds close to water bodies in southern Finland. We also examined whether the occurrence of different dietary items would depend on the habitat around the latrine. We found that frogs were the most common vertebrate food item in raccoon dog diet during spring. The proportion of detected bird material was not higher compared to earlier studies, despite the potential to detect DNA originating from eggs. The proportion of fish in the diet increased with increasing water area around the latrine, but no other relationships between diet and habitat were found. We conclude that even though raccoon dogs predate on waterbirds’ and other ground nesting birds’ nests, they do not seem to be specialized on it in our study areas. However, declining waterbird populations and, in particular, local amphibian populations could be negatively impacted by raccoon dog predation.

A urinary dipstick test for trypsinogen-2 appears to be accurate in detecting patients who may have pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Researchers compared the urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test with two other tests commonly used to diagnose pancreatitis in 500 patients. The dipstick test detected 94% of those subsequently found to have pancreatitis and ruled out the disease in 95%. This was similar to one of the standard tests and better than the other one.

Background and purpose: There is concern among clinicians regarding the performance of thin, highly cross-linked polyethylene acetabular liners at high inclination angles that cause edge contact and high contact stresses. We studied ex vivo wear performance of thin, vitamin-E grafted, highly cross-linked polyethylene (Vivacit-E) liners in relation to high acetabular inclination angle. Materials and methods: Wear of Vivacit-E acetabular liners (thickness 4.0–5.7 mm) was studied with a validated hip joint simulator at 2 different acetabular inclination angles, 40° (optimal) and 65° (high). The test simulated walking. Wear was evaluated gravimetrically and dimensionally. Results: At the optimal inclination angle, slight weight gain occurred. At the high angle, the liners lost weight slightly. Due to the minimal weight loss, gravimetric wear rates were difficult to determine. Linear wear was below the detection limit of 0.01 mm. Conclusion: Even with the high acetabular inclination angle, the prostheses performed well in the present test conditions. The wear rates of the liners were estimated to be clearly below the osteolysis threshold of 0.05 mm/year, below which osteolysis is absent. Since the present hip joint simulator has been shown to produce clinically relevant wear, these ex vivo results are likely to reflect the in vivo behavior of the design.

Abstract Bats utilize forests as roosting sites and feeding areas. However, it has not been documented how bats utilize these habitats in the boreal zone with methods afforded by recent technological advances. Forest structure and management practices can create a variety of three‐dimensional habitats for organisms capable of flight, such as bats. Here, we study the presence of boreal bats in a forest forming a mosaic of different age classes, dominant tree species, canopy cover, soil fertility, and other environmental variables, throughout their active season in the summer using passive ultrasound detectors. Our results indicate a preference for mature forest by Eptesicus nilssonii and a pooled set of Myotis bats. Both groups of bats also showed temporal changes in their habitat use regarding forest age. In June and July, both groups occurred more often in mature than young forests, but from August onwards, the difference in occurrence became less evident in Myotis and disappeared completely in E. nilssonii. In addition, E. nilssonii was more often present in forests with low canopy cover, and its occurrence shifted from coniferous forests to deciduous forests during the season. The results reflect the within‐season dynamics of bat communities and their ability to utilize different types of forest as environmental conditions change. Yet, the results most importantly emphasize the importance of mature forests to bat diversity and the need to conserve such environments in the boreal zone.

The essay discusses Gabriel Naudé’s ideal of a censorship-free and publicly open library within Naudé’s intellectual environment consisting of some early modern veins of political theory and views to history. An assumption is that the Naudéan ideal of library and some veins in early modern historiography and views to history could manifest somehow similar rationalities. The early modern vein of Tacitist historiography pursuing a realist and source-based description of the past could relate to Naudé’s ideal of the censorship-free library and his technocratic and moral premises excluding political thought. Naudé’s ideal of the publicly open library, on the other hand, could relate to a different view to history that could be constitutive of morality too. The early phase of early modern Tacitism especially would be consistent with Naudé’s thought of both the library and politics, while the other view to history could be, at best, only fragmentarily significant.

The smart city concept brings together technology, government and different layers of society, utilizing technological enablers, such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). These enablers, in turn, facilitate development of various aspects of the smart city including, e.g., transportation, governance, education, safety and communications. However, the transition towards smarter cities involves not only technological development but also the changing and evolving roles of citizens, service providers and city authorities. In this transition, the key issue is creating and growing roles of collaboration, participation and coordination. Whereas mainstream research focuses on smart city transformation in big cities, aspects of this transformation in the context of small cities has been a widely neglected topic. This paper presents three cases of smart city development in small cities in Finland, each concentrating on a different aspect of smart city development. The cases reveal how a relatively small-sized city may take remarkable steps in smart city development by selecting a specific theme on which to build smart city activities. These examples also emphasize the critical role of public sector actors, showing that the public sector has a key role in creating the foundations for fruitful ecosystem-based development work.

In an attempt to identify patients who have successfully survived a resuscitated cardiac arrest (CA), attention is drawn to resistin and S100B protein, two biomarkers that have been studied in relation to CA.

Abstract Landscape structure can affect dispersal and gene flow in a species. In urban areas, buildings, roads, and small habitat patches make the landscape highly fragmented and can inhibit movement and affect dispersal behavior. Similarly, in rural forested areas, large open areas, such as fields, may act as barriers to movement. We studied how landscape structure affects natal dispersal distances of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in an urban area and a rural area in Finland, by monitoring juvenile red squirrels with radio telemetry. We observed extremely long dispersal distances—up to 16 km—in the rural study area, but shorter distances—on average only half a kilometer—in the urban study area. The landscape structure affected the eventual dispersal paths; in the rural landscape, dispersers favored spruce dominated areas and avoided fields along their dispersal route, although they occasionally even crossed wide fields. In the urban landscape, squirrels preferred areas with deciduous or coniferous trees. The movement steps made by dispersers were longer in the more hostile landscape compared to forested areas. Despite these effects on movement path, the landscape structure only had a minor effect on straight line dispersal distances moved from the natal nest. In other words, individuals moved longer distances and were likely to circumvent barriers in their path, but this did not affect how far they settled from their natal home. This result indicates that, although landscape structure has obvious effects on movement, it still may have only a small effect on other aspects of the population, for example, gene flow.

Alina Deniza Ciubean,1,2 Rodica Ana Ungur,2,3 Laszlo Irsay,2,3 Viorela Mihaela Ciortea,2,3 Ileana Monica Borda,2,3 Ioan Onac,2,3 Stefan Cristian Vesa,1 Anca Dana Buzoianu1 1Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 2Department of Rehabilitation, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 3Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Objectives: Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder characterized by decreased bone mass and increased susceptibility to fractures, which are associated with pain and decrease in physical function, social function, and well-being, which are all aspects of quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the burden of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in Romanian postmenopausal women from Cluj County using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Quality of life questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO-41) questionnaires.Materials and methods: An analytical cross-sectional study on 364 postmenopausal women was carried out between June 2016 and August 2017 in the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, Romania. Data were collected by interview and from the medical documents: clinical and demographic data, personal medical history, risk factors for osteoporosis, and bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femur. The patients included in the study were asked to complete the Romanian versions of the SF-36 and QUALEFFO-41 questionnaires.Results: Women with osteoporosis had significantly lower scores in the SF-36 domains (P

Introduction/objectives. Romania ranks first regarding the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer (CC) in the European Union. The persistent infection with high-risk HPV subtypes is a confirmed precursor in the development of almost all invasive cervical cancers, with HPV 16 and HPV 18 being classically considered the most common oncogenic subtypes. The prevalence of various HPV strains varies widely across the globe. The objectives of this study were to determine the presence of HPV infection and the infectious viral subtype in patients with normal cervix, CIN and with cervical cancer hospitalized in our institution, as well as to evaluate the particularities of this infection according to certain clinical parameters, in order to prioritize the screening services for patients with high-risk characteristics for HPVinduced disease in our geographic region. Materials and method. A total of 77 patients admitted to the “Dominic Stanca” Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cluj-Napoca, were enrolled in the study, grouped in three categories: Group 1 – Control (n=38), Group 2 – CIN (n=30), Group 3 – CC (n=9). For all patients, the diagnosis of the cervical condition was confirmed by histopathological examination. A complex clinical database was developed, followed by the detection of high-risk HPV strains by the HPV Genotypes 14 Real-TM Quant kit. The number of previous cyto-tumoral examinations, as well as the macroscopic appearance of the cervix at the gynecologic examination were also recorded. The SPSS v. 24.0 program was used for data analysis, considering the statistical significance at the standard level of 5%. Results. HPV infection was detected in 88.3% of the subjects and a large number of patients were coinfected with several HPV strains. The most prevalent HR strains were HPV 16, 58, 56, 52, 33 and 31. Considering a single examination, 42% of patients in the control group had abnormal cytological results (PAP III, PAP IV), probably in association with the presence of the HPV infection; however, all patients (100%) in CIN and CC groups had abnormal cytology. At the clinical examination, 26.3% of patients without neoplastic cellular changes had a cervix presenting a macroscopic lesion. When analyzing the appearance of the cervix according to the HPV status, it was found that almost half (44.11%) of the patients with microscopically normal cervix had HPV infection, in 96.8% of cases the detected strain being HPV 16. Conclusions. This study highlighted HPV 16, 58, 56 and 52 as the most prevalent strains in the analyzed population. Given the wide variability in the prevalence of HPV-HR strains by geographical area, it is important to include the most common genotypes in the test kits for each region. The appearance of a cervical lesion is associated in half of the cases with HPV 16 infection, in case of normal cytology. HPV testing could bring additional benefits in guiding the subsequent management for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Heart failure (HF) is a disease with a high prevalence in the elderly population. Problems posed by HF diagnosis and management within this special category validate the interest in studying ways to improve the quality and duration of life in these patients. Aim. To determine the prognostic accuracy of certain clinical and laboratory parameters and to predict mortality rates in elderly patients with HF. Study design. It is a cohort, analytical, prospective, observational, crosssectional study conducted between 2006- 2008. Data regarding patient survival over a period of six months were recorded from the moment of enrollment. Subjects and methods. The study group consisted of 177 patients of over 65 years of age admitted to geriatrics, internal medicine and cardiology units, diagnosed with HF. A series of clinical and laboratory data from these patients has been examined, including NT-proBNP and CRP. Results. CRP levels higher than 3.57 mg/dL determined a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.9 (CI95% 1 - 15.2, p=0.04), urea levels higher than 79 mg/dL determined a HR of 8.8 (CI95% 1.1 - 37.4, p=0.003) and NT-proBNP levels higher than 9370 pg/ mL determined a HR of 18.6 (CI95% 5.2 - 66.2, p<0.001). After multiple comparison adjustments (Bonferroni correction), only urea and NT-proBNP remained independent variables predicting 6-month mortality in elderly patients with HF. Conclusion. High NT-proBNP and urea levels were independent predictors for mortality in elderly patients with heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Reduced serum levels of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activities are associated with diseases involving increased oxidative stress, such as acute coronary syndrome. We aimed to determine whether serum PON1 activities are a prognostic factor for one-year survival following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Background. Previous sleep studies suggest that type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with poor quality of sleep and sleep disorders. Aim. To evaluate sleep parameters and diurnal preference in type 2 diabetic patients, using a questionnaire. Methods. Ninety seven patients (aged 55.8±8.3, sex ratio 1:1), previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, together with 102 controls (aged 47.1±10.5, sex ratio 1:1), without diabetes, completed a questionnaire containing the Romanian translation of the Composite Scale of Morningness, the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Pittsburgh Insomnia Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI). The study was cross-sectional, as we included subjects from outpatient and inpatient facilities. The recruitment process was based on handing invitation letters to patients consulting their physician, as well as to their acquaintances, using the snowball sampling. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Results. Insomnia was more often reported in diabetic patients: 32 (33.0%) vs. 16 (15.7%) controls, a difference that was highly significant (P<0.001). Diabetic patients used to wake up at approximately the same hour as controls did; nevertheless they went to bed earlier (22:14 ± 0:57 vs. 22:32 ± 1:03), needed more minutes to fall asleep (28.84 ± 21.01 vs. 24.32 ± 23.45) and slept less than controls (7.01 ± 1.56 vs. 7.23 ± 1.18). Statistically significant differences between patients and controls were found regarding the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P=0.005), the Pittsburgh Insomnia Rating Scale (P<0.001) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (P=0.001) scores. Eighteen (18.5%) patients also met the criteria for a depressive disorder. No significant differences between patients and controls were found as related to their chronotype (P=0.32) Conclusion. Poor sleep, but not diurnal preference, was linked with the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat choice often entails trade-offs between food availability and predation risk. Understanding the distribution of individuals in space thus requires that both habitat characteristics and predation risk are considered simultaneously. Here, we studied the nest box use of two arboreal squirrels who share preferred habitat with their main predators. Nocturnal Ural owls (Strix uralensis) decreased occurrence of night-active flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) and diurnal goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) that of day-active red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). Unexpectedly, the amount of preferred habitat had no effect on nest box use, but, surprisingly, both squirrel species seemed to benefit from close proximity to agricultural fields and red squirrels to urban areas. We found no evidence of trade-off between settling in a high-quality habitat and avoiding predators. However, the amount of poor-quality young pine forests was lower in occupied sites where goshawks were present, possibly indicating habitat specific predation on red squirrels. The results suggest that erecting nest boxes for Ural owls should be avoided in the vicinity of flying squirrel territories in order to conserve the near threatened flying squirrels. Our results also suggest that flying squirrels do not always need continuous old forests, and hence the currently insufficient conservation practices could be improved with reasonable increases in the areas left untouched around their nests. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of taking into account both habitat requirements and predation risk as well as their interactive effects when modeling the occupancy of threatened animal species and planning their conservation.

Informaatiotutkimuksen yliopistonlehtori Vesa Suominen jäi eläkkeelle ja piti läksiäisluentonsa 1.2.2017 Oulun yliopistossa.

Scop: Această cercetare are drept scop stabilirea unei corelaţii genotip-fenotip la pacienţii trataţi cu acenocumarol şi studierea factoriilor genetici (polimorfismele VKORC1 şi CYP2C9), care ar putea influenţa valorile INR în timpul iniţierii terapiei anticoagulante orale cu acenocumarol. Material şi metode: Am inclus 131 de pacienţi care necesitau tratament cu acenocumarol, 70 (53,4%) femei şi 61 (46,6%) bărbaţi, internaţi în Clinica Medicala 5 din Cluj-Napoca, între 2009-2011. Am studiat influenţa vârstei, sexului, medicaţiei concomitente şi a genelor CYP2C9 şi VKORC1 asupra valorii INR măsurate în ziua a treia de tratament şi asupra diferenţei dintre această valoare şi valoarea INR măsurată la debutul tratamentului (INRDIF). Rezultate şi concluzii: Am demonstrat o diferenţă semnificativă statistic pentru INR3 şi valorile INRDIF la pacienţii cu genotip AA şi cei cu genotip GG ai polimorfismului c.- 1639G>A al genei VKORC1. Prezenţa genotipului AA al polimorfismului c.- 1639G>A al genei VKORC1 a determinat o creştere de 15,7 ori a riscului ca un pacient să prezinte INR supraterapeutic după 2 zile de tratament cu 4 mg de acenocumarol.

Obiectivul studiului a fost de investigarea fenotipului şi genotipului PON1 la pacienţii români cu obezitate abdominală. Material şi metodă. Loturile din studiu au constat din 88 de pacienţi cu obezitate abdominală şi 46 subiecţi cu circumferinţă abdominală normală. Pentru fiecare pacient am determinat parametri clinici care ar putea influenţa activităţile PON1. Polimorfismele Q192R şi L55M ale genei PON1 au fost identificate prin PCR-RFLP (polimorfismul lungimii fragmentelor de restricţie) prin utilizarea unor primeri şi enzime de restricţie specifice. Activităţile PON1 lactonază, paraoxonază şi arilesteraza au fost măsurate prin metode spectofotometrice. Analiza statistică a genotipurilor PON1 şi activităţilor ei la pacienţii obezi şi nonobezi a fost realizată cu programul MedCalc (versiunea 12.5.0.0). Rezultate: Nu am găsit o diferenţă semnificativă între pacienţii obezi şi nonobezi în ceea ce priveşte vârsta şi sexul. Studiul a revelat faptul că activităţile PON1 nu sunt influenţate de sexul pacienţilor. Dintre activităţile PON1, doar activitatea paraoxonazei a fost invers corelată cu vârsta (p=0,05). Circumferinţa abdominală a influenţat independent doar variaţia activităţii arilesterazei (R2=6,5%); p=0,003). Distribuţia genotipurilor PON1 între loturi a fost semnificativ diferită doar pentru Q192R (p=0,007), dar nu şi pentru genotipurile L55M. Genotipul QR a avut cea mai mare influenţă asupra activităţii paraoxonazei (R2=40,6; p