Descriptions of research projects and list of publications and thesis

Summary

Many health problems such as psychiatric diseases may impact on oral health. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can be associated with dental caries, erosive tooth wear as well as problems with periodontal tissue. In addition eating disorders can cause xerostomia and hyposalivation.

The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of dental caries, erosive tooth wear and periodontal disease (indicated by clinical attachment loss and bleeding on probing) among patients in NFBC1966 and 1986 who have eating disorder. The association of different factors with eating disorders are examined using multivariate models.  

Aim of the study is to investigate prevalences of oral mucosal lesions and factors associated with them in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 66. The study has started in 2017. 

Activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway reprograms metabolic functions and is involved in inflammation. Hemoglonin (Hb) is the main carrier of oxygen and its levels associate with tissue oxygenation and activation of the HIF pathway. Hb levels vary between individuals, low Hb levels indicating hypoxia and vice versa. We have shown earlier on NFBC1966 using normal variation of Hb levels  as a surrogate measure for oxygenation that individuals with lower Hb levels have better metabolic health and less inflammatory load. The aim of this study is to associate Hb levels with oral health parameters in a human cohort.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the alveolar bone and tooth supporting connective tissue. The disease is common, prevalence rates vary in mild condition from 13% to 88%, in moderate from 12% to 60% and in severe from 1% to 33%. Well known risk factors for periodontitis are oral hygiene level, smoking, male gender, aging, and type 2 diabetes. The low-grade inflammation has also been shown to relate to autonomic nervous system function. However, the association between autonomic nervous function, periodontal condition and inflammation markers remains unknown. We plan to investigate the association between cardiac and peripheral autonomic regulation, inflammation and periodontal condition, using the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) 1966.

Summary

Adverse childhood events (ACEs) cover various negative childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect, but also family dysfunction. ACEs are associated with various negative health outcomes in the adulthood, including poor oral health. Previous research suggests that ACEs might be a risk factor for oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal diseases. ACEs might also lead to compromised dental care at home and inadequate utilization of dental services.

In this study we aim to investigate the association between ACEs and oral health in the adulthood. We will try to find out if there is a connection between ACEs and various oral health-related factors. In addition, we will examine if ACEs influence the individual’s perception of their own oral health and oral health-related quality of life.

Study is looking risk factors for psychotic and affective symptoms and diagnoses in the NFBC studies. 

Nutrition is the essential basis for health, and it is related to the onset of preventable non-communicable diseases. This project is aimed to develop novel food recommender systems using cutting edge technologies including deep learning and social network analysis techniques to advance designing and implementing new forms of healthy food recommender system based on personalized preferences and behaviors. Food recommenders have the potential to positively influence the eating habits of people living in a modern society where unhealthy eating is a major problem, and accordingly result in better health and well-being.

Finland has been reported to have the lowest birth rate in Nordics during 2019 according to the report from Statistics Finland where Finland reported a significant decrease of fertility from 1.87 children in 2010 to 1.35 in 2019, which is much below the population replacement level.  Children are important components of life, but women are more likely to value employment and material security over motherhood. This project will focus on getting deeper insight about parenthood situations in Finland and investigate the underlying causes of low birth rate.

Early life events have a considerable role in the long-term health. In life course epidemiology, the influence of biological, behavioural, and psychosocial process in the development of disease risk is studied. It is therefore important to utilise the cohort data for investigating the causal pathway of different factors in development of oral diseases.

The aim of this project is to evaluate the impact of early childhood condition on oral health and oral health-related behaviours in long term among the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. In this project, we will build a refined health endowment measure netted out from prenatal investments by embedding in our model educational achievement in school, completed years of education and labour market outcomes such as employment and earnings. Similarly, we will also investigate the impact of an early-life shock on oral health behavioural outcomes. For this, we will deploy a bivariate probit model to a pair of binary dependent variables with correlated disturbances. This project will generate evidence on the consequences of negative early childhood events, socioeconomic position and childhood obesity on oral health and oral health-related behaviours in long term that the policymakers need to consider in order to improve oral health and well-being.

Working life is changing rapidly and qualitative demands of work create challenges for employee well-being and increase work-related stress, which may eventually lead to job burnout. There is a need for research about resources that promote well-being at work and prevent work-related stress. In addition to organizational aspects of work, extra work factors such as physical activity may have an important role in preventing and managing work-related stress. Physical activity may also help people to detach from work which promotes stress management.

This study aims to investigate the role of physical activity in preventing work-related stress.

The role of personality behind the relationship between mental health disorders and educational and labour market outcomes is still uncovered. Studying this in the setting of Northern Finland Birth Cohorts is interesting because of the generally rising trends in mental health and related diagnoses, and the structural changes in labour markets during last 5 decades.

This study aims to address this gap by using the combination NFBC1966, NFBC1986, and Finnish register data (e.g. combined variables for psychiatric diagnoses based on various registers, family status, children born, place of residence, occupation, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, school grades, and income).

Chronic pain conditions are complex syndromes characterized by a mosaic of biological, psychological, and social factors. We derived predictive models for the number of co- existing pain sites in the UK Biobank and identified a common risk score that classified different chronic pain conditions in cross-sectional data, predicted the development of chronic pain in pain-free individuals, and determined the spreading of chronic pain to multiple sites or its recovery nine years later. The features with the strongest prognosis included sleeplessness, feeling ‘fed-up’, tiredness, stressful life events, and a BMI > 30. The risk score for pain was associated with an inflammatory blood marker, a polygenic risk score for pain, and a neuroimaging-based marker for sustained pain.

The demonstration of a common biopsychosocial risk factor for different clinical pain conditions may help better characterize a general chronic pain syndrome, tailor research protocols, optimize patient randomization in clinical trials, and improve pain management.

Emotional neglect means that the child’s emotional and developmental needs are not fulfilled by the parents or other caregivers. Adverse childhood events (ACEs) are a risk factor for mental health problems and impaired parenting skills. Furthermore, as having a parent with mental health problems is considered as an ACE, the child is also at risk. Previous research suggests that ACEs might be transferred from one generation to the next.

The objective in this study is to examine if the parents’ ACEs increased the child’s risk to experience emotional neglect. Our hypothesis is that the more ACEs the parents have experienced, the more emotional neglect their child experiences.

The aim of this research is to investigate the putative bidirectionality of the relationship between depression and social capital in the NFBC1966 cohort. Factors such as social support, social cohesion, generosity, and trust in others have been found to be associated with depression. Thus, suggesting that social capital may play a crucial role in the experience of depression and happiness of the Nordic population.

Previous research has suggested that the relationship between social capital and depression is complex, and reciprocal. Therefore, using longitudinal data would allow for the examination of the bidirectionality of the variables.

Excessive or problematic internet use can increase the risk of developing attentional and mental problems (e.g. anxiety, depression, ADHD). Information on the risk profiles of excessive or problematic Internet use is needed in order to develop supportive practices and services in homes, schools and working environments.

The aim of the study is to investigate the risk profiles of young adults' excessive and problematic use of the Internet, its related predictors, and associations with attentional and emotional problems in adolescence. The Purpose is to recognise the conjoint longitudinal connections between all these variables (attentional and emotional problems and excessive internet-based activities) in both adolescence and adulthood. Identifying risk factors is an essential/important step in promoting the adoption of healthy digital behaviours for the long-term health of adolescents.

The data of the present study were gathered via a questionnaire mailed to the 15- to 16-year-old eligible adolescents and their parents belonging to the NFBC1986 between 2001 and 2002 (N = 9215). Questionnaires included variables on mental and physical health, exercise, behaviour, nutrition, living habits, and hobbies. Furthermore, this study utilizes data collected by postal questionnaires (during May 2019 - December 2020) for the whole cohort members living in Oulu and surrounding areas (250 km from Oulu) when participants were aged 33-35 years (N = 8896). Questionnaires included measures on education, mental and physical health, exercise, behaviour, nutrition, work, economic, living habits and hobbies.

The aim of this study is to identify novel genes associated with lung function, kidney function, glycemic traits, depression, lipids and blood pressure that interact with physical activity, sleep, smoking and alcool consumption. 

Diabetes is a non-communicable chronic disease and the prevalence of which is increasing in the world. It is predicted that by 2030, about 643 million people will have diabetes.  Diabetes is associated with serious complications to the heart, blood vessels, digestive system, eyes, kidneys, nerves, skin, and even psychosocial aspect and early mortality and these have caused the burden and cast of diabetes to be very high. In fact, it can be said that today diabetes has become a global major.

On the other hand, the skin can be seen as a mirror of body`s health and any change or disorder is a sign of illness or the beginning of illness and many studies have shown the association between skin disorders and diabetes but hardly do researchers seek out the causality between skin disorders and diabetes.

To address the gaps in the literature, this study will be threefold:

1) to examine the relationship between skin disorders, notably inflammatory ones, and T2D. To reach this objective, the path diagram of the relationships of the skin variables and T2D variables is modelled. Then,  information related to the skin appearance, such as colour, type of skin and various chronic skin diseases related to inflammation is used. By using this information and performing exploratory factor analysis on the data,  fewer and more comprehensive skin factors is reached, one of which is related to inflammatory skin diseases. After that, Structural equation modelling (SEM) to find the path diagram of skin factors and T2D is used.

2) to infer the causality between skin diseases and diabetes via applying two-samples mendelian randomization.

3) to used machine learning methods to predict of diabetes based on skin disorders which may be translated into diagnostic tool to find out the presence or absence of diabetes without performing a blood test and only from skin symptoms.

Summary

We aim to investigate comprehensively the health and well-being of women facing menopause by their mid-40s. It is known that menopause before the age of 40, concerning about 1-2% of women, exposes women to adverse health outcomes. Up to 12% of women face menopause by the age of 45, but only a few studies have investigated health outcomes in them. In this study, we investigate several important aspects of early-onset menopausal transition. The study results will guide healthcare professionals to pay attention to the important health and life quality issues when facing women with early menopause.  

The evaluation of occlusion, dental arches and facial characteristics are important part of the orthodontic treatment planning. Dental arches and occlusion develop under the influence of function, such as breathing and chewing, and mild changes occur throughout life. The dental arch form has been suggested to be associated with dental malocclusions, craniofacial deviations and mouth breathing. The main objective of this study is to investigate the variations and covariations of occlusion, dental arch morphology and facial morphology in the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts (NFBC) 1966 and 1986. The second aim is to study the associations of certain general diseases, such as asthma and sleep apnea, with dentofacial morphology. 

 Summary only in Finnish

Summary only in Finnish

This project utilises intervertebral disc degeneration (LDD) leading to low back pain (LBP) as a relevant application for the integration of data and computational simulations in translational medicine, to enable rational interpretations of the complexity of the interactions that eventually lead to symptoms.

LBP is the largest cause of morbidity worldwide, yet there remains controversy as to the specific cause leading to poor treatment options and prognosis. LDD is reported to account for 50% of LBP in young adults, but the interplay of factors from genetics, environmental, cellular responses and social and psychological factors is poorly understood. Unfortunately, the integration of such data into a holistic and rational map of degenerative processes and risk factors has not been achieved, requiring creation of professional crosscompetencies, which current training programmes in biomedicine, biomedical engineering and translational medicine fail to address, individually.
Disc4All aims to tackle this issue through collaborative expertise of clinicians; computational physicists and biologists; geneticists; computer scientists; cell and molecular biologists; microbiologists; bioinformaticians; and industrial partners.   

The aim of this study is to assess the associations of four environmental factors with changes in blood pressure in childhood, adolescence and/or early adulthood and compare the results found in ALSPAC with findings from other independent studies.  

Summary available in Finnish only

The study evaluates the prevalence, risk factors and comorbidities of contact allergy and hand eczema. 

Summary available in Finnish only

Summary available in Finnish only

Summary available in Finnish only

Summary available in Finnish only

Major depressive disorder is a leading cause for incapacity for work in Finland. Depressive symptoms are associated with 1.5-fold risk of absence from work due to illness at population level. However, risk factors of disability among depressed people are known deficiently. Especially, the role of anxiety is poorly studied. The association of anxiety and clinical picture on disability among depressed people will be investigated in this study.

Summary available in Finnish only

Summary available in Finnish only

Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) has recently been accepted as an important factor governing female fertility. This project aims on studying the role of AMH from puberty until late reproductive years. We study the association of AMH health factors, such as infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy complications, telomere length and metabolism.

This project will use new supervised and unsupervised methods to help identifying possible early predictor of childhood obesity. The finding my help developing rapid detection of the early risk of obesity.   

In the third article of the current doctoral thesis, the aim is to investigate the association of compassion and obesity. Compassion’s link to obesity has not yet been studied. However, compassion has been found to associated with adulthood health behaviors such as lower at-risk alcohol consumption and lower blood pressure. In addition, high compassion predicts higher socioeconomic status in adulthood. In contrast, lower socioeconomic status in childhood often carries over into adulthood as well as predicts adulthood obesity. In this study, we investigate whether high compassion, self-compassion, and empathetic concern buffer against the effects of low socioeconomic status in childhood on adulthood obesity. The data comes from the NFBC1986 and its 33-year measurement point. Several confounding factors will be addressed in the analyses, such as socioeconomic status in adulthood and health behaviors.  

The Aim of this study is to find out the real prevalence of multimorbidity in middle-aged and ageing population by using very carefully screened population of northern Finland (Northern Finland Birth Cohort 66, later also Oulu 1935 - and Oulu 1945 data).

The Purpose is to understand different profiles of multimorbidity and typical disease clusters. In addition, we will also evaluate the associations between the multimorbidity and anxiety, depressive symptoms, and quality of life.

Aim is to study physical, mental, social, and economic well-being of cohort patients before and after lumbar- or cervical spine surgery. The study investigates prevalence and risk factors of spinal surgeries in cohort. Prevalence of opioid usage before and after surgeries determined and risk factors for extended usage of opioids is evaluated. Also, prevalence of spinal cord stimulators (SCS) is accounted.  

The aim of the study is to examine what kinds of factors during childhood and adolescence are related to the compassion for others and for oneself as well as the empathic concern that one experiences in adulthood.  

Assessment of Pain Signaling, Psychological Distress, Quality of Life and Fertility Related to Endometriosis

In most population-based follow-up studies the aim is not to intervene in any way. Thought the idea is not to intervene, the studies conducted during follow-up may affect the target population. There are practically no studies exploring the intervention effect of population-based follow-up studies. This project studies the intervention effect in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) and the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986). Especially the intervention effect on mental health, use of health care services and cardiometabolic disorders are studied.

This project will contribute to define the common genetic factors predisposing to infertility to help defining better prevention.   

The Computational Medicine Research Team is in the process of developing a new quantitative high-throughput urine NMR metabolomics platform. The basic methodological background for the NMR-based urine platform is already established (Proof of concept for quantitative urine NMR metabolomics pipeline for large-scale epidemiology and genetics. Tynkkynen et al. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019, 978–993; doi: 10.1093/ije/dyy287). We have identified over 100 metabolic components in urine (in good correspondence with existing literature) and established a semi-automated methodology to quantify over 50 metabolic measures. Automation of the platform is in progress along the first epidemiological studies how the urinary metabolites relate to systemic metabolism and various clinical and epidemiological conditions.

This projects aims to describe sleep related factors in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We will investigate whether sleeping problems explain the high morbidity experienced by women with PCOS.