Liquid phase deposition of polymers on arbitrary shaped surfaces and their suitability for e-beam patterning.

We present a straightforward low cost liquid phase deposition method to coat arbitrary-shaped dielectric substrates with uniform electron beam sensitive polymer films. Furthermore, we investigate the use of electron beam lithography to pattern the coated pre-form substrates. The polymers studied are poly-methyl-methacrylate with different molecular weights, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ethyl acrylate) and methyl methacrylate. The polymer coverage over the whole surface area is shown to be uniform and the thickness of the film dependent on the concentration of the polymer liquid used. As the uniform polymer layer is deposited on non-flat surfaces, we show that with an electron beam various surfaces, e.g. microlens arrays, can be re-patterned accurately with nanoscale features. Furthermore, we show the required dose for electron beam exposure to be dependent on the concentration and on the molecular weight of the polymer used.

Electric field imprinting of sub-micron patterns in glass-metal nanocomposites.

We demonstrate that the dissolution of 10 nm metal nanoparticles localized in the subsurface layer of silicate glass by static electric field can be employed to alter the optical density and surface profile of the glass-metal composite with spatial resolution of 200 nm. The developed technique, which can be referred to as electric field imprinting (EFI), offers an attractive alternative to conventional micro- and nano-pattering techniques.

Psychodynamic personality profile in first-episode severe mental disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to relate measures of psychoanalytically derived personality traits to descriptive diagnosis and psychopathology in severe mental disorders. METHOD: Sixty-one consecutive first-episode patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe major depression were interviewed. Personality traits were assessed with the Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile (KAPP) and compared with the DSM-IV diagnosis and symptom clusters derived from the BPRS. RESULTS: There were no marked differences in personality traits between the three diagnostic groups, between schizophrenia and affective disorders or between psychotic and non-psychotic illness. However, personality traits had significant associations with symptoms, especially with the emotional retardation cluster. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that severe mental disorders would differ from each other in terms of long-standing psychodynamic personality profiles. Certain dysfunctional personality traits may predict especially negative emotional symptoms and possibly also predispose a person to them.

Structural magnetic resonance imaging in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, psychotic and severe non-psychotic depression and healthy controls. Results of the schizophrenia and affective psychoses (SAP) project.

BACKGROUND: Structural brain abnormalities are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders. AIMS: To study how regional brain volumes and their ratios differ between patients with schizophrenia, psychotic depression, severe non-psychotic depression and healthy controls. METHOD: Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain on first-episode patients and on healthy controls. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia had a smaller left frontal grey matter volume than the other three groups. Patients with psychotic depression had larger ventricular and posterior sulcal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes than controls. Patients with depression had larger white matter volumes than the other patients. CONCLUSIONS: Left frontal lobe, especially its grey matter volume, seems to be specifically reduced in first-episode schizophrenia. Enlarged cerebral ventricles and sulcal CSF volumes are prevalent in psychotic depression. Preserved or expanded white matter is typical of non-psychotic depression.

Comparison of clinical and best-estimate research DSM-IV diagnoses in a Finnish sample of first-admission psychosis and severe affective disorder.

The purpose of this study was to investigate diagnostic agreement between clinicians and a research group in a sample of first-admission psychosis and severe affective disorder patients. Clinical DSM-IV discharge diagnoses and best-estimate DSM-IV research diagnoses were compared in 116 first-episode patients in the city of Turku, Finland. The best-estimate research diagnoses were made at consensus meetings by integrating longitudinal data; patients' medical records; and findings of a clinical interview, the structured SCAN-interview, and symptom severity ratings. Overall diagnostic agreement was moderate, with a kappa value 0.51 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39- 0.63). Of the diagnostic groups, schizophrenic disorders had the lowest kappa value of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.26-0.63). Clinicians had a tendency to miss depressive symptoms in psychotic patients; to overdiagnose psychotic symptoms in depressive patients; and to fail to discover earlier hypomanic or depressive episodes in depressive patients. In conclusion, hospital diagnoses were not reliable in first-episode patients. Inappropriate diagnoses may compromise both treatment and epidemiologic findings based on discharge diagnoses.

Impaired Wisconsin card sorting test performance in first-episode schizophrenia: resource or motivation deficit?

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia (n = 27) and age- and education-matched healthy controls (n = 27) were administered the standard version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), and the Rorschach according to the Comprehensive System (CS). Schizophrenic patients achieved a significantly lower full-scale IQ and made more perseverative responses and achieved fewer categories on the WCST than the healthy control group. No significant associations were observed between effort or motivation and WCST performance. Schizophrenic patients who made more perseverative responses tended to be impoverished in terms of available resources, and functioned in a simplistic way when attending to details of the stimulus field. First-episode schizophrenics are able to generate motives and initiate goal-directed activity, but some of them fail to achieve their goals because the cognitive abilities and available resources required for effective planning, purposeful action, or effective performance are impaired.

Longitudinal radiological study of the oral health parameters in an elderly Finnish population.

In the oldest elderly, an increase in the number of remaining teeth may increase oral infection foci. The aim of this follow-up study was to examine the radiologically detected oral health condition of a group of home-living elderly in Helsinki at 5-year intervals. The population of this study comprised 103 home-living elderly people, all participants of the population-based Helsinki Aging Study. Panoramic radiography supplemented by intraoral radiographs was performed on all these participants at the Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, in 1990-1991. Follow-up radiographic examination was completed in 1995-1996. Mean number of teeth decreased during the follow-up period from 13.2 +/- 9.0 to 12.5 +/- 9.2 (P= 0.0001). Mean number of teeth with periapical lesions decreased in men from 1.3 +/- 1.4 to 0.6 +/- 0.9 (P = 0.007), but no differences in number of teeth with periapical findings were observed in women. There were relatively few changes in the subjects' radiographic periodontal findings. However, fewer teeth with vertical bone pockets >1-3 mm deep were found in the follow-up study than 5 years earlier (0.6 +/- 1.2 vs 1.1 +/- 1.8; P= 0.0008). In both the baseline and the follow-up studies the radiographic findings occurred in the subjects who had retained more natural teeth. In the follow-up study, 68% of the subjects had radiographically detected signs of chronic oral infection foci. It may be concluded that radiographically detected oral health parameters remain relatively unchanged, but treatment need is higher among those who have successfully retained their natural dentition into old age.

Habituation of the blink reflex in first-episode schizophrenia, psychotic depression and non-psychotic depression.

OBJECTIVE: Electrophysiological recording of the electrically elicited blink reflex is the most reliable method of investigating habituation of the startle reflex. The purpose of this study was to compare the habituation and the late R3-component of the blink reflex between control subjects (N=19) and first-episode patients with schizophrenia (N=17), psychotic depression (N=23), and severe non-psychotic depression (N=25). METHODS: The blink reflex was evoked by electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve, and the deficient habituation of the R2i-component was measured with a computer-assisted integral area measurement. Prefrontal executive function of the patients was assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Current psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Calgary Depression Scale. RESULTS: Deficient habituation of the blink reflex and occurrence of the late R3 component were associated both with a previous diagnosis of psychotic disorder and with the presence of current psychosis. The sensitivity and specificity of the abnormal habituation of the blink reflex in detecting psychotic disorder were 0.50 and 0.80, respectively. The abnormalities of the blink reflex were not associated with psychotropic medication. In schizophrenic patients, defective habituation of the blink reflex was associated with negative and cognitive symptoms, and in depressive patients with the presence of delusions. CONCLUSIONS: The deficient habituation of the blink reflex and occurrence of the late R3 component seem to be both trait and state markers of a psychotic disorder. The results suggest that schizophrenia and psychotic depression share some common neurobiological mechanisms involved in the modulation of the startle reflex.

Rye bread decreases serum total and LDL cholesterol in men with moderately elevated serum cholesterol.

The objective of this study was to determine the hypocholesterolemic effects of whole meal rye and white wheat breads in healthy humans with elevated serum cholesterol concentrations, and the changes in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations during rye and wheat bread periods. The subjects were 18 men and 22 women with baseline serum cholesterol concentration of 6.4+/-0.2 mmol/L. The study design was a 2x4-wk crossover trial during which each subject randomly consumed rye and wheat breads (20% of daily energy) as part of their usual diet for 4 wk. The bread periods were separated by a 4-wk washout period. Blood samples (after fasting) were collected on two consecutive days at the beginning and end of the bread periods. Serum total cholesterol decreased by 8% (P = 0.002) in men but was not significantly altered in women during the rye bread period. The wheat bread period did not affect any of the variables studied. Analysis of the serum lipids in tertiles of rye bread consumption confirmed the reduction in total cholesterol (P = 0.048) in men and revealed the reduction in LDL cholesterol (P = 0.032); both were dependent on the amount of rye bread consumed (-2, -14 and -10% in total cholesterol and 0, -12 and -12% in LDL cholesterol). Neither rye nor wheat bread influenced the concentrations of glucose and insulin. In conclusion, rye bread is effective in reducing serum total and LDL cholesterol concentrations in men with elevated serum cholesterol. Good compliance with consuming a relatively large amount of rye bread in the usual diet indicates that rye bread offers a practical dietary means of reducing serum cholesterol in men.

Rye bread decreases postprandial insulin response but does not alter glucose response in healthy Finnish subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To compare if postprandial glucose and insulin responses to wholekernel rye bread are lower than to wheat bread, and to see if these responses to two types of rye breads are different. To explore starch digestion in more detail, rate of starch hydrolysis of same breads was measured in vitro. DESIGN: Subjects were given test breads (43-61 g available carbohydrates by analysis) with standardized breakfast in a random order after a fast. Eight postprandial blood samples were collected during the following three hours. Rate of starch hydrolysis was determined by an in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis method. SUBJECTS: 10 men and 10 women, aged 32+/-3 and 27+/-5 y, BMI 24.5+/-2.2 and 20.3+/-1.1 kg/m2, respectively, all had normal glucose tolerance. RESULTS: Plasma insulin response to wholekernel rye bread was lower than to wheat bread (45 min P = 0.025, 60 min P = 0.002, 90 min P = 0.0004, 120 min P = 0.050, 150 min P = 0.033), but there was no difference in glucose responses. In comparison of two types of rye breads, glucose response to wholemeal rye bread at 150 and 180 min was higher (P = 0.018 and P = 0.041, respectively) and insulin response at 60 min was lower (P = 0.025) than those to wholemeal rye crispbread. Total sugar profiles in vitro were similar for all breads. When free reducing sugars were subtracted, starch in wholekernel and wholemeal rye breads appeared to be hydrolysed slower than starch in wholemeal rye crispbread and wheat bread. CONCLUSIONS: Wholekernel rye bread produces lower postprandial insulin response than wheat bread, but there is no difference in glucose response. The latter is in accordance with in vitro results. Postprandial glucose and insulin may also be affected by type of rye bread. Characteristics of different types of rye breads must be further investigated to develop health properties of rye breads.

Diagnosis of maxillary sinusitis in Finnish primary care. Use of imaging techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of imaging techniques on the diagnostic pattern of sinusitis in primary care. DESIGN: A multicentre survey. SETTING: 14 health centres with varying facilities for clinical imaging. SUBJECTS: 446 adult patients with a suspicion of acute maxillary sinusitis. Ultrasound or radiography facilities existed in 337 cases while 109 could only be judged clinically. MAIN outcome measures--The use of ultrasound, radiography, laboratory tests, irrigation and control visits. The final number of patients with sinusitis in different facility groups. RESULTS: When available, ultrasound was used in 82-92% and radiography in 6-32% of cases. The ultrasound finding showed mucosal thickening or was difficult to interpret in every third case; one half of these were interpreted as sinusitis and the rest were considered healthy. In total, sinusitis was diagnosed in 84-88% when ultrasound or radiography only could be used, and in 77% when both techniques were available (p < 0.01). Simultaneously the general practitioners' confidence in the correctness of their diagnosis increased from 39% to 66%. CONCLUSION: When possible, ultrasound is widely used in diagnosing sinusitis in Finnish primary care. The use of ultrasound slightly diminished the numbers of sinusitis diagnoses but the techniques of using and interpreting ultrasound findings need to be improved.

Mutated human androgen receptor gene detected in a prostatic cancer patient is also activated by estradiol.

Androgens are necessary for the development of prostatic cancer. The mechanisms by which the originally androgen-dependent prostatic cancer cells are relieved of the requirement to use androgen for their growth are largely unknown. The human prostatic cancer cell line LNCaP has been shown to contain a point mutation in the human androgen receptor gene (hAR), suggesting that changes in the hAR may contribute to the abnormal hormone response of prostatic cells. To search for point mutations in the hAR, we used single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and a polymerase chain reaction direct sequencing method to screen 23 prostatic cancer specimens from untreated patients, 6 prostatic cancer specimens from treated patients, and 11 benign prostatic hyperplasia specimens. One mutation was identified in DNA isolated from prostatic cancer tissue, and the mutation was also detected in the leukocyte DNA of the patient and his offspring. The mutation changed codon 726 in exon E from arginine to leucine and was a germ line mutation. The mutation we found in exon E of the hAR gene does not alter the ligand binding specificity of the AR, but the mutated receptor was activated by estradiol to a significantly greater extent than the wild-type receptor. The AR gene mutation described in this study might be one explanation for the altered biological activity of prostatic cancer.

Comparison of instruments for dual-energy X-ray bone mineral densitometry.

While bone mineral densitometry has become a common laboratory test, it is important to pay attention to the compatibility of the results from different instruments. In this study results from three commercially available bone densitometers are compared using both patient and phantom studies. Overall correlation between instruments was good but there were systematic discrepancies in the results. The three instruments provided bone mineral density (BMD) values that differed by as much as 13.5% due to differences as large as 6% in bone mineral content and as large as 7% in bone area. Thus, the BMD values obtained from different manufacturers' instruments are not directly comparable.

Comparison of the radiation doses in lumbar CT and myelography.

The radiation doses of the vertebral bodies and ovaries in lumbar CT and myelography were compared using a phantom. The CT examinations were performed with two different scanners using four different programs. At CT the radiation maximum doses of the vertebral bodies were higher than at myelography but the ovarian doses were lower. The radiation exposure does not prevent the use of CT instead of myelography, but the area of examination and the number of pictures should be limited to the minimum based on the clinical enquiry.