Body mass index and overweight in relation to residence distance and population density: experience from the Northern Finland birth cohort 1966.

BACKGROUND: The effect of urban sprawl on body weight in Finland is not well known. To provide more information, we examined whether body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of overweight are associated with an individual's distance to the local community centre and population density in his/her resident area. METHODS: The sample consisted of 5363 men and women, members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC), who filled in a postal questionnaire and attended a medical checkup in 1997, at the age of 31 years. Body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m(2)) were regressed on each subject's road distance to the resident commune's centre and on population density in the 1 km(2) geographical grid in which he/she resided, using a generalized additive model. Adjustments were made for sex, marital status, occupational class, education, leisure-time and occupational physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking. RESULTS: The mean BMI among the subjects was 24.7 kg/m(2), but it increased by increasing road distance (by 1.3 kg/m(2) from 5-10 to 20-184 km) and by decreasing population density (by 1.7 kg/m(2) from 1000-19,192 to 1-5 inhabitants/km(2)). The respective increases in overweight (overall prevalence 41%) were 13 per cent units for distance and 14 per cent units for population density. Adjusted regressions based on continuous explanatory variables showed an inverse L-shaped pattern with a mean BMI of 24.6 kg/m(2) at distances shorter than 5 km and a rise of 2.6 kg/m(2) at longer distances, and an increase of 2.5 kg/m(2) from highest to lowest population density. The associations with road distance were stronger for women than men, while the sex difference in association with population density remained indeterminate. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that young adults in Northern Finland who live far away from local centres or in the most sparsely populated areas are fatter than those who live close to local centres or in densely populated areas. The likely explanations include variations in everyday physical activity in different residential environments, although causality of the associations remains to be confirmed.

Physical workload and risk of low back pain in adolescence.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of physical workload in low back pain (LBP) among adolescents. METHODS: Working history and physical workload factors at 18 years were assessed for 1984 members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. The associations between work characteristics and LBP were analysed by multinomial logistic regression. Those with and without LBP at 18 years of age were compared in two subsamples. The incidence of LBP was studied among the 986 subjects without LBP at 16 years of age. Persistence of LBP was studied among the 728 subjects with LBP at 16 years of age. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to form natural clusters of workload factors and their associations with LBP were investigated using log-binomial regression. RESULTS: 753 (75%) subjects without LBP at 16 years of age had been working during the 2-year follow-up period. The average duration of work was 6.2 months. In adolescent girls, working regularly or irregularly and duration of work exposure were associated with incident LBP. Of specific physical workload factors, only awkward trunk postures were associated with incident LBP in both genders (RR 1.2 in girls and 1.7 in boys). The work exposure patterns in adolescent girls and boys were different. In the LCA, subjects in a cluster with high exposure to awkward trunk postures or an overall physically demanding job had a higher likelihood of incident LBP in both genders (RR 1.3-1.9). None of the specific workload factors or clusters was associated with persistent LBP. CONCLUSIONS: Physical workload factors constitute a risk for LBP even in adolescents.

Precariousness and discontinuous work history in association with health.

AIMS: Precarious type of employment may have a negative impact on health, notably on low psychological wellbeing. The basis of the former relationship is constructed by definition and operationalisation of precariousness. In this research, we first experimented with a construct of work history in the operationalisation of precariousness and second studied the relationship between precariousness and health. METHODS: The research data originated from a large population-based birth cohort (NFBC 1966). The study sample consists of 3449 respondents to the postal questionnaire at the age of 31 and the information supplemented by the register data of the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Health was measured by self-reports of doctor-diagnosed/treated illnesses and HSCL-25 for mental symptoms. RESULTS: Our operationalisation with a construct of discontinuous work history captured the precarious insecure relation to work. The precarious workers were found to have proportionally more mental symptoms in comparison with permanent workers. The perception of distress was stronger among precarious workers who perceived high job insecurity. However, there were no differences in doctor-diagnosed/treated illnesses between precarious and permanent workers. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that the construct of work history is a useful element in defining precariousness. The study also illustrates the association of precariousness, perceived job insecurity, and mental distress. The study suggests further research on disadvantages experienced by precarious workers.

A Natural History of Erectile Dysfunction in Elderly Men: A Population-Based, Twelve-Year Prospective Study.

There is a wide variation in the development and course of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, which confirms the need for prospective studies. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among the general male population at the baseline (n = 359) and in a follow-up survey (n = 218) 12 years later. The prospective 12-year study included 189 men. ED was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 62.0 years at the baseline, while at the 12-year follow-up it was 71.6 years. The crude prevalence of ED was 61.6% at the baseline and 78.9% at the follow-up, and the prevalence tended to increase with age. All of the men aged 75 years or more had at least mild ED. The incidence of ED in every thousand person years was 53.5. A total of 54.5% of the men experienced ED progression, while 39.2% reported no changes in erectile function, and 6.3% experienced ED regression during the 12-year study. The likelihood of ED progression was higher in the older compared with younger age group (odds ratio, OR 5.2 (95% CI: 1.1-26.2)), and the likelihood of ED regression was lower among men with increased depression symptoms (OR 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1-0.6)) and among men with a decreased interest in their sexual life (OR 0.1 (95% CI: 0.0-0.6)). Lifestyle factors such as the consumption of alcohol and smoking were not significantly associated with ED.

22-year trends in dysglycemia and body mass index: A population-based cohort study in Savitaipale, Finland.

AIMS: We describe a 22-year prospective observational population-based study that determined the prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and intermediate hyperglycaemia (IH), obesity, hypertension, and disorders of lipid metabolism in a middle-age population in the Finnish municipality of Savitaipale. METHODS: 1151 people participated in the baseline survey in 1996-1999, following two follow-up examinations, in 2007-2008 and 2018-2019. Follow-up studies comprised clinical measurements, 2-h oral glucose tolerance test and other biochemistry, questionnaires, and registry data. RESULTS: The prevalence of T2D quadrupled to 27% and the proportion of normoglycemic people decreased from 73% to 44% while IH increased only slightly during the 22-year follow-up. A large proportion of people who died between the surveys were diabetic. The mean body mass index (BMI) did not, whereas mean waist circumference increased significantly, by 5-6 cm (P = 0.001) during the 22 years. Systolic blood pressure increased by 13-15 mmHg from baseline (P = 0.0001) but diastolic blood pressure did not. The mean plasma levels of total and LDL-cholesterol decreased 10.8% and 8.9% in women (P = 0.001), 21.5% and 22.2% in men (P = 0.001), respectively, while HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides remained stable. The proportion of those achieving targets in the treatment of dyslipidaemia increased significantly (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this 22-year prospective follow-up study of in middle-aged Europeans with high participation rates, the progression of dysglycaemia to overt diabetes with aging was rapid, even without a significant change in BMI.

Factors predicting 31-year survival among a population cohort in Northern Finland.

We evaluated the survival of a subarctic population and the significance of traditional risk factors for mortality, causes of death and their seasonal variation from the period of 1984-2014. By the end of 2014 (follow-up), 644 (34.4% from 1,869) participants had died (42.1% of cardiovascular causes, 22.4% of neoplastic diseases). The average age at death±SD was 74.6±11.4 years for women (n=284) and 70.2±12.0 years for men (n=360). After adjusting for baseline age, the major risk factors predicting death were male sex (hazard ratio [HR] 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54-2.10), current smoking (HR 1.85; 95% CI 1.58-2.17), obesity (HR 1.75; 95% CI 1.45-2.12), high blood pressure (HR 1.46; 95% CI 1.24-1.72), cardiovascular disease (HR 1.62; 95% CI 1.36-1.93) and depression (HR 1.61; 95% CI 1.21-2.14) at baseline.The most common causes of death and the main risk factors predicting death in this population were the same as reported globally. Lifestyle factors had an important impact in predicting survival. The most common causes of death were the same for men and women. There was no significant difference in overall mortality rate between winter and summer, but cerebrovascular and pulmonary causes of death were more common during winter.

The association between blood copper concentration and biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease risk - analysis of 206 individuals in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

BACKGROUND: Copper is an abundant trace element in humans where alterations in the circulating concentration could inform on chronic disease aetiology. To date, data are lacking to study how copper may associate with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in young and healthy population. Molecular evidence suggests an important role of copper in liver metabolism, an essential organ in maintaining cardiovascular health and inflammation, therefore supporting copper as an associated biomarker of the risk. OBJECTIVE: We performed a cross-sectional analysis to examine the possible associations between blood copper levels and risk factors for CVD and pre-inflammatory process. DESIGN: The data has been collected from a sub-sample set of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) at 31 years. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 206 individuals, 116 men and 90 women. To reduce environmental individual variations affecting both copper and the metabolic profile in the study sample, the participants were selected as: i) being born in Finnish Lapland and ii) living in their birth place for the last five years preceding blood sampling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fasting blood copper concentration was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The CVD risk factors included 6 metabolic clusters (30 cardiovascular and pro-inflammatory factors) assessed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to test the linear association between blood copper and 6 metabolic clusters for CVD risk. Associations were assessed under correction for multiple testing. RESULTS: Copper (Cu) levels were comparable in men and women, with no difference between sexes (p-value <0.60). In multiple regression models, sex adjusted, copper was associated with 9 metabolites from 4 metabolic clusters. After adjustment with BMI, copper was associated with 4 metabolites from 3 metabolic clusters: glutamine, beta-hydroxybutyrate, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). After correction for multiple testing, Cu was found positively associated with only 2 biomarkers of inflammation including AGP [p = 0.04] and hs-CRP [p = 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the strength and limitation of the study design, the present study does not support evidence for an independent role of copper on biomarkers for CVD risk. Nevertheless, we are reporting a robust association of copper with the inflammatory load that is important to consider in light with the inflammatory component of chronic health. In addition, the association of copper with metabolites may be attributable to BMI or environmental factors associated to it, and warrants further research in large population samples.

Psychosocial factors as mediators between migration and subjective well-being among young Finnish adults.

This study examined the role of socioeconomic factors (such as education and employment) and psychosocial factors (such as social support, coping and attitude towards the future), in the relationship between migration, self-reported health and life satisfaction among young adults in a 31-year follow-up study of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 conducted in 1997-1998. The associations between these outcomes and socioeconomic and psychosocial factors were first examined, stratified by gender and migration, for sample members at 23 and at 31 years of age. Regression modelling was then used to study the association between migration and the outcomes after adjusting for specific socioeconomic and psychosocial factors. Results of binary logistic regression models showed that, although there was more dissatisfaction with life and more poor self-reported health in rural areas, the association was derived mostly from the mediation of unemployment, poorer education, lack of social support, passive coping strategies and greater pessimism among people living in rural areas. It is concluded that special attention should be paid to improving living conditions (educational and vocational opportunities) and enhancing the psychosocial resources of young adults in rural and remote areas.

Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels in blood of Finnish adults and their relation to diet, lifestyle habits and sociodemographic variables.

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort program (NFBC) is the epidemiological and longitudinal prospective general population research program, which was established to promote health and wellbeing of the population in northern Finland. The aim of present study, as a part of the NFBC program, was to analyze the blood levels of arsenic (B-As), cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb), total mercury (B-Hg) and selenium (B-Se); to compare these levels with threshold limits; to study sociodemographic factors; and to correlate these levels with calcium and haemoglobin. The study was comprised of 249 NFBC subjects, of which 123 were female and 126 were male (ages 31.1 ± 0.3 and 31.1 ± 0.4, respectively). All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding diet and living habits. The geometric means (± SD) of B-As were 0.49 ± 2.80 µg/l and 0.44 ± 2.72 µg/l; B-Cd were 0.18 ± 4.02 µg/l and 0.12 ± 3.21 µg/l; B-Pb were 17.0 ± 1.8 µg/l and 9.06 ± 2.20 µg/l; B-Hg were 2.18 ± 2.02 µg/l and 1.85 ± 1.78 µg/l; and B-Se were 106.0 ± 1.3 and 94.3 ± 1.3 µg/l in males and females, respectively. Among the subjects in the present analysis, 23 % of males and 17.1 % of females had B-As levels above the ATSDR normal human levels of B-As in unexposed individuals (1.0 µg/l). The B-Pb geometric mean (12.44 µg/l) was approximately one eighth the CDC toxicological cut-off point of 100 µg/l. Twenty-one individuals (8.4 %) exceeded a B-Hg level of 5.8 µg/l. Fifty-eight females (47 %) had a B-Hg higher than 2.0 µg/l, the German Federal Environmental Agency cut-off point for women (18-69 years) who consume fish at least three times/month; therefore, their babies could be at risk of adverse effects during development.

Late pregnancy blood pressure in nulliparas and subsequent abnormal glucose tolerance.

A growing body of evidence indicates that pregnancy-induced hypertension can be associated with features of insulin resistance. However, the impact of lower than hypertension-levels of blood pressure in pregnancy on the subsequent risk of developing abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT), has not been examined. We investigated women born in the years 1933-1956 and living in the municipality of Savitaipale, Finland, in May 1996. Prevalence of AGT was assessed by using oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). A retrospective chart review was carried out with regard to 216 nulliparas to obtain late pregnancy blood pressures. Logistic regression analyses showed that, after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and age at OGTT, as well as for the number of subsequent pregnancies and the use of antihypertensive medication for PIH, 1 mmHg increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure at late pregnancy in nulliparas increased the probability for AGT later in life 1.04-fold (OR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.09) and 1.06-fold (OR, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.11), respectively. The results of this study suggest that not only hypertension but also less elevated levels of blood pressure during late pregnancy in nulliparas may be used as a predictor of subsequent AGT.

Meta-analysis of 375,000 individuals identifies 38 susceptibility loci for migraine.

Migraine is a debilitating neurological disorder affecting around one in seven people worldwide, but its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. There is some debate about whether migraine is a disease of vascular dysfunction or a result of neuronal dysfunction with secondary vascular changes. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have thus far identified 13 independent loci associated with migraine. To identify new susceptibility loci, we carried out a genetic study of migraine on 59,674 affected subjects and 316,078 controls from 22 GWA studies. We identified 44 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with migraine risk (P < 5 × 10(-8)) that mapped to 38 distinct genomic loci, including 28 loci not previously reported and a locus that to our knowledge is the first to be identified on chromosome X. In subsequent computational analyses, the identified loci showed enrichment for genes expressed in vascular and smooth muscle tissues, consistent with a predominant theory of migraine that highlights vascular etiologies.

Genetic analysis for a shared biological basis between migraine and coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: To apply genetic analysis of genome-wide association data to study the extent and nature of a shared biological basis between migraine and coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Four separate methods for cross-phenotype genetic analysis were applied on data from 2 large-scale genome-wide association studies of migraine (19,981 cases, 56,667 controls) and CAD (21,076 cases, 63,014 controls). The first 2 methods quantified the extent of overlapping risk variants and assessed the load of CAD risk loci in migraineurs. Genomic regions of shared risk were then identified by analysis of covariance patterns between the 2 phenotypes and by querying known genome-wide significant loci. RESULTS: We found a significant overlap of genetic risk loci for migraine and CAD. When stratified by migraine subtype, this was limited to migraine without aura, and the overlap was protective in that patients with migraine had a lower load of CAD risk alleles than controls. Genes indicated by 16 shared risk loci point to mechanisms with potential roles in migraine pathogenesis and CAD, including endothelial dysfunction (PHACTR1) and insulin homeostasis (GIP). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that shared biological processes contribute to risk of migraine and CAD, but surprisingly this commonality is restricted to migraine without aura and the impact is in opposite directions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these processes and their opposite relationship to migraine and CAD may improve our understanding of both disorders.

The association of genotype-based inbreeding coefficient with a range of physical and psychological human traits.

Across animal species, offspring of closely related mates exhibit lower fitness, a phenomenon called inbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression in humans is less well understood because mating between close relatives is generally rare and stigmatised, confounding investigation of its effect on fitness-relevant traits. Recently, the availability of high-density genotype data has enabled quantification of variation in distant inbreeding in 'outbred' human populations, but the low variance of inbreeding detected from genetic data in most outbred populations means large samples are required to test effects, and only a few traits have yet been studied. However, it is likely that isolated populations, or those with a small effective population size, have higher variation in inbreeding and therefore require smaller sample sizes to detect inbreeding effects. With a small effective population size and low immigration, Northern Finland is such a population. We make use of a sample of ∼5,500 'unrelated' individuals in the Northern Finnish Birth Cohort 1966 with known genotypes and measured phenotypes across a range of fitness-relevant physical and psychological traits, including birth length and adult height, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, heart rate, grip strength, educational attainment, income, marital status, handedness, health, and schizotypal features. We find significant associations in the predicted direction between individuals' inbreeding coefficient (measured by proportion of the genome in runs of homozygosity) and eight of the 18 traits investigated, significantly more than the one or two expected by chance. These results are consistent with inbreeding depression effects on a range of human traits, but further research is needed to replicate and test alternative explanations for these effects.

High prevalence of skin diseases and need for treatment in a middle-aged population. A Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study.

To determine the overall prevalence of skin diseases a whole-body skin examination was performed for 1,932 members (46-years of age) of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC 1966), which is a comprehensive longitudinal research program (N = 12,058). A high prevalence of all skin diseases needing treatment was found (N = 1,158). Half of the cases of skin findings were evaluated to be serious enough to require diagnostic evaluation, treatment or follow-up either in a general health care, occupational health care or a secondary care setting. The remaining half were thought to be slight and self-treatment was advised. Males (70%) had more skin diseases needing treatment than females (52%) (P<0.001). The most common skin finding was a benign skin tumor, which was found in every cohort member. Skin infections (44%), eczemas (27%) and sebaceous gland diseases (27%) were the most common skin diseases in the cohort. Moreover, skin infections and eczemas were more commonly seen in the group with low education compared to those with high education (P<0.005). The results strengthen the postulate that skin diseases are common in an adult population.

Health and well-being of movers in rural and urban areas--a grid-based analysis of northern Finland birth cohort 1966.

We examined the association of health and well-being with moving using a detailed geographical scale. 7845 men and women born in northern Finland in 1966 were surveyed by postal questionnaire in 1997 and linked to 1 km(2) geographical grids based on each subject's home address in 1997-2000. Population density was used to classify each grid as rural (1-100 inhabitants/km²) or urban (>100 inhabitants/km²) type. Moving was treated as a three-class response variate (not moved; moved to different type of grid; moved to similar type of grid). Moving was regressed on five explanatory factors (life satisfaction, self-reported health, lifetime morbidity, activity-limiting illness and use of health services), adjusting for factors potentially associated with health and moving (gender, marital status, having children, housing tenure, education, employment status and previous move). The results were expressed as odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Moves from rural to urban grids were associated with dissatisfaction with current life (adjusted OR 2.01; 95% CI 1.26-3.22) and having somatic (OR 1.66; 1.07-2.59) or psychiatric (OR 2.37; 1.21-4.63) morbidities, the corresponding ORs for moves from rural to other rural grids being 1.71 (0.98-2.98), 1.63 (0.95-2.78) and 2.09 (0.93-4.70), respectively. Among urban dwellers, only the frequent use of health services (≥ 21 times/year) was associated with moving, the adjusted ORs being 1.65 (1.05-2.57) for moves from urban to rural grids and 1.30 (1.03-1.64) for urban to other urban grids. We conclude that dissatisfaction with life and history of diseases and injuries, especially psychiatric morbidity, may increase the propensity to move from rural to urbanised environments, while availability of health services may contribute to moves within urban areas and also to moves from urban areas to the countryside, where high-level health services enable a good quality of life for those attracted by the pastoral environment.

Associations of deliberate self-harm with loneliness, self-rated health and life satisfaction in adolescence: Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 Study.

BACKGROUND: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is an act with a non-fatal outcome in which an individual initiates a behavior, such as self-cutting or burning, with the intention of inflicting harm on his or her self. Interpersonal difficulties have been shown to be a risk factor for DSH, but the association between subjective experience of loneliness and DSH have rarely been examined. OBJECTIVE: To examine the frequency of DSH or its ideation and loneliness among 16-year-olds to determine if associations exist between DSH and loneliness, loneliness-related factors, self-rated health and satisfaction with life. DESIGN: The study population (n = 7,014) was taken from Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (N = 9,432). Cross-tabulations were used to describe the frequency of DSH by factors selected by gender. Logistic regression analysis was used to describe the association between DSH and loneliness and other selected factors. RESULTS: Nearly 8.7% (n = 608) of adolescents reported DSH often/sometimes during the preceding 6 months, with girls (n = 488, 13.4%) reporting DSH almost 4 times than that of boys (n = 120, 3.6%). Nearly 3.2% of the adolescents (girls: n = 149, 4.1%; boys: n = 72, 2.2%) expressed that the statement I feel lonely was very/often true, and 26.4% (girls: n = 1,265, 34.8%; boys: n = 585, 17.4%) expressed that the statement was somewhat/sometimes true. Logistic regression showed that those who reported to be very/often lonely (girls: odds ratio (OR) 4.1; boys: OR 3.2), somewhat/sometimes lonely (girls: OR 2.4; boys: OR 2.4) were dissatisfied with life (girls: OR 3.3; boys: OR 3.3), felt unliked (girls: OR 2.2; boys: OR 6.0) and had moderate self-rated health (girls: OR 2.0; boys: OR 1.7), were more likely to report DSH than those without these feelings. CONCLUSION: The results show that loneliness is associated with DSH, and that loneliness should be considered as a risk for individual health and well-being.

Long-term unemployment is associated with short telomeres in 31-year-old men: an observational study in the northern Finland birth cohort 1966.

OBJECTIVE: Life stress resulting from early-life experiences and domestic stress is linked with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), but evidence on employment-related stress is scarce. We explored whether unemployment in early adulthood is associated with shorter LTL, a potential biomarker of premature aging. METHODS: We used data from 5620 men and women belonging to the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Individually registered unemployment days in 1995-97 were compared with data on biological, behavioral and socioeconomic health predictors and existing medical conditions obtained by surveys and clinical examinations at follow-up in 1997-98. Mean LTL at follow-up was measured by multiplex quantitative real-time PCR. We calculated odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of belonging to the sex-stratified shortest decile of standardized relative mean LTL according to the categories of: 0, <260, <500 and over 500 unemployment days, representing 0, <1, <2 and over 2 calendar years. RESULTS: Among men, unemployment exceeding 500 days during three years was associated with having shorter LTL at follow-up, compared to being continuously employed. The corresponding odds ratio was 2.61 (95% CI 1.16 to 5.85) in the fully adjusted model. Such an association was not found among women in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term unemployment in early adulthood is associated with shorter LTL among men.

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine.

Migraine is the most common brain disorder, affecting approximately 14% of the adult population, but its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We report the results of a meta-analysis across 29 genome-wide association studies, including a total of 23,285 individuals with migraine (cases) and 95,425 population-matched controls. We identified 12 loci associated with migraine susceptibility (P<5×10(-8)). Five loci are new: near AJAP1 at 1p36, near TSPAN2 at 1p13, within FHL5 at 6q16, within C7orf10 at 7p14 and near MMP16 at 8q21. Three of these loci were identified in disease subgroup analyses. Brain tissue expression quantitative trait locus analysis suggests potential functional candidate genes at four loci: APOA1BP, TBC1D7, FUT9, STAT6 and ATP5B.

Self-reported health in urban-rural continuum: a grid-based analysis of Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of self-reported health with residential area type defined by the population density in individual's local environment using a population-based cohort in Finland. METHODS: Young adults of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (4,201 women and 3,835 men), surveyed by a postal questionnaire in 1997, were linked to population density of their resident grid (1 km(2)) depicting different types of residential areas. Self-reported health was regressed on residential area type using ordinal logistic analysis, adjusting for psychosocial well-being, social relationships, health behaviour, education and residence time. RESULTS: Cumulative odds ratios (COR) for poor health were lowest in high-rise centres, highest in scattered settlement areas and second highest in transitional zones. Adjustments (especially for education and time of residence) reduced the CORs to insignificance except the persistently high COR for women in scattered settlement areas. CONCLUSION: Poor self-reported health is associated with individual's residential area type, with the lowest occurrence in high-rise centres and higher elsewhere. The difference is likely explained, at least partly, by a complex of psychosocial factors, possibly different for women and men.

Early environment and neurobehavioral development predict adult temperament clusters.

BACKGROUND: Investigation of the environmental influences on human behavioral phenotypes is important for our understanding of the causation of psychiatric disorders. However, there are complexities associated with the assessment of environmental influences on behavior. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a series of analyses using a prospective, longitudinal study of a nationally representative birth cohort from Finland (the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort). Participants included a total of 3,761 male and female cohort members who were living in Finland at the age of 16 years and who had complete temperament scores. Our initial analyses (Wessman et al., in press) provide evidence in support of four stable and robust temperament clusters. Using these temperament clusters, as well as independent temperament dimensions for comparison, we conducted a data-driven analysis to assess the influence of a broad set of life course measures, assessed pre-natally, in infancy, and during adolescence, on adult temperament. RESULTS: Measures of early environment, neurobehavioral development, and adolescent behavior significantly predict adult temperament, classified by both cluster membership and temperament dimensions. Specifically, our results suggest that a relatively consistent set of life course measures are associated with adult temperament profiles, including maternal education, characteristics of the family's location and residence, adolescent academic performance, and adolescent smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding that a consistent set of life course measures predict temperament clusters indicate that these clusters represent distinct developmental temperament trajectories and that information about a subset of life course measures has implications for adult health outcomes.