Terveyden lukutaidon lisääminen suun terveydestä sekä sen yhteydestä yleisterveyteen : tietotesti työikäiselle sydänpotilaalle

Suun terveydellä sekä sydän- ja verisuonisairauksilla on todettu olevan yhteys. Tämä tutkimuksiin perustava tieto oli lähtökohtana opinnäytetyöllemme. Työmme kuuluu osaksi ”Työikäisen sydänpotilaan ja hänen perheensä sekä hoidonantajan ohjaaminen”-hanketta. Yhteistyökumppaneina työssämme ovat olleet Helsingin Yliopistollisen Keskussairaalan (HYKS) medisiinisen tulosyksikön Kardiologian klinikka, Operatiivisen tulosyksikön Sydän- ja Thoraxkirurgian klinikka, Helsingin sydänpiiri ry sekä Uudenmaan sydänpiiri ry. Opinnäytetyömme tavoitteena oli työikäisten sydänpotilaiden terveyden lukutaidon lisääminen suun terveydestä, sen hoidosta, yleisimmistä suun sairauksista ja näiden yhteydestä yleisterveyteen. Tarkoituksenamme oli luoda internetiin Sydänliiton sivuille tietotesti edellä mainituista asioista. Työmme teoreettinen viitekehys koostuu luotettavista tutkimuksista sekä alan kirjallisuudesta. Työmme sisältöä ja ulkoasua on hiottu seminaareissa sekä ohjaustuokioissa yhdessä ohjaajien, työelämän edustajien sekä luokkatoveriemme kanssa. Opinnäytetyömme tuotoksena oli tietotesti, joka julkaistiin Sydänliiton verkkosivuilla. Testi koostuu 16 kysymyksestä, jotka käsittelevät työmme aihealuetta kattavasti. Testasimme testiämme Uudenmaan sydänpiiri ry:n kahdeksalla sepelvaltimotautia sairastavalla työikäisellä potilaalla, joilta saimme arvokasta palautetta. Palautteen avulla hioimme testin julkaisuasua. Olemme myös kirjoittaneet alamme julkaisuun artikkelin opinnäytetyömme prosessista ja tuotoksesta. Työmme aihe nousi työelämästä ja koimme tuotoksemme ajankohtaiseksi sekä tarpeelliseksi. Tuotoksemme on helposti käytettävissä verkossa ja uskomme työikäisten sydänpotilaiden löytävän sen. Toivomme testimme herättävän mielenkiintoa suun terveyttä ja yleisterveyttä kohtaan sekä olevan hyödyksi mahdollisimman monelle. Jatkossa testiämme voisi kehittää eteenpäin kattamalla myös muita sairauksia, kuten diabetes.Studies have proven that oral health and cardiovascular diseases have a connection. This research-based knowledge was the fundamental starting point when we began our work to build this thesis, which is a part of the “Guiding of a working aged patient with cardiovascular disease, his family and nursing staff” project. The partners in our work were the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) and local Heart Associations. Our study’s main goal was to increase the oral health literacy rate among working aged patients with cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, we aimed to increase awareness towards the treatment available, the most common oral diseases and their relation to general health. The objective of this study was to create a questionnaire addressing the aforementioned subjects, which would appear on the Heart Association's websites. The theoretical framework of our work consists of research and literature related to the subject. The content and design of our work has been refined through seminars and participating in discussion seminars with tutors, representatives from working life and classmates. Our study's output was a questionnaire, which was released on the Heart Association's websites. The test consists of 16 questions about cleaning the mouth, oral diseases and the connection between oral health and general health. The topic of our work came from work life experiences and they felt that the topic was current and necessary. In the future, the questionnaire can be expanded to include other diseases such as diabetes. We hope that our work will benefit many people and raise interest and knowledge about oral hygiene

Cognitive and anatomical correlates of neglect for peripersonal and extrapersonal space

Spatial neglect is a neurological disorder where patients typically fail to orient or respond to events on their left side. Moreover, recent studies suggest that the severity of neglect may depend specifically on whether stimuli are presented within or beyond arm's reach. However, the evidence for such a general functional dissociation between near and far space processing in the brain remains conflicting: The majority of research has been focussed on line bisection errors which reflect only one small aspect of neglect behaviour. In addition, some behavioural findings suggest a functional dissociation only if a motor response is required. Finally, to date, the critical areas involved in distance related space processing have not been identified.Thus, it remains not only unclear whether neglect in near and far space is a task- and response independent phenomenon but also which damaged brain areas impair distance related space processing. In order to answer these questions the present study compared line bisection and visual search performance and its anatomical correlates in near and far space by using a combined single case- and group study approach.The results showed that neglect restricted to near or far space can vary not only depending on the type of task but also on the type of response required. Visual search tasks were particularly sensitive in detecting the dissociation between those two space sectors. Anatomically, neglect for near space was mainly associated with occipito-parietal lesions and medio-temporal structures, including the posterior cingulate. Neglect for far space was found to result from focal damage of medial, ventro-temporal structures and the prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, neglect for near and far space does not seem to result from a general impairment in distance related processing but from a combination of factors related to specific task demands as well as the location and extent of the brain damage

TESTING THE VALIDITY OF THE FISCAL THEORY OF THE PRICE LEVEL (FTPL): A REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE

The main objective of this paper is to review literature on the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL) and its validity in price level determination for both developed and developing economies. FTPL may be understood on the categorisation of the fiscal regime into two types, namely, the Ricardian and non-Ricardian regimes. Empirical evidence for the validity of FTPL on price level determination depends on dominant characteristics of the policy regime. The Ricardian regime does not hold for FTPL, while the non-Ricardian regime holds for FTPL. Based on surveyed empirical studies, time series and panel analysis were used through various estimation methods in the validation of FTPL. Most of the findings from the studies reviewed in this paper validated the FTPL. This means that inflationary episodes tend to be influenced by fiscal dominant regimes. The study concludes that the conduct of fiscal policy influences price dynamics. Hence, fiscal variables should be taken into account by the central bank in its monetary policy rule

Is the effect of public debt on inflation symmetric or asymmetric? Evidence from the Gambia

Several studies have identified the impact of total public debt on inflation. These studies are based on the assumption of a symmetric relationship between these variables. However, because different governments react to changes in total public debt (positive or negative) differently, this study employed the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) technique to investigate the nature of the link between total public debt and inflation in the Gambia for the period from 1978 to 2019. The results indicate an asymmetric relationship between total public debt and inflation, irrespective of whether the analysis was conducted in the short run or long run. The coefficient of a positive shock in total public debt is statistically significant in the short run and in the long run, suggesting the inflationary effect of positive variation in total public debt in the Gambia. On the other hand, the effect of a negative shock is not statistically significant in the short run or in the long run. These findings reinforce the need for government to approach increase in public debt with caution to minimise volatility in inflation. Overall, this study provides a fresh insight into the optimal estimation technique for testing the public debt–inflation nexus through a nonlinear approach

Public debt and inflation: Empirical evidence from Ghana

This paper investigates the impact of public debt on inflation in Ghana using annual data during the period 1983-2018. The study uses the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration and an error correction model to examine this linkage. The cointegrating regression results reveal evidence of a stable long run relationship between inflation and the explanatory variables in the presence of a structural break. The findings also show a positive and significant impact of public debt on inflation. These results were found to hold, irrespective of whether the regression was conducted in the short run or the long run. The study confirms the presence of the inflationary effects of public debt in Ghana. The government should, therefore, be prudent when considering increases in public debt to minimise volatility in inflation and its associated risks to the economy.Economic

Is the effect of public debt on inflation symmetric or asymmetric? Evidence from the Gambia

Several studies have identified the impact of total public debt on inflation. These studies are based on the assumption of a symmetric relationship between these variables. However, because different governments react to changes in total public debt (positive or negative) differently, this study employed the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) technique to investigate the nature of the link between total public debt and inflation in the Gambia for the period from 1978 to 2019. The results indicate an asymmetric relationship between total public debt and inflation, irrespective of whether the analysis was conducted in the short run or long run. The coefficient of a positive shock in total public debt is statistically significant in the short run and in the long run, suggesting the inflationary effect of positive variation in total public debt in the Gambia. On the other hand, the effect of a negative shock is not statistically significant in the short run or in the long run. These findings reinforce the need for government to approach increase in public debt with caution to minimise volatility in inflation. Overall, this study provides a fresh insight into the optimal estimation technique for testing the public debt–inflation nexus through a nonlinear approach.Economic

Effect of agricultural trade openness on the producer prices of rice in Nigeria: Implications for agricultural trade policies

Recently, economies of the world have become increasingly linked through expanded international trade with discernible  ffects on the developing nations, especially Africa, and in  particular, Nigeria. This article therefore determined the effect of agricultural trade openness on the producer prices of rice in Nigeria.The study was based on secondary data, spanning 1993-2015.The study showed that agricultural trade openness reached all-time low in 1996 while noticeable peaks were observed in 2001, 2007 and then in 2011. In terms of the growth, the highest trade openness growth rate of 164.8 per cent was observed in1997, followed by 140.3 per cent in 2011. The review of producer prices revealed that producer prices had been on the rise, with noticeable peaks between 2005 and 2007, 2009 and then in 2013. Evidence from this article further establishedlong run inverse relationship between agricultural trade openness and producer prices of rice.The study recommended a follow-up on the Agricultural Transformation Agenda’s initiatives of integrated rice value chain development, substitution of local for imported rice and implementation of favourable tariff, operationalisation of favourable exchange rate regime and private sector led marketing boards, with the view to stabilizing the price of rice, ensuring quality, competitiveness and enhancing producers’ returns.Key words: Agricultural Trade openness; Producer Prices; Rice; Trade Policie