Keyword: Internal Medicine

A new test has been developed in Turku, Finland, that helps in separating heart attack patients from those whose cardiac troponin values are elevated due to renal insufficiency. Blood sample tests for cardiac troponins are an important cornerstone in the diagnostics of heart attack, but the result may be elevated also due to other transient or chronic conditions, such as renal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation or strenuous physical exercise. The new test may help in identifying myocardial infarction (MI) faster and more specifically and thus improve the treatment of MI patients.

A new study identified microbial signatures which predicted the onset of type 2 diabetes during nearly 16 years of follow-up in a large Finnish population cohort. This study was conducted by researchers from the University of Turku and Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), together with international partners.

Researchers from the Turku PET Centre and Technical University of Munich have discovered a new mechanism controlling satiation. According to the recently published study, the hormone secretin induces satiation by activating brown adipose tissue.

Researchers discovered that a large amount of enterobacteria in the gut microbiota is related to long-term mortality risk in Finnish adult population.

Atrial fibrillation is one of the greatest challenges in cardiology. The atrial fibrillation research is evidence of cardiological expertise in Turku and the involved parties are the University of Turku, the Turku University Hospital Heart Centre, Turku PET Centre, and the hospitals of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. A smart phone app for observing atrial fibrillation has been engineered in Turku, and there is more to come. This technology is top-quality on a global scale.

Teemu Niiranen has dedicated most of his adult life to studying high blood pressure. His work with hypertension has led to several research projects and changed international clinical guidelines. Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine at the University of Turku has made it possible for Niiranen to establish his own research group.