Research at the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine

Research projects

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS) - Epidemiologic study on atherosclerotic precursors in Finnish children and young adults

The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study is one of the largest follow-up studies into cardiovascular risk from childhood to adulthood. The main aim is to determine the contribution made by childhood lifestyle, biological, and psychological measures to the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

Project Leader: Academy Professor Olli Raitakari

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The STRIP Project - A Prospective Randomized Trial of Atherosclerosis Prevention in Infancy and Childhood - An Epidemiological Study

The STRIP study is unique worldwide; no other study has started dietary intervention in infancy and continued it for 20 years, and simultaneously collected data with repeated measurements on a vast number of risk factors and subclinical markers for cardiovascular health.

The main purpose of the STRIP Study (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project) is the prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease by a dietary intervention which began in infancy and has continued to early adulthood. The trial was launched in 1990 when 1062 7-month-old children and their families were enrolled. Half of the families have received individualized dietary and other life-style counseling at least twice a year whereas the rest of the families have served as a control group. The STRIP Study intervention continued until the participants reached the age of 20 years.

Project Leader: Academy Professor Olli Raitakari

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Recent publications of the Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine

Increased Genetic Vulnerability to Smoking at CHRNA5 in Early-Onset Smokers (2012)

Archives of General Psychiatry
Hartz SM, Short SE, Saccone NL, Culverhouse R, Chen LS, Schwantes-An TH, Coon H, Han YH, Stephens SH, Sun JZ, Chen XN, Ducci F, Dueker N, Franceschini N, Frank J, Geller F, Guobjartsson D, Hansel NN, Jiang CH, Keskitalo-Vuokko K, Liu Z, Lyytikainen LP, Michel M, Rawal R, Hum S, Rosenberger A, Scheet P, Shaffer JR, Teumer A, Thompson JR, Vink JM, Vogelzangs N, Wenzlaff AS, Wheeler W, Xiao XJ, Yang BZ, Aggen SH, Balmforth AJ, Baumeister SE, Beaty T, Bennett S, Bergen AW, Boyd HA, Broms U, Campbell H, Chatterjee N, Chen JC, Cheng YC, Cichon S, Couper D, Cucca F, Dick DM, Foroud T, Furberg H, Giegling I, Gu FY, Hall AS, Hallfors J, Han SZ, Hartmann AM, Hayward C, Heikkila K, Hewitt JK, Hottenga JJ, Jensen MK, Jousilahti P, Kaakinen M, Kittner SJ, Konte B, Korhonen T, Landi MT, Laatikainen T, Leppert M, Levy SM, Mathias RA, McNeil DW, Medland SE, Montgomery GW, Muley T, Murray T, Nauck M, North K, Pergadia M, Polasek O, Ramos EM, Ripatti S, Risch A, Ruczinski I, Rudan I, Salomaa V, Schlessinger D, Styrkarsdottir U, Terracciano A, Uda M, Willemsen G, Wu XF, Abecasis G, Barnes K, Bickeboller H, Boerwinkle E, Boomsma DI, Caporaso N, Duan JB, Edenberg HJ, Francks C, Gejman PV, Gelernter J, Grabe HJ, Hops H, Jarvelin MR, Viikari J, Kahonen M, Kendler KS, Lehtimaki T, Levinson DF, Marazita ML, Marchini J, Melbye M, Mitchell BD, Murray JC, Nothen MM, Penninx BW, Raitakari O, Rietschel M, Rujescu D, Samani NJ, Sanders AR, Schwartz AG, Shete S, Shi JX, Spitz M, Stefansson K, Swan GE, Thorgeirsson T, Volzke H, Wei QY, Wichmann HE, Amos CI, Breslau N, Cannon DS, Ehringer M, Grucza R, Hatsukami D, Heath A, Johnson EO, Kaprio J, Madden P, Martin NG, Stevens VL, Stitzel JA, Weiss RB, Kraft P, Bierut LJ
(Refereed journal article or data article (A1))