Clinical trials

The main objective of the current research project is to evaluate the usability, satisfaction of the antenatal iCBT program including telephone coaching for antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms and collect nationally representative data on population-based screening of antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms. The overarching hypothesis is that iCBT, with easy access and affordability, is user friendly and well accepted. In addition to examining the treatment response by questionnaires, we will study the infant development comprehensively as well as potential physiological changes associated with antenatal depression or its treatment.

This study aims to determine whether isobaric ropivacaine is more suitable than isobaric bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia in outpatient total hip arthroplasty (THA). The study will evaluate whether ropivacaine allows faster recovery of sensory and motor function while still providing adequate surgical anesthesia and postoperative pain control. Additional aims are to assess the effects of the anesthetic technique on same-day discharge rates, postoperative recovery, urinary retention, opioid consumption, and patient satisfaction after outpatient THA.

As of 2022, about 12% of children in Finland lived in poverty. Many of these families face not only a lack of money but also stress, low confidence in managing finances, and limited access to financial guidance. This study aims to support these families by improving their financial skills and well-being through a practical and research-based program. The intervention includes five sessions with a trained social service professional, focusing on budgeting, financial decision-making, emotions around money, and the role of money in relationships. The goal is to reduce financial anxiety, improve knowledge, and build confidence in managing finances. The sessions also aim to help families talk more openly about money and set realistic financial goals. To test effectiveness, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted. Families are randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving the FinSoc program) or a control group (receiving regular social work services and, after final measurements, a material package to promote financial capability). At least 88 participants-families with at least one child under 18 and facing financial difficulties-will take part. Information will be collected at three time points: before the intervention, after it ends, and three months later. Outcomes include financial literacy, financial anxiety, economic self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life, measured with self-rating scales in questionnaires. In addition to questionnaires, interviews will be conducted with a sample of families and social workers to explore their experiences-what worked, what could be improved, and how the sessions were received. This qualitative feedback will guide future development. Formative evaluation involves feedback from families before and after each session, covering topic clarity, session usefulness, and experiences with the techniques. For fidelity assessment, social workers will report after each session on adherence to the planned approach and tool use. The FinSoc program is offered through public and private social service providers. It was developed and is being implemented by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in financial social work, social policy, and mental health. The study aims to improve families' everyday lives, inform social work practices, and contribute to knowledge on social and economic well-being.

Troponin T (TnT) is a part of the troponin protein complex that principally exists in cardiac and skeletal muscle cells and is widely used as diagnostic biomarker for myocardial injury and, thus, myocardial infarction (MI). Elevated TnT levels can, however, be observed in the presence of other clinical conditions such as heart failure, sepsis and kidney failure and the contemporary high-sensitivity TnT test may yield false positive results when performing diagnostics for suspected MI in these patients. Recent data have demonstrated that in the presence of MI, TnT gradually undergoes fragmentation into smaller fragments. It has been suggested that in the presence of e.g. chronic kidney disease or physical exercise the released TnT is predominantly in the form of smaller fragments. However, the clinical significance of TnT fragmentation is unknown and, thus, we sought to investigate the prevalence of fragmentation of TnT in different patient cohorts.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about insomnia treatment among primary care patients with chronic insomnia. The main question it aims to answer is: • Does Sleep School (a therapy for insomnia) work well to decrease harm of insomnia? Participants will attend a group therapy intervention once a week for six weeks. Researchers will compare Sleep School to treatment as usual (short counselling by an educated nurse) to see if the Sleep School works better than treatment as usual in decreasing the harm of insomnia.

Parents and newborns influence each other in a dynamic interaction that can be described as synchrony. Synchrony between a newborn and mother refers to the dynamic and reciprocal adaptation between the newborn and mother. In this synchrony, the mother is highly receptive and sensitive to the newborn's signals, feelings, and needs. The aim of this study is to investigate the physiological and behavioral synchrony between newborns and their mothers, and to investigate the connection between maternal heart rate variability and postpartum depression symptoms in the home environment and to evaluate the suitability of remote monitoring devices for use in the home environment. The study participants consist of 30 newborns and 30 mothers. The inclusion criteria for newborns are: 1) informed consent from the newborn's parents/guardians 2) the newborn's health status has been confirmed as normal during hospital monitoring, and 3) the newborn is less than one month old. The inclusion criteria for mothers are: 1) ability to participate in Finnish, and 2) the mother has access to an Android smartphone. Data collection will be carried out using the following remote monitoring methods: Emfit smart mattress, Zoundream Cry analyses technology, Polar Verity Sense sensor, and Empatica EmbracePlus sensor. In addition, data will be collected using background information forms, a maternal stress scale (PSS-4), a diary completed by the mother, a maternal depression questionnaire (EPDS), and questionnaires measuring the suitability of remote monitoring in the home environment, and a thematic interview. In addition, at the end of the data collection phase, the mothers participating in the study will try out the Companion App, which displays sample data on the well-being of newborns, and respond to a questionnaire on the usability of the app.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability of smartphone seismocardiography (SCG) and bed-based ballistocardiography (BCG) for detecting supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in children aged 0-10 years. The performance of these methods will be compared to the gold standard of continuous telemetry ECG recording.

A fully functional brown fat helps maintain a healthy weight and decreases the risk of metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes (T2DM). Unfortunately, in human adults, the functionality of brown fat declines with age, and it is one of the reasons for gaining unhealthy weight, particularly around the waistline (central obesity). Currently, scientists do not clearly understand the reasons for the decline in brown fat functionality. It is possible that the decline in the availability of the molecule Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+), which is central to several metabolic processes, plays a role in the decline in brown fat metabolism. This project will clarify whether NAD+-based molecular-targeted therapies for the enhancement of whole-body insulin sensitivity and brown fat metabolism will be successful in adult humans, which will eventually be an important target for reducing the development of obesity and its comorbidities such as T2DM.

This study explores how nursing students learn to insert a nasogastric tube (NGT), a common but potentially risky clinical procedure. The goal is to compare three different teaching methods: Mixed Reality (MR) glasses with virtual instructions Video-based learning Traditional instructor-led training The study investigates which method leads to better learning outcomes, how usable the technologies are, and how students experience MR in their learning. Participants will be first-year nursing students with no prior experience in NGT insertion. They will be randomly assigned to one of the three training methods, complete the procedure, and answer questionnaires about their performance and experience. Six months later, they will repeat the procedure to assess long-term learning.

The purpose of this study is to cast light on the highly complex etiology and cellular landscape of hip osteoarthritis by utilising single-cell and spatial omics.

This study is consisted of two arms. At first, a randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted. Eighty systematically healthy, non-smoker patients with Periodontitis stage III or IV, grades B to C will be included. Each patient will have to present one intrabony defect site ( site with Probing Depth (PD)\>5mm and radiographic defect depth \> or =3mm). The patients will be randomized in two groups, regarding the treatment intervention of the intrabony defects: Group A (conventional Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment, cNSPT) and Group B (Minimally Invasive Non-Surgical Therapy, MINST). At 5 days and 3 months following intervention, GCF samples will be collected from the intrabony defects in order to assess the molecular healing patterns through intergroup comparisons of inflammation and healing biomarkers. Then two prospective cohort studies will be conducted. The Group B patients will be matched with forty systematically healthy, smoker patients (Group C) with Periodontitis stage III or IV, grades B to C with each one presenting one intrabony defect site ( site with Probing Depth (PD)\>5mm and radiographic defect depth \> or =3mm). Then MINST will be performed in the patients of Group C and the two groups will be compared regarding the clinical and radiographic data obtained by clinical and radiographic examinations performed in both groups' intrabony defects pre-treatment and 6 months following the intervention (first prospective study) and regarding the differences in regeneration biomarkers in GCF samples obtained from the intrabony defects 5 days and 3 months post-treatment (second prospective study).

The goal of this cluster clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of online training course, targeted to unit leaders to improve staff's evidence-based skills (individual outcomes), EBP implementation (team-based outcomes), and the quality of care (organisational outcomes). Feasibility and fidelity of the intervention will be assessed as well. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does online training course improve staff's evidence-based practice? 2. Does online training course improve staff's self-esteem and self-efficacy? 3. Does online training course improve leadership for EBP implementation on organisational level? 4. Does online training course improve the quality of patient care? 5. Does online training course reduce staff's absence (sick leaves, intention to leave the ward or hospital)? Participants will: * Participants will join in a seven-months online training course in small group or practice as usual. * Seven course modules, read course material, prepare assignments, join in peer discussions. * Self-assessment, self-reflection and give course feedback.

This is an RCT study investigating the efficacy of digital intervention focusing on enhancing positive directing skills for teams of early childhood education (ECE) professionals. The aims are to study 1) changes in the ECEs' self-assessed self-efficacy experience in the intervention group compared to the control group; 2) changes in the behavioral challenges of the children in the ECEs' groups assessed by the parents in the intervention group compared to the control group; and 3) changes in the ECEs' guidance methods in the intervention group compared to the control group. We will also study changes in the wellbeing of ECEs and teamwork in both treatment groups. The sample size will consist of approximately 64 teams of ECEs. Hence, altogether there will be approximately 200 study subjects. The intervention is aimed at ECE teams and its goal is to strengthen and unify the team positive guidance practices in children's groups. The intervention includes self-learning material and teams online coaching in which the entire team participates simultaneously. The self-material includes 360 videos of everyday situations in the daycare and videos can be watched with VR glasses. The participants practice the skills systematically with their group of children. The duration of the intervention is approximately 12 weeks and team coaching are carried out approximately every two weeks.

The goal of this study is to evaluate use and feasibility of digitally-delivered universal parenting program, which aims to promote positive parenting among guardians with 3 years-old children.