Publications by authors named "Jaakko Heikkinen"

Background: In acute neck infections, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows retropharyngeal edema (RPE), which is a prognostic imaging biomarker for a severe course of illness. This study aimed to develop a deep learning-based algorithm for the automated detection of RPE.

Methods: We developed a deep neural network consisting of two parts using axial T2-weighted water-only Dixon MRI images from 479 patients with acute neck infections annotated by radiologists at both slice and patient levels.

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Objectives: We assessed risk factors and developed a score to predict intensive care unit (ICU) admissions using MRI findings and clinical data in acute neck infections.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with MRI-confirmed acute neck infection. Abscess diameters were measured on post-gadolinium T1-weighted Dixon MRI, and specific edema patterns, retropharyngeal (RPE) and mediastinal edema, were assessed on fat-suppressed T2-weighted Dixon MRI.

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Objective: Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) bacteria have been associated with severe illness in patients with odontogenic neck abscesses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers excellent diagnostic accuracy in neck abscesses. We sought to explore whether MRI findings could predict SAG-positivity.

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Sequestering carbon into agricultural soils is considered as a means of mitigating climate change. We used agronomic soil test results representing c. 95% of the farmed land area in Finland to estimate the potential of the uppermost 15 cm soil layer of mineral agricultural soils to sequester organic carbon (OC) and to contribute to the mitigation of climate change.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study examined a 5-minute MRI protocol using T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging to differentiate between tonsillar infections, peritonsillar abscesses, and more severe abscesses in patients suspected of having pharyngotonsillar infections.
  • The study involved 52 patients, with radiologists assessing diagnostic accuracy and confidence using a short protocol versus a longer, contrast-enhanced protocol, finding both provided similar accuracy for identifying abscesses.
  • Results indicated the short MRI protocol was effective for diagnosing abscesses and while the full protocol improved reader confidence, it didn’t significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy or agreement among observers.
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Pediatric neck infections and their complications, such as abscesses extending to deep neck compartments, are potentially life-threatening acute conditions. Medical imaging aims to verify abscesses and their extensions and exclude other complications. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven to be a useful and highly accurate imaging method in acute neck infections in children.

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Infection of the deep neck spaces is a life-threatening acute illness that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers unsurpassed soft tissue discrimination and is therefore well suited for imaging neck infections. Recently, the feasibility, diagnostic accuracy, and clinical significance of this method have been documented in patients with acute neck infections.

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Objectives: To review the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in differentiating abscesses from cellulitis in patients with neck infections, using surgical findings as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: Previous studies in the last 32 years were searched from PubMed and Embase. Because of partial verification bias (only positive abscess findings are usually verified surgically), sensitivity and specificity estimates are unreliable, and we focused on positive predictive value (PPV).

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Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of emergency magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in odontogenic maxillofacial infections, the clinical and surgical significance of MRI findings, and whether MRI can identify the tooth responsible for the infection.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study reviewed 106 emergency neck MRI scans of patients with neck infections of odontogenic origin. The diagnostic accuracy of MRI in identifying abscesses was studied relative to surgical findings.

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Article Synopsis
  • - One-fourth of global soil organic carbon (SOC) is found in the boreal region, which is experiencing rapid climate change that could lead to increased carbon dioxide emissions from soil, further worsening global warming.
  • - A study using data from Finland revealed that SOC content in the topsoil has decreased by 0.35% per year, primarily due to rising summer temperatures and increased precipitation, with high certainty about these connections.
  • - Although better agricultural management practices can help boost SOC levels, the study suggests they are unlikely to fully offset the SOC losses caused by climate change, emphasizing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate warming.
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Background: Differences in the functioning of the immune system and the anatomical proportions of the neck between children and adults lead to different manifestations of deep neck infections. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may serve as an alternative to computed tomography (CT) as the primary imaging modality.

Objective: To study characteristic MRI findings and the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in pediatric deep neck infections.

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Objectives: Due to its superior soft-tissue contrast and ability to delineate abscesses, MRI has high diagnostic accuracy in neck infections. Whether MRI findings can predict the clinical course in these patients is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and prognostic significance of various MRI findings in emergency patients with acute neck infections.

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Background: Computed tomography (CT) has traditionally been the first-line imaging method in neck emergencies such as deep neck infections. Due to superior soft-tissue contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be an alternative to CT, also in emergency situations.

Purpose: To characterize the use of routine MRI in neck emergencies, with an emphasis on clinical feasibility and diagnostic accuracy in cases of neck infection.

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Short-term agronomic and environmental benefits are fundamental factors in encouraging farmers to use biochar on a broad scale. The short-term impacts of forest residue biochar (BC) on the productivity and carbon (C) storage of arable boreal clay soil were studied in a field experiment. In addition, rain simulations and aggregate stability tests were carried out to investigate the potential of BC to reduce nutrient export to surface waters.

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We studied the effects of tillage and straw management on soil aggregation and soil carbon sequestration in a 30-year split-plot experiment on clay soil in southern Finland. The experimental plots were under conventional or reduced tillage with straw retained, removed or burnt. Wet sieving was done to study organic carbon and soil composition divided in four fractions: 1) large macroaggregates, 2) small macroaggregates, 3) microaggregates and 4) silt and clay.

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Soil organic matter not only affects soil properties and productivity but also has an essential role in global carbon (C) cycle. We studied changes in the topsoil C content of Finnish croplands using a dataset produced in nationwide soil monitoring. The monitoring network consisting of fields on both mineral and organic soils was established in 1974 and resampled in 1987, 1998, and 2009.

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Cardiovocal syndrome or Ortner's syndrome is hoarseness due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy caused by mechanical affection of the nerve from enlarged cardiovascular structures. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is extremely rarely found to cause this syndrome. We describe a case of a 56-year-old patient with sudden onset of hoarseness.

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