Erna Snellman – Academic Research at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere
findings ( 5 ) and mortality in DH ( 2 ) and the effects and health benefits of a gluten-free diet and dapsone medication . Camilla Pasternack ’ s PhD focuses on quality of life ( 6 , 7 ) and bone complications of DH . Elli Turjanmaa ’ s PhD will focus on skin manifestations beyond DH in coeliac disease and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity . In addition , some of the long-term goals of the research group are to discover peripheral blood cell markers predicting the development of gluten tolerance in DH , and to establish novel serum-based diagnostic methods for DH . The study group works closely with other researchers of the Celiac Disease Research Center , and undertakes national and international collaborations .
Wound Center at Tampere University Hospital
Tampere University Hospital harbours Finland ’ s first wound centre . A special ward for treating wound patients was established in 2012 , and an out-patient clinic in 2016 ( Fig . 2 ). The wound centre has a patient-oriented , multi-professional orientation in treating patients with chronic wounds , with the goal of reducing wound-related morbidity and mortality . Furthermore , Finland ’ s first register for wound patients has been designed and engineered in Tampere University Hospital , and its pilot usage started in autumn 2017 . Previous wound-related research has focused , for example , on the incidence of vasculitic ulcers ( 8 ), but new projects are underway and have become feasible through utilization of the wound register .
Photodermatology Research Group
Photodermatology research is an important field of research at Tampere University Hospital / University of Tampere . The group leader is Professor Erna Snellman , and the other members are Emeritus Professor Timo Reunala , senior scientist Meri Lauha ( Alahouhala ), MD , PhD ; residents of dermatology and allergology Toni Karppinen , MD , PhD ; PhD student and dermatology resident Anna Toledo ( Jussila ), MD ; PhD student , dermatology resident Veera Nikkola , MD ; and , as a new member , medical student Annina Raita . We have established collaboration with senior scientist Lasse Ylianttila , and director Riikka Pastila , PhD , from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority ( STUK ), Finland , with dermatopathologist Riitta Huotari-Orava , MD , from the University of Tampere ; psychiatrist Professor Timo Partonen from the National Institute for Health and Welfare ( THL ), Helsinki , Finland , head of department Mari Grönroos , MD , PhD , from Päijät-Häme Central Hospital , Lahti , docent Piia Karisola from the Medicum , University of Helsinki , and Senior Scientist Kaisa Lakkala from the Finnish Meteorological Institute ( FMI ).
Since 2010 , 3 doctoral dissertations have been published on photodermatology targeting heliotherapy , narrow-band ultraviolet B ( UV-B ) therapy and vitamin D , by doctors Vähävihu , Alahouhala and Karppinen ( 9 – 11 ). More recently , 2 doctoral students have studied UV radiation-induced neuroendocrine changes in the skin , suggesting that exposure to narrow-band UV-B radiation increases the expression of beta-endorphin in the skin ( 12 ). As-yet unpublished results of Anna Toledo ( Jussila ) suggest such an effect also on mood in healthy individuals , and that sunbathing could develop into an addiction . However , the mechanism of action awaits further elucidation . Currently , it is not known whether ultraviolet radiation influences the activity of brown adipose tissue , albeit the key circadian clock components ( i . e . cryptochromes ) in the skin are known to absorb 340 – 400 nm wavelengths , and our earlier experimental study indicated that cryptochromes also play a role in narrow-band UV-B ( 309 – 313 nm ) induced erythema in the human skin in vivo ( 13 ), as shown by doctoral student Veera Nikkola .
Fig . 2 . The wound centre outpatient clinic at Tampere University Hospital is multidisciplinary . Plastic surgeon , Associate Professor Ilkka Kaartinen ( left ); nurse Annemari Vuorenpää , specialized in wound care ( middle ); dermatologist , Associate Professor Teea Salmi ( right ).
Exposure to UV radiation relates closely to skin cancers , and studying skin cancer is one of the targets of our Photodermatology Research Group . In 2015 , dermatologist and present dermatopa-
14 Dermato-Venereology in the Nordic Countries
Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2018 , Vol . 23 , No . 1