https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from University of Eastern Finland Introducing forest soil on an entryway doormat shifted the indoor microbiome of Finnish homes closer to bacterial profiles found outdoors, with less contribution from human-associated bacteria, a new study shows. In the future, such interventions rebalancing the home microbiome could be used for health promotion, especially in urban settings. The study was led by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Eastern Finland and is published in the journal Microbiome. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-forest-soil-doormats-rebalances-urban.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:00:01 EDT news694181881 The bottom sediment of water bodies is an archive of all human activity. It is a reservoir of nutrients but also of harmful substances—and it can also turn into a source of emissions. "Most lakes tend to be remediated due to eutrophication. Water bodies have also been remediated due to the presence of harmful substances, but clearly less frequently," says Research Director Jarkko Akkanen from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-contaminated-aquatic-sediments-remediated-site.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:20:01 EDT news693652807 As interest in structured mountain adventure continues to surge across Europe and North America, a new study led by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and Lakehead University provides the first comprehensive scoping review and research agenda dedicated specifically to Via Ferrata tourism and recreation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mountain-tourism-boom-ferrata-global.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:10:02 EDT news693216001 GLP-1 medications used to treat diabetes and obesity were associated with a reduced need for hospital care and sickness absence due to psychiatric reasons, a new study shows. The large register-based study was carried out in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Griffith University in Australia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-glp-medications-diabetes-obesity-alleviate.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:30:04 EDT news693067081 Video meetings have become a staple in the workplace. A recent study among senior IT industry managers shows that video meetings have a dual impact on remote leadership. Although Teams, Zoom and other tools for video meetings have become embedded in day-to-day organizational practices, their role in leadership has not been thoroughly examined from the perspective of technological opportunities and constraints—until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-online-pros-cons.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:30:02 EDT news692267222 A new study shows how climate and light conditions interaction affect the early growth in abarco, a highly valued tropical timber species, offering critical guidance for reforestation and sustainable forest management in the face of climate change. Abarco—a native South American tree prized for its timber and ecological importance—shows strong early growth and survival but also sensitivity to air humidity and sunlight intensity, according to researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and AGROSAVIA—Colombia. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-years-field-climate-early-growth.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:20:04 EST news691863181 Pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages involved in immune responses accelerate the progression of melanoma through the extracellular vesicles they secrete, a study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The findings are published in Cell Communication and Signaling. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-melanoma-disrupting-macrophage-vesicles-tumor.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:20:02 EST news691758662 The COVID-19 pandemic was a major health crisis that challenged citizens' information management routines. Epistemic ideals guided how people scanned and filtered information, engaged with it and adapted their behavior accordingly. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-citizens-engage-ways-crisis-finnish.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:20:01 EST news691153681 Plastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems continues to rise, resulting in micro- and nanoparticle accumulation in the aquatic environment. A new study by an aquatic ecology group at the University of Eastern Finland investigated how these tiny plastic particles and their surface charge affect fish reproductive traits, indicating that negative effects may be pronounced under stressful conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanoparticles-linked-higher-fish-embryo.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:40:01 EST news691072381 Public and patient engagement is becoming an established part of academic research, and funders increasingly require that citizens and patients are seen as research partners rather than merely as research subjects. Yet many researchers question what this means in everyday research practice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-patient-involvement-power.html Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:47:31 EST news690713221 The role of soil and forests in greenhouse gas sequestration has been studied for a long time. However, forests are also home to invisible organisms that may affect the climate. "Soil, water and peatlands have been studied in the Biogeochemistry Research Group at the University of Eastern Finland since the mid-1980s, led by Professor Emeritus Pertti Martikainen. When Martikainen retired in 2016, Professor of Microbial Biogeochemistry Jukka Pumpanen took over as the group's leader," says Academy Research Fellow Henri Siljanen from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-puijo-lichens-microbes-canopy-nitrous.html Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:20:03 EST news690544369 New ethnographic research reveals nine justifications that make AI innovations almost "irresistible" across organizational and professional boundaries. The study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland and Aalto University provides rich empirical insight into how innovation teams mobilize multiple conceptions of the common good to keep AI projects going forward. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-generative-ai-arguments-sustain-momentum.html Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:29:17 EST news690568142 Clinical neurophysiology examinations include electroencephalography, sleep and vigilance studies, as well as nerve conduction recordings. Interpretation of these recordings is largely taught during clinical work, using the same devices and software that are employed in everyday practice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-epicurrents-source-web-browser-application.html Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:24:34 EST news690467041 Climate worry is associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among Finns of all ages. However, these symptoms are less common among individuals whose climate-related hope is combined with various forms of action, such as volunteering, following a plant-based diet or avoiding air travel. Hope that society is capable of mitigating climate change is also associated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-climate-depression-action-ease.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:00:02 EST news689269321 In Finland, the average age of passenger cars is among the highest in Europe, and the majority of traffic-related particle emissions are produced by ICE vehicles that are more than 15 years old. The worst polluters are old diesel cars without a diesel particulate filter. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-older-petrol-diesel-vehicles-particle.html Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:52:27 EST news688841521 New research indicates that restoration of peatlands can result in climate mitigation within just a few decades. In Finland, some 60,000 hectares of previously forestry-drained peatlands have already been restored, comprising mainly nutrient-poor sites with weak tree growth. In such cases, peatland plants remain viable and react rapidly to restoration, resulting in the formation of a thick new layer of Sphagnum moss. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-peatland-climate-mitigation-benefits-decades.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:51:14 EST news688737011 Early diagnosis and noninvasive monitoring of neurological disorders require sensitivity to elusive cellular-level alterations that emerge much earlier than volumetric changes observable with millimeter-resolution medical imaging. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-mri-quantitative-microscope-white-injury.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:20:01 EST news688040350 A new study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland sheds light on young Finnish environmental activists, discovering that their activist identities are multidimensional and even contradictory at times. The study has explored how young environmental activists construct their identities and the cultural narratives associated with activism, emphasizing intergenerational responsibility, global climate justice, and activism either as a form of disruption or planetary care. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-young-environmental-activists-identities-multidimensional.html Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:33:26 EST news687699181 A new study published in Business Strategy and the Environment, from the University of Eastern Finland offers a fresh perspective on how circular economy startups succeed in developing their business in markets where consumer demand for sustainable products is equivocal, institutional support is lacking and dominant players are slow to adapt. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-circular-economy-startups-opportunities-resistant.html Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:36:19 EST news687530162 In Finland, farmers who have transitioned to regenerative agriculture are forming a regenerative professional partnership with nature in their decision-making, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-regenerative-farmers-view-nature-meaningful.html Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:19:27 EST news687007142 The prevalence of prediabetes has increased significantly in recent years among Finnish children living with overweight or obesity, a recent study by Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland shows. In the early 2000s, 11% of those studied had prediabetes, whereas 20 years later, the prevalence of prediabetes was 50%. The prevalence of obesity remained unchanged during the study period, but prediabetes became more common among children, which could, in part, be due to a simultaneous increase in maternal overweight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-prediabetes-soar-children-overweight-maternal.html Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:23:54 EST news686305393 Two complementary studies reveal how an insufficient supply of energy in macrophages, key immune cells in artery walls, drives the progression of atherosclerosis—and how this knowledge could lead to better diagnostics and future therapies. The University of Eastern Finland was centrally involved in both studies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-immune-cell-fuel-shortages-atherosclerosis.html Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:46:34 EST news685637161 Fair price, treasure hunting, i.e., the thrill of finding something rare or valuable, as well as ethical and ecological reasons motivate consumers' intentions to buy secondhand gifts, a study from the University of Eastern Finland finds. Administered to users of one of Finland's most popular consumer-to-consumer online marketplaces, Tori.fi, the survey also shows that an intention to buy a secondhand gift often leads to an actual purchase decision. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-gift-deliberated-decision.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:21:21 EST news685016461 A new study of more than 1,500 British adolescents is the first in the world to assess the association between familial cardiometabolic diseases and the offspring's risk of premature heart damage by early adulthood. The study was conducted in collaboration between the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the U.S., the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the U.K., and the University of Eastern Finland. The results were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-family-history-cardiometabolic-disease-linked.html Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:41:20 EST news684603662 Americans use the f-word more frequently on social media than Australians or Britons, but Australians are more creative in its use. The f-word is rarely used in social networks of fewer than 15 people, and people tend to swear more with acquaintances than with friends, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-people-social-media-acquaintances-friends.html Sat, 06 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news684158281 Several changes have been made to EU chemicals policy and legislation with the aim of making society greener. These changes may affect the pharmaceutical sector in many ways, but they are rarely reflected in pharmaceutical policy, legislation and guidance, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-eu-chemicals-legislation-rarely-pharmaceutical.html Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:20:01 EST news683993569 Arts-based approaches effectively capture the complex and layered experiences of displaced young people, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The research is published in the Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-arts-based-methods-afghan-refugee.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:30:14 EST news683814602 Two recent studies from the University of Eastern Finland show that social support plays an important role in health and well-being in later life. Having access to adequate social support is associated with longevity among older adults, and with better quality of life among home care recipients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-social-longevity-quality-life-older.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:13:32 EST news683557981 A new study from the University of Eastern Finland gives prisoners in Finland a voice in the current sustainability transformation debate, showing that their perceptions of sustainable development vary greatly, ranging from individual everyday actions to global environmental issues. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-prisoners-finland-sustainable-uncovers-barriers.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 21:50:01 EST news683297083 Diesel exhaust particles can disturb the function of human brain immune cells, known as microglia, according to a recent study led by the University of Eastern Finland. The findings, published in Environment International, shed light on how traffic-related air pollution could contribute to brain inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-diesel-exhaust-particles-disrupt-function.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:46:02 EST news683282761