Topical tacrolimus in atopic dermatitis: Effects of ... - Helda - Helsinki.fi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was carried out at the Skin and Allergy Hospital of Helsinki Central
University Hospital during 1999-2007. It involved both the Department of Dermatology
and the Department of Allergology. I am most grateful to the heads of the departments:
Professor of Dermatology Annamari Ranki, Professor of Clinical Allergology Tari
Haahtela, and Docent Mika Mäkelä for providing excellent facilities and an inspiring
atmosphere for research.
I express my sincere gratitude to Docent Sakari Reitamo, the supervisor of the study, for
his encouraging attitude, friendship, and endless enthusiasm and far-reaching vision in
the field of science and in life in general. In addition to dermatology and research, I
have become familiar with dance, birds, and photography.
I am deeply grateful to the other members of our research group. I thank Anita Remitz
and Håkan Granlund for the time-consuming enrollment and clinical care of the study
patients, support, good advice, and friendship; Johanna Mandelin and Johanna Sahari
for their collaboration, friendship, valuable discussions about research and life, and all
the good moments together.
I owe my warmest thanks to the co-authors of our original articles for their fruitful
collaboration. I thank Tari Haahtela for his insight and important advice; Paula Rytilä
and Tuula Metso for their expertise in the field of sputum analysis; Peter Elg for
providing the collagen propeptide analyses; Pekka Malmberg for his priceless help with
the methodology and statistics; and Osmo Kari for examining and treating the patients
with atopic blepharoconjunctivitis. I also thank Marjatta Kari for statistical support and
Ilkka Helenius for his kind cooperation. Fred Björksten deserves gratitude for editorial
assistance.
I would like to thank Professor Aarne Oikarinen and Docent Heikki Koskela for
critically reviewing the manuscript of this thesis and for their valuable comments. Carol
Norris merits my humblest thanks for swift and intensive language consulting.
The personnel of the Skin and Allergy Hospital, especially in the Laboratory and
Allergy Research Center, are warmly thanked for cooperation, assistance, and patience
in organizing and performing the testing of our patients. I thank Leena Marjanen for
handling the bureaucracy concerning the patient visits and Leena Petman for organizing
the facilities of the Allergy Research Center for our use. Kyllikki Suppala deserves
sincere gratitude for her skillful and time-consuming analyses of the collagen
propeptide samples. Tuula Rinne is kindly thanked for collecting the induced-sputum
samples. I also thank Eila Granlund and Eija Ruoppa for pleasant collaboration.
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