Psychosocial factors affecting sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters:a cross-sectional study

Background@#There have been no health-related studies of pre-employed firefighters without firefighter-specific job-related factors (FSJRF). This study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters and to examine the relationship between sleep quality and psychosocial factors. @*Methods@#We conducted a self-report questionnaire survey for 602 pre-employed firefighters at 3 Fire Service Academies after brief lecture about sleep. Sleep quality and psychosocial variables such as depression, anxiety, stress and social support were evaluated. The independent 2 sample t-test, χ2 test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the effect of the variables on the sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters. @*Results@#Among a total of 602 people, 347 (57.6%) had good sleep quality and 255 (42.4%) had poor sleep quality. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of them was 3.29 ± 1.41) and 7.87 ± 2.20), respectively. 24 (4.0%) were evaluated to have insomnia by Insomnia Severity Index.Logistic regression analyses showed that the depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.940, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.124–11.292), anxiety (aOR: 4.233, 95% CI: 2.138–8.381), stress (aOR: 2.880, 95% CI: 1.915–4.330) and social support (aOR: 0.959, 95% CI: 0.939–0.980) have a significant effect on sleep quality after adjusted by sex, age, smoking status, drinking status, caffeine intake, past shift working and circadian rhythm type. @*Conclusions@#Depression, anxiety, stress and social support were associated with sleep quality among pre-employed firefighters. Repeated follow-up studies of pre-employed firefighters are needed to further assess their change of sleep quality and identify the FSJRF that may affect the sleep quality of firefighters.

Psychosocial factors affecting sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters:a cross-sectional study

Background@#There have been no health-related studies of pre-employed firefighters without firefighter-specific job-related factors (FSJRF). This study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters and to examine the relationship between sleep quality and psychosocial factors. @*Methods@#We conducted a self-report questionnaire survey for 602 pre-employed firefighters at 3 Fire Service Academies after brief lecture about sleep. Sleep quality and psychosocial variables such as depression, anxiety, stress and social support were evaluated. The independent 2 sample t-test, χ2 test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the effect of the variables on the sleep quality of pre-employed firefighters. @*Results@#Among a total of 602 people, 347 (57.6%) had good sleep quality and 255 (42.4%) had poor sleep quality. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score of them was 3.29 ± 1.41) and 7.87 ± 2.20), respectively. 24 (4.0%) were evaluated to have insomnia by Insomnia Severity Index.Logistic regression analyses showed that the depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.940, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.124–11.292), anxiety (aOR: 4.233, 95% CI: 2.138–8.381), stress (aOR: 2.880, 95% CI: 1.915–4.330) and social support (aOR: 0.959, 95% CI: 0.939–0.980) have a significant effect on sleep quality after adjusted by sex, age, smoking status, drinking status, caffeine intake, past shift working and circadian rhythm type. @*Conclusions@#Depression, anxiety, stress and social support were associated with sleep quality among pre-employed firefighters. Repeated follow-up studies of pre-employed firefighters are needed to further assess their change of sleep quality and identify the FSJRF that may affect the sleep quality of firefighters.

Relationship between shift work and liver enzymes: a cross-sectional study based on the Korea National Health and Examination Survey (2007–2015)

BACKGROUND: Shift work has well-known adverse effects on health. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between shift work and hepatic disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the association between shift work and abnormal level of liver enzymes. METHODS: The aggregated data from the 2007–2009, 2010–2012, and 2013–2015 cycles of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used for this study. The χ2 test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to assess relationship between shift work and abnormal level of liver enzymes stratified by gender. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) of abnormal serum level of alanine aminotransferase (abnormal ALT) in female shift workers was higher with 1.31 (95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.71) compared with day workers after adjusting for covariates. After dividing into subgroups of the shift work pattern, the ORs of abnormal liver enzymes for each pattern compared with day work were not significantly higher. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides limited support for the hypothesis that shift work is related to liver enzyme abnormalities, but offers some evidence in favor of the idea that shift work affects female workers more than males on abnormal ALT. Further studies are needed to define the relationship between shift work and abnormal liver enzymes to be carried out as well as the gender difference in the association.

Protective Effect of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus 2/8-Mediated Gene Therapy from the Maternal Hyperphenylalaninemia in Offsprings of a Mouse Model of Phenylketonuria

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessively inherited metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The accumulation of phenylalanine leads to severe mental and psychomotor retardation, and the fetus of an uncontrolled pregnant female patient presents with maternal PKU syndrome. We have reported previously on the cognitive outcome of biochemical and phenotypic reversal of PKU in a mouse model, Pah(enu2), by the AAV serotype 2-mediated gene delivery of a human PAH transgene. However, the therapeutic efficacy had been limited to only male PKU mice. In this study, we generated a pseudotyped recombinant AAV2/8-hPAH vector and infused it into female PKU mice through the hepatic portal vein or tail vein. Two weeks after injection, complete fur color change to black was observed in female PKU, as in males. The PAH activity in the liver increased to 65-70% of the wild-type activity in female PKU mice and to 90% in male PKU mice. Plasma phenylalanine concentration in female PKU mice decreased to the normal value. In addition, the offsprings of the treated female PKU mice can rescue from the harmful effect of maternal hyperphenylalaninemia. These results indicate that recombinant AAV2/8-mediated gene therapy is a potential therapeutic strategy for PKU.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus mediated gene transfer in a mouse model for homocystinuria

Homocystinuria is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of cystathionine b-synthase (CBS). The major clinical symptoms of this disease are mental retardation, lens dislocation, vascular disease with life-threatening thromboembolisms, and skeletal deformities. The major treatments for CBS deficiency include pharmacologic doses of pyridoxine or dietary restriction of methionine. There is currently no effective long-term treatment to lower the elevated plasma levels of homocysteine. However, gene therapy could be an effective novel approach for the treatment of homocystinuria. A recombinant adeno- associated virus vector carrying human CBS cDNA (rAAV-hCBS) was constructed and administered to CBS-/- mice by intramuscular (IM) and intraperitoneal (IP) injections. Serum homocysteine concentrations significantly decreased in treated mice compared with age-matched controls two weeks after treatment. The treated CBS-/- mice had life spans 3-7 days longer compared with untreated CBS-/- mice. In CBS-/- mice treated with rAAV-hCBS via IP injection, the vector was detected in all organs examined including liver, spleen, and kidney, and CBS gene expression was observed by immunohistochemical staining in the liver. These results indicate the efficacy of gene delivery and demonstrate the possibility of gene therapy mediated by AAV gene transfer in this mouse model of homocystinuria.

Effect of Smoking on Gingival Blood Flow / 대한치주과학회지

Recent studies have demonstrated that smoking may be one of the most significant risk factors in the development and progression of periodontal disease. Reports have indicated that smoking causes gingival blood flow to be decreased. However, studies on the effects of smoking on gingival blood flow have yielded contradictory results. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of smoking on gingival blood flow. One hundred volunteers(fifty non-smokers and fifty smokers) with good general and periodontal health, aged twenties(non-smoker : 22-29 years, mean=25.36, smoker : 23-29 years, mean=26.64) were selected. Laser Doppler flowmetry (floLAB, Moor Instruments Ltd., England) was applied to measure the gingival blood flow of interdental papilla, marginal gingiva, attached gingiva and alveolar mucosa of left and right upper lateral incisors. In smokers, following an overnight abstinence from smoking, gingival blood flow was measured before smoking, immediately after smoking, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-hour after smoking from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The difference of blood flow in each tissue of non-smokers and that of each measuring time and each tissue of smokers were statistically analyzed by one way ANOVA and Tukey test. And the difference of blood flow between smokers and non-smokers in each tissue was statistically analyzed by t-test. The results were as follows : 1. Mean blood flow was highest in alveolar mucosa, followed by interdental papilla, attached gingiva and marginal gingiva in both smokers and non-smokers. There was a statistically significant difference in each tissue(p<0.05). 2. There was no consistent result between mean blood flow before smoking in smokers and that of nonsmokers in each tissue. 3. There was a statistically significant difference between gingival blood flow at measuring time point and gingival blood flow of smokers in each tissue(p<0.05). The present study suggested that smoking could alter the gingival blood flow, thus might be partly contributed to periodontal destruction.

Effect of Smoking on Gingival Blood Flow / 대한치주과학회지

Recent studies have demonstrated that smoking may be one of the most significant risk factors in the development and progression of periodontal disease. Reports have indicated that smoking causes gingival blood flow to be decreased. However, studies on the effects of smoking on gingival blood flow have yielded contradictory results. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of smoking on gingival blood flow. One hundred volunteers(fifty non-smokers and fifty smokers) with good general and periodontal health, aged twenties(non-smoker : 22-29 years, mean=25.36, smoker : 23-29 years, mean=26.64) were selected. Laser Doppler flowmetry (floLAB, Moor Instruments Ltd., England) was applied to measure the gingival blood flow of interdental papilla, marginal gingiva, attached gingiva and alveolar mucosa of left and right upper lateral incisors. In smokers, following an overnight abstinence from smoking, gingival blood flow was measured before smoking, immediately after smoking, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-hour after smoking from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The difference of blood flow in each tissue of non-smokers and that of each measuring time and each tissue of smokers were statistically analyzed by one way ANOVA and Tukey test. And the difference of blood flow between smokers and non-smokers in each tissue was statistically analyzed by t-test. The results were as follows : 1. Mean blood flow was highest in alveolar mucosa, followed by interdental papilla, attached gingiva and marginal gingiva in both smokers and non-smokers. There was a statistically significant difference in each tissue(p<0.05). 2. There was no consistent result between mean blood flow before smoking in smokers and that of nonsmokers in each tissue. 3. There was a statistically significant difference between gingival blood flow at measuring time point and gingival blood flow of smokers in each tissue(p<0.05). The present study suggested that smoking could alter the gingival blood flow, thus might be partly contributed to periodontal destruction.