Shift work and cardiovascular strain on working and non-working days.

BACKGROUND: Shift work is often associated with adverse effects on cardiovascular health of employees. Only a few studies address the strain of shift and day workers on non-working days compared to working days. AIMS: This study aims to determine how the cardiovascular strain of hotel and catering industry (HCI) employees who work alternating shifts differs from those working normal day shifts-on both a working day (WD) and a non-working day (ND). METHODS: The sample consisted of 60 alternating shift (morning and afternoon, mean age: 31.5 ± 8.5 years) and 88 day workers (mean age: 35.3 ± 9.4 years). A 24-h ambulatory measurement of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) on WD and ND with the time phases DAY, SLEEP, and 24-h TOTAL was used to analyse cardiovascular strain. BP status was assessed by self-measurement (36% hypertensives). RESULTS: The total strain over 24 h was slightly higher on WD than ND (mean BP: 134/79 versus 127/75 mmHg, P = 0.002-0.020; mean HR: 78 versus 75 bpm, P = 0.055). In trend, shift workers had higher systolic BP than day workers during the individual time phases of DAY, SLEEP, and 24-h TOTAL on WD. Known cardiovascular risk factors emerged as critical determinants of cardiovascular strain: older age, male gender, and hypertensive blood pressure status. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed no clear association between the alternating shift system in HCI and increased cardiovascular strain. The 24-h ambulatory measurement is considered ideal for determining cardiovascular strain in everyday life and under working conditions.

Nutrition and health in hotel staff on different shift patterns.

BACKGROUND: Limited research is available that examines the nutritional behaviour and health of hotel staff working alternating and regular shifts. AIMS: To analyse the nutritional behaviour and health of employees working in alternating and regular shifts. METHODS: The study used an ex post facto cross-sectional analysis to compare the nutritional behaviour and health parameters of workers with alternating shifts and regular shift workers. Nutritional behaviour was assessed with the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Body dimensions (body mass index, waist hip ratio, fat mass and active cell mass), metabolic values (glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and low- and high-density lipoprotein), diseases and health complaints were included as health parameters. RESULTS: Participants worked in alternating (n = 53) and regular shifts (n = 97). The average age of subjects was 35 ± 10 years. There was no significant difference in nutritional behaviour, most surveyed body dimensions or metabolic values between the two groups. However, alternating shift workers had significantly lower fat mass and higher active cell mass but nevertheless reported more pronounced health complaints. Sex and age were also confirmed as influencing the surveyed parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Shift-dependent nutritional problems were not conspicuously apparent in this sample of hotel industry workers. Health parameters did not show significantly negative attributes for alternating shift workers. Conceivably, both groups could have the same level of knowledge on the health effects of nutrition and comparable opportunities to apply this. Further studies on nutritional and health behaviour in the hotel industry are necessary in order to create validated screening programmes.

[Animal-assisted therapy for demented patients in acute care hospitals]. / Tiergestützte Therapie im Demenzbereich eines Akutkrankenhauses.

INTRODUCTION: In nursing homes animal-assisted therapy has been applied in demented elderly patients for several years. There are no studies on this treatment in hospitals, especially in geriatric departments. METHODS: From September 2010 to November 2011 105 in-patients, among them 77 female, participated in a 30 min dog-assisted group therapy (mean age 84,4 ± 6,56 years). The patients had cognitive and functional impairments (mean MMSE 18 points, mean Barthel Index 34,6 points). RESULTS: Adverse events were not observed. Thirteen patients discontinued the treatment early, due to different reasons. The psychologist, who attended the treatment, observed an improvement of mood in 58 % and an improvement in activity in 54 %. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Animal assisted therapy can be safely established in a hospital among patients with cognitive impairment. The data support the hypothesis that animal assisted therapy improves mood, communication and activity in patients with cognitive impairment.

Inelastic neutron scattering and infrared spectroscopic study of furan adsorption on alkali-metal cation-exchanged faujasites.

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) as well as infrared (IR) transmission and diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra of furan adsorbed on Li-LSX, NaY, NaX, K-LSX, and CsNaX zeolites have been measured in the range 2000-200 and 4000-1300 cm(-1), respectively. On the basis of an assignment of normal modes of furan taken from the literature and our own quantum chemical calculations of vibrational frequencies, the observed frequency shifts between bulk furan and furan adsorbed on the zeolites mentioned above have been interpreted in view of the interactions between furan and zeolite. For an explanation of frequency shifts of CH out-of-plane bendings, CH stretchings and some ring vibrations, it has to be assumed that in addition to the interaction between furan and the corresponding cation of the zeolite, a further interaction between the CH bonds and lattice oxygen atoms exists.

Adherent-cell-dependent stimulation of CFU-GM by nucleobases, nucleosides, their analogues, and the hemoregulatory peptide dimer.

At suboptimal concentrations of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), nucleobases and nucleosides as well as their analogues strongly stimulated aggregate (colony and cluster) formation from murine bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) in agar culture. Active compounds include 2'-deoxycytidine, thymidine, 5'-deoxyarabinosyl-cytosine, 5'-deoxy-5'-fluorothymidine, uracil, 6-methyluracil, orotic acid, and also purine derivatives as adenine, guanine, adenosine, and guanosine. The stimulation was almost identical to that obtained with the dimer of the hemoregulatory pentapeptide. In the absence of colony-stimulating factor (CSF) no stimulation was seen. After separation of adherent cells from the bone marrow cells, the stimulatory effect was lost. It also decreased when the number of bone marrow cells plated was diminished. This suggests that the tested compounds induce growth factor production in adherent cells. The structure/activity relationships indicate that the active compounds are nucleosides, or they may serve for nucleoside synthesis inside the cell. However, nucleotide formation is not necessary for activity.