Mental health according to sleep duration in stroke survivors: A population-based nationwide cross-sectional study.

AIM: Many stroke survivors experience sleep disorders, and are at risk of severe depression and stress. This study examined the association between mental health and sleep duration among Korean stroke survivors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys V (2010-2012) and VI (2013). The nationally representative sample included 504 adults aged ≥19 years. RESULTS: The odds ratio for suicidal ideation was 2.71 (95% confidence interval 1.11-6.60) for stroke survivors who slept <5 h as compared with stroke survivors who slept between 6 and 8 h. Although stress and depression did not differ according to sleep duration, suicidal ideation did. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep duration should be considered as a possible leverage point for preventing suicidal ideation among stroke survivors, and health promotion programs that promote and educate survivors about the importance of appropriate sleep duration are required. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; ••: ••-••.

Association between quality of life and sleep time among community-dwelling stroke survivors: Findings from a nationally representative survey.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the association between quality of life and sleep time among adult stroke survivors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2013), and analyzed data on 504 adult stroke survivors. RESULTS: Findings showed that stroke survivors' daily sleep time significantly varied by sex (P < 0.001), education (P = 0.006) and body mass index (P = 0.012). The EuroQOL-5 Dimension index (P < 0.001), and its dimensions of mobility (P = 0.011), usual activities (P < 0.001) and pain/discomfort (P = 0.005) showed significant differences among people with different sleep times. In the final model, after adjusting for covariates, respondents who slept ≤5 h had odds ratios of 1.82 (95% confidence interval 1.05-3.16) for usual activities and 1.95 (95% confidence interval 1.16-3.27) for pain/discomfort compared with respondents who slept 6-8 h. Respondents who slept ≥9 h had an odds ratio of 3.03 (95% confidence interval 1.43-6.43) for usual activities compared with those who slept 6-8 h. Adjusted means for the EuroQOL-5 Dimension index showed significant differences: 0.76 for ≤5 h, 0.85 for 6-8 h and 0.75 for ≥9 h (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show an association between quality of life and sleep time among adult stroke survivors. Sleep time should be considered in efforts to improve stroke survivors' quality of life, including education and interventions that encourage 6-8 h of sleep. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1226-1230.

Association between smoking type and prevalence of atopic dermatitis and asthma in men and women.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the association between smoking type and the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and asthma in men and women. BACKGROUND: Cases of allergic diseases have been steadily increasing worldwide. Smoking is associated with serious diseases. Only a few studies have assessed the association between smoking and atopic dermatitis and asthma in adults, and gender difference studies are scarce despite a significant difference in smoking rates. METHODS: We conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis of 17 886 adults with atopic dermatitis and 17 889 with asthma aged ≥19 years, using raw data from the Fifth Korea national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012). RESULTS: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in men was not associated with active or passive smoking, whereas asthma prevalence in men was associated with indoor passive smoking exposure at home. We found that atopic dermatitis prevalence in women was associated with current smoking status, whereas asthma prevalence in women was associated with the presence of an indoor daily smoker at home and indoor passive smoking exposure at home. CONCLUSION: Asthmatic adults should be informed of the hazards of passive smoking, and women with atopic dermatitis should in particular be dissuaded from smoking.

Rapid Quantification of N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone in Polymer Matrices by Thermal Desorption-GC/MS.

Analysis of a residual solvent in polymeric materials has become an important issue due to the increased regulations and standards for its use. N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is a solvent widely used in many industries and restricted as one of the chemicals under EU REACH regulations due to its potential harmful effects. In this study, thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) is applied for the quantitative analysis of NMP with the use of a polymer-coated sample cup. By using the polymer-coated sample cup, the vaporization of NMP was prevented during waiting time before TD-GC/MS analysis. The calibration curve for the TD method showed good linearity (correlation coefficient, r2 = 0.9998) and precision values (below 5.3% RSD). NMP recovery rates in different polymer matrices (PS, PMMA and PVC) were in the range of 98.8 to 106.6% with RSD values below 5.0%. The quantification result (600 mg NMP/kg PVC) for the blind NMP carrying sample in a PVC matrix by TD-GC/MS was higher than that (532 mg NMP/kg PVC) by solvent extraction-GC/MS method.

Comparative study of thermal desorption and solvent extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis for the quantification of phthalates in polymers.

For the quantitative analysis of phthalates in polymers, a thermal desorption (TD)-GC-MS method was compared with solvent extraction (SE)-GC-MS methods which require the long pretreatment procedures using large amount of harmful organic solvents. Calibration curves of TD-GC-MS showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9997) and low method detection limit (<30mg/kg with 9.0% RSD). Quantification results for three kinds of test phthalate polymer samples (test PTPSs) showed an RSD below 7.4% and acceptable recoveries (78.3-117.4%) as in the standard method of International Electrotechnical Commission. Even in a sample with a high concentration of phthalates (PTPS #3), the method also showed good recovery with low RSD values. The TD-GC-MS results were comparable with those results by SE-GC-MS methods, indicating that TD-GC-MS method also can be used for the quantification of phthalates in polymers. The average recovery (92-103%) and RSD (<20%) values obtained from international inter-laboratory study for TD-GC-MS performed in six laboratories also indicated that TD-GC-MS can be used as an international standard method for the quantification of phthalates in polymers.