Sleep deprivation and a non-24-h working schedule lead to extensive alterations in physiology and behavior.

Most organisms on Earth possess circadian rhythms in their physiology and behaviors that allow them to resonate with the cycling environment over a 24-h period. However, in human society, a substantial quantity of jobs requires non-24-h working and rest or shift schedules, which causes more or less misalignment in circadian rhythms and disorders as a consequence. In this work, we conducted a sleep deprivation (SD) and non-24-h working and rest schedule (8 h on and 4 h off) experiment over 10 d in total and measured the changes in a series of physiologic and cognitive parameters. The results show that although the subjects could sleep during the schedule, their sleepiness increased significantly. Actigraphy data suggest that a 12-h schedule might result in chronic SD. Along with the increased sleepiness revealed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale questionnaire, the neurobehavioral psychomotor vigilance test data reveal that, compared with the control period, the reaction time of the subjects was significantly delayed. The saliva insulin levels were significantly changed in the morning in SD and non-24-h cycles. Salivary biochemical parameters were also altered, including aspartate aminotransferase and K+. 16S rRNA-based analysis of the salivary microbiota showed differentially changed patterns in bacteria composition and concentration. Together, these data demonstrate that an abnormal working and rest schedule might produce comprehensive interference with circadian rhythms, metabolism, and cognition.-Ma, H., Li, Y., Liang, H., Chen, S., Pan, S., Chang, L., Li, S., Zhang, Y., Liu, X., Xu, Y., Shao, Y., Yang, Y., Guo, J. Sleep deprivation and a non-24-h working schedule lead to extensive alterations in physiology and behavior.

Serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 level as a biomarker for colorectal cancer: a diagnostic meta-analysis.

AIM: To comprehensively evaluate the diagnostic value of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) level for colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Both of the relationships between MMP-9 level and CRC and the diagnostic value were evaluated from 12 eligible papers. RESULTS: The high MMP-9 level increased CRC risk. The estimated sensitivity and specificity were 69 and 68%, respectively, which signified that the diagnostic value was medium. Diagnostic odds ratio and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve suggested MMP-9 level has a moderate diagnostic value in CRC. Additionally, the likelihood matrix indicated MMP-9 levels could be considered as a biomarker for the diagnosis of CRC. CONCLUSION: Patients with CRC have elevated MMP-9 levels, which is a potential biomarker for CRC diagnosis.