Influence of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Inhibition on Stemness of Endometrial Cancer Stem Cells.

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common gynaecological malignancies. Although often diagnosed at an early stage, there is a subset of patients with recurrent and metastatic disease for whom current treatments are not effective. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a pivotal role in triggering tumorigenesis, disease progression, recurrence, and metastasis, as high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is associated with invasiveness and chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of ALDH inhibition in endometrial CSCs. ECC-1 and RL95-2 cells were submitted to a sphere-forming protocol to obtain endometrial CSCs. ALDH inhibition was evaluated through ALDH activity and expression, sphere-forming capacity, self-renewal, projection area, and CD133, CD44, CD24, and P53 expression. A mass spectrometry-based proteomic study was performed to determine the proteomic profile of endometrial cancer cells upon N,N-diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB). DEAB reduced ALDH activity and expression, along with a significant decrease in sphere-forming capacity and projection area, with increased CD133 expression. Additionally, DEAB modulated P53 expression. Endometrial cancer cells display a distinct proteomic profile upon DEAB, sharing 75 up-regulated and 30 down-regulated proteins. In conclusion, DEAB inhibits ALDH activity and expression, influencing endometrial CSC phenotype. Furthermore, ALDH18A1, SdhA, and UBAP2L should be explored as novel molecular targets for endometrial cancer.

Sleep and Fatigue Differences in the Two Most Common Types of Commercial Flight Operations.

BACKGROUND: Sleep and fatigue management is one of the main challenges in airline operations scheduling. Our aim was to compare the differences regarding fatigue, sleep, and labor specificities between the two most common types of flight, short/medium haul (SM-H) and long haul (L-H), in a large sample of airline pilots. METHODS: A self-report questionnaire was developed, composed of socio-economic and labor questions, and psychological assessment scales for fatigue and sleep. Associations of these variables and type of flight were tested. RESULTS: Of the total sample of Portuguese airline pilots (N = 435), 313 (72%) were from SM-H and 122 (28%) were from L-H. For SM-H, the values obtained for sleep complaints were 34.2%, daytime sleepiness 61.6%, and fatigue 93.0%. For L-H, 36.9%, 53.3%, and 84.4%, respectively. Looking at labor variables, the differences between the two types of flights were evident, with SM-H pilots' having statistically significant higher mean values of duty and flight hours, numbers of sectors, and early mornings. Only the mean number of night periods was higher in L-H pilots. All values were reported for 28 consecutive scheduling days. CONCLUSION: Night periods and time-zone crossing may explain higher prevalence levels of sleep disturbances in L-H pilots. However, the values for daytime sleepiness were higher in SM-H pilots, which may be attributed to diminished sleep caused by a combination of frequent early starts and long duty periods. Taking into account the large differences between the two types of flights, different regulatory limits should be considered by aviation authorities. Reis C, Mestre C, Canhão H, Gradwell D, Paiva T. Sleep and fatigue differences in the two most common types of commercial flight operations. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(9):811-815.

Sleep complaints and fatigue of airline pilots.

This work aimed to determine daytime sleepiness and sleep complaints prevalence and the corresponding influence on perceived fatigue and to evaluate the influence of sociodemographic parameters and labour variables on sleep complaints, sleepiness and fatigue. A questionnaire was developed including socio-economic and labour issues and instruments, focused in sleep and fatigue. The response rate was 32% and the final sample had 435 pilots. The prevalence of sleep complaints was 34.9%, daytime sleepiness 59.3% and fatigue 90.6%. The high prevalence of sleep complaints, sleepiness and fatigue was disclosed in pilots, with those who fly short/medium having an added risk of fatigue.

Prevalence of fatigue in a group of airline pilots.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common phenomenon in airline pilots that can impair alertness and ability of crewmembers to safely operate an aircraft and perform safety related tasks. Fatigue can increase the risk of an incident or even an accident. This study provides the first prevalence values for clinically significant fatigue in Portuguese airline pilots. The hypothesis that medium/short-haul pilots may currently present different levels of fatigue than long-haul pilots was also tested. METHODS: A survey was conducted by requesting Portuguese airline pilots to complete questionnaires placed in the pilots' personal lockers from 1 April until 15 May 2012. The questionnaire included the self-response Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) to measure subjective fatigue and some additional questions concerning perception of fatigue by pilots. RESULTS: The prevalence values for total and mental fatigue achieved in the Portuguese airline pilots were: 89.3% (FSS > or = 4) and 94.1% (FSS > or = 4) when splitting the sample in two subsamples, long- and medium/short-haul pilots. Levels of total and mental fatigue were higher for medium/short-haul pilots. DISCUSSION: The analysis of fatigue levels in each type of aviator showed that medium/short-haul pilots presented the highest levels of total and mental fatigue. This study produced the first prevalence values of total and mental fatigue among Portuguese airline pilots, which represents a great step to understanding and addressing this critical phenomenon.