Chronobiology International最新文献

Translational research has shown a profound impact of daylight and electrical lighting on circadian rhythms, sleep, mood, and alertness. Dynamic LED-lighting can mimic daily and seasonal changes in daylight by continuous changes in intensity and spectral distribution throughout the 24-hour day. The current study assessed the clinical effect of dynamic LED-lighting in a randomized controlled setup. In an affective disorders ward, 10 single patient rooms were fitted with a dynamic LED-lighting system, replacing the existing lighting, able to switch between a dynamic or a static mode. In the dynamic mode, daytime Melanopic Daylight Equivalent Illuminance (M-EDI) peaked at 10:30h with 576 lx M-EDI vs. 66 lx in the static mode. During the evening, the dynamic mode gradually reduced intensity to 0.3 lx M-EDI, with the static mode staying at 66 lx. Patients with major depression were randomly allocated to a static or a dynamic lighting mode in their room, lasting three weeks, with weekly assessments, and after 6 months. The primary outcome was the change in scores on the HAM-D6 scale from baseline to week 3. In all, 60 patients were included in the study with a 96.7% follow-up of the primary outcome. On the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D₆) scale, a significantly greater antidepressant effect of the dynamic light was seen at week 3 for females (71%) (p = 0.02), but not for the whole group (p = 0.47). At 6 months, a significantly greater effect of dynamic light was seen for the whole group (p = 0.03). Sleep diaries showed significantly longer sleep (p = 0.02), fewer awakenings (p = 0.04), and later sleep offset (p = 0.03) with dynamic light, for the whole group. The dynamic lighting system was well functioning. Participants were most satisfied with the dynamic light. These findings should be tested in larger studies with measurement of individual light exposure.

The role of sleep quality and chronotype on diet quality and hedonic hunger has not been fully clarified. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine these associations and included a total of 2124 participants (1459 women and 665 men; mean age 21.3 ± 2.5 years). Data were collected using validated instruments: the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) to assess chronotype, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality, the Power of Food Scale (PFS) and Turkish Palatable Eating Motives Scale (T-PEMS) to evaluate hedonic hunger, and a 24-hour dietary recall to determine diet quality via the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020). Anthropometric measurements were obtained by the researcher. Results indicated that men had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001) and were more likely to exhibit an evening chronotype (p = 0.023), whereas women demonstrated higher MEQ and T-PEMS scores (p < 0.001). Poor sleep quality was prevalent in 80.6% of participants and was associated with increased T-PEMS (p < 0.001). Evening chronotypes exhibited significantly poorer sleep quality, higher T-PEMS scores, and lower HEI-2020 scores compared to morning types (p < 0.001). These findings may indicate that both sleep patterns and circadian preferences can play a significant role in shaping diet quality among university students.

This systematic review aims to examine the previously published studies on the application of radiotherapy (RT) and determine the possible benefits of incorporating a circadian-based time-of-day RT concept to improve outcomes. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies published between 2008 and 2024 using PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. This systematic review included studies that analysed outcomes of patients with cancer who underwent RT in relation to the time of the day for those treatments. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review; fourteen were retrospective, and five were prospective randomized trials. This review revealed that 64.3% (9/14) studies measured overall survival (OS) and tumour control, 14.3% (2/14) studies measured clinical outcomes and treatment toxicity, and 21.4% (3/14) retrospective studies measured Chrono-RT-induced toxicity only; however, they do not have consistent results. In addition, 100% (5/5) prospective studies measured treatment toxicity effects only whether patients were treated in the morning or evening. Existing literature suggests that Chrono-RT may reduce adverse symptoms in highly proliferative tissues and improve clinical outcomes. However, further examination of the Chrono-RT concept, in well-designed prospective trials and retrospective studies, is warranted to validate this hypothesis and for consistent results.

Feeding time is a critical factor influencing the growth, feeding efficiency, and health of animals. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different feeding times on the gut microbiome composition in Rana dybowskii tadpoles over a 50-d period. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we analyzed the gut microbiome at four feeding times: 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00. Our results revealed that tadpoles fed at 12:00 and 18:00 grew significantly faster than those fed at 6:00 and 24:00. The highest microbial abundance and diversity were observed in the 12:00 feeding group. Additionally, three probiotic bacteria-Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides ovatus, and Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum-were identified as dominant species in this group. These findings suggest that feeding time not only influences the composition and structure of the intestinal microbiota in R. dybowskii tadpoles but also affects their growth performance. These results highlight the importance of feeding time in improving tadpole health and farming efficiency.

Chronotype may play a role in the association between shift work and health risks. An important and widely used questionnaire for measuring chronotype is the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire for Shift workers (MCTQ^Shift); however, it has neither been validated nor is it available in Norwegian or any other Scandinavian language. Therefore, we translated the MCTQ^Shift into Norwegian and assessed its validity against subjective and objective sleep measures. We adhered to established methodological guidelines to translate the questionnaire. The final Norwegian version was administered to 60 workers (85% responders) on a three-shift schedule (21.7% women, median age 28 y) at an industrial plant. Sleep duration and mid-sleep from the MCTQ^Shift were compared with sleep diary and a multisensory sleep tracker (the Oura ring). Construct and criterion validity were evaluated. Sleep duration measured by the MCTQ^Shift was highly correlated (r > 0.6) with sleep duration calculated from both the Oura ring and sleep diaries after morning shifts. On free days, the MCTQ^Shift correlated moderately with the sleep diary but weakly with the Oura ring. Mid-sleep correlations from MCTQ^Shift compared to the Oura ring data were high (r > 0.7) for sleep periods after morning and night shifts, and moderate (r = 0.5) sleep periods between free days following morning shift. Bland-Altman analyses indicated that the MCTQ^Shift overestimated sleep duration and underestimated mid-sleep, with the largest discrepancies on free days after morning shifts. Night shifts showed the most pronounced outliers. The Norwegian MCTQ^Shift shows promising validity for assessing sleep habits in shift workers, particularly on workdays. However, reduced accuracy on free days after morning shifts suggests limitations in capturing sleep patterns across all shift types.

Nurses experience some barriers to healthy eating and weight loss that are different than the general population. This study examined diet timing and quality, and interest in time-restricted feeding (TRF), and compared diet quality between day and shift-working nurses. The cross-sectional SHift-working Investigation of Fasting Time and Diet Study was conducted among nurses (n = 123) in the United States. Diet was tracked for up to 7 days using the ASA24 to determine Energy-density Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII^TM) scores, Heathy Eating Index (HEI), and fasting duration. Self-reported demographics, psychosocial measures (e.g. stress and depression), and TRF anticipated barriers and facilitators were obtained. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to compare night/rotating and dayshift. The primarily white (86%) and female (95%) participants had a mean age and body mass index (BMI) of 34.1 ± 10.0 years and 27.3 ± 5.6 kg/m², respectively. Most participants (75%) expressed interest in TRF. Fasting duration was short (mean hours = 11.9), and diet quality poor (mean: E-DII score = -0.05; HEI score = 54.0). Night/rotating shift had more anti-inflammatory diets compared to dayshift (mean E-DII: night/rotating = 0.19 vs dayshift = 1.21; p = 0.04). Nurses have challenging barriers to improving weight. Since most nurses indicated interest in a TRF intervention, TRF may hold potential as a key dietary approach for nurses.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between biological rhythm and breastfeeding success among breastfeeding women. Carried out as a descriptive and cross-sectional study, the present study was completed with 204 breastfeeding women. Data collection instruments included a "Personal Information Form," the "Biological Rhythm Interview of Assessment Scale (BRIAS)" scale, and the "LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool." The BRIAS activity, the sleep and the social habits subdimensions negatively predicted LATCH scores (p < 0.001). The study determined that as disruptions in biological rhythms increased, breastfeeding success decreased.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the time-of-day on muscular strength, power and endurance performance in resistance-trained individuals. Fourteen resistance-trained males (age: 26.3 ± 6.7 years) underwent a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over trial. After a familiarization session, participants underwent two trials performing in the morning (9:00 h) and in the evening (18:00 h) a muscular strength and power assessment for bench press and back squat exercises at 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100% of one-repetition maximum (1RM). Then, muscular endurance was assessed for both exercises at 65%1RM, performing one set until failure. Once completed, isometric strength and vertical jump capacity (CMJ) tests were also performed. Only back squat exercise at 25% 1RM reported higher performance in the evening compared to the morning at mean velocity and mean and peak power (11-13%, p = 0.018-0.031, g = 1.91-2.20). Also, CMJ power was higher in the evening compared to the morning trial (2.5%, p = 0.002, g = 0.23). No statistical differences were found in the remaining loads, exercises or tests. In conclusion, circadian rhythm affects muscular strength and power performance at low (≤25% 1RM) but not moderate-to-higher loads in resistance-trained male participants, an effect observed in lower-body (e.g. back squat and vertical jump) but not in upper-body exercises (e.g. bench press).

This study aimed to investigate the role of clock genes Per1/Per2 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotypic transformation and the underlying mechanisms. Primary rat VSMCs were treated with Ang, valsartan or other inhibitors. Assays included PCR, Western blot (Per1, Per2, p-MLC₂₀, p-CREB, AT1R), cell viability (MTT, Ki67, binuclear count), cell cycle, calcium and IP3. 50% fetal bovine serum shock significantly reduced the proliferation-promoting effect of Ang. Ang significantly increased the expression of Per1/Per2 mRNA at ZT3 but decreased it at ZT19 and ZT23 correlating with p-MLC₂₀ changes. Valsartan (AT1R inhibitor), Calphostin C (PKC inhibitor), U73122 (PLC inhibitor), 2-APB (IP3R blocker) and dantrolene sodium salt (Calcium channel protein inhibitor) significantly blocked the effects of Ang on Per1/Per2 genes. Ang significantly increased the p-CREB expression, IP3 and [Ca²⁺]i concentration transiently but decreased it in the long term. However, Ang significantly decrease Per1, Per2, and AT1R proteins expression transiently but increased it in the long term. Finally, silencing Per1 and Per2 enhances Ang-induced proliferation of VSMCs. Ang II triggers Per1/Per2 oscillation via the AT1R/PLC/Ca²⁺/PKC/p-CREB axis. Remarkably, the resultant AT1R-Per1/Per2 feedback loop counteracts Ang II-driven VSMC phenotypic transformation.