Chronobiology International最新文献

Depression is a severe public health problem with high prevalence among university students. Lifestyle behaviors are modifiable and shorten eating duration may help improve mental health. The aim of the study is to analyze the association between longer eating duration and depressive symptoms in a cohort of university students. This longitudinal study evaluated 672 students who entered a public university in Brazil. Food consumption was assessed by 24 hR. Students were classified into terciles according to distribution of daily eating duration. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 assessed depressive symptoms at a cutoff point ≥10. The associations were estimated by generalized linear models for repeated measures. The adjusted analysis identified that, among women, the third tertile of daily eating duration was associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms (RR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.23, 3.21), compared to the second tertile, after 2 y of follow-up. Among male students, there was no association between eating duration and depressive symptoms throughout the follow-up. In conclusion, eating duration in the third tertile, greater than 14 h, was associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms among female university students.

Locomotor activity (LA) provides valuable insights into animal welfare and the temporal organization of physiology. This study evaluated the effects of rearing system (with mother vs. artificial), sex, and age (week 1 vs. week 3) on lamb LA and circadian rhythmicity. Lambs were fitted with triaxial accelerometers attached to neck collars, which were worn continuously for 7 d. LA was recorded and analyzed based on an ANOVA and cosinor rhythmometry. Activity (counts/min) was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the day (154.3 ± 3.6) than they were at night (114.5 ± 2.9). Artificially reared lambs were significantly (p = 0.041) more active (159.3 ± 8.2) than were maternal-reared lambs (143.2 ± 7.3) in week 1, but not in week 3. In week 1, in the artificially reared group, females were significantly (p < 0.001) more active than were males (192.0 ± 8.2 vs. 126.5 ± 7.1). Cosinor analysis revealed an overall MESOR (Midline Estimating Statistic of Rhythm), of 131.7 ± 2.8, an amplitude of 36.4 ± 3.1, an acrophase around 15 h, and a robustness of 0.29. In conclusion, accelerometry was an effective tool for quantifying LA dynamics in lambs and can be useful in welfare assessment and precision management. LA was influenced by age and sex, with transient effects of rearing system in early life, and a maturation of circadian rhythmicity by week 3 of age.

Diurnal preferences have been found to be associated with a range of adaptive and maladaptive personality traits, including the Big Five personality traits and the Dark Triad. However, no research to date has examined the relationship between morningness-eveningness and sadistic tendencies. According to the niche-specialization hypothesis, individuals with dark personality traits tend to be more active at night because darker environments can help reduce the likelihood of detection or punishment. Given that sadistic tendencies - defined as a person's inclination to derive pleasure from inflicting pain - are a typical dark trait, we anticipate that a nocturnal chronotype would positively correlate with everyday sadism. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two studies utilizing diverse populations and multiple measures of sadism. Study 1 utilized a convenient student sample and self-report questionnaires to provide initial evidence of a correlation between eveningness and sadistic tendencies. Study 2 aimed to validate and generalize these findings by recruiting a broader non-student adult sample and employing a behavioral paradigm less susceptible to self-presentation biases, thereby yielding more ecologically valid and objective evidence for the hypothesized relationship. Together, these findings offer the first empirical support for the association between a night-time chronotype and everyday sadism, thereby endorsing the niche-specialization hypothesis.

This study applies symptom-level network analysis to investigate how chronotype relates to emotional vulnerability in emerging adults. Using data from 1030 university students in Turkey (ages 18-25), it examined links among chronotype, experiential avoidance (EA), psychological pain, depression, and anxiety, paying special attention to overlooked EA subcomponents. Participants completed a battery of assessments including the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (MBPPAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Brief Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ-30), alongside a sociodemographic form. The results showed that eveningness was not a central network node but was associated with increased psychological pain, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and specific avoidance behaviors, notably procrastination and distraction - suppression. Distress aversion emerged as the most central symptom, highlighting emotion regulation difficulties as a key driver of affective vulnerability. The gender-stratified analyses showed a greater centrality of EA components, especially distress aversion, in females, consistent with known gender differences in emotion regulation. No significant gender differences were found in overall network connectivity. These findings support a transdiagnostic view of mental health risk in young adults, identifying distress aversion and psychological pain as potential intervention targets. Eveningness appears to function as a contextual, not causal, factor in affective symptomatology. The findings underscore the utility of network analysis and the importance of developmentally and gender-informed approaches.

Chronotype and food addiction are key psychobiological factors related to physical activity, dietary patterns, and body composition in young adults. However, their combined associations with body structure remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to holistically examine the relationships of chronotype and food addiction with physical activity and body composition among university students. A total of 582 participants (294 women, 288 men; M = 20.78 ± 2.69 y) were assessed using a cross-sectional design. Chronotype was measured with the Morningness - Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), food addiction with the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), and physical activity with the Physical Activity Scale-2 (PAS-2). Body composition was evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Statistical analyses included descriptive tests, independent t-tests, correlation, and multiple regression. Physical activity showed a modest positive association with body mass index in the regression model (β = .198), while no direct relationship was observed with body fat percentage. Evening chronotypes demonstrated higher BMI and visceral adiposity compared with morning and intermediate types, indicating a less favourable adiposity profile. Although food addiction did not display a linear correlation with body composition, individuals reporting ≥3 symptoms showed slightly higher BMI values. In the final model, physical activity, chronotype, and food addiction collectively accounted for 8.7% of the variance in BMI (R² = .087), underscoring their limited yet meaningful contribution. Overall, these findings suggest that body composition in university students is influenced more by behavioural rhythms and timing preferences than by energy balance alone.

Circadian rhythms are intrinsic oscillatory mechanisms in organisms exposed to day-night cycles. Recent studies highlight their complex role in tumor development. Using the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC), we conducted a bibliometric analysis of literature on circadian rhythm and clock genes in oncology with CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix. The results reveal a general upward trend in the volume of publications over the past years. The United States leads in output and impact, with the University of California System being the most prolific institution. Levi Francis is the most prolific author. Journal analysis has identified Cancer Research as the most cited journal and Clinical Epigenetics as the most prolific. Through keyword co-occurrence and clustering analyses, we find that current research has focused primarily on anti-cancer or oncogenic effects of clock genes. Future research hotspots may be therapeutic approaches targeting the clock genes, especially focus on epigenetic modifications of circadian genes. Dual-map overlay analyses of journals revealed a shifting research trend from Molecular Biology and Genetics toward Medicine, Medical Clinical and Immunology Overall, this study provides a current analysis of the relationship between clock genes disturbances and cancer development, summarizing recent advancements and outlining future research directions.

Fatigue is a known contributor to maritime accidents, with roster patterns, shift schedules, and job roles identified as key risk factors in long-distance shipping. This exploratory study investigates whether similar patterns exist in ferry operations. Sixty-three UK ferry workers participated in a field study involving at least 2 weeks of on-duty data collection. Participants wore activity monitors and completed sleep diaries and 9-point scale ratings of sleepiness (KSS), stress, and workload. The sample included four roster types, three work schedules, and six job roles; 52% slept onboard, while others returned home between shifts. Sleepiness on duty (KSS ≥ 7) was reported in 27% of shifts. The shortest sleep was observed in participants working 12-h split shifts and 8 weeks on/4 weeks off rosters. However, the greatest number of shifts with KSS ≥ 7 were found in workers on 2 weeks on/2 weeks off and 1 week on/1 week off rosters. Bridge crew reported the most stress, and service crew the highest workload. Sleep location (onboard vs. home) did not significantly affect outcomes. Fatigue was widespread across roles and schedules, suggesting that mitigation strategies should target the entire workforce. Split shifts should be avoided, and current regulations are insufficient to manage fatigue effectively.

The exaggerated inflammatory response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is under circadian rhythm control and peaks at night. We therefore hypothesized that intravenous infliximab would be more effective when administered before peak inflammatory response. This retrospective, proof-of-concept study assessed clinical (hospitalization/surgery) and biochemical (CRP, albumin) outcomes in 113 adult IBD patients who received inpatient infliximab, grouped into "late" (18:00 h-00:00 h) and "early" (12:00 h-18:00 h) administration. Demographics and disease characteristics were similar between groups. While the "late" group had only marginally higher 30 d surgery and readmission rates (9.38% versus 7.41% and 9.38% versus 8.64% respectively), the difference was more notable for women (15.38% versus 11.11% and 15.38% versus 8.33% respectively). "Early" had higher 72 h CRP response (83% versus 71%) and significant improvement in 40 d CRP compared to "late" (p = 0.0006). Albumin worsened in "late" versus "early" at 7 d (-17% versus +8%) but improved in both at 30 d (+16% versus +29%) compared to baseline. Therefore, "early" infliximab appears to be associated with 1) lower 30 d surgery/readmission rates, 2) higher 72 h CRP response, 3) improved 40 d CRP trend, and 4) favorable change in albumin at 7 d and 30 d compared to "late," suggesting that administration pre-peak inflammatory response (i.e. before 18:00 h) might enhance inflammatory control with improved outcomes.

Disruption of social and circadian rhythms (SCRs) is linked to the pathophysiology and course of bipolar disorder (BD). Valproate response in BD is variable and may be influenced by SCRs and genetic polymorphisms. This study investigated the relationship of valproate response with COMT (rs4680), CLOCK (rs1801260), GSK3-ß (rs334558) polymorphisms, SCRs, and chronotype. Ninety-four subjects with BD in remission and under valproate treatment were enrolled. Rhythm was evaluated with the Social Rhythm Metric-5 (SRM-5), the Biological Rhythm Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN), and the Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire. Valproate response was measured with the Alda Scale. Genotyping was detected using PCR-RFLP, and serum valproate levels were measured 12 h after the last dose. In GSK3-ß, the C/T genotype showed lower partial response rate (p = 0.02), and C allele was present in all evening chronotypes (p = 0.06). In COMT, A allele carriers had greater deviation in first social interaction (p = 0.04), and the A/A genotype had higher complete response rates than the A/G (p = 0.03). In CLOCK, C allele carriers had a later age of onset (p = 0.01), fewer previous depressive (p = 0.05) and manic/hypomanic (p = 0.02) episodes, lower BRIAN total (p = 0.01) and social subscale scores (p = 0.01), and lower SRM-5 weekly mood swing score (MSS) (p = 0.03). All evening chronotypes were non-C allele carriers (p = 0.06). Valproate response was predicted by a model including duration of illness, HDRS total score, number of previous manic/hypomanic episodes, SRM-5 weekly MSS, duration of valproate exposure, and presence of the A allele in COMT polymorphism (R² = 0.31, p < 0.001). These results highlight the value of integrating genetic and SCRs factors into personalized BD treatment.

There is a lack of research in the literature regarding the relationship between chronotype and autistic traits. This study aimed to examine the associations between chronotype, psychiatric symptoms, and autistic traits in children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 97 children and adolescents with ADHD, aged between 8 and 17 years, were included in the study. Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale, Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form, and the Childhood Chronotype Questionnaire. Children and adolescents completed the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale - Child Version. No significant differences in chronotype preferences were found between groups with high and low levels of autistic traits. Chronotype was significantly and positively correlated with depressive symptoms, social phobia, separation anxiety, and ADHD subdimensions. In the hierarchical regression analysis, the third model, which included psychiatric symptoms and autistic traits, explained 26.2% of the variance in chronotype preferences. In this model, depressive symptoms and oppositional behaviors related to ADHD significantly predicted chronotype preferences. The current study may contribute to understanding the etiological mechanisms linking chronotype with psychopathology and may help improve the clinical management of children with ADHD.