Emotional demands at work and risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder in up to 1.6 million Danish employees : a prospective nationwide register-based cohort study

Objective Previous studies on effects of emotional demands on depression have relied on self-reported exposure data and lacked control for potential confounding by pre-employment risk factors for depression. This study used a register-based design to examine the risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder in relation to occupa-tional levels of emotional demands at work, furthermore addressing the role of risk factors for depression before workforce entry. Methods We analyzed data from two Danish register-based cohorts - Job Exposure Matrix Analyses of Psycho-social Factors and Healthy Ageing in Denmark (JEMPAD, N= 1 665 798) (17) and Danish Work Life Course Cohort (DaWCo, N=939 411), which link assessments of emotional demands by job exposure matrices to records of hospital-treated depressive disorder among employees aged 15-59 years at baseline (average follow up: 9.7 years in JEMPAD, 7.3 years in DaWCo). Potential confounders comprised sociodemographics, job control, work-related violence and physical demands at work. In DaWCo, we followed individuals from their entry into the workforce, and also included data on risk factors for depression before workforce entry (eg, parental income, education, and psychiatric diagnoses).Results Employees in occupations with high emotional demands had an increased risk of hospital-treated depres-sive disorder with confounder-adjusted hazard ratios of 1.32 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-1.41] and 1.19 (95% CI 1.09-1.30) in JEMPAD and DaWCO, respectively. This association remained after controlling for risk factors before workforce entry.Conclusions This study suggests that employees in occupations with high emotional demands are at increased risk of hospital-treated depressive disorder. This increased risk was neither attributable to reporting bias nor explained by the included risk factors for depression recorded before workforce entry.Peer reviewe

Loss-of-function mutations in the X-linked biglycan gene cause a severe syndromic form of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is typically inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, but rare X-linked families have been described. So far, the only known X-linked gene is FLNA, which is associated with the periventricular nodular heterotopia type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. However, mutations in this gene explain only a small number of X-linked TAAD families. We performed targeted resequencing of 368 candidate genes in a cohort of 11 molecularly unexplained Marfan probands. Subsequently, Sanger sequencing of BGN in 360 male and 155 female molecularly unexplained TAAD probands was performed. We found five individuals with loss-of-function mutations in BGN encoding the small leucine-rich proteoglycan biglycan. The clinical phenotype is characterized by early-onset aortic aneurysm and dissection. Other recurrent findings include hypertelorism, pectus deformity, joint hypermobility, contractures, and mild skeletal dysplasia. Fluorescent staining revealed an increase in TGF-β signaling, evidenced by an increase in nuclear pSMAD2 in the aortic wall. Our results are in line with those of prior reports demonstrating that Bgn-deficient male BALB/cA mice die from aortic rupture. In conclusion, BGN gene defects in humans cause an X-linked syndromic form of severe TAAD that is associated with preservation of elastic fibers and increased TGF-β signaling.Genet Med 19 4, 386-395

Modelling human choices: MADeM and decision‑making

Research supported by FAPESP 2015/50122-0 and DFG-GRTK 1740/2. RP and AR are also part of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics FAPESP grant (2013/07699-0). RP is supported by a FAPESP scholarship (2013/25667-8). ACR is partially supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

From 10 medicine to 30 medicine: The connected patient [De la médecine 10 à la médecine 30: Le patient connecté]

Les appareils mobiles, tablettes et smartphones, deviennent un outil incontournable dans la société actuelle, ils s'immiscent également dans le domaine des soins de santé. Nous rentrons doucement dans l'ère de la médecine et du patient connecté avec tous les avantages que cela représente en termes d'accessibilité, mais également ses complications et la nécessité de repenser totalement le système de soin de santé actuel

Long-term Arrhythmia Detection Using an Implantable Loop Recorder in Patients Receiving Psychotropic Medication

This cohort study evaluates the incidence of arrhythmia in patients receiving psychotropic medication by monitoring of electrocardiographic findings using an implantable loop recorder

Prolonging fixation time of an alternative fixative to formalin for dermatological samples using standard laboratory protocols

Aims: Though formalin remains to be the gold standard fixative in pathology departments, analytical challenges persist for nucleic acid evaluations. In our laboratory, formalin fixation of skin samples, in particular, impairs diagnostic accuracy and demands repetition of biopsies and analytical procedures. PAXgene Tissue Systems may be an alternative; however, according to manufacturer specifications, it only allows fixation for 48 hours before having to add a stabilizer. This may be a challenge in laboratories, which are closed on weekends and bank holidays. Our aim was to validate this alternative fixative for dermatological samples with prolonged fixation times using standard laboratory protocols developed for formalin-fixed specimens. We compared the results with gold standard formalin fixation. Methods: Skin specimens were formalin or PAXgene fixed for either 2 hours, 24 hours, 3 days or 7 days, paraffin-embedded, analyzed, and scored by observers. Results: Generally, formalin outperformed PAXgene fixation in H&E stains and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), but both seem usable for diagnostics. The time of PAXgene fixation did not have an impact on alcian blue-Van Gieson (ABVG), H&E (p=0.48), nor immunohistochemistry (p=0.74). There was a tendency towards best PAXgene performance at 24 hours of fixation for FISH and for DNA integrity analysis 24 hours or 3 days. Conclusions: Prolonging PAXgene fixation time to 3 days before adding stabilizer does not seem to have a major impact on the performance of general diagnostic analysis, but our preliminary results show the optimisation of internal protocols is needed. PAXgene is an expensive alternative and may be confined to some dermatological samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Were immigrants on the frontline during the lockdown? Evidence from France

In France, immigrants’ excess of mortality was higher than natives’ during the Spring 2020 lockdown. Were immigrants in frontline jobs and more exposed to Covid-19? Based on a nationally representative survey, we model the probability to work in a frontline job according to migratory status, taking sociodemographic and occupational characteristics into account. Compared to natives (Metropolitan France), being an African immigrant was associated to higher probability to work in a frontline job [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.82 (1.23–2.71)], as well as being born in French Overseas Departments [aOR = 1.64 (1.23–2.18)], reflecting racial division of work and higher Sars-Cov-2 exposure of immigrant and minority populations

Were immigrants on the frontline during the lockdown? Evidence from France

International audienceAbstract In France, immigrants’ excess of mortality was higher than natives’ during the Spring 2020 lockdown. Were immigrants in frontline jobs and more exposed to Covid-19? Based on a nationally representative survey, we model the probability to work in a frontline job according to migratory status, taking sociodemographic and occupational characteristics into account. Compared to natives (Metropolitan France), being an African immigrant was associated to higher probability to work in a frontline job [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.82 (1.23–2.71)], as well as being born in French Overseas Departments [aOR = 1.64 (1.23–2.18)], reflecting racial division of work and higher Sars-Cov-2 exposure of immigrant and minority populations