Mediating effect of sleep quality on the association between job stress and health-related productivity loss among workers in R&D enterprises in Shanghai

BackgroundPast research indicates that occupational stress negatively predicts health-related productivity. Simultaneously, sleep problem among workers may stem from job stress, subsequently leading to a decline in sleep quality and resulting in reduced health productivity. Therefore, this study aims to idenitify whether the sleep quality of employees functions as a mediator in the process through which job stress impacts health productivity.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the status and analyze differences in quality of sleep, job stress, and health-related productivity loss (HRPL) among workers in research and development (R&D) enterprises in Minhang District, Shanghai. We also assessed the mediating effect of sleep quality on the relationship between job stress and HRPL.MethodsA total of 3,216 workers in R&D firms aged between 18 and 60 years participated in this study (mean age 35.15 years; standard deviation 8.44; male-to-female ratio≈2:1). The Nakata Insomnia Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire revised edition, and the Chinese version of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire were used in this study. And the Kruskal–Wallis test, Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis, and Path Analysis were utilized for data analysis in this study.ResultsThere were significant differences in the positive detection rate of insomnia among participants according to age, educational level, marital status, position, length of service, and level of financial difficulties (all P < 0.05). We also found significant differences in the positive detection rate of HRPL among participants according to age, marital status, length of service, and level of financial difficulties (all P < 0.05); participants with insomnia scored higher for HRPL than those without insomnia (6.00 vs. 4.20, P < 0.001). Additionally, participants with job stress problems had higher HRPL than those without these issues (7.00 vs. 4.20, P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that sleep quality plays a mediating role between job stress and HRPL (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsOccupational health professionals must pay particular attention to job stress, sleep quality, and their influencing factors to positively influence the wellbeing of workers while improving productivity

Job burnout and associated influencing factors in employees of 7 research and development enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai

BackgroundJob burnout is an early mental health condition caused by job stress and contributes to many negative effects on work and life. Employees of research and development (R&D) enterprises are exposed to constant pressure from innovation, production speed and sales expansion, and they are prone to burnout symptoms if such factors are not under effective control. ObjectiveTo evaluate the current situation of job burnout among employees of R&D enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai and explore its influencing factors. MethodsDuring November to December 2021, a cross-sectional study was developed and a convenient sampling method was used to enroll employees from 7 R&D enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai. On the basis of voluntary participation with informed consent, a survey was conducted by using a self-made questionnaire (collecting data about general demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, behavior and lifestyle), the Chinese version of the Concise Occupational Stress Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Occupational stress and its dimensions (job demand, job control, and social support) were divided into high, medium, and low levels according to tertiles. The positive rate of job burnout was reported according to score categorization (<1.5 refers to no job burnout, ≥1.5 refers to job burnout, where ≥1.5 and <3.5 refer to mild and moderate job burnout, and ≥3.5 refers to severe job burnout). Potential influencing factors of job burnout were evaluated by using one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, forward stepwise regression, and non-conditional binary logistic regression (α=0.05, two-sided test). ResultsA total of 3153 subjects were enrolled and 3014 samples were included in the analysis, with a valid response rate of 95.6%. Among the included subjects, 888 (29.46%) reported no job burnout, 1775 (58.89%) reported mild to moderate job burnout, and 351 (11.64%) reported severe job burnout. The mean of total job burnout score was 2.17±1.12, and the dimentional mean scores were 2.78±1.61 for emotional exhaustion, 1.60±1.60 for cynicism, and 4.05±1.57 for diminished personal accomplishment. Varied categories of sex, age, marital status, working position, sleep status, job demand, job control, and social support groups of workers resulted in significant differences in job burnout score. Compared with the low job demand group, the positive rate of job burnout was elevated in the medium and high job demand groups; the risk of job burnout in the medium job demand group was 1.42 (95%CI: 1.04-1.94) times higher, and that in the high job demand group was 2.64 (95% CI : 2.17-3.22) times higher versus the low job demand group. The risk of job burnout in the medium job control group was 1.35 (95%CI: 1.06-1.72) times higher versus the low job control group. Compared with the low social support group, job burnout was less reported in the other groups, and the OR (95%CI) values of the medium and high social support groups were 0.41 (0.31-0.53) and 0.15 (0.12-0.19) respectively. ConclusionThe rate of reporting positive job burnout in R&D enterprises is high, which deserves sufficient attention. Relieving work pressure, increasing job control and social support, and maintaining adequate sleep are helpful to reduce job burnout

The clinical outcome of pembrolizumab for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a single center, real world study in China

BackgroundThe KEYNOTE-048 and KEYNOTE-040 study have demonstrated the efficacy of pembrolizumab in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M HNSCC), we conducted this real-world study to investigate the efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with R/M HNSCC.MethodsThis is a single-center retrospective study conducted in the Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (Shanghai, China). Between December 2020 and December 2022, a total of 77 patients with R/M HNSCC were included into analysis. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR)and toxicity.Efficacy was assessed according to RECIST version 1.1.SPSS 27.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0 software were utilized to perform the statistical analysis.ResultsBy the cut-off date (February 28, 2023), the median OS,PFS and ORR were 15.97 months,8.53 months and 48.9% in patients treated with the pembrolizumab regimen in the first line therapy. Among these patients, 17 patients received pembrolizumab with cetuximab,and 18 received pembrolizumab with chemotherapy.We observed no significant differences between two groups neither in median OS (13.9 vs 19.4 months, P=0.3582) nor PFS (unreached vs 8.233 months, P= 0.2807). In the ≥2nd line therapy (n=30), the median OS, PFS and ORR were 5.7 months, 2.58 months and 20% respectively. Combined positive score (CPS) was eligible from 54 patients. For first line therapy, the median OS and PFS were 14.6 and 8.53 months in patients with CPS ≥1, and median OS and PFS were 14.6 and 12.33 months in patients with CPS ≥20. The immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were occurred in the 31 patients (31/77, 40.26%), and the most common potential irAEs were hypothyroidism (25.97%), and pneumonitis (7.79%).ConclusionOur real-world results indicated that pembrolizumab regimen is a promising treatment in patients with R/M HNSC

Glass Forming Ability and Corrosion Resistance of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al-Ag Bulk Metallic Glass

Zr70−xCu12.5Ni10Al7.5Agx (x = 0–10) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have been prepared by copper mold casting. The glass-forming ability (GFA) and corrosion behavior of Zr-based BMGs have been investigated. It is found that the GFA of Zr-based BMGs first increases and then decreases with the increase of the Ag content, and the best glass former is Zr65Cu12.5Ni10Al7.5Ag5 with the maximum thickness of the glass phase region of 4.3 mm. The corrosion resistance is, however, found to be worsened with the increase of the Ag content. The mechanisms for the enhancement of GFA and the deterioration of corrosion resistance in the alloys are discussed

Resistance to Sulfuric Acid Corrosion of Geopolymer Concrete Based on Different Binding Materials and Alkali Concentrations

Geopolymer binder is expected to be an optimum alternative to Portland cement due to its excellent engineering properties of high strength, acid corrosion resistance, low permeability, good chemical resistance, and excellent fire resistance. To study the sulfuric acid corrosion resistance of geopolymer concrete (GPC) with different binding materials and concentrations of sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH), metakaolin, high-calcium fly ash, and low-calcium fly ash were chosen as binding materials of GPC for the geopolymerization process. A mixture of sodium silicate solution (Na2SiO3) and NaOH solution with different concentrations (8 M and 12 M) was selected as the alkaline activator with a ratio (Na2SiO3/NaOH) of 1.5. GPC specimens were immersed in the sulfuric acid solution with the pH value of 1 for 6 days and then naturally dried for 1 day until 98 days. The macroscopic properties of GPC were characterized by visual appearance, compressive strength, mass loss, and neutralization depth. The materials were characterized by SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The results indicated that at the immersion time of 28 d, the compressive strength of two types of fly ash-based GPC increased to some extent due to the presence of gypsum, but this phenomenon was not observed in metakaolin-based GPC. After 98 d of immersion, the residual strength of fly ash based GPC was still higher, which reached more than 25 MPa, while the metakaolin-based GPC failed. Furthermore, due to the rigid 3D networks of aluminosilicate in fly ash-based GPC, the mass of all GPC decreased slightly during the immersion period, and then tended to be stable in the later period. On the contrary, in metakaolin-based GPC, the incomplete geopolymerization led to the compressive strength being too low to meet the application of practical engineering. In addition, the compressive strength of GPC activated by 12 M NaOH was higher than the GPC activated by 8 M NaOH, which is owing to the formation of gel depended on the concentration of alkali OH ion, low NaOH concentration weakened chemical reaction, and reduced compressive strength. Additionally, according to the testing results of neutralization depth, the neutralization depth of high-calcium fly ash-based GPC activated by 12 M NaOH suffered acid attack for 98 d was only 6.9 mm, which is the minimum value. Therefore, the best performance was observed in GPC prepared with high-calcium fly ash and 12 M NaOH solution, which is attributed to gypsum crystals that block the pores of the specimen and improve the microstructure of GPC, inhibiting further corrosion of sulfuric acid

Type 1 diabetes mellitus induced low bone turnover in ovariectomized rats

To investigate type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) affecting bone remodeling in the context of menopause in female rats. The animals were subjected to either ovariectomy (OVX) which was performed to mimic postmenopausal estrogen deficiency, and/or type 1 diabetes mellitus which was established by the intraabdominal administration of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Single-loaded groups were the OVX group and the STZ group, while the combined group was the OVX+STZ group. Bone histomorphometry was performed on the tibial metaphysis by Micro-CT scanning. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the activity of osteoblast and osteoclast by counteracting with antibodies against their respective specific marker enzymes. The gene expression of key molecules involved in osteoblastic and osteoclastic signaling pathways were analyzed by RT-qPCR. The results showed a significant bone volume decrease in both single-loaded groups and combined group with the combined group suffering greatest bone loss and bone structural deterioration (p<0.001). Immunohistochemical staining and RT-qPCR revealed an increase in osteoblastic (p<0.001) and osteoclastic (p<0.01) activities in OVX rats while there was a decrease (p<0.05) in those of STZ rats. When OVX and STZ were combined, the rats exhibited a further decrease in osteoblastic activity (p<0.001) and a similar level of osteoclastic activity (p>0.05) compared to their STZ counterparts. These results demonstrated that STZinduced T1DM reverses OVX-associated high bone turnover osteoporosis to the type of low bone turnover, leading to greater bone loss and structural defect

Effect of Ordinary Portland Cement on Mechanical Properties and Microstructures of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers

Geopolymers have been considered a sustainable alternative to ordinary Portland cement (CEM I) for its lower embodied carbon and ability to make use of industrial by-products. Additionally, its excellent engineering properties of high strength, low permeability, good chemical resistance, and excellent fire resistance also strike a chord in the minds of researchers. The goal of this study is to clarify the effect of calcium sources on the mechanical properties and microstructures of the geopolymers. CEM I was chosen as the sole calcium source, while metakaolin was used as the source material. Five distinct geopolymers were prepared, having various ratio of CEM I: 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. The alkali-activator was a mixture of 12 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), utilizing compressive strength and flexural strength to evaluate the changes of the geopolymers&rsquo; mechanical properties. SEM, XRD, and FTIR were used to examine microscopic features, evaluate internal morphology, and analyze changes in components of the geopolymers containing different amounts of CEM I. The experimental results indicated that the optimal incorporation of CEM I was 5%. Under this dosage, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the geopolymers can reach 71.1 MPa and 6.75 MPa, respectively. With the incorporation of CEM I, the heat released by cement hydration can accelerate the geopolymerization reaction between silica-alumina materials and alkaline solutions. Additionally, the coexistence of N-A-S-H gel from components of an aluminosilicate mix and C-S-H gel from the CEM I promoted a more densified microstructure of the geopolymers and improved the geopolymer&rsquo;s strength. However, as the amount of CEM I in the mixture increased, the geopolymer matrix was unable to provide enough water for the CEM I to hydrate, which prevented excessive CEM I from forming hydration products, weakening the workability of the matrix and eventually hindering the development of geopolymer strength

Seroprevalence and risk factors for Kaposi’s Sarcoma associated herpesvirus among men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China

Abstract Background This study aimed to facilitate the understanding of the transmission route and risk factors that might contribute to the infection of Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) among men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods A cross-sectional study of 520 subjects was conducted in Shanghai, China in 2020. Plasma samples were collected and screened for KSHV, HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore potential correlates of KSHV infection. Results The overall seroprevalence of KSHV was 43.8%, with an adjusted value of 29.8% according to the sensitivity and specificity of the KSHV screening assay. Individuals with lower levels of monthly income (Chi-sqaure trend  = 4.11, P = 0.043) and more male sex partners (Chi-sqaure trend  = 6.06, P = 0.014) were more likely to be infected with KSHV. Also, KSHV seropositivity was positively associated with being a student (aOR = 1.96; 95%CI: 1.09–3.61), being coinfected with HCV (aOR = 2.61; 95%CI: 1.05–7.10), and syphilis (aOR = 2.91; 95%CI: 1.30–6.89). Conclusions The prevalence of KSHV in MSM remains high. As a risky sexual behavior, having multiple male sex partners is a key contributor to KSHV infection among this population. Efforts designed to control modifiable risk factors in order to reduce the burden of KSHV infection are indispensable. High KSHV seroprevalence among students MSM deserves more attention

Association between job burnout and health-related productivity loss among enterprise staff in Minhang District of Shanghai

BackgroundAt present, domestic research on job burnout and health-related productivity is limited to medical workers, and the impact of job burnout on health-related productivity of enterprise staff deserves attention. ObjectiveTo explore the association between job burnout and health-related productivity loss among enterprise staff. MethodsA cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted among enterprise staff who were selected from seven enterprises in Minhang District of Shanghai. The Chinese version of Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) was used to assess job burnout, and a questionnaire based on and modified from the WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire was used to assess the loss of health-related productivity. Logistic regression was used to analyze the impact of job burnout on health-related productivity under the control of selected demographic characteristics, socio-economic factors, and occupational factors. ResultsA total of 3489 questionnaires were recovered, and 3156 valid questionnaires were included in the statistical analysis. Among the 3156 valid questionnaires, 2228 (70.8%) respondents were assessed as suffering from job burnout, in which 1858 (59.0%) were mild to moderate job burnout, and 370 (11.7%) were severe job burnout; the median score (interquartile range) of MBI-GS was 2.18（2.69）, the median rates (interquartile range) of absenteeism and presenteeism were 0.00% (0.00%) and 20.00% (50.00%), respectively. The prevalence of presenteeism significantly varied by gender, education, marital status, working years, job category, exhaustion, cynicism, professional efficacy, and job burnout (P<0.05). The prevalence of absenteeism significantly varied by education, marital status, working years, job category, exhaustion, cynicism, professional efficacy, and job burnout (P<0.05). Job burnout was positively correlated with absenteeism (r=0.157) and presenteeism (r=0.412) (P<0.01). After controlling for selected demographic characteristics, social economic factors, and occupational factors, the logistic regression showed that job burnout was associated with health-related productivity loss, the OR value remained relatively stable, and referring to negative job burnout, the OR (95%CI) of severe job burnout was 6.35 (4.52-8.92).ConclusionJob burnout of enterprise staff has a negative impact on health-related productivity. Severer job burnout associates with higher health-related productivity loss. Enterprises should pay attention to the prevention and control of job burnout to reduce health-related productivity loss

Influence of Alkali-Activators on Acid Rain Resistance of Geopolymer-Recycled Pervious Concrete with Optimal Pore Size

Geopolymer-recycled pervious concrete (GRPC) is a novel concrete that can effectively inhibit the corrosion of acid rain and alleviate urban waterlog. The goal of this study is to ascertain the optimal pore size of GRPC and study its acid rain resistance activated by different alkali-activators. Three different sizes (0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 mm) were separately chosen as the pore diameters of GRPC. The alkali-activator solution adopted sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), and a mixture of the two. The mechanical properties and permeability coefficient were tested to determine the optimal pore size of GRPC. After that, specimens with the optimal pore size were immersed in a simulative acid rain solution (sulfuric acid solution with pH = 4.0) for 6 d and were dried 1 d until 56 d. The effects of different alkali activators on acid rain resistance of GRPC were analyzed by compressive strength, neutralization depth, and mass loss. The results manifested that the mechanical properties of GRPC were excellent, the compressive strength of GRPCH+N reached more than 60.1 MPa, and their splitting tensile strength attained more than 5.9 MPa, meeting the strength requirement of the road for heavy traffic load. Considering the mechanical properties and the acid rain purification effect of alkaline GRPC required a relatively small permeability coefficient; the optimal pore size was 1 mm. When specimens with optimal pore size were exposed to acid solution, the corrosion products (gypsums) would block the pores of GRPC to inhibit further corrosion, keeping the stability of the compressive strength. GRPC activated by the mixture of NaOH and Na2SiO3 generated a more stable amorphous three-dimensional network structure, endowing GRPCH+N with better mechanical properties and acid corrosion resistance