Shiftwork effects on health and on social and organizational life : a study in the electronics industry

O estudo ocorreu em uma empresa industrial localizada em Portugal e teve como objetivo principal compreender os efeitos do trabalho em turnos. Especificamente, os turnos foram comparados ao nível da saúde, da vida familiar e social e da satisfação geral com o horário de trabalho (turno). Os dados foram recolhidos por meio de questionário junto a 490 trabalhadores, distribuídos por turnos fixos – manhã, tarde e noite – e turnos alternados. Os resultados indicam que os trabalhadores que realizam trabalho noturno apresentam maiores queixas de sono. Quanto às implicações na vida familiar e social, são os trabalhadores do turno da tarde os que referem maior interferência. A satisfação com o horário de trabalho também difere entre turnos, sendo que os de turnos alternados se encontram menos satisfeitos e manifestam maior desejo de mudança para o horário de trabalho considerado nor-mal, caso as condições salariais se mantivessem. O trabalho termina com a referência a possibilidades de intervenção passíveis de serem utilizadas pelas organizações no sentido de gerirem a adaptação aos diferentes horários de trabalho.The study took place in a manufacturing company located in Portugal with the primary goal of understanding the effects of shiftwork, in each shift. Specifically, the shifts were compared in order to understand the implications of shiftwork for health, for family and social life, and for general satisfaction with working hours (shift). Data were collected by a survey of 490 workers, spread across fixed shifts – morning, afternoon, and night – and rotating shifts. The results indicate that workers on the night shift, compared with those on other work schedules, have more sleep complaints. Regarding the implications for social and family life, the afternoon shift workers are the ones who report greater interference. Satisfaction with the work schedule also differs between shifts, with the rotating shift workers being the least satisfied and expressing the greatest desire to change to working a standard schedule if wage conditions were maintained. The study concludes with a reference to possibilities for intervention that can be used by organizations to manage workers’ adaptation to different work schedules

Shiftwork schedules: from effect’s evaluation to intervention possibilities

Ancorado numa investigação mais alargada sobre os efeitos do trabalho por turnos, o presente trabalho propõe-se contribuir para a discussão de possibilidades de intervenção nesta problemática, considerando especialmente o papel do contexto organizacional. Tal discussão é feita a partir da referência a três estudos realizados em empresas industriais, nos quais, foram avaliados alguns dos efeitos tipicamente associados ao trabalho por turnos na saúde, vida familiar e social e avaliação da satisfação com o próprio turno de trabalho. No conjunto das três empresas estiveram envolvidos 859 trabalhadores/as por turnos. Os dados foram recolhidos através de questionário, integrando este escalas publicadas na literatura ou desenvolvidas pela equipa de investigação. As análises de correlações efetuadas indicaram uma associação estatisticamente significativa e no sentido esperado entre a perceção do suporte do contexto organizacional e os efeitos avaliados. Especificamente, tal associação oscilou entre -.19 com os “problemas de sono” e .47 com a interface com a “vida fora da empresa”. Além da relevância das práticas de gestão que podem ser usadas pelas organizações, são apresentadas/discutidas outras possibilidades de intervenção. Em ambos os casos, o enfoque permanece no suporte que pode ser proporcionado pelo contexto organizacional na promoção da adaptação a esta modalidade horária de trabalho.Anchored on a wider research on the shiftwork effects, this study aims to contribute to the discussion of intervention possibilities in this issue considering, in particular, the role of the organizational context. This discussion is made with reference to three studies conducted in industrial companies which assessed some of the effects that are typically associated with shiftwork: effects on health, family and social life and satisfaction with the work shift. In the three companies 859 shift workers were involved. Data were gathered from a survey (the scales used in the survey included scales published in the literature and other developed by the research team). The correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant association between the perception of organizational support and the assessed effects. This association varied between -.19 with “sleep problems” and .47 with the interface with “life outside the company”. Beyond the relevance of management practices that can be used by organizations, other possibilities of intervention are presented/discussed. In both cases, the focus remains on the support that may be provided by the organizational context by promoting the adaptation to this work schedule

The disease modelling value of baby teeth: A new way to unlock knowledge about a special group of genetic disorders

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), are a group of genetic, metabolic, and rare diseases investigated since the early years of the 20th century. One of the first steps to collect information about the underlying mechanisms of those disorders is the development and analysis of in vitro models. Furthermore, those models provide an appropriate platform for the evaluation of future therapeutics. Among all the possible disease cell models, patient-derived ones are those which allow us to get better disease insights. However, finding the best cell type that recapitulates diseaserelevant features is not always easy: two systems largely involved in MPS pathology are the brain and the musculoskeletal ones, which reflects an issue once both are hard to access. Here, our main goal is to establish an innovative non-invasive method to generate disease-relevant cell models from stem cells from deciduous (baby) teeth (SHED), which may then be differentiated into our MPS-target cell lines. So far, we have already implemented and optimized the protocol for collection, isolation, establishment and cryopreservation of those stem cells. Then, our rationale is simple: for those obtained from MPS patients suffering from multisystemic disease with marked musculoskeletal alterations, we are using a chondrogenesis differentiation protocol. For those derived from patients with neurological pathology, we will establish mixed neuronal/glial cultures. As soon as we can get the SHED-derived differentiated cells, various cellular and molecular processes from our target disorders may be unveiled and used as a target for possible future therapeutics. Acknowledgements This work is partially supported by the Portuguese Society for Metabolic Disorders (SPDM - Bolsa SPDM de apoio à investigação Dr. Aguinaldo Cabral 2018;2019DGH1629/SPDM2018I&D), Sanfilippo Children's Foundation (2019DGH1656/SCF2019I&D) and FCT (EXPL/BTM-SAL/0659/2021).This work is partially supported by the Portuguese Society for Metabolic Disorders (SPDM - Bolsa SPDM de apoio à investigação Dr. Aguinaldo Cabral 2018;2019DGH1629/SPDM2018I&D), Sanfilippo Children's Foundation (2019DGH1656/SCF2019I&D) and FCT (EXPL/BTM-SAL/0659/2021),N/

Efeitos do trabalho por turnos : um estudo na indústria eletrónica

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Psicologia (área de especialização em Psicologia do Trabalho, das Organizações e dos Recursos Humanos)A mudança nos horários de trabalho, especialmente a sua diversificação, tem sido, porventura uma das maiores alterações que ocorreu nas últimas décadas nos contextos organizacionais. Entre as várias modalidades de organização do tempo de trabalho, consta a relativa ao trabalho por turnos, tendo tal modalidade sido associada a vários efeitos para o trabalhador (ex., saúde) e para a organização (ex., segurança), especialmente em conexão com o horário de trabalho noturno. Efeitos do ponto de vista familiar e social são também frequentemente associados a este modo de organização do tempo de trabalho, embora neste domínio, tanto podem ser experienciadas pelos trabalhadores e suas famílias desvantagens (ex., conflito entre os papéis parentais e laboral) como vantagens (ex., mais tempo livre). O presente trabalho propõe-se a apresentar um estudo que decorreu numa empresa industrial localizada na região norte de Portugal, constituindo a compreensão dos efeitos em função dos turnos praticados o seu objetivo primário. Especificamente, os turnos foram comparados de modo a compreender as implicações do trabalho por turnos ao nível da saúde (sono, sistema gastrointestinal e robustez psíquica); das “características circadianas” (tipo matutino e tipo circadiano); do suporte do contexto organizacional ao nível da gestão dos horários de trabalho; da satisfação geral com o horário de trabalho (turno); e do contexto social e familiar. Os dados foram recolhidos por questionário durante os meses de maio e junho junto a, aproximadamente, 500 trabalhadores, distribuídos pelos seguintes turnos: manhã fixo (06:00h-14:30h); tarde fixo (14:30h-23:00h); noite fixo (23:00h-06:00h) e turnos rotativos (envolvendo a rotação entre quatro equipas de trabalho). Da análise dos resultados concluiu-se que, efetivamente existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os turnos ao nível da saúde e da satisfação com a vida familiar e social. Contudo, estas diferenças não foram ao encontro do esperado, nomeadamente ao nível das perturbações no sono e gastrointestinais. Através da realização de testes estatísticos verificou-se que tais resultados poderão dever-se à influência da idade e antiguidade em trabalho por turnos e no turno atual, variáveis que têm sido referidas na literatura como tendo grande importância na in(adapatação) do indivíduo ao turno. Face o exposto e dada a importância que os efeitos do trabalho por turnos tem vindo a assumir na nossa sociedade, procurou-se discutir, igualmente, as possibilidades de intervenção passíveis de serem disponibilizadas por parte das organizações que implementam tais configurações horárias à luz dos resultados encontrados.The change in working hours, especially its diversification, has been perhaps one of the biggest changes that has occurred in recent decades in organizational contexts. Among the various working schedules, we find shiftwork, which has been associated with multiple undesirable effects on the worker (eg, health) as well as for the organization (eg, security), especially in connection with the night shift. Family and society effects are also often associated with this working schedule, although in this field there can be experienced by workers and their families disadvantages (eg, conflict between work and parental roles), but also advantages (eg, more free time). This study aims to present an empirical investigation that took place in a manufacturing company located in northern Portugal, being the understanding of shiftwork effects in each shift performed its primary goal. Specifically, the shifts were compared in order to understand the implications of shiftwork at the level of health (sleep, gastrointestinal system and psychological robustness) of the "circadian characteristics" (circadian type and morning type), the support given at the organizational context management of working hours, the overall satisfaction with working hours (shift), and the social and family context. Data were collected by survey during the months of May and June along with approximately 500 employees, distributed by the following shifts: day fixed shift (6 a.m.-2 p.m.); afternoon fixed shift (2 p.m.-11 p.m.); night fixed shift (11 p.m.-6 a.m.) and rotating shifts (involving the rotation of four work teams). Through the analysis of the results it was concluded that significant statistical differences do exist between shifts at the level of health and satisfaction with family and social life. However, these differences did not meet the initial expectations, particularly in terms of sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. By carrying out statistical tests showed that these results may be due to the influence of age and seniority in shiftwork and in the current shift, variables that have been reported in the literature as having great importance in the individual (in)adaption to the shift. Given what was said and given the importance that the effects of shiftwork has assumed in our society, efforts were made in order to discuss the possibilities of intervention that can be provided by organizations who implement these schedules according to the results found

Shiftwork experience: worker's vision of its impacts

Shiftwork, especially the one performed during the night, has been associated with health problems (e.g. sleep and digestive problems, tiredness). Besides effects on health, this work schedule also has been associated with additional troubles in the family and social life. Although the negative impact is the more emphasized perspective in the studies, this work schedule may, however, under some personal circumstances, represent advantages compared to the standard work schedule. In this study, we are shown the main impacts (positive and negative) put into perspective by 184 workers in relation to four work schedules (morning, afternoon, night, and rotating system) based on their own work experience. The data, of a qualitative nature, was achieved when we asked approximately 1,400 shift workers in the industrial sector in six companies from the north of Portugal. Specifically, the data is related to the comments that the workers spontaneously gave about their own experience. Generally speaking, the results indicate that each work schedule is put into perspective as having negative and positive impacts, even if in an asymmetric mode (e.g., at the level of health, the shifts involving night work are evaluated mainly negatively while the afternoon shift is viewed as advantageous). The results also suggest that the variables influencing the experience of shift work are many and diverse

The 2020s Tooth Fairy: from loose tooth to neuronal cell cultures, an innovative method for in vitro genetic disease modeling of a rare neurological disorder

Abstract disponibilizado: https://www.impsg2022.uevora.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Livro-de-Abstracts-IIIIMPSG_2022_draft-version.pdfThe development of adequate in vitro disease models is a major issue in Biomedical Genetics. Those models allow for the initial screening of novel therapeutics and help us get an insight on the cellular mechanisms that underly pathology in each case. In fact, one of the best ways to get those insights is the analysis of patient-derived cells. Yet, not every cell holds potential to recapitulate relevant disease features. For neurodegenerative diseases in particular, it is challenging to grow neuronal cultures that accurately represent them because of the obvious inability to access live neurons. This scenario changed significantly when induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) were first described. From then on several differentiation protocols to generate neurons from iPSC were developed. Still, iPSC generation is a laborious/expensive protocol with significant limitations in terms of production and subsequent uses. Here we present an alternative to establish patient-derived neuronal cells in a much more expedite way. We are taking advantage of the existence of a population of multipotent stem cells (SC) in human dental pulp, the dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), to establish mixed neuronal and glial cultures for a rare neurological genetic disorder: the Sanfilippo syndrome. Sanfilippo-derived DPSC have never been used for differentiation into specific cell types even though they represent a natural source of SC that may be used to investigate human disease especially for the infantile forms. This is a total innovation in the field and we believe it holds potential to set a new trend for investigating the cellular/gene expression changes that occur in Sanfilippo and other related diseases as it relies on a non-invasive, cost-effective approach that can be set as a routine in any lab with standard cell culture conditions. Ultimately, the same method may be applied for virtually any monogenic disorder with neurological presentation.This work is partially supported by the Portuguese Society for Metabolic Disorders (SPDM - Bolsa SPDM de apoio à investigação Dr. Aguinaldo Cabral 2018; 2019DGH1629/SPDM2018I&D), Sanfilippo Children's Foundation (2019DGH1656/SCF2019I&D) and FCT (EXPL/BTM-SAL/0659/2021).N/

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine