Search

Indoor temperature has a critical impact on the performance of office workers. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of indoor temperature on work performance through subjective assessments, neurobehavioral tests, and physiological measurements. The experiment was conducted in a controlled office environment. Under each temperature condition, participants voted on their perception of thermal sensation, thermal satisfaction, and sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms. Participants were given neurobehavioral tests based on a ten-item task, and their body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation were measured before and after the tests. The study showed that the effect of indoor temperature on the test tasks varied greatly and depended on the task type. The indoor temperature, thermal sensation votes, and body temperature for optimum work performance were 17 °C, −0.57, and 36.4 °C, respectively. Work performance was positively correlated with thermal satisfaction votes and negatively correlated with sleepiness intensity. Practitioner summary: Work performance is closely related to indoor temperature. This study evaluated the effect of indoor temperature on work performance through subjective assessments, neurobehavioral tests, and physiological measurements. The relationships between work performance and indoor temperature, perceived votes, and physiological parameters were established, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shortest distance between the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) or superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and the tumor margin was combined with preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19‐9 and lymph node ratio (LNR) to evaluate joint effects on long‐term survival and liver metastasis in patients with pancreatic head cancer after radical surgery. Methods: This retrospective study included 149 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer at Harbin Medical University Tumor Hospital from May 2011 to March 2021. The preoperative serum CA 19‐9 level and LNR were combined with the SMA or SMV distance. The joint association between long‐term survival and postoperative liver metastasis was evaluated. Results: Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve of postoperative liver metastasis or long‐term survival, the optimal cut‐off values of SMV distance were 3.1 and 0.7 mm, respectively, whereas the optimal cut‐off value of SMA distance was 10.25 mm. The univariate model identified the liver metastasis score (p < 0.001) as a negative factor for postoperative liver metastasis of pancreatic head carcinoma. The SMV distance (p = 0.003), SMA distance (p < 0.001), LNR score (p < 0.001), and survival score (p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with long‐term survival after pancreatic head cancer. The multivariate model highlighted SMA distance (p < 0.001), survival score (p = 0.001), and LNR score (p < 0.001) as independent risk factors for long‐term survival in pancreatic head cancer. Conclusion: Liver metastasis score may be an independent predictor of postoperative liver metastasis in patients with pancreatic head cancer. Survival and LNR scores may be independent predictors of long‐term postoperative survival in patients with pancreatic head cancer. However, the LNR score appears to improve long‐term survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alternating sequential administration of drugs may be a promising approach to overcome chemotherapy resistance in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods This study was an open-label, single-arm, and prospective trial included patients with untreated advanced PDAC. They received 2 cycles of NS regimen (nab-paclitaxel:125 mg/m2, intravenously injected on days 1 and 8, plus S-1:40-60 mg, orally twice per day for 1-14 days) followed by 2 cycles of GemOx regimen (gemcitabine, intravenously injected on days 1 and 8, and oxaliplatin: 130 mg/m2, intravenously injected on day 1). The primary efficacy endpoint was a progression-free survival rate at 6 months (PFSR-6m). The secondary efficacy endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs). Specific mRNA transcripts were used to explore survival associated genes. Results Forty-two patients received a minimum of one treatment cycle, and of these, 30 patients completed one alternating treatment consisting of 4 cycles. The PFSR-6m was 71% (95% CI = 58%-87%). The median PFS and OS were 6.53 months (95% CI = 6.03-8.43) and 11.4 months (95% CI = 9.8-14.4), respectively. Common grades 3-4 hematological AEs included neutropenia 30.9%, leukopenia 26.2%, anemia 2.4%, and thrombocytopenia in 11.9%. Patients with OS > 10 months showed high expression of HLA-DQA2 while melanoma-associated antigen genes (MAGE) were notably upregulated in patients with OS < 10 months. Conclusion The alternating sequential administration of the NS and GemOx regimens may be a novel approach for first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced PDAC requiring further study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ChiCTR1900024867). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Environmental pollutants, such as rare earth elements, affect human health and particularly induce reproductive system injury. Yttrium (Y), one of the most widely used heavy rare earth elements, has been reported the cytotoxicity. However, the biological effects of Y 3+ in the human body are largely unknown., Methods: To further investigate the effects of Y on the reproductive system, in vivo (rat models) and in vitro studies were performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination were conducted, and western blotting assays were performed to detect the protein expression. TUNEL/DAPI staining were used to detect cell apoptosis, and the intracellular calcium concentrations were also determined., Results: Long-term exposure to YCl 3 in rats produced significant pathological changes. YCl 3 treatment could induce cell apoptosis in vivo and in vitro . In addition, YCl 3 enhanced the concentration of cytosolic Ca 2+ and up regulated the expression of IP3R1/CaMKII axis in Leydig cells. However, inhibition of IP3R1 and CaMKII with 2-APB and KN93, respectively, could reverse these effects., Conclusion: Long-term exposure to yttrium could induce testicular injury by stimulating cell apoptosis, which might be associated with activation of Ca 2+ /IP3R1/CaMKII axis in Leydig cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liu, Ding, Xie, Hu, Xiao, Liu and Fan.)