No abstract available.
Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm*

OBJECTIVESolar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an important environmental factor that affects human health. The understanding of diurnal variations of UV radiation at anatomical sites may be helpful in developing ways to protect humans from the harmful effects of UV radiation.

METHODSIn order to characterize the diurnal variations, the UV exposure values were measured at 30 min intervals by using Solar-UV Sensors and a rotating manikin in Shenyang city of China (41 degrees 51'N, 123 degrees 27'E). Measurement data for four representative days (in each of the four seasons respectively) were analyzed.

RESULTSThe diurnal variations in solar UV radiation at the shoulder, the forehead and the chest were similar to those associated with a horizontal control measurement. However, the diurnal variations at the eye and the cheek exhibited bimodal distributions with two peaks in spring, summer and autumn, and a unimodal distribution in winter. The UV exposure peaks at the eye and the cheek were measured at solar elevation angles (SEA) of about 30 degrees and 40 degrees , respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe protection of some anatomical sites such as the eye from high UV exposure should not be focused solely on the periods before and after noon, especially in the places and seasons with high SEA.

No abstract available.
Circadian Rhythm* ; Electroconvulsive Therapy*

Circadian clock is an internal mechanism evolved to adapt to cyclic environmental changes, especially diurnal changes. Keeping the internal clock in synchronization with the external clock is essential for health. Mismatch of the clocks due to phase shift or disruption of molecular clocks may lead to circadian disorders, including abnormal sleep-wake cycles, as well as disrupted rhythms in hormone secretion, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, etc. Long-term circadian disorders are risk factors for various common critical diseases such as metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and tumor. To prevent or treat the circadian disorders, scientists have conducted extensive research on the function of circadian clocks and their roles in the development of diseases, and screened hundreds of thousands of compounds to find candidates to regulate circadian rhythms. In addition, melatonin, light therapy, exercise therapy, timing and composition of food also play a certain role in relieving associated symptoms. Here, we summarized the progress of both drug- and non-drug-based approaches to prevent and treat circadian clock disorders.
Circadian Rhythm ; Circadian Clocks ; Melatonin/physiology*

Adequate amount and quality of sleep are important for metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Too short or too long sleep time disrupts glycemic control in both prediabetes and type 2 diabetic patients. Circadian misalignment such as shift work is also associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Clinicians should pay attention to the sleep problems and circadian patterns of patients. However, the pathophysiologic mechanism of the association between sleep and diabetes is likely to be complex and bidirectional. The underlying mechanism remains poorly understood, and further research is warranted.
Circadian Rhythm ; Humans ; Prediabetic State

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are limited data examining triggering activities and circadian distribution at the onset of acute aortic dissection (AAD) in the context of diagnostic and anatomical classification. The aim of this study was to further investigate this relationship between triggering activities and circadian distribution at the onset of AAD according to diagnostic and anatomic classification. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 166 patients with AAD admitted to Kyungpook National University Hospital between July 2001 and June 2009 were included. To assess the influence of diagnostic and anatomical classification, we categorized the patients into intramural hematoma (IMH) group (n=67)/non-IMH group (n=99) and Stanford type A (AAD-A, n=94)/type B (AAD-B, n=72). To evaluate circadian distribution, the day was divided into four 6-hour periods: night (00-06 hours), morning (06-12 hours), afternoon (12-18 hours), and evening (18-00 hours). RESULTS: Most (72%) AAD episodes were related to physical (53%) and mental activities (19%), with about one-third occurring during the afternoon, and only 12% occurring at night. No differences in triggering activities or circadian distribution were observed among the groups. Waking hours including morning, afternoon, and evening correlated with triggering activities (p=0.003). These relationships were observed for the non-IMH (p=0.008) and AAD-B (p=0.003) cases. The remaining categories had similar relationships, but did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest differences in the relationship between triggering activities and the circadian distribution of the onset of AAD according to diagnostic and anatomical classification.
Aorta ; Circadian Rhythm ; Hematoma ; Humans

No abstract available.
Circadian Rhythm ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis

The temporary making of heart rhythm emergency in 19 patients at Hai Phong Viet Tiep Hospital from 4/1997 to 11/2002, 10 males and 9 females, average age was 57.10 ± 21.16. Cause: bloc A-V degree III was 63.16%, in which cardiac infarct was 31.58%, sinus node deficiency syndrome was 31.58%. Clinical symptoms: senseless 57.89%, dizzy 37.84%, Adams-Stokes crisis 21.05%, hypotensive and pressure equal zero was 42.10%, mean ventricle frequency was 40.46 ± 11.97 CK/minute, left heart failure 26.31%. 100% machine use have good result. Immediately after machine use: stable pressure, faint sign and Adams-Stokes crisis disappeard. Mortality rate was 0%
Circadian Rhythm ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Emergencies

Shift workers often experience problems associated with circadian disruption associated with artificial light at night and nocturia is commonly noted in night-shift workers. Nocturia associated with circadian disruption is due to increased urine production of the kidney and decreased storage function of the bladder. A recent discovery of peripheral clock genes in the bladder and their role in contractile property of the bladder support that micturition is closely related to the circadian rhythm. Moreover, there are clinical studies showed that shift workers more often experienced nocturia due to circadian disruption. However, comparing with other health problems, concerns on nocturia and voiding dysfunction associated with circadian disruption are insufficient. Therefore, further studies about voiding dysfunction associated with the circadian disruption in shift workers are necessary.
Circadian Clocks ; Circadian Rhythm ; Kidney ; Nocturia ; Urinary Bladder ; Urination

Circadian clock is an internal autonomous time-keeping system, including central clocks located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and peripheral clocks. The molecular circadian clock consists of a set of interlocking transcriptional-translational feedback loops that take the clock-controlled genes 24 h to oscillate. The core mechanism of molecular circadian clock is that CLOCK/BMAL1 dimer activates the transcription of cryptochromes (CRYs) and Periods (PERs), which act as transcriptional repressors of further CLOCK/BMAL1-mediated transcription. In addition to this basic clock, there is an additional sub-loop of REV-ERBα and RORα regulating the transcription of BMAL1. Approximately 80% protein-coding genes demonstrate significant rhythmicity. The earth rotation is responsible for the generation of the daily circadian rhythms. To coordinate metabolic balance and energy availability, almost all organisms adapt to the rhythm. Studies have shown that circadian clock integrating with metabolic homeostasis increases the efficiency of energy usage and coordinates with different organs in order to adapt to internal physiology and external environment soon. As the central organ of metabolism, the liver performs various physiological activities nearly all controlled by the circadian clock. There are multiple interactive regulation mechanisms between the circadian clock and the regulation of liver metabolism. The misalignment of metabolism with tissue circadian is identified as a high-risk factor of metabolic diseases. This article reviews the recent studies on circadian physiological regulation of liver glucose, lipid and protein metabolism and emphasizes oscillation of mitochondrial function. We also take an outlook for new methods and application of circadian clock research in the future.
CLOCK Proteins ; Circadian Clocks/genetics* ; Circadian Rhythm ; Liver ; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus