APG(Acceleration Plethysmography) Correlate with Moods in Nursing Workers with Fatigue after Work

Fatigue or stress in the workplace is a serious problem. The profession of nursing, in particular, is physically and mentally stressful, which often leads to job retrenchment, and shortage of workers. Solving this problem requires a deeper understanding of the fatigue and stress caused by work, and there is a need to consider countermeasures. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between the psychological and physiological fatigue of healthy nurses during normal work, and to measure nursing stress and fatigue more conveniently. Method: We examined healthy nurses’ physiology (Acceleration Plethysmography: APG and Blood Pressure: BP) and psychology (Visual Analogue Scale: VAS and Mood Inventory Scale: MIS) before and after a normal workday. Results: We observed that after a normal days’ work, the nurses’ autonomic activity, high-frequency component power (HF), low-frequency component power/high-component power ratio (LF/HF ratio), and total power (LF་HF) increased significantly. Psychologically, VAS increased significantly, while the MIS Refreshing Mood decreased remarkably. The HF value correlated significantly with VAS and the MIS Refreshing Mood. The MIS Refreshing Mood correlates significantly with increased sympathetic and autonomic nervous function. Thus, an MIS test may alternative for physiological tests to detect fatigue more quickly and easily. Conclusion: These findings may help nurses and other workers reduce fatigue, cope with stress, and prevent illness. We hope this study will contribute towards addressing the issues related to workers’ mental health in the workplace.

Association Between Circulating Adiponectin and Heart Rate Recovery in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Background: Imbalance of autonomic nervous system is confirmed as a key contributor for cardiometabolic complications in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) women. Heart rate recovery (HRR) is an easy test for autonomic nervous tone evaluation and a powerful index for predicting cardiovascular events and mortality. Adiponectin (APN) is reported to be correlated closely with autonomic nervous function in different populations.Methods: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum total APN and HRR in PCOS women. A total of 89 PCOS women were enrolled and divided into two groups. Women with HRR values slower than 12 beats were defined as Blunted HRR Group. APN levels were compared between Blunted HRR Group and Normal HRR Group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to determine which clinical variables were independently associated with decreased HRR and the effect of clinical variables on APNlevels, respectively. Results: 23 women were categorized in Blunted HRR Group, in which the APN level was significantly lower than Normal HRR Group (10.2±3.9 ug/ml vs. 13.1±4.1 ug/ml, P=0.015). Age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.15; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.21; P = 0.032], BMI (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.72-1.08; P = 0.006), hypertension (OR = 1.08; 95%CI = 1.02-1.26; P = 0.025) and APN (OR= 0.61; 95%CI = 0.43-0.88; P = 0.018) were independent factors of attenuated HRR in PCOS women. Meanwhile, multiple linear regression analysis showed only age (β=-0.26; 95%CI =-0.47- -0.03, P= 0.041) and hyperlipemia (β=-0.13; 95%CI =-0.27-0.08, P= 0.024) were closely associated with APN levels in PCOS women.Conclusions: Our findings suggested that decreased APN concentration was closely associated with HRR blunt in PCOS women. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying interactions between APN and autonomic nervous function.

The prevalence of orthostatic dysregulation among newly graduated female nurses after employment and its associations with autonomic nervous function, stress, and depressive symptoms

Objectives: We aimed to examine the prevalence of orthostatic dysregulation among newly graduated female nurses after employment and its associations with autonomic nervous function, stress, and depressive symptoms. Methods: This follow-up study included 48 newly graduated female nurses (aged 22 ± 3 years) employed in acute care hospitals. The orthostatic dysregulation symptoms were evaluated using a screening checklist. A sit-to-stand test was conducted to assess the autonomic nervous function. Subjective stress and depressive symptoms were determined using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were collected at baseline on the first month and on the seventh month of employment. Statistical differences within groups were analyzed using paired t-test and McNemar’s test. The independent associations of orthostatic dysregulation status with stress and depressive symptoms were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: The percentage of individuals who were diagnosed with orthostatic dysregulation increased from 25.0% at baseline to 35.4% at follow-up. Logistic regression analyses revealed that stress and depressive symptoms were closely associated with orthostatic dysregulation status at follow-up, despite a weak association reported at baseline. The participants were categorized according to their orthostatic dysregulation status: among individuals without orthostatic dysregulation at baseline but with orthostatic dysregulation at follow-up, the increase in autonomic nervous activity, as assessed by the coefficient of variation of the R-R intervals, in response to the postural changes was significantly attenuated at follow-up. Furthermore, this group exhibited a significant increase in stress and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: At 7 months after employment, newly graduated nurses showed a higher prevalence of orthostatic dysregulation in combination with autonomic nervous system modulation, which was accompanied by an increase in stress and depressive symptoms. These observations suggest that the orthostatic dysregulation is associated with poor mental and physical health among newly graduated nurses in the early phase of employment.

Heart rate variability in dairy cows with postpartum fever during night phase

Autonomic nervous function evaluated by heart rate variability (HRV) and blood characteristics were compared between Holstein Friesian cows that developed postpartum fever (PF; n = 5) and clinically healthy (CH; n = 6) puerperal cows in this case-control study. A cow was defined as having PF when its rectal temperature rose to ≥39.5°C between 1 and 3 days postpartum. We recorded electrocardiograms during this period using a Holter-type electrocardiograph and applied power spectral analysis of HRV. Comparisons between the groups were analyzed by t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and the relationship between rectal temperature and each parameter was analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Heart rate was higher in PF cows than in CH cows (Mean ± SE, 103.3 ± 2.7 vs. 91.5 ± 1.7 bpm). This result suggested that PF cows had a relatively dominant sympathetic nervous function. Total (44,472 ± 2,301 vs. 55,373 ± 1,997 ms) and low frequency power (24.5 ± 3.8 vs. 39.9 ± 5.3 ms) were lower in PF cows than in CH cows. These findings were possibly caused by a reduction in autonomic nervous function. The total white blood cell count (54.3 ± 5.1 vs. 84.5 ± 6.4 ×102/μL) and the serum magnesium (2.1 ± 0.1 vs. 2.4 ± 0.1 mg/dL) and iron (81.5 ± 8.0 vs. 134.4 ± 9.1 μg/dL) concentrations were lower and the serum amyloid A concentration (277 ± 33 vs. 149 ± 21 μg/mL) was higher in PF cows than in CH cows. These results imply that more inflammation was present in PF cows than in CH cows. Multiple regression analysis showed that both of low frequency power and concentration of serum iron were associated with rectal temperature. We found differences in changes in hematologic results, biochemical findings, and HRV patterns between PF cows and CH cows.

Exercise Pathophysiology in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension—The Physiologic Explanation for Why Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Does What It Does

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic disease that is associated with a significant and progressive limitation of exercise tolerance. The pathophysiological mechanisms of exercise intolerance during exercise are complex, multifactorial, and in fact not limited to the pulmonary circulation and the right ventricle. Disturbance of autonomic nervous function leads to an enhanced chemosensitivity, as well as respiratory and peripheral muscle weakness, and systemic endothelial dysfunction, which together play important roles in PAH pathophysiology and symptomatology. This article is focused on the different pathophysiological mechanisms of exercise intolerance in PAH, their interactions, and their relevance for clinical practice.