Workplace bullying and violence as risk factors for type 2 diabetes: a multicohort study and meta-analysis

Aims/hypothesis

The aim of this multicohort study was to examine whether employees exposed to social stressors at work, such as workplace bullying and violence, have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Methods

The study included 45,905 men and women (40–65 years of age and free of diabetes at baseline) from four studies in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Workplace bullying and violence were self-reported at baseline. Incident diabetes was ascertained through national health and medication records and death registers. Marginal structural Cox models adjusted for age, sex, country of birth, marital status and educational level were used for the analyses.

Results

Nine per cent of the population reported being bullied at work and 12% were exposed to workplace violence or threats of violence. Bullied participants had a 1.46 (95% CI 1.23, 1.74) times higher risk of developing diabetes compared with non-bullied participants. Exposure to violence or threats of violence was also associated with a higher risk of diabetes (HR 1.26 [95% CI 1.02, 1.56]). The risk estimates attenuated slightly when taking BMI into account, especially for bullying. The results were similar for men and women, and were consistent across cohorts.

Conclusions/interpretation

We found a higher risk of incident type 2 diabetes among employees exposed to bullying or violence in the workplace. Further research is needed to determine whether policies to reduce bullying and violence at work may reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in working populations. Research on the mechanisms is also highly warranted.

     

Cubic Iron Core–Shell Nanoparticles Functionalized to Obtain High-Performance MRI Contrast Agents

Nanoparticles with SiO 2 coating were synthesized to have a cubic iron core. These were found to have saturation magnetization very close to the highest possible value of any iron-containing nanoparticles and the bulk iron saturation magnetization. The in vitro toxicology studies show that they are highly biocompatible and possess better MRI contrast agent potential than iron oxide NPs.     

Somatic symptoms as a marker for severity in adolescent depression

Aim: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of somatic symptoms in depressed adolescents and in their healthy peers. A second aim is to investigate the correlation, in the depressed adolescents, between the number of somatic symptoms and severe concurrent symptoms, signs and life events. Methods: The total population of 16–17 year olds – in the city of Uppsala – was screened for depression and then interviewed using a structured interview questionnaire. Depressed subjects and matched controls were identified. A total of 177 pairs were used for pair‐wise analyses of somatic symptoms. Severe symptoms, signs and life events were selected for analysing their relation to depression with somatic symptoms. Results: The adolescents with depressive disorders experienced considerably more somatic symptoms than their healthy controls. The duration and depth of the depression correlated with the number of somatic symptoms. There was a strong correlation between depression with many somatic symptoms and suicidal plans/thoughts, suicidal attempts, disruptive behaviour, as well as multiple stressful relationships. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that somatic symptoms are common in adolescent depression. Multiple somatic symptoms within depression imply a higher severity in terms of duration, depth and psychiatric comorbidity. The strong correlation with suicidal plans, suicidal attempts and disruptive behaviour is concerning.     

Postal survey on asthma, chronic bronchitis and respiratory symptoms among adult Estonians and non-Estonians (FinEsS-study)

BACKGROUND: According to the data of the population census held in Estonia in 1989, the resident population consisted of 61.5% Estonians and 38.5% non-Estonians, the majority of them being Russians--30.3%. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of asthma, chronic bronchitis and respiratory symptoms among the adults in these ethnic groups. METHODS: The study was a postal survey, similar in design to parallel studies currently in progress in Finland, Estonia and Sweden (FinEsS). RESULTS: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 2.0%, being similar in men and women and in both Estonians and non-Estonians. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed chronic bronchitis was 10.5%. Compared with the non-Estonian population, the prevalence was much lower among Estonians (7.9% vs. 13.5%, p<0.001). Such a difference in prevalence was observed in all age groups. The high prevalence of chronic bronchitis in non-Estonians could be related to more extensive smoking habits, smoking indoors and probably ETS exposure. The defined OR between non-Estonians vs. Estonians after correcting for the influence of smoking habits, area of domicile, age, gender, and socioeconomic group was 1.30. A similar pattern of differences between Estonians and non-Estonians was observed in respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma in Estonians and non-Estonians was the same. Physician-diagnosed chronic bronchitis was more frequent in non-Estonians than in Estonians. A significant difference was determined in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, especially among those common to chronic bronchitis. The differences remained significant after correction for possible confounders.     

Platelet monoamine oxidase in healthy 9- and 15-years old children: the effect of gender, smoking and puberty

1. The effect of gender, smoking and pubertal development on platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was described in a randomly selected, large sample of 9- and 15-years old healthy children.

2. Platelet MAO activity was measured in 1129 children by a radioenzymatic method with β-phenylethylamine as the substrate. Smoking habits were reported in an anonymous questionnaire. Pubertal status was assessed visually using Tanner's stages.

3. Boys, younger children and smokers had significantly lower platelet MAO activity than girls, older children and non-smokers, respectively. Girls in Tanner's stage V for breast and public hair development had significantly lower MAO than girls in stage IV.

4. Differences in gender, age, pubertal status and smoking habits must be taken into account if the relationship between platelet MAO activity, personality and psychiatric disorders is studied in children.

Molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus epidermidis in neonatal intensive care units

Late‐onset sepsis (LOS) in preterm neonates is increasingly reported to be associated with gut‐colonizing Staphylococcus epidermidis. We aimed to describe the molecular epidemiology of S. epidermidis colonizing the gut of neonates hospitalized in two neonatal intensive care units. S. epidermidis from rectal swabs were typed by multilocus variable‐number tandem‐repeat analysis (MLVA), randomly chosen isolates of predominant MLVA types additionally by multilocus sequence typing. Antimicrobial susceptibility, the presence of icaA, IS256, arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), agr type, and SCCmec type were determined. Of 276 neonates (38.4%), 106 were colonized with S. epidermidis, yielding a total of 139 isolates (62 in one unit and 77 in another unit). Of the 55 MLVA types identified, the five predominant detected in both units corresponded to sequence type (ST) 2, ST5, and ST59 or its single locus variant ST81 and formed three major MLVA clonal complexes accounting for 74.8% of all isolates. Overall, the prevalence of mecA, icaA, IS256, and ACME was 91.4%, 28.1%, 64%, and 77%, respectively. Of the mecA‐positive isolates (n = 127), 43.9% carried SCCmec type IV. Of eight episodes of LOS, four were caused by ST2 and two by ST5. Preventing gut colonization with nosocomial epidemic S. epidermidis in hospitalized neonates could contribute to the prevention of LOS.