SPHYNCS: Feasibility of long-term monitoring with Fitbit smartwatches in central disorders of hypersomnolence and extraction of digital biomarkers in narcolepsy.

The Swiss Primary Hypersomnolence and Narcolepsy Cohort Study (SPHYNCS) is a multicenter research initiative to identify new biomarkers in central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH). Whereas narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is well characterized, other CDH disorders lack precise biomarkers. In SPHYNCS, we utilized Fitbit smartwatches to monitor physical activity, heart rate, and sleep parameters over one year. We examined the feasibility of long-term ambulatory monitoring using the wearable device. We then explored digital biomarkers differentiating patients with NT1 from healthy controls (HC). A total of 115 participants received a Fitbit smartwatch. Using a compliance metric to evaluate the usability of the wearable device, we found an overall compliance rate of 80% over one year. We calculated daily physical activity, heart rate, and sleep parameters from two weeks of greatest compliance to compare NT1 (n=20) and HC (n=9) subjects. Compared to controls, NT1 patients demonstrated findings consistent with increased sleep fragmentation, including significantly greater wake-after-sleep onset (p=0.007) and awakening index (p=0.025), as well as standard deviation of time in bed (p=0.044). Moreover, NT1 patients exhibited a significantly shorter REM latency (p=0.019), and sleep latency (p=0.001), as well as a lower peak heart rate (p=0.008), heart rate standard deviation (p=0.039) and high-intensity activity (p=0.009) compared to HC. This ongoing study demonstrates the feasibility of long-term monitoring with wearable technology in patients with CDH and potentially identifies a digital biomarker profile for NT1. While further validation is needed in larger datasets, these data suggest that long-term wearable technology may play a future role in diagnosing and managing narcolepsy.

Current incidence of professional burnout among Ukrainian oncologists in Kharkiv.

OBJECTIVES: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and the military conflicts in Ukraine suggest that workrelated stressors increased during these crises increases work-related stress reactions. Burnout as a long-term consequence of insufficiently compensated for workloads. The regional prevalence of burnout is particularly high among oncologists. The aim of this study was to assess the current risk of burnout within this group of physicians and to examine gender differences through gender-based analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirtyseven oncologists (17 men and 20 women aged 46.5±13.6 years [range 26-74 years]) in Kharkiv, Ukraine, participated. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) questionnaire was used to determine the extent of occupational. RESULTS: Gender, age, and work experience had no effect on the following results. Women demonstrated higher scores in emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment of the MBI than men. In contrast, men offered higher cynicism scores. The MBI total score was also higher for the male oncologists. Only 1 person of the total sample had risk of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed a high prevalence of burnout symptoms among Ukrainian oncologists without gender differences. From occupational health perspective behavioral and behavior-preventive measures are needed for clinics and oncologists to counteract the burnout symptoms, e.g. exhaustion or cyniscism. Further studies are needed here to examine the effectiveness of these measures. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(6):717-3.

The perception of stress, behavior in stressful situations and mental health of bank employees within a German-Ukrainian comparative study.

OBJECTIVES: The banking sector is a branch of the global labor market that is increasingly facing stress. This can have some negative effects on mental and physical health. The aim of the study was to examine the management of stress and the assessment of mental health in 2 European countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample comprised 90 (52%) German and 83 (48%) Ukrainian bank employees (BA) (N = 173). To achieve the aim of the study, the following questionnaires were used: the Differential Stress Inventory (DSI), the Inventory for Personality Diagnosis in Situations (IPS) and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The participants were examined in regard to nationality. Age, gender, senior position and DSI types were considered as covariates. RESULTS: There were some significant national differences. The senior position, gender and age alone had little or no influence on the results. In stress management, the German sample showed unfavorable values of DSI and IPS categories. Significantly more German bank employees (10%) were overstressed (DSI type II) compared to Ukrainian ones (3%). Significant differences in stress trigger, stress manifestation and stress stabilization of DSI, and in almost all IPS categories, were found between the bank employees of both countries. More specifically, 20% of the German sample and only 8.8% of the Ukrainian sample reported impaired mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Bank employees from Germany and Ukraine differed in their perception of stress and behavior in stressful situations, based on the DSI and IPS results; the Germans were shown to perform worse. This is reflected in the higher level of mental health impairment among the Germans, which is demonstrated by the GHQ-12 results. However, there is a need for workplace health promotion and preventive programs for both samples. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(1):81-94.