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Yanis Bouchou,1 Lorine Giffard-Quillon,2 Luc Fontana,2,3 Frédéric Roche,1 Carole Pélissier,2,3,* Mathieu Berger1,4,* 1Sainbiose, Inserm U1059, Service of Clinical Physiology, University Hospital and University Jean Monnet of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France; 2Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France; 3Université de St Etienne, Université Lyon 1, Université Gustave Eiffel, UMRESTTE, UMR T9405, Saint-Etienne, France; 4Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM), EA 7424, Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mathieu Berger, Sainbiose, DVH Team, Inserm U1059, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne and University of Saint-Etienne, Mines Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France, Tel +33 477829014, Email mathieuberger@outlook.comPurpose: To describe the sleep habits (bedtime hours, waking hours, sleep duration) and to assess the prevalence of sleep disturbances (acute and chronic insomnia, insufficient sleep, perceived sleep debt) among French healthcare workers.Participants and Methods: Nurses and assistant nurses working in public hospitals from the Loire department at different work schedules (2x12h, 2x8h, fixed daytime, fixed nighttime) were asked about their socioprofessional and demographic information, their sleep habits and disturbances during night shifts, and the acceptability of a 20-min nap opportunity.Results: A total of 297 healthcare workers completed the survey with 76% reporting a sleep debt with a lower prevalence for fixed nighttime workers (62%) and a higher prevalence for 2x12 h (84%) workers. The prevalence of acute insomnia was 76% with a significant difference between fixed nighttime (60%) and 2x12 h (82%); whereas the prevalence of chronic insomnia was 35% without any significant difference between working schedules. Moreover, 18% of healthcare workers reported excessive daytime sleepiness, while 13% admitted to using sleep medication at least once a week.Conclusion: French healthcare workers reported poor sleep quality with a high prevalence of sleep debt, acute and chronic insomnia symptoms without an obvious impact of working schedules.Keywords: Sleep habits, healthcare workers, shift work, epidemiology, nurses

Alessandro Finzi,1 Simone Ottoboni,1 Mauro Cellini,1 Beniamino Corcioni,2 Caterina Gaudiano,2 Luigi Fontana1 1Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; 2Department of Radiology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCorrespondence: Alessandro Finzi, Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Pelagio Palagi 9, Bologna, 40138, Italy, Tel +39 051 2142831, Email finzialessandro@gmail.comPurpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) presents a multifaceted etiopathogenesis involving ischemic, inflammatory, and genetic components. This study investigates the correlation between ocular hemodynamics, scleral rigidity (SR), and plasma endothelin-1 (ET1) levels in treatment-naive patients with asymmetrical AMD.Patients and Methods: This study included 20 treatment-naive patients (12 females and 8 males) with an average age of 76.4 ± 3.7 years, who presented with AMD with neovascular membrane formation (nAMD) in one eye, and intermediate grade 2 AMD (iAMD) in the other eye. The control group consisted of 20 healthy subjects (13 females and 7 males) with a mean age of 74.7 ± 3.9 years. All patients and healthy controls underwent color Doppler imaging (i) of the ophthalmic artery (OA), short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCAs), and central retinal artery (CRA); Plasma ET-1 levels were measured for all patients and healthy subjects. Corneal biomechanics were assessed using an Ocular Response Analyzer and two indices were obtained: corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF).Results: Results showed reduced blood flow velocities and increased resistance indices in AMD eyes, particularly affecting the short posterior ciliary arteries. According to mechanical theory, ARMD eyes exhibited elevated scleral rigidity and corneal resistance factor compared to controls, with a notable rise in SR in neovascular AMD (nAMD) eyes. As per the chronic subacute inflammation theory, plasma ET-1 levels were significantly higher in AMD patients, correlating with abnormal SPCAs blood flow and increased resistance indices.Conclusion: Findings suggest a multifactorial etiology of AMD involving an increase of ET-1 plasma levels with biomechanic damages of corneal and scleral tissue in nAMD.Keywords: AMD, endothelin-1, corneal biomechanics, scleral rigidity, hemodynamics

The present paper investigates TiO2 nanoparticle (TiO2-NP) deposition on cotton fabric through a pulsed electrical current in a water/TiO2-NP solution. The experiments used short voltage pulses with an amplitude around 1200 V, an intermediate value between those used in electrophoretic deposition (tens of V) and plasma discharge in liquids (tens of thousands of V). A sequence of pulse trains with five pulses of 1.0 μs delivered electrical energy to the mixture. The electrodes were kept 28 mm apart. An asymmetry appeared in the current waveform when the medium contained TiO2-NPs. The pieces of cotton fabric were characterized using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrical discharge treatment increased the Ti concentration on the fabric surface by as much as 6% according to XPS analysis. XRD analysis confirmed the XPS results for treated samples, indicating the presence of anatase TiO2. In the FTIR analysis, a shoulder at 800 cm−1 was observed and can be associated with coordination interactions between Ti and the OH groups of glucose. The nanoparticle adhesion was verified by observing the cotton fabric surface through field emission gun scanning electron microscopy after multiple washes. Even after 20 washing cycles, there was a considerable amount of nanoparticles on the sample surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]