NIGHT SHIFT WORKERS AND HORMONE LEVELS IN WOMEN

描述(由申请人提供)：拟议研究的主要目标是确定夜间工作是否与健康育龄妇女夜间尿液中6-硫代细胞角质激素水平降低、黄体生成素(L H)、卵泡刺激素(FSH)和雌二醇水平升高有关。其次，这项研究旨在调查夜间工作的女性在白天睡眠时尿褪黑激素水平是否低于夜间睡眠，而生殖激素水平是否高于夜间睡眠。大约200名专门上夜班的护士和150名专门上白班的护士将被招募为西雅图大都市区的志愿者。符合条件的参与者必须年龄在20岁至40岁之间，每周至少工作20小时，居住在金县或斯诺霍米什县，不服用口服避孕药或其他激素制剂，没有乳腺癌个人病史。此外，夜班护士在休息日通常必须在晚上睡觉。这项研究将采用一种设计，既允许夜班工人与白班工人的受试者之间的比较，也允许夜班工人在白天睡眠与夜间睡眠的受试者内进行比较。参与时间为两个月。在第一个月，这项研究将评估月经周期规律，使用商业试剂盒确定排卵日期，就就业和生育史进行个人访谈，评估参与者适应轮班工作的能力，并采集血样。在第二个月，尿样采集将安排在工作和睡眠期间，并将在每个参与者周期的黄体早期到中期进行。在与尿液收集相对应的睡眠期间，将通过活动记录仪测量睡眠模式。夜班工人将在清醒时间收集口腔体温数据，以确定体温幅度。将收集可能与研究中的荷尔蒙有关的因素的信息，如饮酒、用药和样本采集期间的日照时间。将对尿样进行褪黑素、6-硫代谢素、黄体生成素、卵泡刺激素和雌二醇水平的检测。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary objective of the proposed study is to determine whether working at night is associated with decreased levels of the nocturnal urinary concentration of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, and increased levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol in a sample of healthy women of reproductive age. Secondarily, this study is designed to investigate whether urinary levels of melatonin are lower and levels of reproductive hormones are higher during daytime sleep relative to nighttime sleep among women who work at night. Approximately 200 nurses who work the night shift exclusively and 150 nurses who work the day shift exclusively will be recruited as volunteers in the Seattle metropolitan area. Eligible participants must be between the ages of 20 and 40, employed for at least 20 hours/week, resident of King or Snohomish County, do not take oral contraceptives or other hormone preparations, and have no personal history of breast cancer. In addition, the night shift nurses must normally sleep at night during off days. This study will employ a design which allows for both between-subject comparisons of night shift v. day shift workers, and within-subject comparisons during day sleep v. night sleep among the night shift workers. Participation will span two months. In the first month the study will evaluate menstrual cycle regularity, determine the day of ovulation using a commercial kit, conduct a personal interview regarding employment and reproductive history, assess the participant's ability to adjust to shift work, and collect a blood sample. In the second month urine sample collections will be scheduled during both work and sleep periods, and will take place in the early to mid-luteal phase of each participant's cycle. Sleep patterns will be measured via actigraphy during the sleep periods corresponding to urine collection. Oral temperature data will be collected during wake-time in the night shift workers to determine temperature amplitude. Information will be collected on factors which may be related to the hormones under study, such as alcohol consumption, medication use, and hours of daylight during sample collection. Urine samples will be assayed for the primary urinary metabolite of melatonin, 6-sulphatoxymelatonin, and levels of LH, FSH, and estradiol.