No abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate how subjective sleepiness, mood states, simple and high-order cognitive performance change after one night of sleep deprivation (SD) and recover to after 7 h normal recovery sleep opportunity during three recovery days. Methods: Ten healthy subjects participated in this study. We measured their subjective sleepiness, mood states and their performances of 2 simple tasks and 4 high-order cognitive tasks twice a day for 5 days, on the baseline day, post-vigil day and 3 recovery days after SD. This study was conducted considering each participant's motivation for task, learning effect and diurnal variation of performance. Results: The performances of simple tasks such as addition or short-term memory were not reduced after SD and were the poorest on the baseline day, and improved gradually; however the high-order cognitive performances were at their lowest on the post-vigil day and needed 2 recovery sleep opportunities to return to the baseline level. Fatigue and confusion in mood states and subjective sleepiness were also at their lowest after SD. Subjective sleepiness nearly recovered to the baseline level on the 1st recovery day, but fatigue and confusion reached the baseline levels on the 2nd recovery day. Conclusion: These results suggest that cognitive deterioration and the recovery process may differ between simple task performance and high-order cognitive task performance, which needed 2 ordinary sleep opportunities to recover to the baseline level, and the change of subjective mood states were also different for each mood. (J Occup Health 2009; 51: 412-422)

Objectives Little is known about workplace measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in Japan during the winter of 2020, especially in micro‐, small‐, and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs). This study aimed to provide an overview of the current situation of anti‐COVID‐19 measures in Japanese enterprises during the winter, considering company size. Methods This study was an Internet‐based nationwide cross‐sectional study. Individuals who were registered as full‐time workers were invited to participate in the survey. Data were collected using an online self‐administered questionnaire in December 2020. The chi‐squared test for trend was performed to calculate the P ‐value for trend for each workplace measure across company sizes. Results For the 27 036 participants, across company sizes, the most prevalent workplace measure was encouraging mask wearing at work, followed by requesting that employees refrain from going to work when ill and restricting work‐related social gatherings and entertainment. These measures were implemented by approximately 90% of large‐scale enterprises and by more than 40% of micro‐ and small‐scale enterprises. In contrast, encouraging remote working was implemented by less than half of large‐scale enterprises and by around 20% of micro‐ and small‐scale enterprises. There were statistically significant differences in all workplace measures by company size (all P < .001). Conclusions We found that various responses to COVID‐19 had been taken in workplaces. However, some measures, including remote working, were still not well‐implemented, especially in smaller enterprises. The findings suggest that occupational health support for MSMEs is urgently needed to mitigate the current wave of COVID‐19.

Objectives This study examined the relationship between the status of infection control efforts against COVID‐19 in the workplace and workers' mental health using a large‐scale Internet‐based study. Methods This cross‐sectional study was based on an Internet monitoring survey conducted during the third wave of the COVID‐19 epidemic in Japan. Of the 33 302 people who participated in the survey, 27 036 were included in the analyses. Participants answered whether or not each of 10 different infection control measures was in place at their workplace (eg, wearing masks at all times during working hours). A Kessler 6 (K6) score of ≥13 was defined as mild psychological distress. The odds ratios (ORs) of psychological distress associated with infection control measures at the workplace were estimated using a multilevel logistic model nested in the prefectures of residence. Results The OR of subjects working at facilities with 4 or 5 infection control measures for psychological distress was 1.19 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05‐1.34, P = .010), that in facilities with 2 or 3 infection control measures was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.25‐1.64, P < .001), and that in facilities with 1 or no infection control measures was 1.87 (95% CI: 1.63‐2.14, P < .001) compared to subjects whose workplaces had ≥6 infection control measures. Conclusion Our findings suggest that proactive COVID‐19 infection control measures can influence the mental health of workers.

The results of this study confirm that normal or high-normal BP increases the risk of progression to hypertension in individuals aged 20-34 years. In men, the association between baseline BP and progression to hypertension is stronger in this age group than in older age groups. Health providers should be aware that normal or high-normal BP is a risk factor for progression to hypertension even in individuals aged 20-34 years.