China 
Africa 
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Light Pollution: Adverse Health Impacts
Published in Tuan Anh Nguyen, Ram K. Gupta, Nanotechnology for Light Pollution Reduction, 2023
Manish Srivastava, Anjali Banger, Anjali Yadav, Anamika Srivastava
Light pollution is a topic of concern since it has some serious allegations for all forms of life existing on the planet Earth. Artificial light affects organisms from as simple as algae to mammals to aquatic birds and covers almost all living beings. It has altered the navigation, orientation, nocturnal activities, and other functions of the body. Even the natural functioning of the biological circadian clock is interrupted by exposure to extreme artificial light which directly affects the functionality of an organism. This has increased the mortality rates of certain species of insects, birds, and animals and even reduced their life expectancy ratio. Certain laws are meant to be implanted to inhibit the excessive use of artificial light. In this chapter, we have mainly emphasized the health impacts which are caused by light pollution. It is a vast field that involves various other aspects of study too. The design and proper planning for the structure of artificial light need to be focused on.
Fatigue Challenges in Emergency Medical Services Operations
Published in John W. Overton, Eileen Frazer, Safety and Quality in Medical Transport Systems, 2019
The word “circadian” is derived from the words circa, meaning “about” and dies, meaning “a day.” Therefore, circadian rhythms are approximately 1 day or 24 hours long. The circadian clock programs humans for the daily highs and lows in many physiological and neurobehavioral functions, including core body temperature, plasma cortisol, plasma melatonin, alertness, subjective fatigue, cognitive performance, and sleep patterns (Buijs et al. 2003). This internal biological clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus in the brain (Klein, Moore and Reppert 1991; Moore and Eichler 1972; Stephan and Zucker 1972).
Treatment Options for Chemical Sensitivity
Published in William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel, Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 5, 2017
William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel
In recent past 20 years, the mystery of biological timing has been transformed through genetic discovery. As a consequence, availability of molecular clock genes has now provided tools to understand the physiological functions of the circadian system in unprecedented detail. As we experimentally dismantle the clock, the interdependence of timing and energetics seems inextricable. Major gaps in our understanding include: (i) the connection between brain and peripheral tissue clocks in metabolic homeostasis; (ii) the interplay between circadian and sleep disruption in energetics; (iii) the relationship between nutrient state and circadian homeostasis; and (iv) the impact of circadian clock systems on human physiology. Ultimately, such studies will yield deeper insight into the interconnections between genes, behavior, and metabolic disease.
The potential interaction of environmental pollutants and circadian rhythm regulations that may cause leukemia
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Francisco Alejandro Lagunas-Rangel, Błażej Kudłak, Wen Liu, Michael J. Williams, Helgi B. Schiöth
The normal functioning of circadian clocks can be altered by genetic, environmental, and internal factors. Indeed, there are interesting recent findings that demonstrate the interaction of the environment, particularly some environmental pollutants, and circadian rhythms (Liu et al., 2021; Ndikung et al., 2020; Prokkola & Nikinmaa, 2018). It has previously been described that cells that follow a circadian synchrony have greater responses to the effects of environmental chemicals (Ndikung et al., 2020). For example, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a common plasticizer in our lives, disrupts the circadian rhythm and promotes the proliferation and migration of mammary cells (Liu et al., 2021). However, it is worth mentioning that so far there is very little information that relates the alteration of circadian rhythms with the development, evolution, prognosis and/or treatment of any type of leukemia, as well as whether any environmental pollutant or mixture of them has an important role in altering the genes that control the circadian clock in these cancers.
A Review of Human Physiological Responses to Light: Implications for the Development of Integrative Lighting Solutions
Published in LEUKOS, 2022
Céline Vetter, P. Morgan Pattison, Kevin Houser, Michael Herf, Andrew J. K. Phillips, Kenneth P. Wright, Debra J. Skene, George C. Brainard, Diane B. Boivin, Gena Glickman
In humans, nearly every cell of the body contains molecular level rhythms, generated by cellular circadian clock machinery, which regulate cell metabolism, immune responses, DNA repair, and mitochondrial function (Sulli et al. 2018). Recent work has shown that beyond this clock in the cell, the SCN along with a network of clocks in peripheral organs, coordinate various physiological functions that result in circadian (“circa” meaning about and “dies” meaning a day) peaks and troughs in physiology, including core body temperature (CBT), hormone levels (e.g. melatonin, cortisol), energy metabolism patterns, reproductive cycles, and immune function variability across the day (see for example Pilorz et al. 2018, for an in-depth review). On a behavioral level, feeding-fasting, sleep-wake and rest-activity cycles, as well as fluctuations in cognitive function, are modulated by the circadian clock. Under ideal conditions, cellular, physiological and behavioral events are integrated and coherent at every level (Vetter 2020).
Zearalenone perturbs the circadian clock and inhibits testosterone synthesis in mouse Leydig cells
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2021
Lijia Zhao, Yaoyao Xiao, Cuimei Li, Jing Zhang, Yaojia Zhang, Meina Wu, Tiantian Ma, Luda Yang, Xiaoyu Wang, Haizhen Jiang, Qian Li, Hongcong Zhao, Yiqun Wang, Aihua Wang, Yaping Jin, Huatao Chen
The circadian clock system exists in nearly all organs, tissues, and cells (Dibner, Schibler, and Albrecht 2010). Various physiological functions and behaviors exhibit robust circadian rhythms driven by an endogenous circadian clock, including the sleep/wake cycle, feeding, body temperature, blood pressure, and release of endocrine hormones (Ye et al. 2011). In mammals, the circadian clock is composed of a core pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus and various oscillators in peripheral tissues. The SCN controls the oscillators in peripheral tissues through humoral and neuronal cues in a hierarchical manner (Dibner, Schibler, and Albrecht 2010; Silver et al. 1996). The molecular oscillator of the circadian clocks consists of interlocked transcriptional-translational feedback loops involving the genes Bmal1, Clock, Pers (Per1/2/3), and Crys (Cry1/2) which are required to generate endogenous circadian oscillations (Buhr and Takahashi 2013). The BMAL1/CLOCK heterodimer increases the transcription of the Per and Cry genes by binding to an E-box element, resulting in generation of circadian rhythms. Subsequently, the accumulated PER and CRY proteins translocate into the nucleus where they inhibit BMAL1/CLOCK activities. Several other essential proteins, including the orphan nuclear receptors ROR, REV-ERBs, and DBP, make up an auxiliary feedback loop that enhances these circadian oscillators to be more robust.