Conroy R T, Elliott A L, Mills J N
Br J Ind Med. 1970 Apr;27(2):170-4. doi: 10.1136/oem.27.2.170.
170-174. Blood samples have been collected for estimation of plasma 11-hydroxycorticosteroids from three groups of workers - day and night shift workers in a light engineering factory, and night workers in a newspaper printing works. Up to five samples were collected over 24 hr, or two samples per 24 hr were collected for three days. In conformity with the observations of others, day workers showed maximal concentrations in the morning around the time when they started work. In the newspaper workers maximal concentrations were found when they awoke around 14·00 hr. Night shift workers in the engineering works showed a greater variety of pattern, some showing the pattern usual in a day worker, some showing a maximum concentration about midnight and a minimum around 06·00 hr and a large proportion showing no clear circadian rhythm. In the newspaper workers the rhythm was thus well adapted to their pattern of nocturnal work, whereas relatively few of the night shift workers in the engineering works showed such adaptation. It appears that the adrenal cortical rhythm can be adapted to night work in a community in which this is universal, accepted and lifelong, but that such adjustment is unusual in men on night shift work for limited periods, and whose associates are mainly following a usual nycthemeral existence.
170 - 174. 已采集三组工人的血样，以测定血浆11 - 羟皮质类固醇含量，这三组工人分别是一家轻工工厂的日班和夜班工人，以及一家报纸印刷厂的夜班工人。在24小时内最多采集5份样本，或者连续三天每天采集2份样本。与其他人的观察结果一致，日班工人在开始工作前后的早晨显示出最高浓度。在报纸印刷厂的工人中，在大约14:00醒来时发现最高浓度。工程工厂的夜班工人表现出更多样化的模式，一些人呈现出日班工人常见的模式，一些人在午夜左右显示出最高浓度，在06:00左右显示出最低浓度，并且很大一部分人没有明显的昼夜节律。因此，在报纸印刷厂的工人中，这种节律很好地适应了他们的夜间工作模式，而在工程工厂的夜班工人中，相对较少的人表现出这种适应性。似乎肾上腺皮质节律在一个普遍、被接受且终生从事夜间工作的群体中可以适应夜间工作，但在从事有限时间段夜班工作且其同事主要遵循正常昼夜生活的男性中，这种调整并不常见。
