New Advances in Shift Work

A special issue of Clocks & Sleep (ISSN 2624-5175). This special issue belongs to the section "Society".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1014

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: chronic disease risk; cancer; prevention; circadian epidemiology; sleep; circadian system in humans; melatonin; circadian genes; night shift work
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue aims to explore recent advances in shift work research, addressing its growing relevance in today's 24/7 society. As the demand for around-the-clock services expands across industries, understanding the multifaceted impacts of shift work has become critical. This Special Issue seeks to consolidate the latest scientific findings on the physiological, psychological, and social effects of shift work, offering a comprehensive view of how these non-traditional work schedules influence health, well-being, and productivity.

The scope encompasses a wide range of topics, including circadian rhythm disruption, sleep disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic health, mental health challenges, and the social implications of shift work. It also considers occupational safety, performance efficiency, and the effectiveness of interventions designed to mitigate the adverse effects of shift work. By including empirical studies, reviews, and theoretical contributions, this Special Issue aims to provide a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue, encouraging the integration of research from fields such as chronobiology, occupational health, psychology, and public health.

Ultimately, the goal is to inform policies and practices that can enhance worker health and safety, improve work–life balance, and optimize performance in shift work settings

Prof. Dr. Eva Schernhammer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clocks & Sleep is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • shift work
  • circadian rhythms
  • occupational health
  • sleep disorders
  • work–life balance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3189 KiB  
Article
Blood Metabolic Biomarkers of Occupational Stress in Healthcare Professionals: Discriminating Burnout Levels and the Impact of Night Shift Work
by Andreea Petra Ungur, Andreea-Iulia Socaciu, Maria Barsan, Armand Gabriel Rajnoveanu, Razvan Ionut, Carmen Socaciu and Lucia Maria Procopciuc
Clocks & Sleep 2025, 7(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7030036 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 425
Abstract
Burnout syndrome is characterized mainly by three criteria (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment), and further exacerbated by night shift work, with profound implications for individual and societal well-being. The Maslach Burnout Inventory survey applied to 97 medical care professionals (with day [...] Read more.
Burnout syndrome is characterized mainly by three criteria (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment), and further exacerbated by night shift work, with profound implications for individual and societal well-being. The Maslach Burnout Inventory survey applied to 97 medical care professionals (with day and night work) revealed different scores for these criteria. Blood metabolic profiles were obtained by UHPLC-QTOF-ESI+-MS untargeted metabolomics and multivariate statistics using the Metaboanalyst 6.0 platform. The Partial Least Squares Discrimination scores and VIP values, Random Forest graphs, and Heatmaps, based on 99 identified metabolites, were complemented with Biomarker Analysis (AUC ranking) and Pathway Analysis of metabolic networks. The data obtained reflected the biochemical implications of night shift work and correlated with each criterion’s burnout scores. Four main metabolic pathways with important consequences in burnout were affected, namely lipid metabolism, especially steroid hormone synthesis and cortisol, the energetic mitochondrial metabolism involving acylated carnitines, fatty acids, and phospholipids as well polar metabolites’ metabolism, e.g., catecholamines (noradrenaline, acetyl serotonin), and some amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine, aspartate, arginine, valine, lysine). These metabolic profiles suggest potential strategies for managing burnout levels in healthcare professionals, based on validated criteria, including night shift work management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Shift Work)
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