Nurses are at risk of poor sleep health and may be an important target population for sleep interventions. However, little is known about the factors predicting preferences for different sleep intervention types or deliveries. This current study examined the relationship between diverse factors (e.g., sociodemographics, sleep hygiene knowledge, personality) and preferences for various sleep interventions. The data was collected from 86 outpatient nurses. Participants provided their sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires assessing their personality traits, sleep hygiene knowledge and preferences for sleep intervention types and deliveries. Nearly all participants were interested in participating in a sleep intervention (99%). The preferred sleep intervention type among respondents was mindfulness-based training (74%), while an online format (88%) was the most favored delivery method. Those with lower incomes and lower agreeableness were associated with endorsing sleep hygiene education more frequently. Nurses who had more than one child, provided sleep hygiene tips to patients, and demonstrated higher levels of openness and agency were inclined to endorse mindfulness-based training. For sleep intervention delivery, nurses who worked longer hours and nurses who did not provide sleep hygiene tips to patients favored group meetings more highly. Being White Hispanic or a person of color was associated with a higher endorsement of one-on-one meetings. Finally, nurses of a younger age and being a single child parent were associated with a higher endorsement for an online format delivery of sleep interventions. Findings from this study may help inform the planning, recruitment, and implementation of future interventions aimed to improve sleep health in nurses, and further, in other vulnerable healthcare workers.

When it comes to the medical field, 3D modeling has previously been used to render anatomical images in greater detail in order to better understand bodily functions. Lately, however, 3D modeling has made waves in depicting diseases, with a focus on their severity and progression. Unlike a model depicting computer graphics, 3D culture models allow cells to interact in three dimensions and better display cell growth and movement, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Culture models are beneficial in replicating the complexities of disease by promoting interactions between cells and providing insight into potential solutions. In this issue of the Journal of Young Investigators, Priscilla Detwieler and her colleagues demonstrate that atelocollagen incorporated in a 3D model is shown to simulate a potential treatment for inflammation-induced osteoarthritis.  

Over the past decade, there have been many significant advances in the field of skin aging, including studies that explore the clearance of senescent (growth-arrested) cells in skin, regenerative therapeutics, and even 3D bioprinting of skin. One of the latest discoveries showed that blocking Interleukin 17 (IL-17) signaling leads to delays in the skin aging process. But how does IL-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, delay what has been known as the inevitable hallmarks of skin aging? 

To combat the harmful effects of stress, neuroscientists are pointing to mindfulness, defined as the practice of being fully present and aware of our external environment and our actions, while not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by external events. To shed light on this, JYI interviewed renowned neuroscientist Dr. Alexandra Fiocco, whose expertise lies at the intersection of mindfulness, stress, and cognitive aging. Dr. Fiocco currently does research at Stress and Healthy Aging Research (StAR) Lab and teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University.