qPCR_Based Telomere Lenght Dataset, Night Shift Work Exposure

This dataset provides quantitative measurements of telomere length in human genomic DNA extracted from whole blood samples, stratified by night shift work exposure status and collected at two recruitment centers (Bologna and Messina). Telomere length was quantified by qPCR using the Absolute Human Telomere Length Quantification (AHTLQ) assay (ScienCell Research Laboratories) on a 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems), following the manufacturer’s protocol. Briefly, 3 ng of genomic DNA were analyzed in triplicate, and average telomere length was calculated accordingly. Reported variables include relative and absolute telomere length estimates (expressed per diploid cell and per chromosome end), along with associated errors, patient identifiers, and reference sample information used for calibration. Night shift work exposure was defined using both recent (number of night shifts in the previous 6 months) and lifetime (total number over the occupational history) metrics, categorized into three groups each.