August 2007

Three Great Ways to Promote Respiratory Care
We’d all like more people to know who respiratory therapists are and what they do. The AARC has three great ways to get the job done, and they’re all heating up right now: we’ve just launched a new web page for National Respiratory Care Week, the ARCF’s Ventilator 5K is seeking participants, and the brand new AARC Life & Breath video is up for preview and purchase in the AARC Store. Check them out and see how you can use these great events and tools to let more people in on the best kept secret in health care today (your profession!). RC WEEK VENTILATOR 5K LIFE & BREATH

Researchers Find RLS Gene
Researchers who conducted genome-wide scans of nearly 1000 people in Iceland and 188 in the U.S. have identified a gene variation they believe may be responsible for more than half of all cases of restless legs syndrome (RLS). About 65% of the population is thought to carry at least one copy of the variant. The risk of RLS is more than doubled in people who carry two copies. Study author David Rye, MD, PhD, from Emory University School of Medicine was quoted as saying, ““This is the most definitive link between genetics and RLS that has been reported to date. We have known for quite some time that the majority of RLS patients have a close family member with the disorder, and now we have found a gene which is clearly linked to RLS.” The study was published in the July 18 Epub edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. READ PRESS RELEASE

Got Scoring Questions? AASM Has Answers!
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has created a new FAQ resource on scoring rules to assist labs in finding answers to common questions such as whether one needs to purchase new equipment to comply with the new standards, what to do when a sensor fails during a study, and clarification on measures of breathing and brain activity. More questions will be added to the list as they develop, and the AASM invites members of the sleep community to e-mail additional questions to: rrosenberg@aasmnet.org. CHECK IT OUT

Serotonin Changes Found in Rotating Shift Workers
Argentinean researchers who studied the relationship between various components of serotonin — 5-HT, serotonin metabolite, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5- HIAA), and the functional polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) promoter — and rotating shift work find platelet 5-HT and 5-HIAA contents were significantly lower in rotating shift workers than day workers. The study also revealed a significant association between the S variant of SLC6A4 promoter and shift work. The investigation was conducted among 437 day workers and 246 rotating shift workers. The authors conclude, “These findings may be important for targeting effective therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the associated comorbidities and behavioral problems in rotating shift workers.” The study appears in this month’s issue of SLEEP. READ ABSTRACT

Man Charged Under New Jersey Law Against Driving While Sleepy
A New Jersey driver has been changed with second-degree vehicular homicide under a law passed four years ago to make it a crime to drive while sleep-deprived. The law, dubbed Maggie’s Law in memory of Maggie McDonnell, who died 10 years ago when her car was struck by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel after having been awake for 30 hours straight, was spurred by McDonnell’s mother, who campaigned for the legislation to help prevent the kind of accident that took her daughter’s life. READ ARTICLE