August 2012
Section Bulletin Online Now
We have some great content to share in this edition, including a “Notes” column by Section Chair Mike Runge outlining the sleep offerings on tap at AARC Congress 2012, an article on an acronym you can use to help you remember all the sleep hygiene tips you’d like to share with your patients, and a story on a new treatment option for OSA that might work for your patients who have failed CPAP therapy. READ ISSUE
AARC Congress 2012 Program Posted
The AARC will head to New Orleans this Nov. 10–13 for AARC Congress 2012. Read through the offerings for our section and see all this year has to offer. You can peruse the program, plus make your hotel arrangements now. VISIT PROGRAM
Microsite Provides a Window on AARC Congress 2012 Venue
You can take a tour of the city right now through our new microsite, set up especially for the Association by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. VISIT SITE
CPAP Found Effective for Mild to Moderate OSA
The first placebo-controlled trial of CPAP use in patients with mild to moderate OSA and daytime sleepiness suggests the therapy is effective in this population too. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing randomized 239 newly diagnosed patients to eight weeks of active or sham CPAP. Patients in the sham arm were crossed over to the active treatment after the initial eight weeks. Following the first part of the study, the adjusted mean change in the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) total score was 0.89 for actively treated patients and -0.06 for sham-treated patients. Mean improvement in the FOSQ total score from the beginning to the end of the cross-over phase was 1.73 ± 2.50. Active treatment also led to significant improvements in Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, physical component scores on the Short-Form 36 health survey, and total mood disturbance scores on the Profile of Mood States scale. “Given the high prevalence of OSA, our study suggests that there is significant value in treating sleepy patients with mild to moderate disease,” study author Terri E. Weaver, PhD, RN, was quoted as saying. “CPAP therapy, the primary treatment for OSA, is highly effective and confers significant health benefits in these patients.” The study was published ahead of print by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on July 20. READ PRESS RELEASE
Stem Cells and OSA
Stem cells to treat OSA? According to Spanish researchers publishing ahead of print in Frontiers in Neurology on July 11, the answer may one day be yes. Noting that while mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have primarily been studied for their protective and reparative roles in the treatment of auto-immune and cardiovascular diseases, several characteristics of OSA may lend themselves to treatment with these stem cells as well. “Since inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction are key factors in the development of the morbid consequences of OSA, bone marrow-derived stem cells could be important modulators of the morbid phenotype by affording a protective role,” they write. They go on to review recent research on the use of MSCs, VSELs, and EPCs in animal models of OSA, as well as in patients with the condition. READ ABSTRACT
Variability in Snoring Sounds Predicts OSA
The sounds patients make while snoring could hold a clue to their risk for OSA, report Canadian researchers. They recorded the snoring sounds of 42 people with varying degrees of OSA and then compared them with sounds from 15 people who did not have the condition. Sounds were recorded during polysomnography by placing a microphone over the suprasternal notch of the trachea. While snoring sounds did not differ significantly over the course of the night in the people without OSA, they differed markedly in those with OSA, leading the researchers to develop a prediction model based on the total variation norm of each subject. The results were 92.9% sensitive, 100% specific, and 96.4% accurate in differentiating OSA and non-OSA subjects. The study was published ahead of print in Medical Engineering & Physics on July 21. READ ABSTRACT
CPAP Reduces Nasal Inflammation
A new study out of Italy finds regular treatment with CPAP can reduce nasal inflammation in patients with OSAS. The research involved 32 patients with OSAS and 13 controls, all of whom underwent nasal cytology to assess for inflammation, along with other clinical and laboratory tests and polysomnography. Nineteen of the OSAS patients were then treated with CPAP. A repeat nasal cytology was performed in all of the subjects eight weeks later. Some form of rhinopathy was noted in all of the OSAS patients at baseline, but regular treatment with CPAP induced a significant reduction. The authors conclude, “Nasal inflammation/infection is a very frequent finding in OSAS and can be reverted by the regular use of CPAP.” The study appears in this month’s Sleep Medicine. READ ABSTRACT
