March 2013
Specialty Practitioner of the Year: Nominations Being Accepted Now
We’ll be recognizing one of our own at AARC Congress 2013 in Anaheim,
and now is the time for nominations. So take a moment
to consider a section member for this important
award. Our online NOMINATION
FORM makes it easy.
Seals Spilt the Difference When it Comes to Sleep
We’ve all accused people in our lives of only being “half awake,” but new research out of UCLA and the University of Toronto suggests seals are able to pull this off for real. The investigators measured changes in different chemicals during sleep and wake states in the two sides of seal brains. Low levels of acetylcholine on the left side of the brain but not the right basically showed that the animals slept with the left sides of their brains while in water. However, when the animals were on land, acetylcholine levels were low on both sides. Interestingly, serotonin levels were equal on both sides of the brain during sleep and wake states, a finding that runs counter to the fact that serotonin in humans is associated with brain arousal. Noting that “about 40% of North Americans suffer from sleep problems and understanding which brain chemicals function to keep us awake or asleep is a major scientific advance,” study author Jerome Siegel, of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute, suggests these findings “could help solve the mystery of how and why we sleep.” The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience. READ PRESS RELEASE
CPAP, MAD Result in Different, but Similar Effectiveness
Australian researchers who compared outcomes after one month of optimal treatment with CPAP or mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy in patients with OSA find similar effectiveness for the two treatments. The study used a randomized, crossover design and was conducted among 126 patients with moderate-to-severe OSA, 108 of whom completed both arms of the trial. While CPAP was more effective in reducing AHI, compliance was higher with the MAD. Neither treatment improved blood pressure, and 24 hour mean arterial pressure was about the same as well, but both equally improved sleepiness and driving simulator performance. Disease-specific quality of life (QOL) also improved with both treatments, although MAD outperformed CPAP on four general QOL domains. The authors believe the greater efficacy of CPAP was likely offset by the better compliance with MAD, leading to similar overall effectiveness. The study was published ahead of print by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on Feb. 14. READ ABSTRACT
CPAP Improves Questionnaire Scores, but Doesn’t Get Patients Moving
CPAP significantly improved scores on all domains of the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire and the domains of physical health/level of independence and psychological health/spirituality on the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire in a new study conducted in Greece. But it didn’t have any effect on physical activity and energy expenditure. The research was conducted among 41 OSA patients who were evaluated via the questionnaires and also wore an accelerometer to measure physical activity and energy expenditure. Twenty-four patients who met compliance requirements were reassessed about six months later. The study was published ahead of print in Sleep & Breathing on Feb. 6. READ ABSTRACT
Eating Your Way to Better Sleep
Could a better night’s sleep be on the menu for some people? Maybe, report University of Pennsylvania researchers who analyzed data on length of sleep and dietary patterns from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. When compared with standard sleep (7-8 h per night), very short sleep (<5 h per night) was linked to less intake of tap water, lycopene, and total carbohydrates. Short sleep (5-6 h per night) was associated with less vitamin C, tap water, and selenium, and more lutein/zeaxanthin. Long sleep (9 h or more per night) was associated with less intake of theobromine, dodecanoic acid, choline, and total carbohydrates, and more alcohol. People in the standard sleep group also reported eating a wider variety of foods than those in the other groups. “If we can pinpoint the ideal mix of nutrients and calories to promote healthy sleep, the health care community has the potential to make a major dent in obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors,” study author Michael A. Grandner, PhD, was quoted as saying. The study appeared in a recent issue of the journal Appetite. READ PRESS RELEASE
