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Study Objectives: In patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is first-line therapy. Compliance to CPAP is sometimes a problem, and mandibular advancement device (MAD) is then an alternative. However, this alternative is often not effective. It was hypothesized that patients suffering from OSAS would have a freer airway, resulting in a decreased apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), through use of a cervical collar (CC) to extend the neck. To study the effect of this new therapy, a randomized crossover study was conducted to compare MAD monotherapy with CC/MAD combination therapy. Methods: Eight patients with severe OSAS (AHI>30) who had ceased to use CPAP were enrolled in the randomized crossover study. Four patients started with MAD and four with CC/MAD for one week followed by a wash-out period and then cross-over. Polygraphic sleep recordings were performed at baseline and after each therapy. Results: The baseline AHI was 51.5 ± 22.5. AHI was reduced to 30.4 ± 23.2 through MAD monotherapy, and to 14.9 ± 10.2 through CC/MAD combination therapy. The effect of the combination therapy was statistically significantly (p=0.018) better than that of the monotherapy. Four patients were achieved an AHI

Kjell Torén,1 Anna-Carin Olin,1 Anne Lindberg,2 Jenny Vikgren,3 Linus Schiöler,1 John Brandberg,3 Åse Johnsson,3 Gunnar Engström,4 H Lennart Persson,5 Magnus Sköld,6 Jan Hedner,7 Eva Lindberg,8 Andrei Malinovschi,8 Eeva Piitulainen,9 Per Wollmer,9 Annika Rosengren,10 Christer Janson,8 Anders Blomberg,2 Göran Bergström10 1Section of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 2Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Medicine/Respiratory Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, 3Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 4Department of Clinical Science, Malmö, Lund University, Lund, 5Department of Respiratory Medicine and Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, 6Respiratory Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 7Department of Internal Medicine/Lung Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 8Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Physiology and Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 9Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, 10Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Background: Spirometric diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based on the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/vital capacity (VC), either as a fixed value

Background: There is limited and conflicting evidence on the effect of menopause on asthma. Objectives: We sought to study whether the incidence of asthma and respiratory symptoms differ by menopausal status in a longitudinal population-based study with an average follow-up of 12 years. Methods: The Respiratory Health in Northern Europe study provided questionnaire data pertaining to respiratory and reproductive health at baseline (1999-2001) and follow-up (2010-2012). The study cohort included women aged 45 to 65 years at follow-up, without asthma at baseline, and not using exogenous hormones (n = 2322). Menopausal status was defined as nonmenopausal, transitional, early postmenopausal, and late postmenopausal. Associations with asthma (defined by the use of asthma medication, having asthma attacks, or both) and respiratory symptoms scores were analyzed by using logistic (asthma) and negative binomial (respiratory symptoms) regressions, adjusting for age, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, education, and study center. Results: The odds of new-onset asthma were increased in women who were transitional (odds ratio, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.09-5.30), early postmenopausal (odds ratio, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.06-4.20), and late postmenopausal (odds ratio, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.31-9.05) at follow-up compared with nonmenopausal women. The risk of respiratory symptoms increased in early postmenopausal (coefficient, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.06-0.75) and late postmenopausal (coefficient, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.15-1.23) women. These findings were consistent irrespective of smoking status and across study centers. Conclusions: New-onset asthma and respiratory symptoms increased in women becoming postmenopausal in a longitudinal population-based study. Clinicians should be aware that respiratory health might deteriorate in women during reproductive aging.

Aims Since 1956, more than 100,000 Swedish soldiers have served abroad on various international missions. The aim of this paper was to determine whether there was a connection between military service abroad and sleep disorders among Swedish soldiers. Methods The prevalence of sleep disturbances among 1,080 veterans from Kosovo and Afghanistan was compared with almost 27,000 Swedes from a general population sample, using propensity score matching and logistic regression. The sleep disturbances studied were habitual snoring, difficulty inducing sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), early morning awakenings (EMA), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Insomnia was defined as having at least one of DIS, DMS, or EMA. The covariates used in the matching and adjustments were age, gender, smoking habits, BMI, education, ever having had asthma, moist snuff, and exercise habits. Results The veterans had a significantly lower prevalence of insomnia (26.2% versus 30.4%) and EDS (22.7% versus 29.4%) compared with a matched group from the reference population, using propensity score matching. Analyses with logistic regression showed that belonging to the military population was related to a lower risk of having DMS (adjusted OR (95% CI) 0.77 (0.64–0.91)), insomnia (OR 0.82 (0.71–0.95)), and EDS (OR 0.74 (0.63–0.86)), whereas no significant difference was found for snoring, DIS, and EMA. Conclusion Swedish veterans have fewer problems with insomnia and daytime sleepiness than the general Swedish population. The explanation of our findings may be the selection processes involved in becoming a soldier and when sampling personnel for military assignments abroad.

Shift work has been proposed to promote cognitive disturbances in humans; however, conflicting evidence is also present. By using data from 7143 middle-aged and elderly humans (45–75 years) who participated in the Swedish EpiHealth cohort study, the present analysis sought to investigate whether self-reported shift work history would be associated with performance on the trail making test (TMT). The TMT has been proposed to be a useful neuropsychological tool to evaluate humans' executive cognitive function, which is known to decrease with age. After adjustment for potential confounders (e.g., age, education, and sleep duration), it was observed that current and recent former shift workers (worked shifts during the past 5 years) performed worse on the TMT than nonshift workers. In contrast, performance on the TMT did not differ between past shift workers (off from shift work for more than 5 years) and nonshift workers. Collectively, our results indicate that shift work history is linked to poorer performance on the TMT in a cohort of middle-aged and elderly humans.

Women complain more about sleep than men, but polysomnography (PSG) seems to suggest worse sleep in men. This raises the question of how women (or men) perceive objective (PSG) sleep. The present study sought to investigate the relation between morning subjective sleep quality and PSG variables in older and younger women. A representative sample of 251 women was analysed in age groups above and below 51.5 years (median). PSG was recorded at home during one night. Perceived poor sleep was related to short total sleep time (TST), long wake within total sleep time (WTSP), low sleep efficiency and a high number of awakenings. The older women showed lower TST and sleep efficiency and higher WTSP for a rating of good sleep than did the younger women. For these PSG variables the values for good sleep in the older group were similar to the values for poor sleep in the young group. It was concluded that women perceive different levels of sleep duration, sleep efficiency and wake after sleep onset relatively well, but that older women adjust their objective criteria for good sleep downwards. It was also concluded that age is an important factor in the relation between subjective and objective sleep.

Women are often underrepresented at sleep clinics evaluating sleep disordered breathing (SDB). It has been speculated whether this is due to a different symptom profile in women. The aim of the present cohort study was to analyze gender differences in diagnosis and treatment of SDB in men and women with similar symptoms of SDB. Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) provided questionnaire information about snoring, daytime sleepiness (EDS), BMI, somatic diseases at baseline (1999-2001) and follow-up (2010-2012) from 5,148 men and 6,113 women aged 30-55 years at baseline. At follow-up participants were furthermore directly asked whether they had the diagnosis of SDB and about treatment for SDB. Symptoms of SDB (= combination of snoring and EDS) was reported by 7.4% of the men and by 4.4% of the women at baseline. In both genders SDB symptoms increased the risk of developing hypertension (1.45, 95% CI 1.17-1.80) and diabetes (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.12-2.38) during the follow-up period after adjusting for age, BMI and weight gain. Among those with symptoms of SDB at baseline, more men than women had got the diagnosis of SDB (Men 25%, Women 14%, p Independent predictors of having treatment for SDB at follow-up were age, BMI, SDB symptoms at baseline and weight gain during the follow-up period while female gender was related to a lower chance of receiving any treatment (adj OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.3-0.5). Conclusion: Despite similar symptoms with similar negative impact on hypertension and diabetes risk, women are less often diagnosed or treated for SDB.

Aims: There is increasing evidence for a hormonal component in airways disease. Endometriosis is a prevalent estrogen-dependent condition with genetic and immunological traits. Its association with asthma, hayfever and self-repported COPD is scarcely studied. We investigated the association of endometriosis with chronic obstructive diseases, and the role of familial and reproductive factors in this association Methods: 4791 women aged 38-66 years from 7 centers in 5 countries participating in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) between 2011 and 2013 responded to questionnaires on respiratory health and on women´s health; 201 women reported endometriosis. Logistic regressions were performed with adjustment for smoking, bmi and center Results: Endometriosis was related to significantly increased risk of current asthma (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.23-2.78), wheeze (1.92, 1.37-2.70), ≥3 respiratory symptoms (1.96, 1.36-2.82), hay fever ever (1.73, 1.28-2.34), chronic symptoms of sinusitis (2.51, 1.64-3.83) and self-reported COPD (1.91, 0.95-3.84). Use of exogeneous hormones or menopausal status did not explain the associations. Maternal COPD (p=0.005), paternal COPD (p=0.005) and paternal cardiometabolic disease (0.002) were significant predictors of endometriosis, but did not explain the associations Conclusions: Endometriosis was related to higher risk of current asthma, hayfever, sinusitis and self-reported COPD.

International audience; In this study, eight airborne laser scanning (ALS)-based single tree detection methods are benchmarked and investigated. The methods were applied to a unique dataset originating from different regions of the Alpine Space covering different study areas, forest types, and structures. This is the first benchmark ever performed for different forests within the Alps. The evaluation of the detection results was carried out in a reproducible way by automatically matching them to precise in situ forest inventory data using a restricted nearest neighbor detection approach. Quantitative statistical parameters such as percentages of correctly matched trees and omission and commission errors are presented. The proposed automated matching procedure presented herein shows an overall accuracy of 97%. Method based analysis, investigations per forest type, and an overall benchmark performance are presented. The best matching rate was obtained for single-layered coniferous forests. Dominated trees were challenging for all methods. The overall performance shows a matching rate of 47%, which is comparable to results of other benchmarks performed in the past. The study provides new insight regarding the potential and limits of tree detection with ALS and underlines some key aspects regarding the choice of method when performing single tree detection for the various forest types encountered in alpine regions.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by snoring, apneas and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Although commonly present in OSA, factors relating to daytime sleepiness are not fully elucidated. OSA is associated with obesity and with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome. In this population-based study 7,051 women answered a questionnaire on sleep and health. Psychological distress, insomnia and somatic disease were the factors most strongly related to both EDS and fatigue independent of other factors. Snoring was independently associated with both EDS and fatigue, but the associations were relatively weak. In addition, 400 of the women underwent polysomnography and an oral glucose tolerance test. OSA was associated with changes in glucose metabolism independently of confounders such as central obesity. Moreover, low minimal saturation was independently associated with reduced insulin sensitivity. In women sleeping

Study objectives Habitual snoring may be regarded as an indicator of sleep-disordered breathing, and the health consequences of sleep-disordered breathing are well-known. The aim of this study was to analyze the risk factors associated with habitual snoring in a large sample of women, with special emphasis on the determinants of snoring in women with different body mass index (BMI) levels. Design and setting A cross-sectional, epidemiologic, population-based study was performed by using a postal questionnaire that was sent to a randomly selected sample of 6,817 women ≥ 20 years of age in Uppsala, Sweden. Results The total prevalence of self-reported habitual snoring was 7.6%. There was a clear age dependence, with the highest prevalence of habitual snoring (14%) occurring between the ages of 50 and 59 years. Self-reported habitual snoring was related to BMI, neck circumference, and smoking ≥ 10 cigarettes a day, after adjusting for possible confounders. When analyzing the influence of different risk factors in separate BMI groups, the results varied among the groups. The influence of alcohol dependence on snoring frequency was only significant in women with a BMI of 2 , while physical inactivity was only associated with habitual snoring in women with a BMI of ≥ 30 kg/m 2 . Conclusions The prevalence of self-reported habitual snoring in women was strongly dependent on age and BMI. The importance of other risk factors differed depending on BMI, with alcohol dependence being associated with self-reported snoring in lean women, whereas physical inactivity was a risk factor for self-reported snoring in women with a high BMI.

An association between indoor dampness and respiratory symptoms has been reported, but dampness as a risk factor for the onset or remission of respiratory symptoms and asthma is not well documented.This follow up study included 16 190 subjects from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia who had participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS I). Eight years later the same subjects answered a postal questionnaire that included questions on respiratory symptoms and indicators of indoor dampness.Subjects living in damp housing (18%) had a significantly (p0.001) higher prevalence of wheeze (19.1% v 26.0%), nocturnal breathlessness (4.4% v 8.4%), nocturnal cough (27.2% v 36.5%), productive cough (16.6% v 22.3%) and asthma (6.0% v 7.7%). These associations remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders. Indoor dampness was a risk factor for onset of respiratory symptoms but not for asthma onset in the longitudinal analysis (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.40). Remission of nocturnal symptoms was less common in damp homes (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.97).Subjects living in damp housing had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma. Onset of respiratory symptoms was more common and remission of nocturnal respiratory symptoms was less common in subjects living in damp housing.

Previous chromatographic analysis of colonic mucins from monozygotic twins with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suggested a genetic mucin alteration in ulcerative colitis (UC). This study explores this further by assessing mucosal expression of the oncofetal carbohydrate antigen TF (galactose beta1, 3 N-acetylgalactosamine alpha-), among the same IBD twins.Formalin fixed paraffin embedded rectal biopsies were studied from 22 monozygotic twin pairs with IBD. These included eight UC twin pairs and 14 Crohn's disease (CD) twin pairs, with six pairs concordant for disease and 16 unaffected twin siblings. Closely adjacent sections were assessed by peanut lectin histochemistry for TF expression and immunohistochemically for nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) activation with investigators blinded to the diagnosis.Unaffected twins were almost all TF positive (15/16) compared with 5/29 histologically normal controls (p0.0001). Unaffected UC (7/8) and CD twins (8/8) were similarly TF positive. TF positivity was confined mainly to the superficial epithelium and absent from the stem cell compartment of the lower crypts, suggesting that glycosylation changes are acquired rather than genetically determined. Activated NFkappaB was present in the surface epithelium of mucosal biopsies from 13/14 unaffected IBD twins but in only 6/22 histologically normal controls (p=0.0004). All 22 affected IBD twins were TF positive and 18 were positive for activated NFkappaB.Altered mucosal glycosylation in unaffected identical twins of IBD patients was confirmed in this study. This occurred in both UC and CD twins. The changes are probably acquired rather than congenital and may reflect "preinflammatory" NFkappaB activation.

The importance of clinical findings in the nose and throat, including fiberoptic endoscopy during the Muller maneuver, in predicting sleep apnea is greater in normal-weight than in overweight women.The aim of this study was to identify clinical features that could predict sleep apnea in women.From 6817 women who previously answered a questionnaire concerning snoring habits, 230 women who reported habitual snoring and 170 women from the whole cohort went through a full-night polysomnography. A nose and throat examination including fiber endoscopic evaluation of the upper airways during the Muller maneuver was performed in a random selection of 132 women aged 20-70 years.Sleep apnea was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index ofor = 10. The influence of clinical features on the prevalence of sleep apnea varied between normal-weight and overweight women. A low soft palate, retrognathia, the uvula touching the posterior pharyngeal wall in the supine position, and a 75% or more collapse at the soft palate during the Muller maneuver were all significant predictors of sleep apnea in women with a body mass index (BMI)25 kg/m2 but not in overweight women.

SummaryPatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often report anxiety, depression and poor health status, not least if they experience repeated hospitalisations due to acute exacerbations. The aim of this study was to analyse the interrelationships between health status, anxiety, depression and physical status in COPD patients being discharged after hospitalisation. This was a prospective study of 416 patients in five university hospitals in each of the Nordic countries. Data included demographic information, lung function and co-morbidity. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were applied to all patients. Both anxiety and depression were common among these patients. Anxiety was more common in women than in men (47% vs. 34%, P=0.009) and current smokers had a higher prevalence of both anxiety (54% vs. 37%) and depression (43% vs. 23%) than non-smokers (P

The aim of the present study was to analyse the risk of rehospitalisation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated risk factors. This prospective study included 416 patients from a university hospital in each of the five Nordic countries. Data included demographic information, spirometry, comorbidity and 12 month follow-up for 406 patients. The hospital anxiety and depression scale and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were applied to all patients. The number of patients that had a re-admission within 12 months was 246 (60.6%). Patients that had a re-admission had lower lung function and health status. A low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and health status were independent predictors for re-admission. Hazard ratio (HR; 95% CI) was 0.82 (0.74-0.90) per 10% increase of the predicted FEV1 and 1.06 (1.02-1.10) per 4 units increase in total SGRQ score. The risk of rehospitalisation was also increased in subjects with anxiety (HR 1.76 (1.16-2.68)) and in subjects with low health status (total SGRQ score >60 units). When comparing the different subscales in the SGRQ, the closest relation between the risk of rehospitalisation was seen with the activity scale (HR 1.07 (1.03-1.11) per 4 unit increase). In patients with low health status, anxiety is an important risk factor for rehospitalisation. This may be important for patient treatment and warrants further studies.

PurposeThe present study seeks to present a case study over four years following an implementation process of total quality management (TQM) on an ICU (intensive care unit).Design/methodology/approachThe aim was to describe consequences shown in the organisational climate, workload and staff wellbeing. A case study design was employed using a longitudinal method of data collection.FindingsDownsizing due to diminishing resources was a parallel process probably disturbing the TQM implementation. The workload increased by 20 per cent, whereas organisational and individual variables remained stable over time. However, sick leave increased dramatically and was higher than the general level within the Swedish population. The ICU had the capacity to adapt successfully by regulating working hours to workload. It is speculated that another cause behind sickness absence exists other than the general opinion. The literature used for the discussion departs from the relation between people's understanding and acting, sensemaking, and organisational theories describing complex adaptive systems emphasizing attraction patterns. Organisational ambiguity was a main finding in an earlier study that was used for interpretation of the result in the present study. As ambiguity seems to be a major and increasing problem, it has consequences for management as well as for continuous quality development.Originality/valueThe implication of the study is the need to be able to successfully work in an ambiguous situation and use the quality system as a device in day‐to‐day work.

Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Extremely Preterm Infants at 2.5 Years After Active Perinatal Care in Sweden EDITORIAL COMMENT

The impact of active smoking, passive smoking, and obesity on habitual snoring in the population is mainly unknown. We aimed to study the relationship of habitual snoring with active and passive tobacco smoking in a population-based sample. A total of 15,555 of 21,802 (71%) randomly selected men and women aged 25-54 years from Iceland, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden answered a postal questionnaire. Habitual snoring, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least 3 nights a week, was more prevalent among current smokers (24.0%, p0.0001) and ex-smokers (20.3%, p0.0001) than in never-smokers (13.7%). Snoring was also more prevalent in never-smokers exposed to passive smoking at home on a daily basis than in never-smokers without this exposure (19.8% vs. 13.3%, p0.0001). The frequency of habitual snoring increased with the amount of tobacco smoked. Active smoking and passive smoking were related to snoring, independent of obesity, sex, center, and age. Ever smoking accounted for 17.1% of the attributable risk of habitual snoring, obesity (body mass indexor = 30 kg/m(2)) for 4.3%, and passive smoking for 2.2%. Smoking, both current and ex-smoking, is a major contributor to habitual snoring in the general population. Passive smoking is a previously unrecognized risk factor for snoring among adults.

The objective was to elucidate hospital leaders’ understanding of the organisational structures and processes and their understanding of their leading role during an intensive period of reorganisation. From a qualitative exploratory study using semi‐structured interviews and thematic analysis four themes were identified: understanding the function of leadership and management, understanding organisational structures and processes, their own role as leader, and the outside world. The results indicate that the organisation is characterised by disintegration and erratic structures. The leaders perceive that they lead a learning organisation but in practical care work the organisation functions more like an organisation streamlined for mass production. This discrepancy between their understanding and practical daily care work led to dissatisfaction and existential chaos among the leaders. Our findings show an example of “clashes with the individual attractor pattern”, an urgent, but not yet very clear problem in health‐care organisations of today.

In order to achieve high efficiency in a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generator, it is important that a high fraction of emitted photons with energies below the TPV cell bandgap are reflected back to t ...

In order to achieve high efficiency in a TPV generator, it is important that a high fraction of emitted photons with energies below the TPV cell bandgap are reflected back to the emitter. This can be accomplished in several ways. We present the idea of an internally reflecting egg-shaped double cone with the emitter at one end, an edge filter at the wide center, and the TPV array at the other end. This geometry has so far been studied by means of both ray tracing analysis and by means of measurements with a simulated emitter. A sharp switchover from transmission to reflection in a multiple layer dielectric filter can be achieved only if the angles of incident rays are confined to a fairly narrow angular interval. The two methods both show that the studied optics can lower the angular spread of rays incident onto the filter and that some 96% of the emitted rays (in the ideal case) reach their goal without passing the filter or being reflected by the filter more than once. The concept of the whole of the wood powder fuelled TPV system is also given.

Describes 12 members of staff’s views of their job and tasks in an intensive care unit of a middle‐sized Swedish hospital. Open‐ended questions were asked and the interviews were analysed using thematic technique. The character of the work and the work tasks was the key variable in the analysis. The participants thought of intensive care as turbulent and ambiguous, powerful but also menacing and a concept comprised of a dichotomy of fundamental values. The work task of the participants was conceptualised in terms of managing the health status of the patient, seeking to appreciate the patient’s needs and ensuring that the staff worked harmoniously and effectively as a team. Speculates that the existence of a real dichotomy in fundamental values might be caused by the difficult medical reality on the ward. The study confirms a necessity for a two‐dimensional quality system where the deeper dimension deals with the disparate set of meaning status in the future perspective.

Development of novel disease-modifying treatment strategies for neurological disorders, which at present have no cure, represents a major challenge for today's neurology. Translation of findings from animal models to humans represents an unresolved gap in most of the preclinical studies. Gene therapy is an evolving innovative approach that may prove useful for clinical applications. In animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), gene therapy treatments based on viral vectors encoding NPY or galanin have been shown to effectively suppress seizures. However, how this translates to human TLE remains unknown. A unique possibility to validate these animal studies is provided by a surgical therapeutic approach, whereby resected epileptic tissue from temporal lobes of pharmacoresistant patients are available for neurophysiological studies in vitro. To test whether NPY and galanin have antiepileptic actions in human epileptic tissue as well, we applied these neuropeptides directly to human hippocampal slices in vitro. NPY strongly decreased stimulation-induced EPSPs in dentate gyrus and CA1 (up to 30 and 55%, respectively) via Y2 receptors, while galanin had no significant effect. Receptor autoradiographic binding revealed the presence of both NPY and galanin receptors, while functional receptor binding was only detected for NPY, suggesting that galanin receptor signaling may be impaired. These results underline the importance of validating findings from animal studies in human brain tissue, and advocate for NPY as a more appropriate candidate than galanin for future gene therapy trials in pharmacoresistant TLE patients.

This paper is of a theoretical type ending with a model describing the frame and function of a quality system. Quality in health care is largely dependent on the behaviour and action of the health care staff. Furthermore behaviour and action emanate from the individual and group sensemaking. When viewing the organisation as a complex adaptive system, the necessity of becoming aware of, and co‐evolving with the process of sensemaking becomes very clear. It has potential to view the individual’s attraction patterns as the channel for creativity. The quality system can serve as the framework on which to enlighten this vital dimension. The concept of meaning status in the group is useful when it comes to managing a complex system through a quality system. When so, the core objective of the quality system is to support and enhance the awareness of all the disparate meanings (future‐perspective), stimulate reflection upon them and transform them into a collective meaning status (presence) in order to make effective decisions and a successful adaptation to change.

Intestinal spirochetes in humans have been recognized for more than a century, but it is still a matter of debate whether they are just commensal organisms or whether they cause colorectal disease. Most descriptions to date are of adult patients, while reports in the pediatric literature have been scarce. In a retrospective study we found eight children with intestinal spirochetosis. The findings, clinical as well as pathological, with light- and electron microscopy, are presented. In all patients, a 3 microm-thick layer of spirochetes was visualised on the luminal aspect of the epithelial cells covering the enterocytes and part of the gland openings. In five of the eight cases an inflammatory cell reaction was seen by light microscopy and in one patient a picture suggesting intracytoplasmatically located spirochetes was seen by electron microscopy. Despite partial or complete destruction of microvilli, spirochetes were still able to adhere to the enterocyte membranes. In three children there was a clear correlation between treatment and relief of symptoms. In four there was partial improvement and in one child no change in bowel-related symptoms. We believe that intestinal spirochetes may cause colorectal disease in children. Possible pathogenic mechanisms are discussed.

Background: Several studies have reported an association between sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and hypertension (HT) but there is still a debate as to whether this is an effect of confounders. Some researchers have found an age dependent relationship between SDB and HT with higher risk at lower ages. A case-control study was performed in hypertensive men and non-hypertensive male controls matched for age and body mass index to assess whether there is an independent association between SDB and HT. If so, we further wanted to investigate whether this effect is age dependent. Methods: An overnight sleep study was performed in a population based, age stratified sample of 102 hypertensive men aged 43–82 years and 102 non-hypertensive controls. Results: Hypertensive subjects had a significantly higher prevalence of SDB than non-hypertensive subjects (apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI): 10.8 v 7.3; desaturation index (DI): 8.5 v 5.2; AHI ≥10: 37% v 24%, p

Studies addressing the relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and sympathoadrenal activity have been criticized for poor control of factors known to confound sympathetic function, including hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between OSA and urinary catecholamines in a population-based sample of hypertensive males. In 1994, 2,668 males aged 40-79 yrs answered a questionnaire regarding sleep disorders and somatic diseases. Of those who reported hypertension, an age-stratified sample of 116 was selected for monitoring of breathing during sleep and overnight urine analysis. Subjects with OSA, defined as apnoea-hypopnoea index > or = 10 x h(-1), had higher concentrations of urinary normetanephrine (182+/-57 versus 141+/-45 micromol x mol(-1) creatinine, p

Study Objectives: Obesity is often associated with impaired sleep, whereas the impact of body mass index (BMI) at younger age and previous weight gain on sleep problems remains unknown. Methods: The present study utilized data from the Swedish EpiHealth cohort study. A total of 15845 participants (45–75 years) filled out an internet-based questionnaire. BMI was calculated from both measured data at study time and self-reported data at age 20 from the questionnaire. Results: Sleep-related symptoms were most common among obese individuals (BMI > 30 kg/m2). An association between weight gain and sleep problems was found and those with a low BMI at age 20 were most vulnerable to weight gain when it came to risk of sleep problems. Among those who were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) at age 20, weight gain (kg/year) was associated with difficulties initiating sleep with an adjusted OR of 2.64 (95% CI: 1.51–4.62) after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, education, and civil status. The corresponding adjusted OR’s among those who had been normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.99) and overweight (BMI 25–29.99 kg/m2) at age 20 were 1.89 (1.47–2.45) and 1.02 (0.48–2.13), respectively. Also difficulties maintaining sleep and snoring were most strongly related to weight gain among those who were underweight at age 20 with decreasing odds with increasing BMI at that age. Conclusions: Sleep problems are related to weight gain and obesity. The impact of weight is most pronounced among those who had a low BMI when young. (Less)

Factors influencing compliance to continuous positive airway pressure treatment in obstructive sleep apnea and mortality associated with treatment failure

Chronic rhinosinusitis is an independent risk factor for sleeping problems – a 10-year-follow-up study

The change in sleepiness across 10 years of aging and its relation to changes in polysomnographic variables

What Characterizes the Combination of Seeking Medical Help for Insomnia and Snoring in Terms of PSG and Metabolic Parameters?

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) defined at an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5 was a mean of 22% (range, 9-37%) in men and 17% (range, 4-50%) in women in eleven published epidemiological studies published between 1993 and 2013. OSA with excessive daytime sleepiness occurred in 6% (range, 3-18%) of men and in 4% (range, 1-17%) of women. The prevalence increased with time and OSA was reported in 37% of men and in 50% of women in studies from 2008 and 2013 respectively. OSA is more prevalent in men than in women and increases with age and obesity. Smoking and alcohol consumption are also suggested as risk factors, but the results are conflicting. Excessive daytime sleepiness is suggested as the most important symptom of OSA, but only a fraction of subjects with AHI >5 report daytime sleepiness and one study did not find any relationship between daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea in women. Stroke and hypertension and coronary artery disease are associated with sleep apnea. Cross-sectional studies indicate an association between OSA and diabetes mellitus. Patients younger than 70 years run an increased risk of early death if they suffer from OSA. It is concluded that OSA is highly prevalent in the population. It is related to age and obesity. Only a part of subjects with OSA in the population have symptoms of daytime sleepiness. The prevalence of OSA has increased in epidemiological studies over time. Differences and the increase in prevalence of sleep apnea are probably due to different diagnostic equipment, definitions, study design and characteristics of included subjects including effects of the obesity epidemic. Cardiovascular disease, especially stroke is related to OSA, and subjects under the age of 70 run an increased risk of early death if they suffer from OSA.

Sleep complaints are common in today’s society, with 20–30 % of the population experiencing sleep problems on several nights a week. Women are about 1.5 times more likely than men to report insomnia-related sleep problems, although this gender disparity is not reflected in studies using objective sleep parameters. Psychosocial stressors such as work conditions and work-family conflicts, which may have different relevance for men and women, contribute together with other factors to the occurrence of sleeping difficulties. Importantly, sleep problems are not only a cause of personal suffering per se, but are also closely linked to ill health. Insomnia-like sleep complaints, very short ( 8–9 h), as well as sleep disorders, in particular sleep apnea (which is albeit a male predominance also a serious health problem in women), have been associated to e.g., hypertension and coronary heart events, and ultimately mortality. Apart from the direct link between sleep and health, sleep may also play a role in mediating the effect of stress on health. Given the high prevalence of sleep problems, and the adverse effects of inadequate sleep on health, the diagnosis and effective treatment of sleep problems and disorders should be a key component in health prevention. This may also include targeting preceding and co-occurring psychosocial stressors.

Study objectives to prospectively analyze changes in the prevalence of insomnia and the relationship between insomnia, aging, lifestyle, and medical disorders Design a longitudinal population survey. Participants a randomly selected population sample of 2,602 men (age 30-69 years) from Uppsala in Sweden. Intervention all participants answered a questionnaire on sleep disturbances, lifestyle factors, and medical disorders in 1984 and again in 1994. Measurements and results The prevalence of INSOMNIA was 10.3% in 1984 and 12.8% in 1994. No significant correlation was found between age and insomnia in any of the two time periods. Insomnia in 1994 was independently related to having insomnia in 1984 (OR=6.45), being over-weight (BMI> 27 kg/m2) (OR=1.35), physical inactivity (OR=1.42), alcohol dependence (OR=1.75), psychiatric disorders (OR=8.27) and joint/low back disorders (OR=2.95). The number of subject with reported insomnia in 1984 but not 1994 was 149. Subjects that quit smoking during the time period had an increased likeliness of remission (OR=2.70) while men who were overweight were less likely to remit (OR=0.43). Conclusions We conclude that in men insomnia is related to lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity and alcohol dependency but not to aging. Medical disorders such as joint and low back disorders and psychiatric illnesses also increase the risk of reporting insomnia. This study demonstrates the close relationship between quality of sleep and overall health status.

We present results of Monte Carlo simulations of polymer brushes attached to a spherical surface. We have varied the chain length, surface radius, and the grafting density, and the analysis has included the size, shape, and orientation as well as segment density profiles. We also compared different methods of generating the starting configurations to establish the results being independent of the initial structure. For flexible molecules, the segment density profiles agree with earlier results from self-consistent field calculations, and there is no depletion zone for the chain ends close to the surface, except for the largest molecules. Increasing the persistence length, the orientation of the molecules increases and the chain density close to the surface decreases, but there is still a finite probability of finding a chain end close to the particle surface. We have also looked at the effect of restricting the available space for the chains by an outer bounding surface and the change in molecular shape and size is then seen much earlier compared to the effect on the subunit density profiles.

Diabetes mellitus and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are two prevalent medical problems. Both are strongly associated with obesity and hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the association between OSA and diabetes is entirely dependent on obesity in hypertensive men.A population-based study.The municipality of Uppsala, Sweden. Subjects and methods. In 1994, 2668 men aged 40-79 years answered a questionnaire regarding snoring, sleep disturbances and somatic diseases. An age-stratified sample of 116 hypertensive men was selected for a whole-night sleep study. Twenty-five of them had diabetes, defined as reporting regular medical controls for diabetes or having a fasting blood glucoseor =6.1 mmol L(-1).The prevalence of severe OSA, defined as apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI)or =20 h(-1) was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in normoglycaemic subjects (36 vs. 14.5%, P0.05). The sample was divided into four groups based on the presence or absence of severe OSA and the presence or absence of central obesity, defined as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)or =1.0. In a logistic regression model with the non-OSA, WHR1.0 as the reference group, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for diabetes was 11.8 (2.0-69.8) in the OSA, WHRor =1.0 group, whilst it was 3.6 (0.9-14.8) in the non-OSA, WHRor =1.0 group and 5.7 (0.3-112) in the OSA, WHR1.0 group. In a linear regression model, after adjustment for WHR, there was a significant relationship between variables of sleep-disordered breathing and fasting insulin, glucose and haemoglobin A1c.We conclude that, in hypertensive men, although obesity is the main risk factor for diabetes, coexistent severe OSA may add to this risk. Sleep breathing disorders, independent of central obesity, may influence plasma insulin and glycaemia.

The diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is based both on a combination of laboratory findings from whole-night sleep recordings and daytime symptoms. Due to the recent interest in breathing disturbances during sleep many prevalence studies have been performed within this field. There are, however, methodological difficulties in characterizing these syndromes in large populations; many of the studies have therefore been unable to present an overview of the complete syndromes but rather have focused on specific characteristics. In epidemiological research snoring and/or daytime sleepiness have often been used as markers of OSAS, while other studies have looked only on the respiratory disturbances or oxygen desaturation. Studies on the prevalence of OSAS based on polysomnography are reviewed here, as well as investigations where associated factors such as cardiovascular diseases and mortality were analysed. The interrelationships between snoring, daytime symptoms and laboratory findings are discussed. Gender, age, obesity, smoking, alcohol and ethnicity are all factors that influence the prevalence of OSAS. The data on associations between OSAS and cardiovascular disease or mortality are sometimes unrelated. Much of the discrepancy between different studies can be explained by the methodological difficulties connected with the definition of OSAS and also by the fact that the association between sleep-disordered breathing and cardiovascular outcome seems to be age-dependent.

There are many similarities between diabetes (mainly type 2) and sleep breathing disturbances regarding risk factors, anthropometric criteria and consequences of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the association between habitual snoring and diabetes is entirely dependent on obesity.A population-based prospective study.The municipality of Uppsala, Sweden.In 1984 and in 1994, 2668 men aged 30-69 years at baseline answered questionnaires concerning sleep breathing disturbances and somatic diseases.Of those with habitual snoring in 1984, 5.4% reported that they had developed diabetes during the 10-year period compared with 2.4% of those without habitual snoring (P0.001). Amongst obese snorers, 13.5% developed diabetes compared with 8.6% of obese non-snorers (P = 0.17). In a multiple logistic regression model, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for development of diabetes was higher in obese snorers [7.0 (2.9-16.9)] than in obese non-snorers [5.1 (2.7-9.5)] after adjustment for age, weight gain, smoking, alcohol dependence and physical inactivity.We conclude that, in males aged 30-69 years, habitual snoring is associated with an increased incidence of diabetes within 10 years. Although obesity is the main risk factor for developing diabetes, coexistent habitual snoring may add to this hazard.

Background: A prospective study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Sweden was performed to investigate whether the incidence and morbidity have changed from 1984 through 1995. Methods: Children 15 years of age or less with IBD were included-i.e., those with a definite diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and those classified as having indeterminate colitis (IC) and probable Crohn's disease (PCD). The study covered 56.5% of the pediatric population of Sweden. Results: The diagnosis of IBD was made in 639 children, which corresponds to a mean annual incidence of 5.8 per 100,000. The incidence increased from 4.6 per 100,000 per year from 1984 through 1986 to 7.0 from 1993 through 1995. It reflected an increase in UC from 1.4 to 3.2 per 100,000 per year, which is a significant yearly percentage of increase (8%; confidence interval, 2-14%; P < 0.05). In contrast, no change occurred in the incidence of CD (1.2-1.3 per 100,000). The incidence of IC and PCD also remained fairly stable. The percentages of children who underwent surgery decreased from 17.3% in the first 6 years to 4.6% in the last 6 years (P< 0.001). Surgery was performed in 27.7% of CD and 5.3% of UC cases. The median age at diagnosis was 12.2 years for UC, 13.0 years for CD, 11.2 for IC, and 11.2 for PCD. At diagnosis, 48 children (7.5%) were 5 years of age or less, whereas most of the patients were 11 years of age or more (398 children, 62.3%). Conclusions: In Sweden, the incidence of UC has increased, whereas that of CD remains the same. A significant number of children were classified with IC and PCD. In most children, IBD was diagnosed when they were 11 years old or more, but some cases were detected even in those below 6 years of age. A decrease in the frequency of surgery occurred during the study.

Background: Malnutrition, a common feature among patients with COPD, has adverse effects on the immune system. Delayed type of hypersensitivity (DTH) tests have been used to evaluate the nutritional and immune status of patients and to predict outcome in various conditions. DTH is known to be and late allergic reaction (LAR) has been suggested to be dependent on Tlymphocyte function. Study objectives: To compare DTH and LAR tests in COPD patients and healthy controls, to investigate whether skin tests have any value in estimating nutritional status and outcome in COPD patients, and to see whether there is any relationship between DTH and LAR. Methods: Twenty-five patients with stable COPD and 20 healthy controls were tested for DTH and LAR. The patients were investigated with spirometry and anthropometric measurements and were followed for 1 year. Results: Both the LAR and DTH reactions were diminished in the patient group (p < 0.001) compared with controls. The skin tests did not correlate with anthropometric parameters. DTH correlated to lung function, which was expressed as FEV1 (percent predicted) (r 5 0.56; p < 0.01), and LAR correlated to the number of exacerbations (at 3 months, r 52 0.61; p < 0.01). No correlation was found between LAR and DTH reactions. Conclusions: We conclude that patients with COPD in stable condition have diminished DTHs and LARs. Our results indicate that the magnitude of the LAR may be a prognostic marker in patients with COPD. (CHEST 1999; 116:1625‐1631)

BackgroundA familial defect in intestinal barrier function has been found in Crohn’s disease.AimTo investigate possible genetic and environmental influences on this barrier defect by studying intestinal permeability in both relatives and spouses of patients with Crohn’s disease.SubjectsThe study included 39 patients with Crohn’s disease, 34 healthy first degree relatives, and 22 spouses. Twenty nine healthy volunteers served as controls.MethodsIntestinal permeability was assessed as the lactulose:mannitol ratio in five hour urinary excretion after oral load, both before (baseline) and after ingestion of acetylsalicylic acid. The permeability response represents the difference between the two tests. A ratio above the 95th percentile for controls was classified as abnormal.ResultsBaseline permeability was higher in patients and spouses than in controls. An abnormal baseline permeability was seen in 36% of the patients, 23% of the spouses, 18% of the relatives, and 3% of the controls. After ingestion of acetylsalicylic acid, permeability increased significantly in all groups. Relatives were similar to patients with regard to permeability after exposure to acetylsalicylic acid, whereas spouses were similar to controls. The proportions with an abnormal permeability response to acetylsalicylic acid were 32% in patients, 14% in spouses, 41% in relatives, and 3% in controls.ConclusionThe findings suggest that baseline permeability is determined by environmental factors, whereas permeability provoked by acetylsalicylic acid is a function of the genetically determined state of the mucosal barrier, and support the notion that environmental and hereditary factors interact in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease.

Background and aim: Diagnosis of coeliac disease is based on the demonstration of enteropathy in a small bowel biopsy. Correct diagnosis is of utmost importance, since the need for dietary management is life long, and inadequate treatment may lead to potentially serious complications. The Swedish Working Group for Paediatric Coeliac Disease has published guidelines for the diagnosis of childhood coeliac disease. The present questionnaire was designed in order to create the basis for revision of those guidelines. Methods: In 2004, a nationwide questionnaire concerning current diagnostic routines was sent to all 45 paediatric clinics performing small bowel biopsy. All clinics responded. Results: All clinics base their diagnosis on small bowel biopsy findings at presentation. Furthermore, in 24 (53%) of the clinics, children with suspected coeliac disease are investigated by small bowel biopsy both at presentation and follow-up while on a gluten-free diet. Eighteen (40%) of the clinics employ a different diagnostic routine for children under 2 y of age than for those older than 2 y. All clinics use coeliac serological testing at various stages of the diagnostic procedure. Conclusion: All Swedish paediatric clinics perform a small bowel biopsy at presentation in children with suspected coeliac disease, and the majority of clinics perform a second biopsy when the child is on a gluten-free diet. Serological testing is frequently used as a diagnostic aid and in the monitoring of the disease while on a gluten-free diet.

To study the prevalence of reported sleep disturbances and the association between these complaints and psychological status, 529 randomly selected subjects aged 20-45 years were questioned about their sleep symptoms and psychological status by means of questionnaires. In this young population, feeling refreshed in the morning almost every day was reported by only 15.3%. Females reported a significantly longer mean total sleep time (TST) than males (F: 425 +/- 58 minutes, M: 403 +/- 50 minutes; p0.01). Despite this, the difference compared with the reported need of sleep was greater in females (56 +/- 62 minutes) than in males (40 +/- 51 minutes) (p0.05). Difficulties maintaining sleep (DMS,or = 3/week) (F: 20.1%, M: 10.4%; p0.01), the absence of feeling refreshed in the morning (F: 36.2%, M: 26.8%; p0.05), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) (F: 23.3%, M: 15.9%; p0.05) were significantly more common among females. According to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, females suffered from anxiety more frequently than males (F: 32.8%, M: 18.9%; p0.001). An association was found between anxiety and many sleep disturbances. After making adjustments for age, smoking, snoring, gender and psychological status by means of multiple regression, the gender differences mentioned above remained significant. We conclude that despite a longer TST, females report insufficient sleep, EDS, DMS, and the absence of feeling refreshed in the morning more frequently than males. The higher prevalence of anxiety among females alone cannot explain the gender differences in sleep disturbances seen in this population.

This study aims to evaluate the effects on physical activity (PA) and eating behavior (EB) of a tailored behavioral medicine intervention and first-time continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment compared with first-time CPAP treatment and advice in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and overweight.Seventy-three patients (mean ± SD, 55 ± 12 years) with overweight (body mass index (BMI), 34.5 ± 4.8) and moderate or severe OSAS (Apnea-Hypopnea Index, 41.7 ± 20.9) scheduled for CPAP prescription were randomized to a control group (CPAP and advice on the association between weight and OSAS) or an experimental group (CPAP and a 6-month behavioral medicine intervention targeting PA and EB). At baseline and after 6 months, eating behavior (food frequency screening and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), weight, BMI, and waist circumference were assessed at one point, while PA and sedentary time were measured with accelerometry during 4 days.The experimental group reduced 2.1 kg (±4.6) in weight and 3 cm (±4.9) in waist circumference, significantly more than the control group. At 6 months, the experimental group ate more fruit and fish/shellfish than the control group. Low and moderate to vigorous PA did not change over time either within or between groups. Regarding BMI, steps, and sedentary time, there were within-group differences but no differences between groups.The behavioral medicine intervention did not change physical activity but facilitated changes in EB in patients with OSAS and overweight. The amount of weight loss and reduction in waist circumference favored the participants receiving this treatment. Since the strategies for achieving behavioral changes were tailored according to the individual's goals and personal functional behavioral analyses and progressed slowly in a graded manner, it might require higher PA quotas or a period longer than 6 months to reveal a behavioral change of larger proportions.

To assess how change in sleep duration is related to subsequent obesity.In this 10-year follow-up, 4903 non-pregnant participants answered a questionnaire on sleeping habits, obesity, and lifestyle factors (questions identical to baseline questionnaire). Habitual normal sleepers were defined as sleeping 6-9 h/night at both baseline and follow-up, whereas women sleeping6 h/night or ≥9 h/night at both occasions were defined as habitual short sleepers and habitual long sleepers, respectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze associations between changes in sleep duration, general obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2)), weight gain (≥10 kg) and also, central obesity (waist circumference ≥88 cm), and increase in waist circumference (≥10 cm) at follow-up.Among younger women (aged40 years) both habitual short sleepers and habitual long sleepers had a higher prevalence of general (short: 31.3%, P 0.0001; long: 38.1%, P = 0.01) and central obesity (short: 60.5%, P = 0.01; long: 82.4%, P = 0.01) compared with habitual normal sleepers (general obesity: 8.9%; central obesity: 35.9%) at follow-up. Younger women who were short sleepers at baseline but normal sleepers at the follow-up had a higher prevalence of both general (19.3%, P = 0.01) and central obesity (45.4%, P = 0.07) compared with habitual normal sleepers at follow-up. In adjusted analyses, both habitual short [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 6.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.71-17.0] and long (aOR, 4.64; 95% CI, 1.09-19.8) sleep durations were risk factors for general obesity in younger women. In younger women habitual long sleep duration was a risk factor also for central obesity (aOR, 6.05; 95% CI, 1.19-30.7) whereas habitual short sleep duration was not (aOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 0.87-4.81). Similar results were seen also for weight gain and increased waist circumference as dependent variables. In addition, decreased sleep duration from normal to short duration was a risk factor for both weight gain (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.14-3.02) and increased waist circumference (aOR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.20-2.81). There were no associations between changes in sleep duration and any of the measures of obesity at the follow-up in women aged40 years at baseline.In younger women, both habitual short and long sleep duration was a risk factor for obesity, whereas no such relationship was seen in older women.

Purpose Although well characterized in animals, brain damage in humans treated with hypothermia after cardiac arrest has not been systematically explored. In this study we aimed to describe the characteristic trait of selective eosinophilic neuronal death (SEND), and its correlation with time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in cardiac arrest patients who died after hypothermia treatment and were referred for autopsy. Methods Brain autopsy microscopic slides and clinical data were gathered from 23 non-survivors of cardiac arrest who were treated with hypothermia. Based on the percentage of eosinophilic neurons, a damage score 0–4 was given in 6 brain regions, and a total damage score was calculated. The damage score was correlated with time to ROSC and with neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in peripheral blood at 48h post arrest. Results Hippocampus had the highest damage score with a median of 3 (inter-quartile range 2–4) while the brainstem had the lowest median damage score of 0 (0–2). Total damage score showed the best correlation with time to ROSC (Spearman Rho=0.66). Serum NSE values >33μg/L ( n =6) was associated with significantly higher mean damage score than NSE n =9) ( p =0.002). Conclusion This is the first study to systematically describe regional SEND in patients treated with hypothermia after cardiac arrest. Hippocampus was the most vulnerable region whereas the brainstem was the most resistant. Although not directly compared here, the regional pattern of SEND seems not to be altered by hypothermia treatment, but maintains its profile distinctive for cardiac arrest pathogenesis.

We aimed to assess the impact of self-reported physical activity on incidence and remission of snoring complaints in women.A population-based sample of 4851 women aged20 years responded to questionnaires in years 2000 and 2010. Based on the responses, the women were categorized into low, medium, or high level of physical activity at baseline and at follow-up.The prevalence of habitual snoring complaints increased from 7.6% at baseline to 9.2% in 2010 (P.0001). After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), waist and neck circumference, weight gain, smoking status, alcohol dependence, and snoring status at baseline, reported physical activity level at baseline had a protective effect on habitual snoring complaints at follow-up. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence intervals) for complaints of habitual snoring was 0.7 (0.5-0.9) for the reported medium physical activity level and 0.5 (0.4-0.8) for the high activity level. When subdividing the population by changes in reported physical activity level over the follow-up period, an increase in physical activity was followed by a decrease in the complaint of snoring. Similarly a high level of reported physical activity only had a protective effect on snoring in participants who remained at a high or medium level.A low level of self-reported physical activity is a risk factor for future habitual snoring complaints in women, independent of weight, weight gain, alcohol dependence, and smoking. Increased physical activity can modify the risk.