Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Bariatric surgery is a safe option for treating obese patients who have coronary artery disease

The findings are important because coronary artery disease patients can see a significant benefit with a successful procedure. The resulting weight loss is also followed by an improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and sleep apnea, all factors linked to coronary artery disease.

12 Sep 2005

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

In many patients with type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime, churning out glucose throughout the day, even when blood sugar levels are high. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells.

12 Sep 2005

Long hours equal to alcohol in impairing young doctors

Fatigued medical residents' performance on attention tests and on a driving simulator is comparable - or worse - than their performance after drinking three to four cocktails, according to research from Brown Medical School and University of Michigan.

6 Sep 2005

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese, according to a new study. This association between obesity and the type of health delivery system used was present regardless of race, ethnicity or geographic characteristics.

6 Sep 2005

Treating nighttime heartburn improves sleep and boosts quality of life

The first major multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial addressing therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) related sleep disorders is published in the September issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

1 Sep 2005

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy for treatment-resistant depression proves effective for some patients

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, a treatment recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment-resistant depression, produced a positive response in more than 25 percent of patients in a national, yearlong study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists

31 Aug 2005

Inexpensive method to assess the stability and quality of sleep

Using information hidden in the beat-to-beat changes of the heart's electrical signals, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have developed an inexpensive method to assess the stability and quality of sleep, which could be used to help understand the mechanisms of sleep control and diagnose sleep disorders, as well as to test the efficacy of sleep aids and other medications.

29 Aug 2005

Neurotransmitter orexin influences reward processing - associated with pleasure and reward pathways in the brain

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that the recently identified neurotransmitter orexin (also known as hypocretin) influences reward processing by activating neurons in the lateral hypothalamus region of the brain.

28 Aug 2005

Acupuncture relieves symptoms of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients treated with six sessions of acupuncture experienced significant symptomatic improvement compared to a group given simulated acupuncture sessions according to a new Mayo Clinic study.

25 Aug 2005

Mouse model of Rett Syndrome displays reduced cortical activity

Sacha Nelson of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA and Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA and their colleagues report online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition that spontaneous neuronal activity is reduced in the cortex of a knockout mouse model for the childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, Rett Syndrome.

23 Aug 2005

New drug CX717 can temporarily improve performance and reverse the effects of sleep deprivation

Research in monkeys suggests that a new drug can temporarily improve performance and reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain, which would be a breakthrough in helping shift workers, health professionals, military personnel and others who must function at top performance in spite of sleep deficits.

23 Aug 2005

Some medical conditions increase risk for developing major depression while others do not

Those who feel sad and lack an interest in regular life activities for at least two weeks and qualify for a diagnosis of minor depression are six times as likely to develop major depression compared to those who don't have these symptoms, according to a longitudinal study on risks for depression.

22 Aug 2005

Greatest challenge for parents is the balance between homework, sports, music and sleep

"It is important for parents to identify the sleep needs of their children especially as they prepare for another school year," says Dr. Kohler. "Getting kids in school sleep mode can take time and sleep needs for teens are different from elementary school children."

16 Aug 2005

Chronic use of nitroglycerin for chest pain could lead to mitochondrial damage

Definitive evidence to explain how the drug nitroglycerin relieves chest pain has resulted from a new study by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators at Duke University Medical Center. Nitroglycerin relaxes blood vessels to boost blood flow, yet the mechanism by which the drug works has remained a matter of scientific controversy.

16 Aug 2005

Snorers can blame the shape of their throats

Scientists have discovered, by carrying out head and neck scans of snorers and non-snorers, why it is that some people are chronic snorers.

11 Aug 2005

Quality of the doctor-patient relationship can greatly affect patients' medication use

Patients who trust their doctors are more likely to stick to their prescription medicines, even if they face high out-of-pocket costs, a new study finds. But patients who have lower levels of trust in their physicians, or who have depression-like symptoms, are much more likely to skip doses or refills when costs become a problem for them.

10 Aug 2005

New theory as to why some people die during sleep

According to scientists the reason why some people stop breathing fatally in their sleep, is because a cumulative loss of cells in the area of the brain that controls breathing triggers a condition called central sleep apnoea.

9 Aug 2005

Nighttime dying linked to sleep apnea from brain cell loss

Aim to grow old and die peacefully in your sleep? Be careful what you wish for. A new UCLA study suggests that some people die in their sleep because they stop breathing due to a cumulative loss of cells in the brain's breathing command-post. The online edition of Nature Neuroscience reports the findings.

7 Aug 2005

Most undergraduate doctors in the UK receive only 5 minutes education on sleep medicine

Teaching staff at Warwick Medical School have long been concerned that trainee doctors do not get enough sleep. Sleep in the classroom that is. Despite sleep patterns being a major contributor to a number of illnesses on average most undergraduate doctors in the UK receive only 5 minutes education on sleep medicine.

28 Jul 2005

First trial of pramipexole for the treatment of fibromyalgia

The mechanism of fibromyalgia, a chronic illness characterized by muscle pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, is unknown and medications used to treat it (such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, muscle relaxants, antiinflammatories, sedative hypnotics, pain relievers and nutriceuticals) have had limited success.

28 Jul 2005

Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Bariatric surgery is a safe option for treating obese patients who have coronary artery disease

Key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells

Long hours equal to alcohol in impairing young doctors

Children who use community health centers may be at a particularly high risk of being obese

Treating nighttime heartburn improves sleep and boosts quality of life

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy for treatment-resistant depression proves effective for some patients

Inexpensive method to assess the stability and quality of sleep

Neurotransmitter orexin influences reward processing - associated with pleasure and reward pathways in the brain

Acupuncture relieves symptoms of fibromyalgia

Mouse model of Rett Syndrome displays reduced cortical activity

New drug CX717 can temporarily improve performance and reverse the effects of sleep deprivation

Some medical conditions increase risk for developing major depression while others do not

Greatest challenge for parents is the balance between homework, sports, music and sleep

Chronic use of nitroglycerin for chest pain could lead to mitochondrial damage

Snorers can blame the shape of their throats

Quality of the doctor-patient relationship can greatly affect patients' medication use

New theory as to why some people die during sleep

Nighttime dying linked to sleep apnea from brain cell loss

Most undergraduate doctors in the UK receive only 5 minutes education on sleep medicine

First trial of pramipexole for the treatment of fibromyalgia

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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