Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Central and Peripheral Blood Pressure in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Randomized Controlled MORPHEOS Clinical Trial.

Previous studies evaluating the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on blood pressure (BP) among patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) showed variable results. Moreover, several studies recruited patients with normal or controlled BP, and compliance with antihypertensive drug treatment was not monitored. In addition, very few studies investigated central BP in this scenario.

Effect of antihypertensive agents on sleep apnea and ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are common conditions that may be linked through sympathetic activation and water retention. We hypothesized that diuretics, which reduce the body water content, may be more effective than amlodipine, a blood pressure (BP)-lowering agent implicated with edema, in controlling OSA in patients with hypertension. We also aimed to compare the effects of these treatments on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Cheeks appearance as a novel predictor of obstructive sleep apnea: the CASA score study.

Study Objectives: Four well-established predictors of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk are body mass index, age, sex, and neck circumference. We have previously reported cheeks appearance as an OSA predictor, which may represent a combination of such predictors in a single, readily available feature. This study sought to answer the question: Is cheeks appearance an OSA risk predictor?

Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study based on STARD (standards for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies).

Hfq C-terminal region forms a β-rich amyloid-like motif without perturbing the N-terminal Sm-like structure.

Hfq is a pleitropic actor that serves as stress response and virulence factor in the bacterial cell. To execute its multiple functions, Hfq assembles into symmetric torus-shaped hexamers. Extending outward from the hexameric core, Hfq presents a C-terminal region, described as intrinsically disordered in solution.

Effects of chlorthalidone plus amiloride compared with amlodipine on short-term blood pressure variability in individuals with hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the effects of chlortalidone plus amiloride and amlodipine on blood pressure (BP) variability in patients with hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA).

Methods: A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial enrolled men and women aged 40 years or older with a diagnosis of OSA (apnea-hypopnea index 10-40 apneas/h of sleep) confirmed by overnight laboratory polysomnography and systolic BP 140-159 mmHg or diastolic BP 90-99 mmHg. Participants were randomized to receive chlortalidone 25 mg plus amiloride 5 mg daily or amlodipine 10 mg daily for 8 weeks.

Effects of Antihypertensive Treatment on Left and Right Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain and Diastolic Parameters in Patients with Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Randomized Clinical Trial of Chlorthalidone plus Amiloride vs. Amlodipine.

Hypertension is highly prevalent in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and fluid retention with its nighttime rostral distribution is one potential mechanism. We tested whether or not diuretics differ from amlodipine in their impact on echocardiographic parameters. Patients with moderate OSA and hypertension were randomized to receive diuretics (chlorthalidone plus amiloride) or amlodipine daily for 8 weeks.

Unraveling Membrane Perturbations Caused by the Bacterial Riboregulator Hfq.

Hfq is a pleiotropic regulator that mediates several aspects of bacterial RNA metabolism. The protein notably regulates translation efficiency and RNA decay in Gram-negative bacteria, usually via its interaction with small regulatory RNAs. Previously, we showed that the Hfq C-terminal region forms an amyloid-like structure and that these fibrils interact with membranes.

The effects of resistance exercise on obstructive sleep apnea severity and body water content in older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives/background: The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in people over 70 years can reach up to 95%. Aerobic or combined exercise programs have been shown to impact positively on OSA severity. Resistance training changes leg fluid retention.

Chronic testicular pain cured by low-dose pramipexole: is there an association with restless legs syndrome?

Unlabelled: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by an urge to move the legs, predominantly at night. About one quarter of the patients with RLS report painful symptoms in the legs. In this case report, the patient presented at the sleep clinic with a chief complaint of insomnia and the classical symptoms of RLS.

Diagnostic accuracy of oximetry for obstructive sleep apnea: a study on older adults in a home setting.

Objectives: Owing to the fact that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an underreported disease, the strategy used for the diagnosis of OSA has been extensively dissected to devise a simplified process that can be accessed by the public health services. Polysomnography (PSG) type I, the gold standard for the diagnosis of OSA, is expensive and difficult to access by low-income populations. In this study, we aimed to verify the accuracy of the oxyhemoglobin desaturation index (ODI) in comparison to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using a portable monitor.

Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on endOthelial function in eLDerly with sleep apnea (HOLD): study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Sleep apnea and coronary artery disease are prevalent and relevant diseases. The mechanism by which sleep apnea leads to coronary artery disease remains unclear. Intermittent hypoxia, caused by sleep apnea, leads to inflammation and consequent endothelial dysfunction.

The effect of continuous positive airway pressure on blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and uncontrolled hypertension - Study design and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To describe the MORPHEOS (Morbidity in patients with uncontrolled HTN and OSA) trial, and describe the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: MORPHEOS is a multicenter (n=6) randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the blood pressure (BP) lowering effects of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or placebo (nasal strips) for 6 months in adult patients with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients using at least one antihypertensive medication were included.

Bolaamphiphile-based supramolecular gels with drugs eliciting membrane effects.

Supramolecular chemistry has garnered important interest in recent years toward improving therapeutic efficacy via drug delivery approaches. Although self-assemblies have been deeply investigated, the design of novel drugs leveraging supramolecular chemistry is less known. In this contribution, we show that a Low Molecular Weight Gel (LMWG) can elicit cancer cell apoptosis.

Structural and molecular basis of cross-seeding barriers in amyloids.

Neurodegenerative disorders are frequently associated with β-sheet-rich amyloid deposits. Amyloid-forming proteins can aggregate under different structural conformations known as strains, which can exhibit a prion-like behavior and distinct pathophenotypes. Precise molecular determinants defining strain specificity and cross-strain interactions (cross-seeding) are currently unknown.

Flotillin-mediated membrane fluidity controls peptidoglycan synthesis and MreB movement.

The bacterial plasma membrane is an important cellular compartment. In recent years it has become obvious that protein complexes and lipids are not uniformly distributed within membranes. Current hypotheses suggest that flotillin proteins are required for the formation of complexes of membrane proteins including cell-wall synthetic proteins.

Structural features of the interaction of MapZ with FtsZ and membranes in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

MapZ localizes at midcell and acts as a molecular beacon for the positioning of the cell division machinery in the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. MapZ contains a single transmembrane helix that separates the C-terminal extracellular domain from the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Only the structure and function of the extracellular domain is known.

Exploring the STOP-BANG questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea screening in seniors.

Study Objectives: The accuracy of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening instruments in seniors may change as the predictive role of sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) changes with aging. We investigated the diagnostic performance of the STOP-BANG questionnaire in older individuals with aging-adapted scores and thresholds.

Methods: Independent community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older were screened for OSA.

The Bacterial Amyloid-Like Hfq Promotes DNA Alignment.

The Hfq protein is reported to be involved in environmental adaptation and virulence of several bacteria. In Gram-negative bacteria, Hfq mediates the interaction between regulatory noncoding RNAs and their target mRNAs. Besides these RNA-related functions, Hfq is also associated with DNA and is a part of the bacterial chromatin.

Nanodomain Clustering of the Plant Protein Remorin by Solid-State NMR.

Nanodomains are dynamic membrane subcompartments, enriched in specific lipid, and protein components that act as functional platforms to manage an abundance of cellular processes. The remorin protein of plants is a well-established nanodomain marker and widely serves as a paradigm to study nanodomain clustering. Located at the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, remorins perform essential functions during signaling.

Structural insights into the AapA1 toxin of Helicobacter pylori.

Background: We previously reported the identification of the aapA1/IsoA1 locus as part of a new family of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems in the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori. AapA1 belongs to type I TA bacterial toxins, and both its mechanism of action towards the membrane and toxicity features are still unclear.

Methods: The biochemical characterization of the AapA1 toxic peptide was carried out using plasmid-borne expression and mutational approaches to follow its toxicity and localization.

Effects of exercise on sleep symptoms in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which exercise is associated with symptoms in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included subjects with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 30 events/h who completed validated sleep and exercise questionnaires. We compared symptom frequency/scores between exercisers and nonexercisers, adjusting for the usual confounders.