Twelve-Month CPAP Therapy Modulates BDNF Levels in Patients with Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Implications for Metabolic and Treatment Compliance.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and metabolic processes, including glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. In patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), recurrent episodes of intermittent hypoxia may stimulate BDNF expression as a compensatory neuroprotective response. OSA is associated with metabolic disturbances, such as increased insulin resistance and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Prenatal androgen exposure predicts sexuality disorders: insights from anthropometric measurements and questionnaires.

Background: Sexual activity has been linked to various physical and psychological benefits, yet national surveys indicate a decrease in sexual engagement among American adults from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. The 2D:4D ratio, representing the relative lengths of the second and fourth digits, is commonly used as a biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure (PAE). This ratio may offer insights into the hormonal environment during fetal development, which could impact sexual attitudes and mental well-being.

Investigating the relationship between prenatal androgen exposure and sleep quality: a comprehensive study using anthropometric measurements, questionnaires, actigraphy, and polysomnography.

Background: The 2D:4D digit ratio (DR), representing the relative length of the index finger to the ring finger, is an anthropometric marker that shows sexual dimorphism, with males typically having a lower ratio than females. This parameter is linked to prenatal androgen exposure (PAE), which influences sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between PAE and sleep among young adults.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Sleep Disordered Breathing Assembly.

The topic of sleep-related breathing disorders is always evolving, and during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2023 in Milan, Italy, the latest research and clinical topics in respiratory medicine were presented. The most interesting issues included new diagnostic tools, such as cardiovascular parameters and artificial intelligence, pathophysiological traits of sleep disordered breathing from routine polysomnography or polygraphy signals, and new biomarkers and the diagnostic approach in patients with excessive daytime sleepiness. This article summarises the most relevant studies and topics presented at the ERS International Congress 2023.

Determining the Kerr constant in optically isotropic liquid crystals.

A new scheme is investigated for evaluating the temperature dependence and dispersion relation of the Kerr constant (K) of an optically isotropic medium in isotropic and blue phases (BPs) liquid crystals. The scheme employs the measurement of the component of the transmitted light intensity of double modulated frequency using the modified in-plane-switching cell geometry (based on metallic film electrodes). It overcomes to a large extent the problem of a nonuniform electric field, employs relatively small driving voltages, and allows K to be measured directly.

Understanding the Associations of Prenatal Androgen Exposure on Sleep Physiology, Circadian Proteins, Anthropometric Parameters, Hormonal Factors, Quality of Life, and Sex Among Healthy Young Adults: Protocol for an International, Multicenter Study.

Background: The ratio of the second finger length to the fourth finger length (2D:4D ratio) is considered to be negatively correlated with prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) and positively correlated with prenatal estrogen. Coincidentally, various brain regions are sensitive to PAE, and their functions in adults may be influenced by the prenatal actions of sex hormones.

Objective: This study aims to assess the relationship between PAE (indicated by the 2D:4D ratio) and various physiological (sex hormone levels and sleep-wake parameters), psychological (mental health), and sexual parameters in healthy young adults.

Impact of COVID-19 on ischemic stroke care in Hungary.

Data about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's collateral damage on ischemic stroke (IS) care during the second epidemic wave in Central Europe are limited. We sought to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Hungarian IS care during the two epidemic waves. This retrospective observational study was based on a nationwide reimbursement database that encompasses all IS admissions and all reperfusion interventions, i.

Estimated respiratory arousal threshold in patients with rapid eye movement obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Rapid eye movement (REM) obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent clinical phenotype. However, the literature focusing on the pathophysiology of REM OSA is limited. This study compared the proportion of individuals with a low respiratory arousal threshold between patients with REM and non-REM OSA.

The role of screening questionnaires in the assessment of risk and severity of obstructive sleep apnea - polysomnography versus polygraphy.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disease of significant importance, which may lead to numerous severe clinical consequences. The gold standard in the diagnosis of this sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) is polysomnography (PSG). However, due to the need for high expertise of staff who perform this procedure, its complexity, and relatively low availability, some simpler substitutes have been developed; among them is polygraphy (PG), which is most widely used.

The Epidemiology of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Poland-Polysomnography and Positive Airway Pressure Therapy.

The aim of this study is to provide a brief summary of the epidemiological data on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) diagnosis and therapy in different regions of Poland from 2010 to 2019. We performed a retrospective study in the sleep center of the Department of Sleep Medicine and Metabolic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. We requested data from the National Health Service concerning the number of new diagnoses of OSAS, the polysomnographies (PSGs) that were performed, and reimbursements of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in each region of Poland in the period 2010-2019.

Insomnia as a Symptom of Rapid Eye Movement-Related Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Rapid eye movement (REM)-related obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a polysomnographic phenotype that affects 12-36% of OSA patients, is defined by apnea and hypopnea events that predominantly or exclusively occur during REM sleep. Recent studies indicated that REM-related OSA was associated with the development of nocturnal non-dipping of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and depressive symptoms. However, to date, the association between REM-related OSA and insomnia still remains unclear.

Morning Headache as an Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Related Symptom among Sleep Clinic Patients-A Cross-Section Analysis.

Morning headache is considered to be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Despite not being as common as excessive daytime sleepiness or unrefreshing sleep, it can similarly impair everyday activities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of and factors associated with morning headaches (MH) among patients referred for polysomnography due to suspected OSAS.

The utility of STOP-BANG questionnaire in the sleep-lab setting.

Polysomnography (PSG) is considered the gold standard in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS) diagnostics, but its availability is still limited. Thus, it seems useful to assess patients pre-diagnostic risk for OSAS to prioritize the use of this examination. The purpose of this study was to assess positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values of the STOP BANG questionnaire (SBQ) in patients with presumptive diagnosis of OSAS.

High Negative Predictive Value of Normal Body Mass Index for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Lateral Sleeping Position.

Study Objectives: Obesity is a major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Patients who are not obese and who have OSA usually present with a low apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in the lateral sleeping position. Hence, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) seems more dependent on body mass index (BMI) in the lateral sleeping position than the supine sleep position.

Effect of polymer network on thermodynamic stability and switching behavior of the smectic-C_{α}^{*} phase.

A polymer-stabilized liquid crystal based on 4^{'}-(octyloxy)biphenyl-4-carboxylate 2-fluoro-4-((octyl-2-yloxy)carbonyl)phenyl (D16) and 1,6 hexanediol diacrylate as a monomer was prepared by in situ photopolymerization. The selected antiferroelectric liquid crystal contains a fast-switching smectic C_{α}^{*} phase (SmC_{α}^{*}), and the influence of the polymer network on the thermodynamic stability of this phase and its switching behavior under applying time-dependent electric field were studied. Using dielectric spectroscopy and polarizing microscopy, the liquid crystal materials were characterized, and subsequently with the use of the reversal current method (RCM) the current response, especially from the SmC_{α}^{*} phase was carefully analyzed.

Morning Diastolic Blood Pressure May Be Independently Associated With Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Non-Hypertensive Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Study Objectives: The aim of the study is to verify a possible association between arterial blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity in a group of non-hypertensive patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 1,171 consecutive patients referred to the sleep laboratory with complaints suggestive of OSA who underwent standard diagnostic polysomnography. In total, 454 patients with no History of arterial hypertension nor had received any such treatment were selected from this group.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and hypothyroidism - merely concurrence or causal association?

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) ranges from 4 to 7% in men and from 2 to 5% in women. Its deleterious consequences such as traffic accidents, cardiovascular complications increasing morbidity and mortality, make it a major health problem. Apart from obesity (a major risk factor for OSAHS), hypothyroid patients are prone to reveal this phenotype.

Experimental evidence of soft mode in the smectic C(α)(*) phase of chiral ferroelectric liquid crystals.

Dielectric properties of chiral smectic liquid crystals characterised by the occurrence of the C(α)(*) phase were investigated in the frequency range 10 Hz-1 MHz. In the range of existence of this phase the observed relaxation spectrum is composed of two kinds of mode, and not of a single one, as commonly thought. Phase modes of the Goldstone type coexist in it with an amplitude type soft mode.

[Effectiveness and tolerability of amisulpride in patients with schizophrenia: results of a 6-month open study].

Aim: 6-month multicentre, observational, open study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of the new generation antipsychotic drug amisulpride in patients with acute schizophrenia.

Method: 99 patients were included in the study, 72 (72%) completed the 6-month observation.

Results: Marked improvement in CGI after 6 months of treatment was observed in 56 (56%) patients.