Gender Difference in Apnea and Hypopnea Component in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Introduction We aimed to analyze the apnea and hypopnea structure separately with demographic parameters and sleep architecture in men and women with sleep apnea. Materials and Methods Patients referred for snoring, witnessed apnea and/or day time sleepiness to Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Educational Hospital Sleep Center and gone under polysomnography (PSG) between December 2010 and June 2012 were taken in order. PSG reports were analyzed retrospectively. The patients with sleep efficiency less than 40% were excluded. The BMI, neck circumference (NC), abdominal circumference (AC) and PSG values were recorded. Results Totally 406 patients (250 male, 156 female patients) were studied. NC was found more in males whereas AC and BMI were found significantly more in females. Mean age, apne-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) for 3% were similar in two genders. Percentage of total light sleep (Stage 1+2) was significantly more in males while Stage 3 (slow wave sleep: SWS) was more in females. Total apneas were significantly more in males and hypopneas were significantly more in females. The factors associated with AHI were NC and BMI in males and AC and BMI in females. Discussion We found that, females are more hypopneic and men are more apneic, in a study group of similar apne-hypopnea indexed patients. The different distribution of fat in genders seems to effect the apnea/hypopnea predominance. The clinical significance of the apnea and hypopnea indexes separately can be related with SWS percentage. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the effect of apneas and hypopneas on morbidity and mortality in both genders

Algorithms for effective querying of compound graph-based pathway databases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Graph-based pathway ontologies and databases are widely used to represent data about cellular processes. This representation makes it possible to programmatically integrate cellular networks and to investigate them using the well-understood concepts of graph theory in order to predict their structural and dynamic properties. An extension of this graph representation, namely hierarchically structured or compound graphs, in which a member of a biological network may recursively contain a sub-network of a somehow logically similar group of biological objects, provides many additional benefits for analysis of biological pathways, including reduction of complexity by decomposition into distinct components or modules. In this regard, it is essential to effectively query such integrated large compound networks to extract the sub-networks of interest with the help of efficient algorithms and software tools.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Towards this goal, we developed a querying framework, along with a number of graph-theoretic algorithms from simple neighborhood queries to shortest paths to feedback loops, that is applicable to all sorts of graph-based pathway databases, from PPIs (protein-protein interactions) to metabolic and signaling pathways. The framework is unique in that it can account for compound or nested structures and ubiquitous entities present in the pathway data. In addition, the queries may be related to each other through "AND" and "OR" operators, and can be recursively organized into a tree, in which the result of one query might be a source and/or target for another, to form more complex queries. The algorithms were implemented within the querying component of a new version of the software tool P<smcaps>ATIKA</smcaps><it>web </it>(Pathway Analysis Tool for Integration and Knowledge Acquisition) and have proven useful for answering a number of biologically significant questions for large graph-based pathway databases.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The P<smcaps>ATIKA</smcaps> Project Web site is <url>http://www.patika.org</url>. P<smcaps>ATIKA</smcaps><it>web </it>version 2.1 is available at <url>http://web.patika.org</url>.</p

Prevalence of sleep disorders in the Turkish adult population epidemiology of sleep study

Sleep disorders constitute an important public health problem. Prevalence of sleep disorders in Turkish adult population was investigated in a nationwide representative sample of 5021 Turkish adults (2598 women and 2423 men, response rate: 91%) by an interviewer‐administered questionnaire. Insomnia was defined by the DSM‐IV criteria, habitual snoring and risk for sleep‐related breathing disorders (SDB) by the Berlin questionnaire, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) by the Epworth sleepiness scale score, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) by the complaints according to the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria. Mean age of the participants was 40.7 ± 15.1 (range 18 to 90) years. Prevalence rates (men/women) were insomnia 15.3% (10.5%/20.2%; P &lt; 0.001), high probability of SDB 13.7% (11.1%/20.2%; P &lt; 0.001), EDS 5.4% (5.0%/5.7%; P: 0.09), RLS 5.2% (3.0%/7.3%; P &lt; 0.001). Aging and female gender were associated with higher prevalence of sleep disorders except for habitual snoring. Prevalence rates of the sleep disorders among Turkish adults based on the widely used questionnaires were close to the lower end of the previous estimates reported from different parts of the world. These findings would help for the assessment of the health burden of sleep disorders and addressing the risk groups for planning and implementation of health care

Ichthyoplankton Distribution in Datca-Bozburun Specially Protected Area

Comparing the findings on fish eggs and larvae with phytoplankton findings, it is seen that the density and the diversity is higher at stations of Hisaronu Gulf and Yesilova Gulf, rich in terms of organic substances. Thus, this circumstance causes increase in planktonic activities