Comparison of nutrient intake by sleep status in selected adults in Mysore, India

Insomnia has become a major public health issue in recent times. Although quality of sleep is affected by environmental, psychophysiological, and pharmacological factors, diet and nutrient intake also contribute to sleep problems. This study investigated the association between nutrient intake and co-morbid symptoms associated with sleep status among selected adults. Subjects in this study included 87 men and women aged 21-45 years. Presence of insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Screening Questionnaire, and dietary intake was measured over three consecutive days by dietary survey. Descriptive analysis, ANOVA, and Chi-Square tests were performed to compute and interpret the data. Approximately 60% of the participants were insomniacs. People with insomnia consumed significantly lesser quantities of nutrients as compared to normal sleepers. Differences in intakes of energy, carbohydrates, folic acid, and B12 were highly significant (P < 0.002). Further, intakes of protein, fat, and thiamine were significantly different (P < 0.021) between insomniacs and normal sleepers. The nutrient intake pattern of the insomniacs with co-morbid symptoms was quite different from that of the normal sleepers. Based on these results, it is probable that there is an association between nutrition deficiency, co-morbid symptoms, and sleep status. More studies are required to confirm these results

A pharmacokinetic evaluation of five H1 antagonists after an oral and intravenous microdose to human subjects

AIMS: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of five H1 receptor antagonists in human volunteers after a single oral and intravenous (i.v.) microdose (0.1 mg). METHODS: Five H1 receptor antagonists, namely NBI-1, NBI-2, NBI-3, NBI-4 and diphenhydramine, were administered to human volunteers as a single 0.1-mg oral and i.v. dose. Blood samples were collected up to 48 h, and the parent compound in the plasma extract was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and accelerator mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: The median clearance (CL), apparent volume of distribution (V d) and apparent terminal elimination half-life (t1/2) of diphenhydramine after an i.v. microdose were 24.7 l h-1, 302 l and 9.3 h, and the oral Cmax and AUC0-� were 0.195 ng ml-1 and 1.52 ng h ml-1, respectively. These data were consistent with previously published diphenhydramine data at 500 times the microdose. The rank order of oral bioavailability of the five compounds was as follows: NBI-2 &gt; NBI-1 &gt; NBI-3 &gt; diphenhydramine &gt; NBI-4, whereas the rank order for CL was NBI-4 &gt; diphenhydramine &gt; NBI-1 &gt; NBI-3 &gt; NBI-2. CONCLUSIONS: Human microdosing provided estimates of clinical PK of four structurally related compounds, which were deemed useful for compound selection. © 2009 Neurocrine Biosciences

Diagnosis and treatment of chronic insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder characterized by inability to sleep or a total lack of sleep, prevalence of which ranges from 10 to 15% among the general population with increased rates seen among older ages, female gender, White population and presence of medical or psychiatric illness. Yet this condition is still under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and under-treated. This article aims to review the operational definitions and management of chronic insomnia. A computerized search on PubMed carried from 1980 to January 2009 led to the summarization of the results. There are several strategies to manage chronic insomnia. To initiate treatment, it is necessary to define it and differentiate it from other co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Non-pharmacologic strategies such as stimulus control therapy and relaxation and cognitive therapies have the best effect sizes followed by sleep restriction, paradoxical intention and sleep hygiene education which have modest to less than modest effect sizes. Among pharmacotherapeutic agents, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics are the first line of management followed by benzodiazepines, amitryptiline and antihistaminics. However, adequate trials of combined behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy are the best course of management