Prospective study of the prevalence and co-morbidities of obstructive sleep apnea in active-duty army personnel in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand using questionnaire screening

Abstract Background It is crucial for the army to know the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome in active-duty army personnel. Little information has been reported on the prevalence of OSA and clinical features in active-duty army personnel. This study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of snoring and risk of developing OSA in active-duty army personnel in Thailand and to identify the co-morbidities of OSA. In total, 1107 participants who were aged 20–60 years and were deployed to the three southernmost provinces of Thailand were enrolled. All the participants completed the Phramongkutklao (PMK) Hospital OSA Questionnaire that was modified and validated from the Berlin Questionnaire and underwent physical examination. The participants were 1107 active-duty army personnel in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand, both males and females, aged 20–60 years. Methods The PMK OSA Questionnaire was used to assess the risk of OSA together with interviewing for snoring, fatigue, falling asleep and day-time sleepiness. Physical examination of the neck, chest and hip circumference, and height was performed. Information concerning physical training, co-morbid diseases, smoking and alcoholic consumption was collected. Results The prevalence of snoring was 58.5, and 4.8% met the PMK OSA Questionnaire criteria, thus indicating a high risk of OSA. The information obtained indicated that laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), current smoking and alcoholic consumption were significantly higher in the high-risk OSA group. Conclusion Early detection and treatment of OSA in active-duty army personnel are imperative. Physical examination and polysomnography can be used to reveal the high-risk group. High body mess index (BMI), laryngopharyngeal reflux, current smoking and alcoholic consumption are modifiable factors for OSA and are avoidable. A policy to decrease the BMI and risk of LPR, as well as to stop smoking and alcoholic consumption, should be applied

Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble dendronized chitosan using newkome-type dendrons

With increasing emphasis on environmental care 7 and use of renewable resources, simple and effective dendroniza- 8 tion processes were performed to obtain chitosan derivatives. We 9 present different alternatives for the modification of chitosan: 10 dendronization with a biocompatible dendron; a quaternization 11 process with an ammonium salt, which confers a permanent 12 positive charge to the polymer; and a combination of method- 13 ologies allowing amphiphilic polymers. This process confers 14 unique multivalent properties to the native chitosan, and further 15 modifications reach multivalent water-soluble polymers. Hence, 16 the most important highlight of this work is the use of renewable 17 natural polymers and the different methodologies applied to nontoxic solvents with low temperatures. The process described in 18 this paper represents a sustainable alternative for obtaining a functionalized material with properties suitable for application in 19 different areas, such as biomedicine or environmental remediation.Fil: Rimondino, Guido Noé. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Strumia, Miriam Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Martinelli, Marisa. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin