Hypersomnolence and Sleep-related Complaints in Metropolitan, Urban, and Rural Georgia

Persistent daytime hypersomnolence is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but its prevalence in the population has been poorly documented. This study sought to characterize the prevalence of persistent daytime hypersomnolence, difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep, unrefreshing sleep, snoring, and the presence of physician-diagnosed sleep disorders in metropolitan, urban, and rural US Georgia populations. Between September 2004 and July 2005, a total of 6,530 randomly selected well and unwell adults, identified by screening interviews of 10,837 households (contacted by random digit dialing), completed a detailed phone interview. Sixteen percent reported persistent problems staying awake during the day; 26% reported persistent problems falling asleep at night; 31% experienced problems sleeping through the night; 34% were bothered by unrefreshing sleep; and 33% reported that they snored. In spite of the high occurrence of reported persistent sleep problems, only 10% of the survey participants reported having been diagnosed with a sleep disorder. These study findings highlight the need for increased public and clinician awareness with respect to proactively indentifying signs and symptoms of sleep disorders, a better understanding of their adverse impact upon morbidity and mortality, and their negative impact upon socioeconomic and academic potential

Association between proteomics and obstructive sleep apnea phenotypes in a community-based cohort of women

Proteomic‐based technologies offer new opportunities to identify proteins that might reflect the cardiometabolic stress caused by different aspects of sleep‐disordered breathing. We aimed to investigate whether severe obstructive sleep apnea and severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep are associated with changed levels of inflammatory and cardiac disease‐related proteins in a population‐based cohort of women. In the community‐based “Sleep and Health in Women” (SHE) cohort study, 400 women underwent polysomnography, anthropometric measurements and blood sampling. Two proteomic assays (Olink Proseek® Inflammation panel and Olink Proseek® Cardiovascular II panel), each measuring 92 proteins, were analysed in a subsample of 253 women. p‐Values were adjusted for multiple testing, with false discovery rate set at 10%. In unadjusted models, 57 proteins were associated with apnea−hypopnea index, 56 proteins with oxygen desaturation index and 64 proteins with rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index. After adjustment for age, body mass index and plate, there were no significant associations between apnea−hypopnea index or oxygen desaturation index and any of the proteins. Severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep (rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index ≥ 30) was associated with decreased levels of two anti‐inflammatory proteins; Sirt2 (q‐value .016) and LAP‐TGF‐β1 (q‐value .016). There was also a negative association between rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index of ≥ 30 and Axin1 (q‐value .095), a protein thought to facilitate TGF‐β‐signalling. We conclude that severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep is associated with low levels of Sirt2, LAP‐TGF‐β1 and Axin1, anti‐inflammatory proteins involved in metabolic regulation and in the atherosclerotic process. For obstructive sleep apnea based on a whole night, the associations with cardiac and inflammatory proteins are weaker, and explained to a large extent by age and body mass index

Sleep apnea in men is associated with altered lipid metabolism, glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and body fat percentage

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with obesity and risk for type 2 diabetes. In this community-based study, we thoroughly investigated fatty acid metabolism, incretin response, glucose tolerance, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, and autonomic nerve activity in men with or without OSA. Methods: Fifteen men without diabetes but with signs of severe OSA, defined as apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) >30, and 15 age- and BMI-matched men without OSA (AHI < 5) were recruited from a community-based cohort. Assessments included clinical and anthropometric measurements, a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and autonomic nerve activity using heart rate variability (HRV). Results: Men with OSA had higher body fat % than BMI-matched men without OSA (p = 0.046) and it was associated with markers of insulin resistance. The area under the curve for nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) during OGTT was higher in men with OSA (p = 0.021) and fasting NEFA levels were numerically higher (p = 0.097). The plasma glucose at fasting and during OGTT was higher in men with OSA (p < 0.001). Incretin response was similar between groups. Fasting and OGTT-derived indices indicated impaired insulin sensitivity in men with OSA. Compared with men without OSA, Matsuda index (p = 0.068) and Gutt index (p < 0.01) were lower in men with OSA. The HRV measures did not differ between groups. Conclusions: Our study suggests that fatty acid handling, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity are impaired in men with severe OSA. This might partly be explained by the increased body fat percentage

An educational intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance in Vietnam

Abstract Background Hand hygiene compliance is the basis of infection control programs. In developing countries models to improve hand hygiene compliance to reduce healthcare acquired infections are required. The aim of this study was to determine hand hygiene compliance following an educational program in an obstetric and gynecological hospital in Vietnam. Methods Health care workers from neonatal intensive care, delivery suite and a surgical ward from Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam undertook a 4-h educational program targeting hand hygiene. Compliance was monitored monthly for six months following the intervention. Hand hygiene knowledge was assessed at baseline and after six months of the study. Results There were 7124 opportunities over 370 hand hygiene recording sessions with 1531 opportunities at baseline and 1620 at 6 months following the intervention. Hand hygiene compliance increased significantly from baseline across all sites (43.6% [95% Confidence interval CI: 41.1–46.1] to 63% [95% CI: 60.6–65.3]; p < 0.0001). Health care worker hand hygiene compliance increased significantly after intervention (p < 0.0001). There were significant improvements in knowledge scores from baseline to 2 months post educational intervention with mean difference standard deviations (SD): 1.5 (2.5); p < 0.001). Conclusions A simple educational model was implemented in a Vietnamese hospital that revealed good hand hygiene compliance for an extended period of time. Hand hygiene knowledge increased during the intervention. This hand hygiene model could be used in developing countries were resources are limited