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Rattlesnake-type Poisons Used By Superbug Bacteria To Beat Our Defenses

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:55:58 +0000

Health & medicine

Cystic Fibrosis
Infectious Diseases
Pharmacology

Plants & Animals

Bacteria
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Microbiology

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Penicillin-like antibiotics
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Salmonella infection

The toxins are manufactured by communities of the hospital superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa called biofilms, which are up to a thousand times more resistant to antibiotics than free-floating single bacterial cells.

"This is the first time that anyone has successfully proved that the way the bacteria grow – either as a biofilm, or living as individuals – affects the type of proteins they can secrete, and therefore how dangerous they can potentially be to our health," says Dr Martin Welch from the University of Cambridge, UK.

"Acute diseases caused by bacteria can advance at an astonishing rate and tests have associated these types of disease with free-floating bacteria. Such free-floating bugs often secrete tissue-damaging poisons and enzymes to break down our cells, contributing to the way the disease develops, so it is natural to blame them. By contrast, chronic or long-term infections seem to be associated with biofilms, which were thought to be much less aggressive," says Dr Welch.

The research team's findings are very important to the NHS, which spends millions of pounds every year fighting chronic long-term bacterial infections which are incredibly difficult to treat.

"For example, these chronic infections by bacteria are now the major cause of death and serious disability in cystic fibrosis patients – which is the most common lethal inherited disease in the UK and affects about 8,000 people," says Dr Welch.

In cystic fibrosis the gene defect means that people are very susceptible to a particular group of opportunistic bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is one of the three major hospital superbugs. Aggressive antibiotic treatment can usually control the infection in cystic fibrosis sufferers but eventually the strain becomes completely resistant to antibiotics, leading to respiratory failure and death, often while still in their thirties.

"We think that the bacteria in a cystic fibrosis sufferer's lungs are partly living in communities called biofilms, and although medical scientists have investigated their strongly antibiotic-resistant properties, very little research has been done to investigate any active contribution the biofilms might have in causing diseases in the first place," says Dr Welch.

A widely-held view is that biofilms serve as reservoirs of bacteria that do relatively little harm; they just sit there. The main danger is thought to be from 'blooms' of free living cells which occasionally break away from the biofilm and cause periods of poor lung function in the cystic fibrosis patients. "In this scenario, it follows that bacteria in a biofilm will produce fewer disease-causing chemicals than free-living cells of the same type of bacteria, which is a prediction that we can test," says Dr Welch. "We found that, in contrast to expectation, biofilms do indeed produce harmful chemicals. However, the type of tissue-degrading enzymes and toxins made by the biofilm bacteria differ from those produced by free-floating bugs, which may help them to survive attacks by our immune systems."

In addition, the scientists discovered that the biofilm bacteria can produce a protein which their analysis suggests is similar to one of the active ingredients in rattlesnake venom. In the case of rattlesnake venom the protein causes the host cells to commit suicide and die, which is one reason why rattlesnake bites are so dangerous. The research team is currently studying the protein to see if it functions in the same way.

In addition the scientists have found evidence that the trigger for the bacteria to start producing these extra virulence factors is turned on very shortly after the biofilm begins to form. Once the scientists have fully identified the virulence factors created by the biofilm bacteria, the proteins and enzymes may be targeted to develop drugs for a variety of uses, including the treatment of hospital superbugs, cancer and cystic fibrosis.

Adapted from materials provided by Society for General Microbiology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Manuka Honey, the Natural Wound Healer By Frank Buonanotte

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:25:42 +0000

Honey from New Zealand provides what scientists believe to be the most efficient wound healing properties, capable of eradicating even the most resilient bacterial infections.

When it comes to health care products, consumers want to feel completely comfortable with the ingredients used. At a time when more people are losing faith in pharmaceuticals and leaning more toward natural alternatives, honey has become a desirable ingredient. With the FDA cracking down on pharmaceutical companies to disclose all possible side effects of their products, consumers seek refuge in the fact that honey has no negative side effects when used topically on the skin as an antibacterial agent.

Talk about track records...honey has been used as a wound dressing for over 4000 years. Recent studies have shown that the utilization of honey as a healing agent holds up better than more traditional dressing materials in its effectiveness in managing wounds.

Manuka Honey, which is derived from a plant that is native to New Zealand, has proven to be the superior type of honey to use for therapeutic purposes because of the existence of additional antimicrobial properties. Standard honey can lose its ability to destroy bacteria if exposed to certain conditions such as heat or light. It can also lose its effectiveness if diluted by wound fluid. However, Manuka Honey's antibacterial action is stable and maintains its potency when exposed to these elements. It also doesn't have any adverse effects on wound tissue the way other wound dressings do.

Manuka Honey's main claim to fame is its ability to destroy MRSA and heal Staph infections. As antibiotics are proving to be less effective against these resilient strains of bacteria, Manuka Honey is gaining popularity as a universal wound dressing for conditions such as skin ulcers, surgical wounds, pressure sores, chronic wounds and even simple every day cuts and scrapes. Medical professionals are even finding that Manuka Honey works wonders on 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

In addition to its ability to efficiently clear infection, Manuka Honey also has an anti-inflammatory action which helps to relieve pain associated with wounds. It's debriding action removes foreign matter and dead tissue from a wound, allowing for a clean healing environment that's conducive for the regeneration of new skin tissue. By osmosis, Manuka Honey draws moisture out of bacterial cells, in essence, forcing them to shrivel up and die.

As a general rule, Manuka Honey seems to work on hard-to-heal wounds where other conventional methods have failed. Manuka Honey has also been known to form a protective barrier around a wound, preventing it from becoming infected. Malodor is reduced or in some cases eliminated in more serious wounds become the microorganisms in the wound feed on the sugars in the honey and give off more pleasant-smelling gasses.

Another benefit to using wound dressings containing Manuka Honey is that a moist healing environment is created, which lifts scabs and dead skin tissue from the wound. This allows the wound to heal flush with the surface of the skin, preventing scarring. A scar forms when a wound can only heal below a scab, creating deformity. Manuka Honey also has the ability to diffuse deep below the surface of the skin which allows it to clear deep-seeded infection.

To overcome the messiness associated with applying honey directly to the skin, a company called Honeymark has developed a First Aid Antiseptic Lotion containing Active Manuka Honey which allows for a much more user-friendly application. "Manuka Honey has been proven to destroy the MRSA bacterium when antibiotics have failed," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "Manuka Honey inhibits the growth of bacteria better than any other substance that has been used to treat infection." Buonanotte cautions that only Active Manuka Honey should be used for wound care. Ordinary honey may not have enough potency to destroy the bacteria that infects wounds.
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Drugs and Medicines to Treat High Blood Pressure By Ricky Hussey

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:55:06 +0000

What is Blood Pressure?

All the tissues and organs of the body need nourishment in the form of oxygen, glucose, and minerals for their normal functioning. This nourishment is carried by the blood to various sites through the blood vessels by the pumping action of the heart. With each contraction of the heart, blood is pushed into the arteries. In healthy persons this pressure is normal, but in some it may be more than normal. This above normal pressure in the arteries is called high blood pressure or hypertension. In some cases it may be less than normal and is then termed low blood pressure or hypotension. Blood pressure has two components - Systolic (upper) and Diastolic (lower). It is written as 120/80 mm Hg which means 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic. The abbreviation 'mm Hg' stands for millimeter of mercury.

Correct Way to Measure BP: Routine office BP measurement is done in a sitting position. One has to sit quietly with back supported for 5 minutes and arm placed at the level of heart. Coffee tea or smoking are not allowed in the preceding hour. For establishing hypertension at least three readings, one week apart must be taken. At each sitting two readings should be taken to confirm diagnosis. Readings are taken in both arms and if there is a significant difference then the arm with higher reading is selected for subsequent measurements.

In diabetics, BP is taken in supine or lying down position and repeated, 2 minutes later, in upright position. This is done to detect any fall in BP in upright position. This is very important in diabetics and elderly lest they may fall under the effect of medicines used to control hypertension. In a number of cases BP is higher in the physician's clinic than at home. This is due to a stress in the presence of doctor and is called as 'white-coat hypertension'. This phenomenon is more common in females. Self-check provide useful information on blood pressure response to treatment, may improve adherence to therapy and is useful in evaluating the extent of 'white-coat' hypertension. Home measurements can be done by 'dial type' variant of BP instrument, electronic self-inflating sets or by miniature versions which are placed on wrists. These instruments are reasonably accurate. However, they must be calibrated from time to time.

This can be determined by measuring the blood pressure with an instrument called sphygmomanometer (BP measuring instrument). Normally, blood pressure varies from individual to individual, depending upon factors such as heredity, age, sex, nutrition, and body weight. A diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or above is classified as hypertension and requires medical consultation.

The treatment of BP is generally determined by the rise of systolic and diastolic BP. However, one should not get apprehensive if the BP goes above the normal limit once in a while.

Types and Causes of Hypertension: Hypertension has been divided into two categories: essential or primary hypertension, and secondary hypertension. The exact cause of primary or essential hypertension is not known but there is generally a narrowing of the blood vessels. In secondary hypertension, there is involvement of other organs or systems such as the kidney, adrenal glands, and disorders like toxaemia of pregnancy. In secondary hypertension, the cause can be treated and blood pressure brought to normal. Primary hypertension lasts a lifetime and needs continuous treatment. Almost 90% cases of hypertension are of primary variety. Syndrome-X is given to a constellation of obesity, high BP, insulin resistance and raised blood lipids. It is commonly seen in our country.
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Gout Remedies and Vital Information - Restore Your Health Today By Remy Vixamar

admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:44:03 +0000

Gout is a kind of arthritis caused by hyperuricemia (elevated concentrations of uric acid in the blood stream). This medical disorder occurs when there are deposits of urate crystals in the connective tissues (joint, for example) provoking an inflammatory reaction of these tissues and, sometimes, kidney damage.

Uric acid is a normal component of blood, resulting from the deterioration of certain components of protein. In most cases, the origin of this excess is unknown. When the origin is found, it is often linked to other metabolic diseases (read below). That is why it is important to treat not only the "Gout", but also the disease causing it. Our two-part remedy is the only natural treatment clinically proven to quickly relieve gout pain and permanently manage uric acid levels, that is, attacking the root of the problem.

Although reaches both women and men, in 90% of cases, gout is a disease of men occurring in those over 35 years old. In women, gout is occurs after menopause. The physical inactivity, obesity, alcoholism, and dietary factors surely play a role in its development.

The most common causes of Gout are the following:

Lack of urinary elimination;
Lifestyle those who consume alcoholic beverages and diet rich in red meats are more at risk;
Race - American blacks and British people are more likely to develop gout;
Genetic - If your parents have gout, you have a chance of developing it;
Excess production of uric acid from the metabolism of proteins;
Destruction of cells nucleoprotein due to:
1) Extensive burns;
2) Hemolytic anemia;
3) Saturnism or plumbism ( lead poisoning);
4) Certain treatments: corticosteroids, thiazides;
5) Kidney diseases: Kidney failure, glomerulonephritis (glomerular nephritis, GN);
6) In children: Lesch-Nyhan disease (Choreoathetosis, encephalopathy), glycogen storage disease type 1.

What are the symptoms of Gout?

In most cases, the attacks of gout occur abruptly in the middle of the night. Its articulation of choice is the first metatarsophalangeal (big toe); however, the ankle, heel, instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, and spine can be affected. Often, the patient complains of fatigue, flu-like state, headache, etc.

During the attacks, the patients feel a burning pain, as well as swelling of the joint. Areas of the joints become red hot, increased volume, and very painful. In most people, it causes a chronic insomnia (difficulty of falling and remaining sleep). If left untreated, the pain becomes more and more atrocious. In some cases, it is accompanied by a low-grade fever 38 ° C (ranging from 100.4°F (38°C) to 102°F (39°C)) associated with sweating and agitation. Sometimes, the pain is so severe that the patient cannot put his feet on the floor when he wakes up.

Why it is important to treat gout as quickly as possible?

Without a proper treatment, the disease will affect other joints and causes serious health problems. The disease can lead to a form of gout arthropathy (destruction of hyaline cartilage with early osteoarthritis), and potentially leading to disability. The deposits of uric acid in the kidneys can lead to interstitial nephritis progressing to renal failure and hypertension.
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Vaginal Odor May Cause Serious Problems If Left Untreated By Remy Vixamar

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:32:18 +0000

Vaginal odor may limit sexual activity in a relationship; the woman feels uncomfortable, and the man becomes a little distant. However, the vagina has a distinct smell that is not a problem. Each girl has a particular vaginal smell; it is natural. Even when you notice a recent difference in its smell, it is not necessarily an infection. That change may be linked to a specific moment of your menstrual cycle because the smell of your vagina can vary depending on the time of the cycle.

A healthy vagina always emerges a discrete odor at one time or another. It is normal that it has a certain odor sometimes. Whether this natural smell is neutral or not, it is a matter of personal judgment. In fact, some women notice their odor when there is no notable odor detected by their partners. However, if the odor changes and becomes strongly unpleasant (repugnant fishy vaginal odor), this change deserves attention because it is perhaps a sign of a serious vaginal infection. Left untreated, this condition may cause not only physiologic problems but also emotional (stress) and social problems (the person feels uncomfortable thinking the odor is detected by others).

What to do when you have vaginal odor?

Many women believe that vaginal odor are the result of a lack of personal hygiene and wash excessively their vagina unaware that they worsen the problem. While poor genital hygiene can be the cause, excessive washing is not the solution. Very often, women hampered by a strong vaginal odor should not begin to wash themselves intensively. That does not help at all. The first thing to do should be restoring the acidity and the balance of the vaginal flora naturally. That restoration cannot be done by excessive antibiotic intake; it decreases your immune system.

How to restore the balance of the vaginal flora? The vaginal flora consists of a large number of microaerophilic bacteria. Among them, lactobacilli are considered the principal ones for their role in protecting the vagina. These micro-organisms are primarily responsible for protective acidity of the vagina. Wash the vagina too often increases its pH, which disrupts the vaginal flora and can cause vaginal infections and particularly unpleasant odors. That is, do not rush to wash your vaginal excessively when you suffer from vaginal health issues.

If the vaginal flora is disrupted, pathogenic bacteria proliferate, resulting in bacterial vaginosis. This type of proliferation tends to increase the number of bacteria normally present in the vagina causing unpleasant fishy vaginal odor.

What are the causes of vaginal odor?

Besides excessive washing, douching, tight clothes and certain chemicals (scented body washes, antibacterial soap, etc) can cause vaginal infection. Certain contraceptives and foreign body in vagina can provoke vaginal odor and other major health issues. Vaginal and anal intercourse alternation during the same session can cause vaginal infection resulting in vaginal odor. Though rare, diet can affect the smell of your vagina. In some cases of vaginal odor, eating a healthy diet (eating fruit and vegetables abundantly) can remediate the condition without any medical treatment
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Routine Use Of MRI Scans To Evaluate Breast Cancer Challenged

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:35:25 +0000

Health & medicine

Breast Cancer
Women's Health
Cancer
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"We have yet to see any evidence that MRI improves outcomes when used routinely to evaluate breast cancer, and yet more and more women are getting these scans with almost no discernable pattern," said Richard J. Bleicher, M.D., F.A.C.S., a specialist in breast cancer surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "For most women, an MRI scan prior to treatment is unnecessary. MRI can be of benefit because it's more sensitive, but with the high number of false positives and costs associated with the test, more studies are needed to determine whether MRI can improve outcomes in women with breast cancer."

Bleicher and his colleagues reviewed the records of 577 breast cancer patients seen in a multidisciplinary breast clinic where they were evaluated by a radiologist, pathologist, and a surgical, radiation, and medical oncologist. Of these patients, 130 had MRIs prior to treatment.

"Those who received an MRI had a three-week delay in the start of their treatment," said Bleicher. "In addition to the treatment delay, we're concerned that the well-documented false-positive rate with MRIs may be leading – or misleading – women into choosing mastectomies."

Bleicher said many of the women would have been candidates for a lesser procedure known as a lumpectomy. "There are a few reasons why we may be seeing higher mastectomy rates when MRIs are performed. An MRI scan is very sensitive, leading to a high number of false-positive findings. Rather than having a biopsy to see if those findings are real, women and their doctors may choose mastectomy out of an abundance of caution. Other studies have demonstrated that this often represents over-treatment because many of the mastectomies are later proven by pathology to have been unnecessary."

The study also revealed that younger women were more likely to have an MRI. "In our analysis, that trend didn't correspond with various breast cancer risk factors, such as a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, nor with the characteristics of their disease," explained Bleicher.

Another research conclusion included the failure of MRIs to help surgeons decrease positive margins during surgery, another hypothesized benefit of MRI.

"MRI is a valuable tool in some women, but without evidence that routine pre-treatment MRI improves a woman's outcome, its disadvantages suggest that it should not be a routine part of patient evaluation for treatment," said Bleicher. "Greater efforts to define MRI's limitations and use are needed."

This study was supported by a U.S. Public Health Service grant and by an appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to Bleicher, other authors include Robin M. Ciocca, D.O.; Brian L. Egleston, Ph.D.; Linda Sesa, N.P.; Kathryn Evers, M.D.; and Elin Sigurdson, M.D., Ph.D., of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Monica Morrow, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The authors report no disclosures.

Adapted from materials provided by Fox Chase Cancer Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Benefits of Using Manuka Honey as a Wound Dressing By Frank Buonanotte

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:01:49 +0000

Manuka Honey is becoming a popular ingredient in wound care products because of its ability to rapidly clear infection and heal wounds. The following delineates the benefits of utilizing this amazing natural resource as a viable treatment alternative to conventional wound medications.

Honey has been used as a natural wound healer for many years. However, recent discoveries have concluded that one particular kind of honey, indigenous to New Zealand, contains plant-derived healing properties that sets it apart from other types of honey. Manuka Honey's greatest asset is its antibacterial properties. Most traditional forms of medicine used for clearing infections can be damaging to skin tissue. However, Manuka Honey has been found to have no known side effects.

In addition to being an excellent source for healing infection, Manuka Honey also helps to prevent scarring. During the healing process, a wound will form a scab in an effort to prevent further blood loss. The problem is that newly forming skin can only grow below the scab. This creates a deformity as the new tissue is not even with the rest of the skin. However, the moist healing environment created by Manuka Honey helps to lift the scab, therefore, allowing for the regeneration of new skin to grow flush with the surface of the wound.

In some more serious wounds, patients notice that the wound begins to smell bad. Wounds most commonly associated with malodor include exudating wounds, chronic pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, diabetic/neuropathic ulcers, fungating, cancerous or malignant lesions and wounds with necrotic tissue. Wound odor is mostly due to the degradation of tissue or bacteria that release compounds and fatty acids. When a Manuka Honey-based dressing is used, the bacteria feed of the sugars in the honey and give off better smelling gases, therefore minimizing or eliminating malodor.

Manuka Honey also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help to relieve pain associated with wounds. Once Manuka Honey is applied to a wound, tissue inflammation and swelling is immediately reduced. Since pain is never considered a desirable experience, this could possibly be one of Manuka Honey's more favorable qualities.

Perhaps the element that has brought Manuka Honey into the spot light as of late is its ability to destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and VRE. With the widespread concern of Staph infections and the lack of treatment alternatives, Manuka Honey has come through like a ray of hope, effectively healing such conditions where antibiotics have failed. News headlines around the world have described Manuka Honey's ability to go toe-to-toe with this deadly infection. The best way to describe it is that, by osmosis, Manuka Honey draws moisture out of the bacterial cells, making it impossible for them to stay alive. This is why no bacteria has ever been able to develop a resistance to Manuka Honey, and never will.
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Scientists Identify Genetic Link That May Neutralize HIV

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:57:59 +0000

Health & medicine

HIV and AIDS
Infectious Diseases
Viruses

Plants & Animals

Virology
Mice
Evolutionary Biology

Reference

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Hepatitis B
HPV vaccine

Neutralizing antibodies, once produced in the host, can attack and checkmate an infecting virus.

Scientists have been striving in vain to stimulate strong protective antibodies with an HIV vaccine for years because these antibodies hold great promise for controlling HIV infection in humans. HIV is a type of virus called a "retrovirus," which copies its RNA genetic material into DNA and incorporates it into the DNA of its host.

In 1978, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studying a similar retrovirus in mice discovered a gene called Rfv3 that influenced the production of neutralizing antibodies that allowed the animals to recover. By 1999, they had narrowed the location of Rfv3 to a relatively small region on mouse chromosome 15, but that region contained more than 60 genes. The laboratory of GIVI Director Warner C. Greene and a team of scientists from NIAID now demonstrate that Rfv3 is Apobec3, an innate immunity gene with antiretroviral activity.

"This newfound link between Apobec3 and the production of neutralizing antibodies came as a complete surprise," said Dr. Greene, senior author on the paper.

While the studies involved a different retrovirus infecting mice, the findings may extend to HIV. HIV uses one of its genes, Vif, to specifically disable human Apobec3 proteins and HIV-infected patients rarely make broadly neutralizing antibodies against this virus. This new study raises the possibility that drugs or vaccines that interfere with Vif might allow humans to naturally make better neutralizing antibody responses against HIV.

"We now have a host factor needed for the production of neutralizing antibodies that HIV targets and destroys," said Gladstone scientist Mario Santiago, PhD. "This offers a fresh perspective on how to strengthen this arm of the immune response against HIV, with direct implications for immunotherapy and vaccine development."

The scientists conducted a series of genetic experiments by mating mice with different Rfv3 and Apobec3 profiles. The researchers demonstrated that Apobec3, like Rfv3, contributes to the early control of retroviral infection in mice, and also influences specific retroviral antibody responses. In addition, they discovered that Rfv3 susceptible mouse strains that fail to make antibody responses have a natural defect in Apobec3. These results provide convincing evidence that Rfv3 and Apobec3 are the same gene.

"We set out to solve a 30-year old mystery in retrovirus biology and in the process made a discovery that might impact future development of HIV vaccines. Science really is full of unexpected twists and turns," said Dr. Greene.

The link between Apobec3 and neutralizing antibody responses becomes even more tantalizing in view of other recent studies of people who somehow resist HIV infection despite years of frequent exposure to the virus. These individuals produce a particular type of antibody recognizing the virus and genetic mapping studies of their resistance points to a chromosomal region where the human Apobec3 genes are clustered.

The research group is now poised to investigate Apobec3 differences in these individuals and is currently screening for compounds that would rescue Apobec3 function during HIV infection.

Journal reference:

Santiago M.L, Montano, M., Benitez,R., Messer, R.J., Yonemoto, W., Chesebro, B., Hasenkrug, K.J., and Greene, WC. Apobec3 encodes Rfv3, a gene influencing neutralizing antibody control of retrovirus infection. Science, 1161121

Adapted from materials provided by Gladstone Institutes.
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What A Sleep Study Can Reveal About Fibromyalgia

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:52:47 +0000

Health & Medicine

Sleep Disorder Research
Insomnia Research
Staying Healthy

Mind & Brain

Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
Disorders and Syndromes

Reference

Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
Sleep deprivation
Rapid eye movement
Separation anxiety disorder

Joseph W. Burns, a research scientist and engineer at the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI); Ronald D. Chervin, director of the University of Michigan’s Michael S. Aldrich Sleep Disorders Laboratory; and Leslie Crofford, director of the Center for the Advancement of Women’s Health at the University of Kentucky, report the results of their study in the current issue of the journal Sleep Medicine

MTRI, a freestanding research institute acquired by Michigan Tech in 2006 and based in Ann Arbor, specializes in remote sensors that collect data, and in signal processing, using algorithms or computer programs to analyze and correlate the information the sensors gather. MTRI has developed an ongoing collaboration with the University of Michigan’s sleep laboratory, one of the nation’s leading clinical and research centers specializing in sleep medicine.

This several-year collaboration provided MTRI’s first opportunities to apply quantitative analysis, remote sensing technology and computer algorithms to clinical challenges, said Burns. “In this case, our analyses of sleep stage dynamics suggest potential clinical relevance,” he noted. Newly explored measures of sleep fragmentation seem to correlate—at least in this study—with levels of pain reported by fibromyalgia patients.

Burns, who has a PhD in electrical engineering, finds that more and more of his research is taking a biomedical turn. He and his team are working with Chervin to use signal-processing technology to record and analyze the brain waves and biophysical responses of children and adults with a variety of sleep disorders. They hope it will help them better understand conventional sleep patterns, as well as diagnose and treat sleep disorders.

They presented the results of research related to assessment of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep fragmentation at Sleep 2008, an international sleep research conference, in Baltimore in June.

Patients who may have sleep disorders often undergo complicated and expensive tests in sleep laboratories, Chervin explained. These studies collect an assortment of biophysical data that reflect brain, cardiovascular and muscle activity throughout the night. Up to now, these data had to be analyzed manually by highly trained technicians.

“We are collaborating to find new ways to analyze routinely collected data in a way that will be meaningful to the patient’s health and will help us understand how sleep disorders affect brain functions,” he said.

Automated analysis of data potentially can provide improved assessments and reduce the cost of sleep studies, Burns noted. For example, MTRI and UM have developed an automated technique for assessing the severity of sleep-disordered breathing, using just two signals—brain waves and respiration—instead of the dozen or more signals typically needed for standard visual scoring of a sleep study.

“It may even become possible for people to take sleep tests—simpler and more effective than some of those currently available—at home where they can sleep in their own familiar bedrooms,” he suggested.

Both partners are reaping the benefits of the collaboration, Burns said. Not only can automated technology improve clinical research; what the MTRI scientists have learned about biomedical techniques such as brain mapping is informing their more traditional work on radar and optical sensing technology.

Michigan Tech and UM have patented the new algorithm for assessing sleep-disordered breathing, which enables them to study what the extra work of breathing does to the brainwaves of patients with sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing stops briefly many times during sleep. Sleep apnea has been linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive changes and other health effects, and to hyperactive behavior in children.

The universities have filed an application for another patent for an algorithm that helps automate the assessment of patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. People with this neurological condition act out their dreams during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which can cause them to harm themselves or a bed partner while they are asleep.

Burns and Chervin published the results of that study in the December 2007 issue of the journal Sleep.

The team plans to investigate other sleep disorders and to continue to develop automated processing techniques to improve the performance and efficiency of sleep disorder diagnosis and assessment.

Adapted from materials provided by Michigan Technological University.
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What A Sleep Study Can Reveal About Fibromyalgia

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:42:34 +0000

Health & Medicine

Sleep Disorder Research
Insomnia Research
Staying Healthy

Mind & Brain

Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
Disorders and Syndromes

Reference

Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
Sleep deprivation
Rapid eye movement
Separation anxiety disorder

They presented the results of research related to assessment of sleep-disordered breathing and sleep fragmentation at Sleep 2008, an international sleep research conference, in Baltimore in June.

Burns and Chervin published the results of that study in the December 2007 issue of the journal Sleep.

The team plans to investigate other sleep disorders and to continue to develop automated processing techniques to improve the performance and efficiency of sleep disorder diagnosis and assessment.

Adapted from materials provided by Michigan Technological University.
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