Sleep disturbances in patients with lung cancer in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep quality is known to be associated with the distressing symptoms of cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of cancer symptoms on insomnia and the prevalence of sleep-related problems reported by the patients with lung cancer in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Assesment of Palliative Care in Lung Cancer in Turkey (ASPECT) study, a prospective multicenter study conducted in Turkey with the participation of 26 centers and included all patients with lung cancer, was re-evaluated in terms of sleep problems, insomnia and possible association with the cancer symptoms. Demographic characteristics of patients and information about disease were recorded for each patient by physicians via face-to-face interviews, and using hospital records. Patients who have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS) is associated with daytime sleepiness/fatigue were diagnosed as having insomnia. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and lung cancer symptoms were recorded and graded using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. RESULT: Among 1245 cases, 48.4% reported DIMS, 60.8% reported daytime sleepiness and 82.1% reported fatigue. The prevalence of insomnia was 44.7%. Female gender, patients with stage 3-4 disease, patients with metastases, with comorbidities, and with weight loss > 5 kg had higher rates of insomnia. Also, patients with insomnia had significantly higher rates of pain, nausea, dyspnea, and anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients with moderate to severe pain and dyspnea and severe anxiety had 2-3 times higher rates of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results showed a clear association between sleep disturbances and cancer symptoms. Because of that, adequate symptom control is essential to maintain sleep quality in patients with lung cancer.

The effect of methyl palmitate on treatment of experimental asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of methyl palmitate on murine model of chronic asthma. METHODS: The experimental study was conducted in the animal laboratory of DokuzEylul University, Turkey, from October to December, 2012, and comprised BALB/c mice whowere divided into four equal groups: three experimental and one control group. All groups except the control group were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. Mice with experimentally-induced asthma in Group I received saline; Group II dexamethasone 1mg/kg; Group III methyl palmitate300mg/kg intraperitoneally three times per week in the last four weeks of the study period. Animals were sacrificed 24h after the last administration of study drugs. Histological findings of airways were evaluated by light microscopic examination. Blood samples from vena cava inferior were taken for measurement of interleukin-5 levels. SPSS 15 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The 28 female mice in the study were divided into 4 groups of 7(25%) each. The age range of the animals was 6-8weeks, and the weight range was 18-20g. All histological parameters and interleukin-5 levels of asthma in the Group III were significantly ameliorated compared to the Group I (p<0.05). All histological parameters and interleukin-5 levels were similar between Group III and Group II. CONCLUSIONS: Methyl palmitate exhibited anti-inflammatory effects by resolving the histological changes and reducing the interleukin-5 levels in murine model of chronic asthma.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease: the importance of obesity and gender.

BACKGROUND: It is claimed that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) increases in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of GERD in patients with OSAS and primary snoring and identify OSAS-related risk factors associated with GERD. METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study, in total 1,104 patients were recruited for polysomnography: 147 subjects were in non-OSAS (primary snoring) and 957 patients were in OSAS group. All patients completed a validated GERD questionnaire. Demographic, anthropometric characteristics, and medical history were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of GERD was similar in OSAS (38.9%) and non-OSAS (32.0%) groups (p = 0.064). There was no difference in terms of major gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms (heartburn/acid regurgitation) between non-OSAS and mild, moderate, and severe OSAS groups. The prevalence of GERD was increased in female OSAS patients (46.6%) compared to males (35.7%) (p = 0.002). In OSAS patients with GERD, body mass index was greater (34.0 ± 7.0 vs. 33.1 ± 6.8, p = 0.049), waist (115.5 ± 13.9 vs. 113.1 ± 13.4, p = 0.007) and hip (117.9 ± 13.7 vs. 114.2 ± 12.8, p < 0.0001) circumferences were larger, and Epworth sleepiness scores were higher (10.3 ± 6.0 vs. 8.8 ± 5.6, p < 0.0001) than OSAS patients without GERD. Multivariate analysis showed that GERD was significantly associated with female gender, hip circumference, and daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort, the prevalence of GERD was significantly increased in those with primary snoring and OSAS compared to the general population, but severity of OSAS did not influence GERD prevalence. The present results suggest that OSAS was not likely a causative factor but female gender, obesity, and sleepiness were related with prevalence of GERD in OSAS patients.

Correlation between hippocampal sulcus width and severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) severity and the hippocampal sulcus width in a cohort of subjects with OSAS and controls. A total of 149 OSAS patients and 60 nonapneic controls were included in the study. Overnight polysomnograpy was performed in all patients. Hippocampal sulcus width of the patients was measured by a radiologist blinded to the diagnosis of the patients. Other variables noted for each patient were as follows: gender, age, body mass index, apnea hypopnea index, Epworth sleepiness scale, sleep efficacy, mean saturation, lowest O2 saturation, longest apnea duration, neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference. A total of 149 OSAS patients were divided into three groups: mild OSAS (n = 54), moderate OSAS (n = 40), severe OSAS (n = 55) groups. The control group consisted of patients with AHI <5 (n = 60). Hippocampal sulcus width was 1.6 ± 0.83 mm in the control group; while 1.9 ± 0.81 mm in mild OSAS, 2.1 ± 0.60 mm in moderate OSAS, and 2.9 ± 0.58 mm in severe OSAS groups (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis of variables revealed that apnea hypopnea index (rs = 0.483, p < 0.001) was positively correlated with hippocampal sulcus width. Our findings demonstrated that severity of OSAS might be associated with various pathologic mechanisms including increased hippocampal sulcus width.

The association of nocturia with sleep disorders and metabolic and chronic pulmonary conditions: data derived from the polysomnographic evaluations of 730 patients.

AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of nocturia among different degrees of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its association with various clinical conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 730 OSA patients, the prevalence and frequency of nocturia was determined, and the association of nocturia with clinical and laboratory variables such as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), apnea duration, and minimum oxygen saturation and clinical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was determined. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of nocturia (≥2 wakes/night) was 50.9%. Prevalences ofnocturia in simple snoring and mild, moderate, and severe OSA patients were 40.6%, 44.4%, 58.6%, and 57.1%, respectively (P < 0.005). The frequency of nocturia significantly increases with the severity of OSA (1.4 ± 1.0 wakes/night in mild OSA vs. 2.0 ? 1.4 wakes/night in severe OSA, P = 0.001). Age, AHI, average oxygen saturation, and presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and COPD were found to be significant risk factors associated with nocturia (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: The frequency of nocturia increases as the severity of OSA increase. The increased prevalence of nocturia in patients with OSA, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and COPD indicates the complex physiological background of this bothersome urologic symptom.

Frequency and predictors of obesity hypoventilation in hospitalized patients at a tertiary health care institution.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) have significant morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and treatment is important and there are limited data on its prevalence and predictive factors. The objective of this observational study was to determine the frequency and predictors of OHS in hospitalized patients at a tertiary health care institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All blood gas analyses of hospitalized adult (age over 18 years) patients were prospectively recruited from the biochemistry laboratory at a tertiary health care center between August 2009 and July 2010. Patients who had hypercapnia (PaCO2 ≥ 45 mmHg) while breathing room air were included and clinical and laboratory data were obtained from hospital records. A standard questionnaire was also filled by face-to-face interview with patients and/or relatives. RESULTS: A total of 9480 patients' arterial blood gases were evaluated and 330 patients (3.4%) who met the selection criteria were included in the analysis during the study period. Hypoventilation was associated with acute diseases in 64.2% and chronic diseases in 35.8% of the patients. Of the chronic hypoventilation patients, 24.4% had OHS. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that, female gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, PaO2, SaO2 and a PaCO2/BMI <1.5 were significantly related to OHS. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, BMI >35 kg/m(2), SaO2 <91.4% and PaCO2 /BMI <1.5 were significantly related to OHS. A PaCO2/BMI <1.5 was an independent variable strongly predictive of OHS (odds ratio: 36.9, 95% of the confidence interval: 2.75-492.95, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: OHS is a common cause of chronic alveolar hypoventilation. A careful examination PaCO2 /BMI ratio may prevent misdiagnoses among hypercapnic patients.

Carotid intima-media thickness increase in patients with habitual simple snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders are emerging risk factors for atherosclerosis. Increased carotid intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) is a surrogate marker of cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between CCA-IMT and habitual simple snoring or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and the other cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: Sleep disorders were diagnosed and staged by polysomnography. Patients were then classified into either habitual simple snoring (n = 20, group 1) or OSAS (n = 67, group 2), which was subclassified as mild-moderate (n = 27) or severe (n = 40). CCA-IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. The other major risk factors were investigated. RESULTS: The mean CCA-IMT was 0.65 ± 0.02 mm (mean ± SD) in group 1 versus 0.75 ± 0.02 mm in group 2 (p = 0.03). Using CCA-IMT ≥ 0. 9 mm as the threshold value also yielded significant results between the two groups (p = 0.03). The mean CCA-IMT did not differ between patients with mild-moderate and severe OSAS, whereas metabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome (MS) were more prominent in the latter. Age, MS, neck and waist circumference, waist/ hip circumference, and fasting glucose level were higher in patients with CCA-IMT ≥ 0.9 mm. CONCLUSIONS: CCA-IMT increase was associated with OSAS, but did not correlate with its severity, which could be due to the higher incidence of MS in this group.

Sleep analysis of patients with nocturia and benign prostatic obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the timing of nocturia during sleep and its effect on sleep quality using the polysomnography (PSG) findings from patients with benign prostatic obstruction. METHODS: From August 2009 to August 2010, 20 patients diagnosed with benign prostatic obstruction were enrolled in the present study. The sleep evaluation was performed by PSG. The Epworth index was used to evaluate the sleepiness of the patients. The effect of nocturia on sleep quality is evaluated by sleep efficacy, total sleep time, and rapid eye movement sleep duration, calculated from the hypnograms derived from the polysomnograms. RESULTS: The mean age, total International Prostate Symptom Score, nocturia frequency on International Prostate Symptom Score, and frequency of nocturia recorded during PSG was 60.4 ± 8.5 years (range 44-74), 19.3 ± 4.9 (range 10-28), 3.5 ± 1.05 (range 2-5), and 1.35 ± 1.2 (range 0-4), respectively. In 6 patients (30%), the Epworth sleepiness score was pathologic (score >8). Nocturia correlated positively with increased daytime sleepiness, however it did not correlate with sleep efficacy or total sleep time. These parameters were affected by the apnea-hypopnea index, the major determinant of obstructive sleep apnea. Of the 20 patients, 14 (70%) experienced nocturia during PSG, and in these patients, we recorded 23 nocturia episodes that mostly occurred in the superficial sleep stage (16 [70%] of 23). Only 7 nocturia episodes (30%) occurred in the deep sleep stage. The sleep quality of patients with deep sleep nocturia did not differ from that of patients with superficial sleep nocturia. CONCLUSION: The results of our study have shown that nocturia predominantly occurs during the superficial sleep or rapid eye movement stage and is related to increased daytime sleepiness in patients with benign prostatic obstruction. The timing and frequency of nocturia had no significant affect on sleep quality; however, the presence of obstructive sleep apnea negatively interfered with these parameters.

Cerebral oxygenation during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate cerebral hemodynamics in patients with sleep-disordered breathing of variable severity using cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary training and research hospital. METHODS: The study was performed in patients referred for daytime sleepiness, habitual nocturnal snoring, and witnessed apnea spells from October 2009 to March 2010. Full-night polysomnography was coupled with cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy recording. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cerebral O2 and peripheral capillary O2 saturation indexes were measured before sleep and during different stages of sleep. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. During wakefulness, mean peripheral capillary O2 saturation was 96.39 ± 1.54% (range 93-99%), whereas mean cerebral O2 saturation was 69.19 ± 6.96% (range 55-86%). Mean peripheral capillary O2 saturation decreased to 80.42 ± 9.73% (range 51-94%), whereas cerebral O2 saturation decreased to 61.91 ± 7.23% (range 45-79%) during sleep. Peripheral and cerebral hemodynamic status during sleep differed significantly in patients with different disease severity. Indeed, peripheral and cerebral O2 saturation levels were lower in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea compared to those with mild and moderate apneas (p  =  .001 and p  =  .002, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that acute cerebral hemodynamic consequences of sleep-disordered breathing are determined by the duration and type of the respiratory event and that the combination of the two determinants can lead to a failure of cerebral circulatory mechanisms and, eventually, brain tissue hypoxia.

The relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of patients and diagnostic delay in acute pulmonary thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND: In pulmonary thromboembolism (PE), delay to diagnosis is very common. In this study, we examined the role of patients and the socio-demographic characteristics in delayed diagnosis of PE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 156 PE patients for the dates of symptom onset, the dates of first visit to a health institution and diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and the socio-demographic characteristics. Delays were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and the predictors were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the patients, 60.3% visited a health institution within the first day of the symptoms. Mean time from symptoms to the first admission to a health institution (patient delay) was 2.04 ± 3.89 days (median 0 day, range 0-30). Current smoking, a high level of education, and co-morbidity were associated with longer patient delays. The time interval from first symptom to the diagnosis (total delay) was 7.93 ± 10.05 (median 4 days, range 0-45) days. While hypotension, syncope, and previous surgery/trauma were significantly associated with a shorter total delay, a previous visit to any health institution was associated with longer total delay. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, although some socio-demographic characteristics of patients such as smoking, educational status, and co-morbid diseases were found to be associated with delayed visit to any health institution, our results showed that physician or health system delays were more prominent in delayed diagnosis of PE.