 |
Ear, Nose & Throat Associates |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 | August 2006 Articles:
|
|
|
|
August 2006 News Archives
|
August 7: Stem Cells May Be Key To Deafness Cure, CBS News
Researchers Say They Can Grow Into The Hair Cells That Allow Us To Hear
PALO ALTO, California (AP)
"I hope that in the next five years, we are at a point that we can say that it is possible to cure deafness, at least in an animal."
Stefan Heller
(CBS) In a dusty, cluttered lab at Stanford University, a team of young scientists is on a quest. Curing deafness is the goal, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Kaledin, and Stefan Heller says stem cells hold the key.
Heller and his entire team were recruited away from Harvard, and they've made a breakthrough discovery: They've found that stem cells have the capacity to regenerate in the inner ear.
The stem cells are especially good at growing into the microscopic hair cells that make hearing possible.
"It's like a little microphone in your ear," Heller says of the hair cells, "and when the microphones go bad, then you don't hear anymore. We can grow these tiny microphones from these stem cells."
Heller and his colleagues have figured out how to inject stem cells into the ears of mouse embryos and watch them grow. Their next step is to try it in live mice.
"I hope that in five years, we are at a point that we can say that it is possible to cure deafness, at least in an animal," Heller says. "That will be the first step toward treating human patients."
There are an estimated 28 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many of them get by with hearing aids and surgically implanted cochlear implants. But Heller and his team believe that stem cells have the potential to eliminate even the best technology we have.
"So what you're saying is if we can restore something to its natural state, why not?" asks Kaledin.
"Why not," responds Heller. "Exactly."
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 8: Writer's Blockage - His 'Nose Job' Had Nothing to Do With Vanity. He Just Wanted to Breathe, The Washington Post
By Jeffrey G. Ghassemi
Washington Post Staff Writer
It was an idea of ostensible brilliance, born of utter desperation. It involved tweezers.
Using only a vague knowledge of nasal anatomy, I squeezed the tweezers closed and guided them up my left nostril to the recesses of my nose. I counted to three, released the instrument and winced as the prongs sprang open.
I had hoped that this propping trick would provide some momentary ventilation. It brought pain and humiliation instead.
I was deviated. My nose was, at least.
Like many a nasal septum -- the rubbery center divider of the nose -- mine was off line. My septum veered so far left that my nose was effectively plugged.
It wasn't always that way. I've had episodes of trauma to my nose -- an errant elbow during soccer season, a line drive during Little League -- that may have shifted my septal posture over time. But the older I grew, the harder it was to breathe, except through my mouth. Attempts to take in air through my nose produced a sound like a kazoo.
This was not so good for daily life. I tired easily during sports. I could sleep only in certain positions. I suffered frequent nosebleeds. I was distracted in class. And, let's face it, sounding like Steve Erkel didn't exactly help in the confidence arena.
When conventional remedies such as decongestants, allergy sprays and nasal breathing strips failed, I devised more creative fixes: a straw as a nasal stent, physical manipulation of my septum, and, yes, the tweezers. Those all flopped, too.
There was no way around it, I concluded. I would need surgery. And I while I had no idea then, I would face the knife not once but twice.
The Other Nose Job
Made mainly of cartilage, a tough yet flexible connective tissue, the septum is rarely completely straight. More than 80 percent of people have a bend in the dividing wall between the nostrils, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Of these, nearly a quarter have a septum so crooked that it blocks the nasal passage and produces such symptoms as recurrent sinus infections, snoring and a diminished sense of smell and taste.
"For a lot of people, nasal obstruction can be life-altering," said Seth Oringher, assistant clinical professor of otolaryngology at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. "When you can't sleep in the same room as your partner or enjoy activities outdoors, it takes a toll on your quality of life."
Googling "septal deviation" opens up a world of bizarre tales of septal suffering. Some bloggers find solace in the deviations of celebrity septums, including Barbara Streisand's, Meryl Streep's and Bob Dylan's. Others tell of septums gone awry from excessive nose picking or chronic cocaine snorting. (Both untrue, says Oringher.)
While injuries cause most deviated septums, Oringher speculates that pressure on the nose during childbirth may also account for some cases. Whatever the cause, people spend an estimated $5 billion annually on self-treatments such as intranasal steroids, decongestants and Breathe Right strips, and millions more on surgical remedies.
One of the first descriptions of surgery on the septum came from Philippe-Frédéric Blandin, a 19th-century French surgeon who believed that septal deformities could be corrected with a swift punch to the offending organ. Fortunately, the procedure has advanced since then.
Septoplasty, the modern-day outpatient procedure to correct a deviated septum, is one of the most common ENT (ear, nose, throat) procedures, with more than 1 million performed in the United States each year, according to Alpin Patel, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Risks include excessive bleeding, infection, scarring, tearing of the septal cartilage and loss of smell, but these are rare, he said.
Unlike the ever-popular rhinoplasty, or "nose job" -- the external reshaping of the nose -- a septoplasty is performed internally, through the nostrils. Severely skewed portions of the septum may be removed entirely, or reshaped and repositioned.
In many cases, the procedure is done in conjunction with a turbinectomy, a trimming of the turbinate bones that warm and humidify air coming into the nasal passage. The operation, which takes about an hour, runs about $4,000 and is covered by most insurers.
Recovery generally takes two days to a week. Patients often need a few weeks longer, until internal swelling subsides, to experience full relief.
After surgery, "my patients are so relieved -- they think I'm the greatest thing ever," said Oringher. "They take their first clear breath and can't believe what they were missing. I think it goes to show the great effect that nasal congestion can have on a patient's quality of life."
Hard-nosed
I passed on the first head and neck surgeon I saw, a private practice doctor whom I found too dismissive of my concerns. I went with a university-affiliated physician. Noting the hump on my nose -- a trait that had nothing to do with my breathing problem -- he offered to throw in some cosmetic work, as if surgery were a burger and he was offering fries with it. I declined the cosmetics and scheduled the septoplasty.
I had my surgery in the morning and was groggily back home by late afternoon. I felt no great pain -- just the pressure of nasal packing jammed up my nose. The packing came out a week later, and I waited. But the aha moment that I had feverishly anticipated never came. My septum was still off balance and I still couldn't breathe through my nose.
In about 5 to 10 percent of cases, Patel explains, the surgery does not produce relief. I was among them.
I was determined to give surgery another chance, hoping the problem was the particular surgeon, not the science. I scheduled consultations with three more specialists. I began to feel like Goldilocks in a house of ENT surgeons: One was too cold. Another was too inexperienced. Then I saw Roger Crumley at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Before pushing for any procedure, he helped me understand my condition and what to expect from treatment.
He agreed to do a second septoplasty and informed me of its risks, slightly elevated since the septum had already been compromised. While he didn't guarantee me a home run, he did promise some relief.
Two days after surgery, I had my brother help me remove the nasal packing, as instructed. He did so gingerly. My mother supervised with concern. If I still can't breathe after this, I thought, just cut the thing off.
And then I went for the $4,000 breath -- no, wait, make that $8,000.
I felt an unfamiliar sensation: air! It rushed up through my nose to the back of my throat and then down to my lungs, just as nature had intended. Sweet nasal liberty! I rejoiced with my family, who could finally breathe easier themselves.
Six specialists and two surgeries after I confronted my problem, my septum is right where it should be. As for the tweezers, they've served their purpose. But maybe I'll just keep them around if I ever have to fend off a unibrow.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 9: Allergies Linked to Parkinson's Disease, Ivanhoe Newswire
A lifetime of stuffy noses and sneezing may mean something other than just spending more than the average person on Kleenex. A new study reveals men and women with nasal allergies are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
The problem is not specifically the allergies, but the inflammation response to allergens, theorize researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Their study reveals people with allergic rhinitis, or nasal allergies, are almost three-times more likely to suffer from Parkinson's disease than people who do not.
The researchers wanted to know the connection between inflammatory diseases and Parkinson's disease. Despite the connection to allergic rhinitis, they did not find a similar link between Parkinson's and other inflammatory diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, pernicious anemia, or vitiligo.
Parkinson's disease affects cells in the brain that control muscle movement. Trembling, muscle rigidity, difficulty walking, and problems with balance and coordination are some of the common effects of the disease.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Neurology, 2006,67:497-499
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 9: Link Between Allergic Rhinitis And Parkinson's - Clarification, Medical News Today
Media coverage has been reporting that allergies are linked to Parkinson's. An article in The Times (UK) states "millions of people who suffer from chronic allergies to pets, dust and spores are up to three times more likely to develop Parkinson's later in life."
Although the research study reported on did establish that there was a greater incidence of allergic rhinitis amongst the group of Parkinson's patients, this does not establish that allergic rhinitis is a cause of Parkinson's. Rather, it may demonstrate that allergic rhinitis may be one of the effects of Parkinson's.
The research studied a group of 196 people with Parkinson's matched with people of similar age and gender who did not, over a 20-year period. The two groups were examined to determine if people with Parkinson's suffered from more inflammatory conditions.
It is important to note that this study was not designed to establish whether the incidence of Parkinson's amongst people with allergic rhinitis was greater than that seen amongst the general population.
The exact causes of Parkinson's are currently unknown. Research is ongoing in this area. It is generally understood that Parkinson's results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Dr. Kieran Breen, Director of Research says:
"Understanding why dopamine-producing cells within the brain die is crucial to our understanding of Parkinson's. Although there are likely to be many contributory factors, this study does not establish any convincing causal link between allergic rhinitis and Parkinson's. People who do have allergic rhinitis should not be concerned by the findings of this study."
Parkinson's affects approximately 120,000 people in the UK.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 15: Women with asthma at risk for sleep apnea, United Press International
CINCINNATI, (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have found that young women with asthma are twice as likely to have symptoms of sleep apnea compared with those who do not have asthma.
Twenty-one percent of young adult women with asthma experienced habitual snoring, the primary symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
The findings disprove a long-held notion that obstructive sleep apnea predominantly affects males, and highlights the importance of identifying specific groups of women who are at high risk for the condition, says lead author Dr. Maninder Kalra, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when airways in the nose, mouth and throat narrow and disrupt a person's ability to breathe properly -- primarily during sleep. Left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can lead to impaired memory, mood swings, restless sleep, and extreme day-time fatigue.
This study is published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 15: Ear Infection? Think Twice Before Inserting a Tube, United Press International
By JANE E. BRODY
When my sons were preschoolers in the early 70's, ear tubes were all the rage for children with recurring ear infections. Parents were bombarded by warnings that if fluid in the middle ear lingered long after treatment of an ear infection it could impair hearing and cause lasting developmental abnormalities, including problems with speech and language, learning and behavior.
Two decades later, ear tubes were still very much in fashion. A newsletter published in November 1993 for parents of young children proclaimed that hearing loss resulting from otitis media with effusion, or O.M.E., as the problem is known medically, "can cause serious retardation of a child's language skills, teasing and tormenting by playmates and siblings, anger and punishment from parents or teachers who may think the child is deliberately 'ignoring' them and even permanent hearing damage."
What conscientious parent would not want to prevent such disastrous consequences? And so a million or more children each year underwent surgery to have "ventilation" tubes inserted in one or both ears to clear the eustachian tube and allow the eardrum to move properly in response to incoming sounds.
Acting With the Best Intentions
The tubes were intended to remain in the ear for up to 14 months. By then, many children outgrow the problem. After age 3 or 4, Dr. Robert Stenstrom of St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver explained, the eustachian tube lengthens and changes position, reducing the risk of middle ear infections and fluid buildup.
Still, after the tubes are removed or fall out on their own, many children need to have them replaced at least once. Each operation involves general anesthesia and the risks it entails.
According to a new long-term study by Dr. Stenstrom and colleagues, when young children were randomly assigned to receive ear tubes or to be treated daily with antibiotics, those with ear tubes suffered greater damage to their eardrums and had, on average, poorer hearing 6 to 10 years after the tubes were removed.
Although the tube design has changed and daily antibiotics are no longer recommended, this controlled clinical trial calls into question whether the benefits of ear tubes outweigh the risks.
Ear tubes remain popular - with an estimated 700,000 insertions a year in the United States - despite subsequent well-planned studies that challenged many of the assumptions that long justified their use. Research directed by Dr. Jack L. Paradise, professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and other independent studies found no lasting effects of lingering fluid in the middle ear in otherwise healthy children.
Although these children typically have mild to moderate hearing loss and may experience some developmental lags for as long as fluid lingers, they soon catch up to their peers. This is true among children from low-income families as well as those of middle incomes.
For example, in a four-year study of 83 children primarily from low-income families, Joanne E. Roberts and colleagues from the University of North Carolina found "no evidence of a significant relationship between a history of O.M.E. or hearing loss and children's later academic skills in reading or word recognition during the early elementary school years."
In their report, published in Pediatrics in October 2002, the authors concluded, "A child's home environment was more related to early math and expressive language skills than was O.M.E. or hearing loss, and the home environment continued to be predictive of all of the language and academic outcomes through second grade."
In May 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics published new clinical guidelines to help physicians treat children with the lingering middle ear fluid. The guidelines, written to avoid unneeded surgery, emphasize that the problem usually goes away on its own in three or four months, generally precluding the need for ear tubes.
Following the Guidelines
But as has long been accepted medical practice, the guidelines suggest that ear tubes be used without delay for certain children with the fluid disorder who are already "at risk for speech, language or learning problems" because of other conditions, including Down syndrome, permanent hearing loss, uncorrectable visual impairment, autismlike disorders, cleft palate and speech and language or developmental delay.
Otherwise normal, healthy children with lingering middle ear fluid should be re-examined every three to six months to check for the persistence of effusion, worsening hearing loss or structural abnormalities of the eardrum or middle ear, the academy suggested.
According to the guidelines, a child becomes a candidate for ear tubes when a disorder persists for four months or longer and is associated "with persistent hearing loss or other signs and symptoms" or structural damage to the middle ear.
Watching and Waiting
In an editorial accompanying the report from Vancouver, Dr. Stephen Berman, professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado and the Children's Hospital in Denver, said that the guidelines were confusing and that children were likely to continue to get ear tubes they didn't need.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 15: Hearing Loss and High-Speed Dental Tools, eMaxHealth
Dental Care and Hearing Loss
After 36 years in private dental practice, Fred Kreutzer, D.M.D., began struggling to hear. It's been five years since he retired from his practice and Kreutzer now wears hearing aids in both ears. Although he has a family history of hearing loss, he believes the high-speed tools he worked with eight hours a day for so many years may have played a role in his hearing troubles. "I think if you listen to any high-pitched noise for any length of time, it will get to you eventually," said Kreutzer, an assistant professor in operative dentistry at the OHSU School of Dentistry (www.ohsu.edu/sod). "But in my case, with a family history of hearing loss, it may be hereditary, as well."
Whether high-speed dental tools contribute to long-term hearing loss is the subject of a study currently under way in the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic and the School of Dentistry. According to Robert Folmer, Ph.D., one of the study leaders, published research is mixed about whether high-speed dental tools contribute to noise-induced hearing loss over time.
"Over the years, we have seen dentists in the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic who were convinced that long-term exposure to sound from high-speed hand pieces contributed to their high-frequency hearing loss and tinnitus," said Folmer. "These anecdotes, in combination with the research being divided about high-speed hand pieces playing a role in hearing loss, prompted our study. We hope the study is a good first step toward scientific evidence behind the anecdotes we've been hearing." Fulmer is associate professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, School of Medicine, and chief of clinical services at the OHSU Tinnitus Clinic, Oregon Hearing Research Center.
Tinnitus, or ringing of the ears, can be constant or intermittent and can include buzzing, hissing or sizzling sounds. Many people experience momentary tinnitus, a high-pitched tone that lasts up to 30 seconds. Acute tinnitus, however, can last days or weeks and is most commonly caused by exposure to loud noise such as music at a rock concert, power tools or gunfire. The subsequent ringing indicates damage to the tiny hair-like structures within the inner ear and if exposure to loud noise continues, permanent hearing loss is likely.
Most of the current high-speed hand pieces, such as high-speed drills and scalers used by dental professionals, are between 90 to 100 decibels, says Folmer. That's the equivalent of a gas lawnmower or other power tools, which are loud enough to cause hearing loss over time. And hand pieces have actually gotten "quieter" over the years with the advent of modern technologies. However, very few dental professionals or students interviewed for the study so far, wear earplugs to protect themselves from this noise.
None of the 54 dental schools nationally are known to require dental students to wear ear protection while treating patients.
School of Dentistry Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D., welcomed Folmer's study. "Any research that can help us keep students healthy and safe is a top priority," said Clinton. "We hope just the fact that the study is being done will continue to help raise awareness within the dental school about the possible hearing loss from high-speed dental instruments so dental professionals can make good decisions as they go through their careers."
Folmer is conducting his research this summer with Clackamas High School senior April Kaelin, a student he is mentoring through Portland State University's Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) program. Folmer and April are investigating noise-induced hearing loss by conducting hearing tests with a portable audiometer, examining ear canals with an otoscope and asking participants to answer questions about occupational and recreational noise exposure. They also have measured the sound levels of different hand pieces while they're used on patients.
"We want to compare the hearing tests of dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists to those of dental students and people of comparable age in other professions," said Folmer. "We also want to examine whether there's a correlation between hearing thresholds and the amount of time that dental professionals are exposed to loud devices at work. And if dental professionals exhibit evidence of noise-induced hearing loss, can it be correlated with occupational or recreational noise exposure? Our hypothesis is that if dental professionals utilize hearing protective devices, they will exhibit less noise-induced hearing loss than dental professionals who do not protect their ears."
Charles (Mark) Malloy, D.M.D., M.S., assistant professor of prosthodontics at the OHSU School of Dentistry, wore ear protection for most of his 21 years of dentistry in the military. "Hearing loss from high-speed hand pieces has been a suggestion in dentistry for as long as I can remember," said Malloy. "My dad was a dentist so I grew up around dentists and there were a lot of them that couldn't hear. It sounds reasonable to me that high-speed hand pieces may contribute to long-term hearing loss." Malloy said he stopped wearing ear protection a decade ago when he joined the School of Dentistry and began seeing patients only one day a week, but the study is making him consider using ear protection again. "Ears are pretty nice!" said Malloy, with a chuckle.
Rita Patterson, D.M.D., an assistant professor of prosthodontics who introduces the hand pieces to first-year students, also is interested in the study. "We tell the students that they can wear earplugs, which are supplied to students as a standard part of their dental equipment. There are times during the course that I teach that we have 75 high-speed hand pieces running at the same time [there are 75 dental students] for more than two hours at a time. Many instructors, including myself, wonder if we have had some hearing loss from the exposure."
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 18: Implants Help Deaf People Hear, nbc17.com
Cochlear implants have been helping hearing-impaired children hear better for many years, but now older folks are benefiting too.
"I can hear the preacher now, I couldn't hear the preacher before," Cochlear implant recipient Gus Conner said. "When you can't hear the preacher, you'd better go and do something."
And that's exactly what Conner did when he lost all hearing in his left ear. At 70, Conner said wearing hearing aids didn't help, so he made a call to University of North Carolina Dr. Harold Pillsbury, who recommended a Cochlear implant.
"You know it's very interesting because we think of Cochlear implants as a device to rescue a deaf child from the world of no communication, enable them to communicate in a normal way," Pillsbury said.
Now the device is working miracles for the young and old alike.
The implant is a small electronic device made of a microphone, speech processor, a transmitter and receiver. It is surgically implanted and connected to the inner ear to help people with severe hearing loss hear better. Unlike other hearing aids, doctors say this device does not amplify sound, but works by stimulating nerves inside the Cochlea with electrical impulses. The patient hears computer-like voices.
"My wife comments I don't have to run the TV as loud anymore," Conner said. "She doesn't have to repeat as much. She doesn't have to repeat everything three times."
Pillsbury said Cochlear implant surgeries take about three hours and the risks are low.
"In all honesty we've had really exceptionally good fortune in operating on these people. It's not an area, like the heart or abdomen, where there are other areas that can get into trouble," Pillsbury said.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 21: Sleep Apnea in Kids Cuts Brain Power, WebMD Medical News
Study: Lower IQs and Decreased Brain Activity Seen in Kids With Obstructive Sleep Disorder
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
Sleep apnea in children can lead to brain cell damage and lowered intelligence, new research suggests.
Brain imaging showed that children with untreated, severe sleep apneaapnea show evidence of injury in the regions of the brain responsible for learning, memory, and complex thought.
These children also had lower IQ scores and they scored lower on standardized learning tests than children without the sleep disorder.
It is not clear if the injury is permanent or reversible with treatment for sleep apnea, but one of the study's researchers tells WebMD that there is an urgent need for additional research to find out.
"Sleep apnea is very treatable in children," pediatric lung specialist Ann C. Halbower, MD, says. "If it does cause permanent impairment in [brain] function that makes early treatment all the more important."
Measuring IQ
Sleep apnea is less common in children than in adults, but it is estimated that 2% of kids in the U.S. have some form of obstructed breathing during sleep. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids is the most common cause of sleep apnea in children, but obesityobesity and chronic allergiesallergies can also be a cause.
Functional brain imaging studies in adults with sleep apnea have identified abnormalities in three key regions of the brain associated with learning and memory -- the frontal cortex, the cerebellum, and the hippocampus. Although studies have also linked sleep apnea in children with memory problems, lowered intelligence, and other behavioral issues, it has not been clear if they experience the same brain changes as adults do.
In an effort to answer this question, Halbower and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore conducted specialized brain imaging studies on children with severe sleep apnea and on children without the disorder. They also conducted IQ tests and performed other standardized tests designed to measure verbal performance, memory, and learning skills.
The average IQ score among the children with sleep apnea was in the low-normal range and was 16 points lower than children without the sleep breathing disorder (85 vs. 101). Children with sleep apnea also scored consistently lower on the other performance tests.
The brain imaging studies in the children with sleep apnea showed decreased activity in regions similar to those shown in adult studies.
Wake-up Call for Parents, Pediatricians
Halbower tells WebMD that the findings should serve as a wake-up call for both parents and pediatricians about the importance of treating sleep-breathing problems in children.
She adds that the importance of determining if the brain changes are permanent or can be reversed with effective treatment for sleep apneasleep apnea cannot be overemphasized.
Surgery is the treatment of choice for kids with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, and other treatments are available for those with restricted nighttime breathing due to other causes.
"These findings highlight the importance of recognizing and treating sleep-disordered breathing in children as soon as possible," Halbower says. "Sleep is critical for learning and brain function, so parents should not hesitate to discuss sleep disturbance with their child's pediatrician."
A child who snores regularly and also exhibits signs of abnormal daytime sleepiness, irritability, or hyperactivity may have sleep apneaapnea. Sleep apnea-related behavioral problems are often misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Atlanta mom Susan Williams is a believer. Her now 4-year-old daughter Zelda's severe sleep apnea led to speech delays and constant daytime sleepiness. Surgery six months ago to remove enlarged tonsils and adenoids has made all the difference, Williams says.
"She is a different kid," she says. "Almost immediately after the surgery her speech began to improve and she is much more alert during the day. It just makes sense that if a kid is not getting the oxygen they need then they aren't going to develop as well mentally or physically."
SOURCES: Halbower, A.C. PLoS Medicine, August 2006; vol.3: online edition. Ann C. Halbower, MD, pediatric pulmonolgist, department of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. Blunden, S. Sleep Medicine Review, 2001; vol 5: pp 447-461. Susan Williams, Atlanta mom.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 21: Sleep disorders, deprivation require more public concern, The Mercury News
By Roza Zadeh
It's 11:45 on a Tuesday night, and you've got an English paper due tomorrow, a chemistry lab to edit, and your three best friends each have a different story to tell you over the Internet on instant messenger. This combination of over-committed teenagers and distractions such as the Internet is one explanation to why on average, American students average about 60 minutes less sleep than European students.
Whether we are staying up to write an essay or to chat with friends, few teenagers are aware of the grave consequences of poor sleep habits. According to the Journal of Applied Physiology, performing an exciting task such as a video game on a bright display actually suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, which helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.
This can cause Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, which would cause the person to feel similar to someone struggling to overcome severe jet lag. Because a bright computer screen is believed to affect the biological rhythms that govern sleep, this becomes habit-forming behavior that could contribute to long-term sleep disorders, such as chronic insomnia, from an early age.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, (NSF), this lack of quantity and quality of sleeping hours in teenagers has been associated with higher rates of depression, poor school performance, negative moods and increased likelihood of stimulant use, in addition to higher likelihood of fatal car injuries.
In a finding by sleep researchers at Brown University in 1998, high school students who describe themselves as having academic problems and who are earning Cs or below in school report getting less sleep, having later bedtimes and having more irregular sleep schedules than students reporting higher grades.
The NSF has published research that a proper night's rest can result in up to 25 percent higher material learning retention and test scores, an outcome that would not only aid students but also gain the district more federal funding. While these are some of the many long-term advantages to encouraging better sleep health in adolescents, there are also highly urgent reasons to shed light on this matter. A 1999 study by Ronald Dahl revealed that sleep loss may be associated with decreased ability to control, inhibit or change emotional responses. Lack of sleep, compounded with many other academic, social and familial pressures of adolescent life could result in potentially catastrophic outcomes, such as suicide because of depression.
Unfortunately, even if a student suspects he is suffering from a sleep disorder, ignorance in the general population on this matter limits resources. Local sleep clinics offer overnight sleep studies that are sometimes covered by insurance to help diagnose and treat such disorders. Despite the tools and information to help raise awareness about the crucial role of sleep in the lives of adolescents from university studies and sources such as the National Sleep Foundation, most high school health and driver's ed curricula include little to no material on this topic.
It has been found that being awake for 18 hours before driving is equivalent to driving with a blood-alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent, which could explain why those lacking sleep while driving cause 20 percent of all serious car accidents in the general population. Those under age 25 account for 55 percent of these drowsy-driving accidents, yet this topic is hardly discussed in schools.
Until students are better educated on sleep, they continue to be cheated of knowledge that could substantially improve their studies, health and general well-being. By demanding an end to sleep health ignorance in schools and educating the public on when and how to seek medical attention for sleep disorders, society benefits tremendously. As a student, I am calling for a renaissance in sleep awareness -- our roads, health, students, schools and dreams depend on it.
ROZA ZADEH is a Saratoga High School student. She wrote this article for the Mercury News.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 28: Age-related hearing loss may be genetic, News-Medical.net
Researchers at the University of Antwerp have discovered that hearing loss is linked to flaws in a specific gene.
Hearing loss is very common in the elderly and millions of people have age-related hearing loss which is often linked to long term noise exposure.
It makes it difficult for elderly people to communicate with friends and family, and can lead to them feeling increasingly isolated.
Currently, little else can be done other than the provision of hearing aids and that does not prevent any further deterioration of the hearing ability.
The Dutch research team carried out a large study of 1,200 people ranging in age from 40 to 80 and found that minor changes in a gene called KCNQ4 increases the risk for hearing loss.
The researchers tested people's hearing and then looked at their DNA and found that three variations, single letter differences in DNA called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were seen in people with hearing loss but not in those with normal hearing.
They found that 37 percent of people ages 61 to 70, and 60 percent of those aged 71 to 80, suffered from age-related hearing loss.
In people with normal hearing, it is expressed in the hair cells of the cochlea where it helps recycle potassium, brought in to trigger a nerve signal to be sent to the brain, back into inner ear fluid.
They suggest possible explanations which include a build up of potassium in hair cells, or the too sudden removal of potassium.
Unfortunately regardless of the research findings, there remains no way of identifying those at risk for hearing loss or for preventing it.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People which funded the work, says the research does provide hope for the treatment of hearing loss and also provides another important piece of the jigsaw in highlighting a gene associated with age-related hearing loss.
The researchers say more work is now needed to identify what effect these genetic spelling mistakes have.
|
Return to 2006 News Article Index
|
August 29: Sleep apnea in middle age raises heart disease risk, Reuters Health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obstructive sleep apnea in middle-aged adults may increase the risk of coronary artery disease by up to five-fold, research in Sweden suggests. However, successful treatment of the sleep apnea significantly cuts that risk.
Although evidence supports ties between sleep apnea -- that is, brief but frequent episodes during the night when breathing becomes blocked -- and coronary artery disease, a causal relationship has not been established, Dr. Yuksel Peker and his colleagues at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg note. The concomitant presence of other illnesses further complicates the ability to delineate cause and effect.
For their study, Peker's team identified 308 middle-age individuals (ages 30 to 69 years) who had been evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea in 1991 and were free of any heart disease at baseline. Nearly one-third (n=105) patients had documented obstructive sleep apnea.
Patients were offered various standard treatments including CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), surgery, or an oral appliance. Sleep apnea was not resolved despite treatment or offers of treatment in 65 patients.
Over the next 7 years, coronary artery disease was diagnosed in 16.2 percent of patients with sleep apnea and 5.4 percent of those without apnea. Eight deaths due to coronary artery disease occurred in the apnea group and one in the non-apnea group.
Among patients with ineffective treatment, coronary artery disease was diagnosed in 24.6 percent versus 3.9 percent of those effectively treated.
In "multivariate analysis," obstructive sleep apnea at baseline nearly quintupled the risk of developing coronary artery disease, the investigators report, regardless of age, gender, high blood pressure, diabetes, or current smoking.
However, effective sleep apnea treatment reduced the increased risk by about two thirds.
In the European Respiratory Journal, Peker's team maintains that their study "clearly suggests a causal relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and coronary artery disease."
"Even mild obstructive sleep apnea seems to have a substantial effect on coronary artery disease risk, and highly effective treatment should therefore be provided," they write.
SOURCE: European Respiratory Journal, September 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100 South Ellsworth Avenue, Suite 308, San Mateo CA 94401
tel 650/344 6896 fax 650/344 2794
|
|
805 Veterans Boulevard, Suite 115, Redwood City CA 94063
tel 650/369 1619 fax 650/474 2997
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
