Search

Due to the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it is recommended to use in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) or a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) in uncomplicated adult subjects at high risk of OSA. The aims of the present study were to compare a HSAT device, a wrist worn peripheral arterial tone signal device (WatchPAT™-200 [WP]) with PSG and respiratory polygraphy (RP) in a low-risk population of OSA. A total of 47 adult subjects at low risk of OSA were simultaneously examined with the three different approaches in a single night. The sleep studies were scored independently and in a blinded fashion, then the results and the parameters (Respiratory Disturbance Index, apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] and oxygen desaturation index of 3%) were compared with several statistical analyses. The agreement between the sleep tools and correlation for the assessed parameters were analysed and compared with Bland and Altman plots and Pearson's coefficient (WP versus PSG, r = 0.86). For the severity of OSA ranked according to PSG, the Cohen's k was 0.60 and 0.82 for WP and RP, respectively. Specificity was higher for RP compared to WP for identifying the presence of OSA (AHIPSG cut-off ≥5 events/hr: 0.85 versus 0.73), while was quite similar in identifying patients who were more likely to be treated (AHIPSG cut-off ≥15 events/hr: 0.94 versus 0.96). Assessing the costs and the simplicity of the examination, the results of our present study demonstrate the usefulness of WP compared to PSG, especially in screening and follow-up for the ability to exclude subjects from treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (AHI

Introduction Sleep-disordered breathing causes a burden to the sufferer, the health care system and the society. Most studies have focused on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, the prevalence of comorbidities in patients affected by overlap syndrome (OS) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) has not been carefully evaluated. Study objectives The principal aim of this study was to identify the presence of comorbidities in patients suffering from OSA, OS, OHS and the differences in three groups of patients. Another purpose was to verify if sleepiness is associated with a greater prevalence of comorbidities. Methods A retrospective analysis in 989 adults referred for sleep diagnostic testing to our sleep center was performed. Patients were classified in OSA (721), OS (123) and OHS (145). Results The prevalence of comorbidities was higher in patients affected by OS and was the highest in the OHS group, while the prevalence of arterial hypertension is the highest in patients affected by OS. The probability of having more than two comorbidities follows the same trend. Excessive daytime sleepiness was associated with an increased rate of arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and the presence of multimorbidity in each group of patients. Conclusions The presence and the association of comorbidities seem to be higher in patients suffering from OSA, OS and OHS. Subjects suffering of OHS present a high prevalence of main diseases despite their younger age compared with others patients with SDB. Sleepiness may have a role, at least in a subset of these patients, into the development of comorbidities.

Background Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is used to improve risk stratification in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). So far, few studies have used this method to investigate the characteristics of subjects with CHF and Cheyne–Stokes breathing (CSB). The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate whether TDI assessment may predict the presence of CSB in patients with CHF. Materials and methods A total of 41 consecutive patients with CHF enrolled in the Daunia Heart Failure Registry underwent echocardiography assessment and nocturnal polygraphy to evaluate the presence of sleep apnea and CSB. Conventional echocardiography and TDI parameters were calculated. We have also quantified by TDI a combined index (EAS index) of diastolic and systolic performance: E'/(A' × S'). Results Subjects with evidence of CSB (N = 8) were characterized by lower values of A' (5·03 ± 2·64 vs. 7·88 ± 2·64 cm/s, P < 0·01). A' and EAS index values were related to Cheyne–Stokes episode rates (r = −0·49 and 0·52, P < 0·05 and

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening complication of HIV infection. The prevalence of HIV-associated PAH (HIV-PAH) seems not to be changed over time, regardless of the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In comparison with the incidence of idiopathic PAH in the general population (1-2 per million), HIV-infected patients have a 2500-fold increased risk of developing PAH. HIV-PAH treatment is similar to that for all PAH conditions and includes lifestyle changes, general treatments and specific treatments.

Induced sputum is recognized as being of increasing importance for the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic inflammatory lung diseases. The main purpose of this study is to provide a valid approach to better fractionate and characterize the still under-estimated low-molecular weight proteome of induced sputum by using mesoporous silica beads (MSBs) SPE coupled to MALDI-TOF MS. Sputum peptides were captured from both derivatized and non-derivatized MSBs and then profiled by MALDI-TOF MS. Depending on the chemical groups present on the mesoporous surface, complex peptide mixtures were extracted from induced sputum and converted into reproducible MALDI profiles. The number of peaks detected as a function of S/N was evaluated for each mesoporous surface. More than 400 peaks with an S/N>5 were obtained in comparison to 200 peaks detected without MSBs. Additionally, as a proof-of-principle, we investigated the ability of this platform to discriminate between the "sputome" of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and between these groups and those of healthy control subjects. Six m/z peaks emerged as potential diagnostic peptidic patterns able to differentiate these inflammatory airway diseases in the sputome range. Human α-defensins (human neutrophil peptide (HNP)1, HNP2, HNP3) and three C-terminal amidated peptides, one of which is phosphorylated on serine, were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. These findings may contribute to defining a high-throughput screening MS-based platform for monitoring key peptidic-biomarkers for inflammatory and chronic respiratory diseases in induced sputum samples.