Graciela E. Silva

Identification of Patients with Sleep Disordered Breathing: Comparing the Four-Variable Screening Tool, STOP, STOP-Bang, and Epworth Sleepiness Scales

STUDY OBJECTIVE The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) has been used to detect patients with potential sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Recently, a 4-Variable screening tool was proposed to identify patients with SDB, in addition to the STOP and STOP-Bang questionnaires. This study evaluated the abilities of the 4-Variable screening tool, STOP, STOP-Bang, and ESS questionnaires in identifying subjects at risk for SDB. METHODS A total of 4,770 participants who completed polysomnograms in the baseline evaluation of the Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) were included. Subjects with RDIs ≥ 15 and ≥ 30 were considered to have moderate-to-severe or severe SDB, respectively. Variables were constructed to approximate those in the questionnaires. The risk of SDB was calculated by the 4-Variable screening tool according to Takegami et al. The STOP and STOP-Bang questionnaires were evaluated including variables for snoring, tiredness/sleepiness, observed apnea, blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender. Sleepiness was evaluated using the ESS questionnaire and scores were dichotomized into < 11 and ≥ 11. RESULTS The STOP-Bang questionnaire had higher sensitivity to predict moderate-to-severe (87.0%) and severe (70.4%) SDB, while the 4-Variable screening tool had higher specificity to predict moderate-to-severe and severe SDB (93.2% for both). CONCLUSIONS In community populations such as the SHHS, high specificities may be more useful in excluding low-risk patients, while avoiding false positives. However, sleep clinicians may prefer to use screening tools with high sensitivities, like the STOP-Bang, in order to avoid missing cases that may lead to adverse health consequences and increased healthcare costs.

Longitudinal association between short sleep, body weight, and emotional and learning problems in Hispanic and Caucasian children.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of lower amounts of childhood sleep assessed by polysomnogram on development of obesity, being anxious or depressed, or having learning problems 5 years later. DESIGN Prospective cohort. PARTICIPANTS Subjects were 304 community participants from the Tucson Childrens Assessment of Sleep Apnea study, aged 6-12 years old at baseline. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Children were classified according to baseline sleep as those who slept ≥ 9 h/night, those who slept > 7.5 to < 9 h/night, and those who slept ≤ 7.5 h/night. Odds of overweight/obese (≥ 85(th) BMI percentile), obese (≥ 95(th) BMI percentile), anxious or depressed, and learning problems at follow-up were assessed according to baseline sleep categories. Children who slept ≤ 7.5 h/night had higher odds of being obese (OR = 3.3, P < 0.05) at follow-up than children who slept ≥ 9 h/night. Borderline significance for overweight/obese (OR = 2.2, P < 0.1), anxious or depressed (OR = 3.3, P < 0.1), and having learning problems (OR = 11.1, P < 0.1) were seen for children who slept ≤ 7.5 h/night as compared to those who slept ≥ 9 h/night. A mean increase in BMI of 1.7 kg/m(2) (P = 0.01) over the 5 years of follow-up was seen for children who slept ≤ 7.5 h/night compared to those who slept ≥ 9 h/night. These relationships did not differ between Hispanic and Caucasian children. CONCLUSIONS Children with reduced amounts of sleep (≤ 7.5 h/night) had an increased risk for higher body weight in early adolescence. Similarly, children who slept ≤ 7.5 h/night had higher risk of being anxious or depressed or having learning problems in early adolescence.

Incidence and Remission of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Related Symptoms in 6- to 17-Year Old Children—The Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea Study

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence and remission of sleep-disordered breathing in adolescent children. STUDY DESIGN A total of 319 children completed 2 home polysomnograms approximately 5 years apart. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) was determined to be present if a child had a respiratory disturbance index>or=1 event per hour associated with >or=3% oxygen desaturation. Subjective symptoms such as witnessed apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, and habitual loud snoring were considered present if they occurred frequently or almost always. Body mass index percentiles were calculated with childhood growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adjusted for sex and age. RESULTS The mean age at assessment was 8.5 years at baseline and 13.7 years at follow-up, respectively. Incident SDB was more common in boys (odds ratio [OR]=3.93, P=.008, confidence interval [CI]=1.41-10.90). Children with prevalent SDB were more likely to be boys (OR=2.48, P=.006) and had a greater increase in body mass index percentile change (OR 1.01, P=.034). Children with prevalent SDB also had 3.41 greater odds for development of obesity from baseline to follow-up in comparison with children with prevalent NoSDB. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent boys are more likely to have persistent and incident SDB than girls. Children with prevalent SDB are more likely to have development of obesity. These risks are similar to those observed in adults.

Caffeine and screen time in adolescence: associations with short sleep and obesity.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations between sleep duration and obesity incidence and risk factors among pre-adolescents and adolescents. DESIGN Cross-sectional study of a community based cohort SETTING The Tucson Childrens Assessment of Sleep Apnea follow-up study (TuCASA) cohort. PARTICIPANTS 319 Caucasian and Hispanics between 10-17 years. MAIN OUTCOME Parent-reported sleep duration and BMI z-score. OUTCOME MEASURES Surveys of electronic screen time, dietary and caffeine intake, exercise and sleep habits by parents, and anthropometric measures. RESULTS Parent-reported total sleep time (TST) was inversely associated with BMI z-score, but not significantly correlated with any of the examined nutritional variables or exercise components. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with significantly lower parent-reported TST and higher BMI z-score. Parent-reported TST was inversely related to electronic screen time and caffeine use, but these findings were differentially related to age. Caffeine consumption was associated with decreasing parent-reported TST primarily in older adolescents. Electronic screen time was associated with lower parent-reported TST in younger adolescents. CONCLUSIONS Hispanic ethnicity and parental reports of TST were found to be the most closely associated with BMI z-score. Decreased TST and increased caffeine intake and screen time may result in higher obesity risk in the adolescent population.

Longitudinal Decline of Diffusing Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide in Community Subjects With the PiMZ α1-Antitrypsin Phenotype

BACKGROUND It is well known that homozygous deficiency of alpha(1)-antitrypsin, PiZZ, is associated with an increased risk of emphysema. However, studies evaluating associations between the heterozygous form PiMZ with emphysema and impaired lung function have provided conflicting results. STUDY OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine if the phenotype PiMZ is associated with an accelerated decline in diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (Dlco). DESIGN AND METHODS The Tucson Epidemiologic Study of Airway Obstructive Disease is a prospective, population-based cohort study initiated in 1972. Participants completed standardized questionnaires in up to 12 periodic surveys and Dlco assessments in up to 4 surveys. Random-effects models were used to determine the effects of alpha(1)-antitrypsin phenotypes on percentage of predicted (% predicted) Dlco levels among 1,075 subjects > or = 18 years old. RESULTS % predicted Dlco declined more rapidly in subjects who smoked compared to nonsmoking subjects. Additionally, in smokers, the PiMZ phenotype was associated with borderline % predicted Dlco deficits at age 40 years (8.6%; p = 0.075) and significant % predicted Dlco deficits at age 60 years (15.2%; p = 0.001) and 80 years (21.9%; p = 0.003), as compared with the PiMM phenotype. CONCLUSIONS Dlco may be a more sensitive indicator of the long-term effects of intermediate levels of alpha(1)-antitrypsin on lung function especially in subjects who smoke.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in Preadolescent Girls is Associated with Delayed Breast Development Compared to Girls without OSA

STUDY OBJECTIVE Adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have lower sex steroid levels than controls. We sought to determine whether OSA also interferes with reproductive hormones in adolescence by tracking the pace of pubertal development. METHODS One hundred seventy-two children in the Tucson Childrens Assessment of Sleep Apnea study (TuCASA) underwent two home polysomnographic studies, spaced 4-5 years apart. Height and weight were measured at both visits, and Tanner staging of breasts/genitals and pubic hair were self-assessed by a pictorial questionnaire at follow-up. RESULTS Eighty-seven girls and 85 boys, age 8.9 ± 1.6 years (mean ± SD) at baseline and 13.4 ± 1.6 years at follow-up, participated. Twenty-seven percent of participants were over-weight or obese at baseline, and the majority remained so at follow-up. Twenty-six percent of girls and 28% of boys met criteria for OSA, defined as a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) ≥ 1/h associated with a 3% desaturation (RDI 3%), at baseline. There was an inverse relationship between baseline log RDI 3% and Tanner breast stage at follow-up (coefficient -1.3, p = 0.02) in girls after adjusting for age (p < 0.001), body mass index (p < 0.005), and ethnicity. Girls with OSA at baseline were more than 1 Tanner breast stage behind girls without OSA at follow-up. OSA did not affect genital development in boys or pubic hair development in either sex. CONCLUSIONS OSA in preadolescent girls predicts delayed breast development relative to girls without OSA. Sleep fragmentation and/or hypoxia seen in OSA may interfere with reproductive development in girls.

Original Research: COPDLongitudinal Decline of Diffusing Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide in Community Subjects With the PiMZ α1-Antitrypsin Phenotype

BACKGROUND It is well known that homozygous deficiency of alpha(1)-antitrypsin, PiZZ, is associated with an increased risk of emphysema. However, studies evaluating associations between the heterozygous form PiMZ with emphysema and impaired lung function have provided conflicting results. STUDY OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine if the phenotype PiMZ is associated with an accelerated decline in diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (Dlco). DESIGN AND METHODS The Tucson Epidemiologic Study of Airway Obstructive Disease is a prospective, population-based cohort study initiated in 1972. Participants completed standardized questionnaires in up to 12 periodic surveys and Dlco assessments in up to 4 surveys. Random-effects models were used to determine the effects of alpha(1)-antitrypsin phenotypes on percentage of predicted (% predicted) Dlco levels among 1,075 subjects > or = 18 years old. RESULTS % predicted Dlco declined more rapidly in subjects who smoked compared to nonsmoking subjects. Additionally, in smokers, the PiMZ phenotype was associated with borderline % predicted Dlco deficits at age 40 years (8.6%; p = 0.075) and significant % predicted Dlco deficits at age 60 years (15.2%; p = 0.001) and 80 years (21.9%; p = 0.003), as compared with the PiMM phenotype. CONCLUSIONS Dlco may be a more sensitive indicator of the long-term effects of intermediate levels of alpha(1)-antitrypsin on lung function especially in subjects who smoke.

Evaluating the use of a simulated electronic health record and online drug reference in a case study to enhance nursing students' understanding of pharmacologic concepts and resources.

Nursing students should learn to navigate the complexities of the healthcare arena, such as integrating use of electronic health records (EHRs) and online drug references into patient care. Using a simulated EHR in a nursing pharmacology course allowed students to interact with these technologies while learning and applying pharmacologic concepts to a case study. The authors discuss how they created and facilitated such a case study, as well as students’ outcomes.

Asthma risk factors in Desert Southwest of USA: Role of nutritional supplement, Pycnogenol® in therapy

Purpose: Desert environments have some unique causative agents that promote asthma. These include molds like Alternaria alternata and Dermatophagoides farinae, and Bermuda grass pollen. In addition, dietary supplements with antioxidant activities are being shown to reduce asthma symptoms with Pycnogenol being the example used.Design: Literature review.Materials and methods: This review was conducted by searching PubMed and other medical databases, as well as doing original research reviewed. It was presented at the meeting of the British Society for Ecological Medicine in London, June 2006.Results: Recent studies are defining the risk factors for asthma induction in children in the desert environment of Southwest USA. In particular, exposure to molds and pets, maternal smoking, and being overweight. Two recent studies have shown that Pycnogenol, a dietary supplement containing bioflavanoids with strong antioxidant activity, reduced asthma symptoms in adults and youths. There was evidence that the extract ...

A novel artificial neural network based sleep-disordered breathing screening tool

STUDY OBJECTIVES This study evaluated a novel artificial neural network (ANN) based sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) screening tool incorporating nocturnal pulse oximetry with demographic, anatomic, and clinical data. The tool was compatible with 6 categories of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) with 4% oxyhemoglobin desaturation threshold, ≥ 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 events/h. METHODS Using a general population dataset, the training set included 2,280 subjects, whereas the test set included 470 subjects. The input of this tool was a set of 22 variables. The tool had six neural network models for each AHI threshold. Several metrics were explored to evaluate the performance of the tool: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS The AUC was 0.904, 0.912, 0.913, 0.926, 0.930, and 0.954, respectively, with models of AHI ≥ 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 events/h thresholds. The sensitivities of all neural network models were higher than 95%. The AHI ≥ 30 events/h model had the maximum sensitivity: 98.31% (95% CI: 95.01%-100%). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggested that the ANN based SDB screening tool can be used to identify the presence or absence of SDB. Future validation should be performed in other populations to determine the practicability of this screening tool in sleep clinics and other at-risk populations.