Association between sleep quality, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and sleep-disordered breathing in pregnant women with and without obesity: An observational cross-sectional study.

AIM: To elucidate whether pregnancy and obesity are associated with poor sleep quality, and to investigate if sleep quality is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in pregnant women with obesity. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study examined 15 obese pregnant women (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 ) (p-Ob group), 15 nonobese pregnant women (p-nOb group), and 30 nonobese nonpregnant women (n-Pr group), using home recording devices to monitor sleep-disordered breathing (SDB): respiratory disturbance index, oxygen saturation, and sleep stage and quality. These variables were compared among the groups. Moreover, obese women with and without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were compared. RESULTS: Significant differences in respiratory disturbance index (median: 10.3 [p-Ob], 7.1 [p-nOb], 3.5 [n-Pr]) and oxygen saturation (95.1%, 96.5%, and 96.6%) were observed among the groups. Seven participants in the p-Ob group experienced hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with SDB before or after sleep examination. Particularly, those who developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy before sleep examination showed a lower delta power throughout the night than those without this condition. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women had poor sleep quality; those with obesity had higher frequency of SDB with worsened respiratory conditions that might cause complications. Our findings suggest that the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in some obese pregnant women might be associated with insufficient delta power. Focusing on delta power may reflect subtle changes in sleep quality that occur in pregnant women. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings and investigate causality.

Effect of biological factors on latency of pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials associated with cathode ray tubes and liquid crystal display monitors in normal young subjects.

PURPOSE: Owing to several factors, peak latencies of pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (p-VEP) are delayed when viewing liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors compared to those evoked when viewing cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. However, few studies have examined whether biological factors affect latency in LCD. This study aimed to investigate whether biological factors caused latency changes in LCD among young subjects. METHODS: Twenty-eight subjects (56 eyes) aged 21-29 years (mean ± SD, 22.7 ± 1.7) participated in this study. We recorded output from each eye twice for both CRT and LCD monitors under the same conditions for monocular p-VEP. The peak latencies of three components (N75, P100, and N145) were compared between these two monitors. RESULTS: All peak latencies recorded with LCD were delayed compared to those recorded with CRT: N75, 9.7 ± 2.5 ms; P100, 10.1 ± 3.0 ms; and N145, 8.4 ± 6.2 ms (all p < 0.001). The degree of latency delay varied depending on the components. Moreover, all peak latencies of CRT appeared earlier than standard values of N75, P100, and N145. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the following aspects should be considered when assessing biological factors that may affect latency: components might influence latency changes; a young age could be related to an early appearance of peak latencies; inter-individual differences might cause latency change. These biological factors should be considered as possible causes for the varying latencies in an LCD monitor. Further studies should include healthy adults with a wider age range to assess the effects of age on latency.

Efficacy of tiotropium and indacaterol monotherapy and their combination on dynamic lung hyperinflation in COPD: a random open-label crossover study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The difference in efficacy of long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) and long-acting ß2-agonists (LABAs) for dynamic lung hyperinflation (DLH) in COPD is unclear. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the difference in efficacy of LAMA and LABA alone and the combination thereof for DLH. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty stable patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups following baseline measurements. One group was treated with 5 µg tiotropium (Respimat inhaler) for 4 weeks following a 4-week treatment with 150 µg indacaterol, while the other group was treated with indacaterol for 4 weeks following a 4-week treatment with tiotropium. For both groups, these treatments were followed by a combination of the two drugs for 4 weeks. Pulmonary function tests, including DLH evaluated by metronome-paced incremental hyperventilation and exercise tolerance evaluated by the shuttle-walk test, were performed at the end of each treatment period. RESULTS: In total, 23 patients completed this study. Both tiotropium and indacaterol alone significantly increased forced expiratory volume in 1 second, exercise tolerance, and improved health status. Tiotropium significantly improved DLH, but indacaterol did not. The combination therapy resulted in further improvements in lung function and exercise tolerance, but not in DLH. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of tiotropium in inhibiting DLH following metronome-paced incremental hyperventilation may be superior to that of 150 µg indacaterol, although the effects on airflow obstruction were the same, and the combination therapy showed further improvement in airflow obstruction, but not in DLH.

[Value of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide after Using a Beta-2 Bronchodilator in the Differential Diagnosis of Bronchial Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease].

It has been established that an increase in fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is one of the indicators of bronchial asthma (BA) in clinical settings. However, the differential diagnosis of BA and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is difficult due to pathological similarities. Therefore, to determine if FeNO may be utilized in the differential diagnosis of BA and COPD, we compared FeNO values before and after inhalation of a short-acting beta-2 agonist (SABA). There were 3 groups of subjects recruited to this study: (1) 23 normal healthy controls, (2) 36 patients with BA, and (3) 13 patients with COPD. We measured FeNO, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and FEV1%, calculated using spirometry. Then, after the subjects inhaled the SABA, we measured these data after 10 and 30 minutes. Here we found that after inhalation of a SABA, 8 cases in the BA group who showed reversibility of airway obstruction demonstrated significantly increased FeNO values compared to the BA patients with non-reversible airway obstruction, those with COPD, and healthy subjects. This finding may be because the obstructed pulmonary peripheral airway was expanded by inhaling a SABA, and nitric oxide, which had been produced in the peripheral airway, was then exhaled. These results suggest the possibility that FeNO may be utilized in the differential diagnosis of BA and COPD.

Effect of a maternal and child health handbook on maternal knowledge and behaviour: a community-based controlled trial in rural Cambodia.

Maternal and child health (MCH) handbooks are comprehensive home-based booklets designed to integrate MCH records. Although empirical evidence suggests the handbooks are more effective than current card-type records, this has not been scientifically demonstrated. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of the MCH handbook on maternal knowledge and behaviour as measured by antenatal care (ANC) attendance, delivery with skilled birth attendants (SBAs) and delivery at a health facility. The Cambodian version of the MCH handbook was developed and introduced in two health centres, and two other health centres served as controls. Pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys were conducted with 320 women from the intervention areas and 320 women from the control areas who had given birth within 1 year before the survey. We evaluated the impact of the handbook by using difference-in-differences (DID) analysis and calculated adjusted odds ratios for pre-post changes in key indicators by using logistic regression. In addition, we interviewed multiparous women, health staff and health volunteers to assess the acceptance and cultural appropriateness of the handbook. Content analysis was performed with the English-translated transcriptions. The DID analyses revealed that all key indicators increased in the intervention group against counterfactual assumptions. The intervention also increased maternal knowledge of all topics addressed except for the risk of severe bleeding after delivery; this may be attributable to the influence of cultural belief. Logistic regression showed that the intervention increased ANC attendance, delivery with SBAs and delivery at a health facility, even after adjusting for maternal age, education and economic conditions. The qualitative data indicated that the handbook was well received and culturally appropriate. Thus, the MCH handbook is a reasonable and superior alternative to current card-type maternal records.