Sexual function in pre- and post-menopausal women with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the female sexual function in relation to hormonal status in pre- and postmenopausal women with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A total of 43 premenopausal (mean age 42.1±4.9) and 58 postmenopausal (mean age 59.9±4.8) women were included in the study. All women filled out the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Testosterone, estradiol and progesterone were measured. After polysomnography, women were allocated to a not-severe OSA group (Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) 10-30) and a severe OSA group (AHI >30). Healthy subjects comprised the control group. Severe OSA women in both pre- and post-menopausal group were found to have significantly lower mean FSFI score (16.5±4.0 and 16.9±4.7, respectively) compared with not-severe OSA (23.4±5.5, P<0.01 and 21.8±7.5, P<0.05) and control subjects (27.0±5.5, P<0.01 and 24.0±6.7, P<0.01). Progesterone, which was significantly lower in severe OSA premenopausal women (0.26±0.2) compared with not-severe OSA (0.55±0.14, P<0.01) and control group (0.62±0.16, P<0.01), correlated significantly with FSFI (r=0.39, P<0.01). Our study demonstrated that OSA is associated with sexual dysfunction in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women in a dose-related fashion. Regarding premenopausal women, our results indicated that progesterone may play a role in the association between OSA and female sexual dysfunction.

Epidemiology and clinical significance of mycobacterial respiratory infections in Central Greece.

SETTING: A 750-bed tertiary referral hospital in Central Greece. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) respiratory infection based on the isolation of NTM in respiratory specimens, to study their clinical significance and to evaluate the differences in clinical, radiological and demographic characteristics between patients with lung disease caused by NTM and that caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). DESIGN: A 3-year period prospective study to identify patients with positive NTM and MTC respiratory specimens. RESULTS: Between January 2004 and December 2006, 564 positive NTM cultures from 214 patients and 118 MTC cultures from the same number of patients were collected. The incidence rate of clinically significant NTM lung infection was 0.67, 0.54 and 0.94 cases per 100,000 population, and that of MTC infection of the lung was respectively 5.70, 5.28 and 5.10 cases/100,000 in the three study years. Smoking habits and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were significant risk factors for NTM disease (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: NTM incidence rates were lower than those reported in the rest of Europe and the USA. Further studies are needed to determine the prevalence and the significant geographic variability of NTM and their clinical significance at the national level.

Could IFN-gamma predict the development of residual pleural thickening in tuberculous pleurisy?

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to identify predictive factors for the development of residual pleural thickening (RPT) in patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TP). METHODS: A retrospective study of patients with pleural tuberculosis. The clinical and radiological characteristics, and measurements of microbiological and biochemical parameters or markers such as adenosine deaminase (ADA), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pleural fluid were studied. RESULTS: Thirty one patients (24 male and 7 female) with a mean age of 55.9 years were studied. There were 25 (80.6%) patients with RPT > 2 mm and 6 (19.4%) patients without RPT. Ten patients (32.2%) had RPT > or = 10 mm. The rate of pleural thickening was less in small effusions (p<0.05). IFN-gamma was higher in patients with RPT > or = 10 mm (p < 0.05) in comparison with those with RPT < 10 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural fluid IFN-gamma may deserve further investigation in order to build up preventive and therapeutic strategies against RPT and its clinical complications.